Page 195 of Lose You Twice

The room laughs.

Weston presses a hand to his heart.

Kai exhales, then looks down at the plaque.

“I didn’t know this was happening.”

“Obviously,” Grayson mutters beside me.

Kai glances toward our table before continuing.

“I don’t really know what to say other than thank you.”

His voice is steady, but I know him. I see the tiny movement in his jaw.

“This team has made my life difficult for four years.”

A few guys laugh.

“And better.”

That quiets them.

“I think being captain makes people assume I’m the one holding everything together.” He pauses. “I’m not.”

His eyes move across the room.

“There’ve been a lot of days where one of these guys has done that for me. Sometimes without knowing it. When I started here at PCU, I never thought I’d be team captain someday. Yeah, I had hoped it would happen, but I also didn’t fully appreciate what having that title meant.”

My chest aches.

“For a long time, I thought that meant working harder than everyone else, setting the standard. Being the first guy in, last guy out. But then, a really good friend of mine gave me a reality check and reminded me that being a good human comes before being a good captain.” Kai looks to our table before continuing.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to play next to you guys for the last four years, and I’ll remember this long after my final game here. This team has given me a lot of things, including some of the best friends a guy could ever hope for.”

Grayson looks down at the table, wiping at his nose.

“So…thank you for trusting me.”

Kai returns to the table under another round of applause, looking like he’d prefer everyone immediately forget the last two minutes happened.

I’m smiling when he sits beside me.

I lean over, kissing him on the cheek. “I love you.”

He smiles. “I love you too. Is it time to get out of here yet?”

I laugh, and a few minutes later, we do just that.

34

KAI

The short drive back to my apartment seems like it takes forever, especially with Wren’s hand on my thigh.

She’s been touching me the entire time, and after her little comment when we first got to the banquet, seeing her dress on my floor has been on repeat in my mind.

I finally pull into my spot and cut the engine, looking over at her. “Ready to head in?”