I close my eyes.
I want to believe him.God,I want to believe him.
And the most terrifying thing of all?
For the first time in eight years…
I think I might.
Chapter 11
Colt
The blade on my skate kisses ice for the first time in a month, and I nearly burst into tears like a goddamn rookie at his first open skate.
I push off slow, the rink stretching out beneath me in a sheet of glass-smooth perfection. The hum of the cooling system, the scrape of steel, the cold air biting at my cheeks… all of it floods back in like a song I forgot I knew the words to.
I'm home.
"OH MY GOD, BOYS, LOOK!" Cade comes flying across the ice toward me at warp speed, his stick clutched like a sword. "It's anantique! A relic! A genuine museum piece, fresh out of retirement!"
My eyes roll back. "Fuck off, Jensen."
"Careful, fellas, don't startle him. He'sbrittle." Cade skates a circle around me, hands on his hips like a tour guide. "If you look closely, you can see the cobwebs forming around his joints."
"I will end you."
"Withwhat?Your walker?"
I lunge at him, but he's too quick, cackling as he carves a tight turn at the far blue line. I go to give chase, but Willa skates over from the boards, her iPad in hand and an expression dialed todon't even think about it.
"We're starting out slow, remember." She raises an eyebrow. "Twenty more laps at an easy pace. If I see one stride that looks like aggression, I'm pulling you."
"Yes, ma'am."
I push off, gliding past the bench where Samuel's lacing up. He doesn't say anything when I pass… just gives me a nod that feels like a welcome back.
Gabe's at the far end, working through some defensive drills with Theo, but when he spots me, he straightens up and skates toward the boards.
"Hey, man." He stops a respectable distance away, like he's still not entirely sure I've forgiven him. "Good to see you back."
"Thanks, big guy."
"If you, uh… need anything today... Water. A break. Whatever." He shrugs, dodging my eyes. "Yell out. Yeah?"
I grin. "Devereaux. You keep being this nice to me, people are gonna talk."
That achieves an eyeroll and a collectable Gabe grunt.Success.
"Forget I said anything."
He grunts and skates off, but there's a smile on his face as he goes.Fuck, this is what I missed. The casual cruelty wrapped in genuine affection. The chirping that really meansI'm glad you're here.
Willa sends me on my way, and I push into my laps, settling into a rhythm that feels almost like my old pace.
And then, somewhere around lap twelve, my brain wanders to exactly the place I shouldn't let it.
Zoey.
