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My words ease some of the tightness in his jaw, but then he asks, “But is Mr. Davenport going to have an issue with this?”
“For me, it doesn’t matter, but I can tell it matters to you.”
He gawks at me, as he should. “He owns the team I play for. He pays me, decides whether I get ice time or if I get traded, Lou,” he says. But while I expected him to raise his voice, he doesn’t.
But the volume of his words doesn’t matter. The reality of what he has said hits me square in the chest. “You’re absolutely right. I was selfish and wrong not to tell you sooner,” I say, emotion choking me. “I’m truly sorry, but I was so caught up in us. Everything else didn’t matter.”
He moves his hands from my hips, gathering me closer, much to my surprise. “I get it,” he murmurs against my lips. “I felt the same.”
Felt.
I bite my lip, my heart aching, and I look down at his chest. I inhale deeply, closing my eyes as I ask, “Does this change things?”
He grasps my chin, guiding me to meet his eyes. “It changes nothing.”
“Are you sure? You’re not mad?”
“Not mad. Surprised, but not mad. I get it. It’s easy to get lost in just us when there isn’t anyone or anything to remind us of real life.”
I sigh deeply, nodding. “Too easy.”
“Absolutely,” he says, moving his hand along my throat, stroking the vein in my neck with his thumb. “But it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
My throat goes dry. “I’m sorry.”
He kisses me softly, and I lean into it. Needing it to know he isn’t upset with me. He has every right to be mad, take his jersey, and walk away, but he doesn’t do that. He only holds me, running his thumb along my throat. “Are you going to tell him, or do you wanna just do our own thing?”
I shake my head. “I think that’s where Austen messed up, by not telling our peepaw. I want to be honest. I plan on telling him before I come to the game Friday.”
“How do you think that will go?”
“Fine. I’m not worried about it. He tried to ruin Dimitri’s career, but then Austen quit the Bears and it really hurt him. I think he learned from it and only wants us to be happy.”
He blinks. “He tried to ruin Dimitri’s career?”
I grimace. “Yeah, but he’s trying so hard to get back his relationship with Austen, I don’t think he’d do it again.”
He grimaces. “That’s a little worrisome.”
“Do you want your jersey back?” I ask without really thinking, and I hate how small I sound.
His brows furrow deeply, his eyes pinning mine with a look. “I don’t.”
“I’d understand?—”
“Lou,” he insists, cutting off my words, “my jersey belongs on your body, okay?”
His eyes burn into mine, waiting for me to agree, but I feel so guilty. “I feel like I hid this from you, and that wasn’t my intention, I swear.”
“I know it wasn’t,” he tells me, holding me so there is no space between us. “It’s okay. Everything is fine.”
Then why does it feel like it isn’t?
CHAPTER 31
Ciaran
How I didn’t put two and two together is bizarre and truly unlike me, but then again, I’m pretty sure I know why I didn’t. Like she said, when we’re together, nothing else matters. I’m too thoroughly taken with Louisa to worry much about anything else. That should concern me, but really, it only reinforces for me that this is real. That getting out of that truck a few days ago was an action beyond my control. Louisa belongs in my arms, my face nuzzled in her neck, and that sigh she makes is a song for only me.
