AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After the game, I headed down to the locker rooms and ran into Marcus.
“Tell me you’re coming to Beckett’s party tonight, Lil?”
“Sure, I can come for a bit,” I said, laughing at his raw exuberance.
“A bit? Damn, girl, you’re hard to bring around. Well, lucky for you that you have a boyfriend who’s just as antisocial as you are.”
“Cayden’s not my boyfriend,” I protested, more a reflex than anything else.
“You might want to tell him that, because he sure thinks he is.” Marcus grinned and jerked his head toward my dad’s office. “He’s in there, talking to the scouts.”
“Seriously?”
Marcus nodded. “I’m up next, then Asher. It’s just introductions at this stage, but…it’s promising.” He was grinning so hard it was impossible not to reciprocate.
“Tell him I’m waiting outside for him by his bike, will you?”
Marcus nodded, walking backward toward the offices. “Will do.”
“Lil!” Eve’s voice called out to me, and after a moment, she threw herself into my arms.
“That game was awesome! Did you see? How come you’re here? I thought you’d already be in California by now.”
“Do you know how long the flight to California is?” I teased her.
She rolled her eyes. “Not exactly, seeing as I’ve never even been on a plane, but seriously, why are you here and not there?”
“Because I don’t want to be there. I’ve officially decided. I hope you haven’t found another roommate already and the position is still free…” I trailed off, not getting further as Eve jumped on me.
She squealed loudly enough to break my eardrums. “You’re shitting me! You’re staying!”
“I’m staying,” I laughed, spinning her around until we were both laughing.
She slid out my arms, grinning at me hard. A dark figure lurked behind Eve. It was Beckett. He had a hip perched on the banister of the staircase and watched us.
“Congratulations on the game,” I called to him.
He inclined his head. “Congrats to you, too. It sounds like you made a big decision tonight, and you, Cinderella, look like you’ve managed to scare up someone who’d like to live with you.” His last words were directed at Eve, who flushed and glared at him.
The tension between them was thick, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I needed to go and talk to Cayden. I felt like I couldn’t wait one more second.
“I have to go, but we’re going to the party later, right?”
Eve looked surprised at my words.
Before she could answer, Beckett spoke. “Yes, she is.”
Okay, then.
“I’ll see you over there, and we can talk about HHU as much as you want.” I squeezed Eve’s hand and headed out to the parking lot.
I left the rink, the success of Cayden’s game circling around my head. Tonight, for some reason, everything felt clear. Decisions felt easy. Sometimes it felt like the path was laid out under your feet, and you just had to walk it.
I sat on the low wall next to the parking lot, a few feet away from Cayden’s bike.
I sat there and breathed in the fragrant pine and salt of Hade Harbor’s air. I felt peaceful. Decided. Content. It was an amazing feeling.
“Are you really here, or did I get hit in the head harder than I thought?” Cayden’s voice reached me just before he picked me up from behind, pulling me effortlessly over the low wall and into his arms.
