Page 116 of You Had Me at Hockey

“Jesus Christ.” He crouches beside my chair and takes my hands. “Come on. We’ve talked about this. We’re both going to have stuff like this happen. We can’t let it bother us. The idea that you’re not good enough for me…that’s bullshit.”

My smile is tremulous. “Thank you.”

“Youknowthat, Sara.” He squeezes my hands. “You know you’re sending a message by being yourself. So you leave a spin class looking sweaty—that’sreal. Remember the podcast?”

I gaze back at him with a tiny shake of my head. “I mean, yeah…but…”

“We talked about the pressure from our fans. And I told you the most important thing is to do what’s best for you and not worry about pleasing everyone else. Because you can’t. And to stay consistent with your own values and beliefs.”

I nod slowly. “Right. Work hard. Stay humble.”

“Yeah. And I’ve learned from you…be honest. Be real.” He gazes into my eyes and warmth flows through me. I want to absorb his strength, his goodness, his humility. “You make mebetter.”

My eyes sting. “No,youmakemebetter.”

His smile is alchemy. It’s love and affection, admiration and respect and devotion. It’s everything I feel for him reflected back at me, and I am so very, very lucky.

“Remember who you are and what you’re doing. The message you’re sending to your fans. You can go out without makeup, not looking perfect. You can say what you want and not apologize for it. What did just you tell Harper?”

Harper and I just had a frank discussion about my image and the future.

“I told her…I refuse to be consumed by the influencer aesthetic, where everything has to be filtered and perfect all the time. I don’t even know if I’ll still be doing this when I’m thirty, but if I am, I’ll be just as honest and real as I am now.” I take a breath. “I’m not perfect and I don’t want to come across that way, because nobody is.”

“Exactly.” He smooches my mouth in a soft, tender kiss. “Except you are perfect…for me.”