Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Dad steps forward, his protective instincts kicking in. “I think it would be best if you and Ava spoke another time,” he says. “She’s pretty shaken up.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner,” Hayes whispers, his voice low and thick with regret. He looks at me again, and the weight of his words presses on my chest.
What if he’d gotten there ten minutes later?
Or not at all?
A shiver scurries down my spine, not wanting to imagine either of those scenarios playing out.
“It’s not your fault.” I glance at my parents as guilt threatens to swallow me whole. “I should have told them about the texts. Or that I thought I saw him following me.” I shrug, wishing it were possible to go back in time and make different decisions. Better ones. “I thought I was just being paranoid.”
When a heavy silence falls over our group, Dad’s hand settles gently against my back, attempting to steer me toward the exit.
It’s a surprise when Hayes steps in front of us, desperation flooding his green eyes. “Please, Coach? It’s important.”
Dad hesitates before shooting a glance at me. “Is that what you want?”
I nod, unable to trust my voice, as my mom brushes a kiss against my forehead.
“All right. We’ll wait in the car.” Dad squeezes my hand before wrapping an arm around my mother. She leans her head against his broad shoulder. Barely do I hear the soft sob that escapes her as they walk out, leaving me alone with Hayes.
The moment the door swings shut behind them, I feel the weight of Hayes’s gaze pinning me in place.
He looks wrecked.
His eyes are full of an apology that doesn’t need words.
“I’m so sorry, Ava. For everything,” he says, his voice hoarse. “I thought I was making the best decision for both of us, but it turned out to be the wrong one.”
I frown as confusion mixes with the swirl of emotions I’m still trying to manage. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“Your dad told me about the coach who wants to work with you.” Remorse clouds his face as he looks away. “I thought if I ended things, you’d move to Colorado to focus on skating, and that you’d be safe there.”
“He did?” With that, understanding dawns. I exhale as the pieces finally click into place. “Is that why you were with those girls? Why you pretended we were nothing more than a hookup?”
He drags a hand through his mussed hair, and I get the feeling I’m not the only one trying to keep it together. “Yeah. You’re too damn talented not to compete. I didn’t want to be the reason you didn’t reach your full potential.”
I shake my head as frustration bubbles up inside me. “That wasn’t your decision to make.”
“You’re right,” he says, his voice rough. “It wasn’t. And I’m sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you. I just…” He pauses, his jaw clenched. “I only wanted what was best for you.”
Silence stretches between us as the tension turns oppressive. I search his eyes, desperate to see the truth behind his words.
“Did you ever consider that you’re what’s best for me?”
As soon as the question is out of my mouth, Hayes steps forward, bridging the distance between us. My breath catches when his hand rises to cup my cheek, and his thumb brushes against my skin.
“If that’s true,” he admits, seriousness shining brightly from his eyes, “then I would consider myself the luckiest bastard in the world.”
Unable to hold back for another second, I lean in so my lips can drift over his. The kiss starts off soft, almost tentative, as if we’re both testing the waters. It doesn’t take long for the floodgates to open, and everything I’ve been holding back—the fear, the pain, the longing—pours out into that one caress.
Hayes tugs me closer before wrapping his arms around me, as if he’ll never let go, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I finally feel safe.
Really, truly safe.
And I know with every fiber of my being that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
39
Hayes
The roar of the crowd fills my ears as I line up at center ice, my heart already thudding with the adrenaline that surges before the puck drops. Playoff games are always tense and electric.
But tonight is different.
I look up into the stands and scan the crowd until I find her.
Not only is Ava sitting with all the other girlfriends—Juliette, Carina, Fallyn, Viola, Stella, Britt, and Willow—but she’s wearing my jersey. Seeing her there has something tightening in my chest. I never expected to find someone who made me feel complete. It’s crazy. She crashed into my life when I least expected it, and now I can’t imagine being without her.
Nor would I want to.
Even Willow’s roommate, Holland, is here tonight.