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The first one put my name on a jersey. The second one is sitting beside me, and I nearly threw her away because I was too scared to say she mattered.
Her eyes fill.
“So when I got the chance to choose my number, I picked twenty-two. Eleven twice.”
I lift her hand and press my lips against her knuckles.
“One for the dream I was chasing. And one for the girl who made me believe I could have more.”
A tear slips down her cheek. “Bishop.”
“I love you, Delaney Beckett.” The words come easier than I expect, maybe because I've been carrying them around for so long. “I think I always have.”
She stares at me. Then she lets out a shaky laugh.
For one terrifying second, I wonder if I’ve waited too long to say it.
“You can't just say something like that while I'm sitting out here in Christmas pajamas.”
I grin. “Should I come back when you're wearing something fancy?”
“No.” She sets her coffee on the table and turns toward me. “No, you idiot.”
Then she's climbing into my lap, quilt and all.
I catch her around the waist.
“I love you too,” she whispers.
Four words, and suddenly Christmas morning feels like the first time I’ve ever been given something I don’t have to earn.
I close my eyes. For one second, I don't move. I just hold her.
I've heard crowds chant my name. I've stood in locker rooms after wins that felt impossible. I've had moments I thought I'd remember for the rest of my life. None of them comes close to hearing Delaney say those four words.
I pull back enough to look at her. “Say it again.”
She smiles through her tears. “I love you, Hayes Bishop.”
I kiss her. Slowly.
Without checking over my shoulder or wondering who might see.
Her fingers curl into the front of my sweatshirt, and I pull the quilt tighter around her as the swing rocks beneath us.
When I finally draw back, her nose brushes mine. “Jesus, Becks. Your nose is freezing.”
She laughs. “It's December in Michigan.”
“Then why are you sitting outside?”
“Because I needed some air.”
“Could've cracked a window.”
“You're ruining a very romantic moment.”
“Trying to keep you from getting frostbite.”
