“I was in a hurry,” I replied as he cupped my face with his hands. “And honestly, if I thought about it too much, I probably wouldn’t have done it at all.”
In the moonlight, his features softened, and he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I understand, but, Brooke, your safety is so much more important. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”
I nodded softly, smiling to myself as I leaned into him, closing my eyes as I let the heat of his body warm me. “I know.”
“We should go inside. You’re getting quite cold.”
Reece stood up, offering me his hand to help me up as well. I took it, and suddenly, a rush of gratitude swelled in my chest at his concern for me. He’d always cared about me, even in the most spontaneous and reckless moments of my life, even when he was upset with me. I could never find anyone better than him.
The Carter’s roof was a bit more slippery than ours, or perhaps I was imagining it, but either way, I clung to my fiancé like a monkey as we made our way through the window and into his bedroom.
Reece closed the window behind us before turning to face me with a tender expression. “What will your parents say when they wake up in the morning and you’re no longer in your room?”
I shrugged, reaching for his hand one more time before Ipulled him toward his bed. It was still late, and I was getting seriously tired now that I was with him again. Before lying down, I quickly took off my socks.
Days and nights with Reece by my side were so much better than anything else.
“Hopefully, they won’t know I climbed through my window to get out.” A soft chuckle slipped past my lips. “I could’ve used the door, you know. It’s not the first time they’d wake up to me suddenly being at your place.”
“That’s true.”
The room was cloaked in darkness, only the faint glow from the street lamp outside casting shadows across the walls.
I crawled under the covers, feeling the warmth of the blankets enveloping me as Reece joined me, wrapping his arms around me protectively.
I snuggled into his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was one of my favorite sounds to listen to at night, and I didn’t usually appreciate noises as I tried to sleep.
“Brooke,” Reece whispered, tracing his hand up and down my back. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Looking up at him, I met his gentle gaze that was filled with nothing but love, and offered him a warm smile. “Me too.”
17
REECE
Brooke talked to her coach about ending the partnership with Erik… Ilya advised her to stick out the season with him.
It made sense that he’d try to make them get along for another season, as terminating their contract during the season could cause a lot of issues. It could even hurt Brooke and Erik’s reputation and might make it difficult for them to find other partners in the future. It could disrupt their skating schedules, competition plans, and even affect their ranking and qualifications for nationals and other major events.
It was easier and more secure to terminate their partnership once the season was over.
As much as I hated that, I could live with it. Hopefully.
Brooke and I spent all weekend looking for apartments or a small house close to St. Trewery. Most of them were either too small, too big, or just not worth it.
We did come across one house, though; the one Grey and Miles used to live in when they went to college. A couple with a kid still lived there until mid-October, so we’d been told, which meant we wouldn’t have been able to move in before November. Still, we applied right away.
As far as I remember, it was a decent-sized house. Twobedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a toilet downstairs, and an office space that we didn’t need, but I was sure we could turn the space into something useful.
I had a bunch of hockey equipment, and Brooke owned a lot of figure skating stuff, so we could’ve easily turned the office into a separate closet for skating equipment. Then we’d have our bedroom and a spare one. Sounded good enough for me.
It was only until we graduated, anyway.
I was constantly checking my emails to see if the landlord had made a decision yet, but the only emails I got were sports newsletters that I subscribed to. Only when I heard Fynn’s voice did I tear my eyes away from my screen.
“I get it now,” Fynn laughed as soon as Brooke and Erik finished their practice skate.
I wasn’t even supposed to be here because Erik was throwing a fit when he saw me earlier, but since they were using our ice rink now, nobody could tell me I wasn’t allowed to be in here. After all, hockey practice was starting in an hour.
