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Like the weight of the world dropped off his shoulders.
Holding her gaze, he threaded through the crowd.
She wanted to bolt. She would have—if she wasn’t distracted by the fact that there was something different about him. She couldn’t pinpoint it until he stood before her.
“Hi.” He had an air of confidence, that’s what it was. He was lighter, happier. Freer. He wasn’t wearing his unreadable mask.
“Hi.” She’d never felt awkward around him before, but his easygoing presence unnerved her. “I brought the cake.”
“Thank you. It was nice of you to do that.”
“I wouldn’t let her down just because we didn’t work out.”
“Oh, but we did.”
“Excuse me?”
“We worked out spectacularly.”
“Why would you say something like that?” She flared up hot and fast. After all her suffering without him, how dare he be so aloof? “Is that all I was to you, a summer fling? ‘Thanks for the great sex. Oh, hey, can you make a cake for the daughter you’re never going to see again?’”
“Gracie. My Gracie. You were never a fling. You’re an awakening. Do you remember what I said?” He leaned in, his lips just a brush away from her cheek. “I’ll never give up.” He reached for her hand and towed her across the patio and away from the crowd. “And I meant it. Come on. I want to show you something.” In the shade of a tree, he finally let her go, but only to free his hands so he could cage her in against the other side of the house. “But before I do, I need to tell you something. I listened to everything you said, and I’m doing all of it. Why? Because I’m in love with you. I want you in my life and in my bed. I want to sleep next to you every night and wake up with you every morning. And in case it isn’t obvious, there’s no one else Kinny wants to be her mom. We are magic. We are spectacular, and I love you.”
With him standing so close, with his sexy mouth and the burning desire in his eyes, she couldn’t think, couldn’t speak.
“Now.” He lowered his arms and took a step back. “Come take a look.”
As he veered away, she noticed a cut on his jaw. She reached for it. “What happened?” Oh, it looked ugly. “Did one of the kids hit you with a puck?”
“No. I got it in a game. It’s fine.”
“What game?”
His handsome features cracked into a huge grin. “I signed a contract with the Renegades.”
“I’m totally confused. You’re the owner.”
“Not anymore, I’m not. Both of our goalies were injured, so Declan put me in. I gave it up.”
“You gave up the team? You’re not making any sense. You don’t just sign a contract to play in the NHL.”
“Sure, you do. They pulled me from the reserve list, I played a good game, so now I’m on the roster.”
“You got on the ice and played in an NHL game?” Oddly, her voice sounded flat when she felt nothing but a sparking, crackling happiness. “Just like that, your life changed, and now you’re living the dream?”
“Not yet. But I’m getting there.” He gave her a look that left no question as to what the missing piece to that dream looked like.
Me.
It looks like me. But it was too scary to contemplate, so she reached up and touched his jaw. “No more Goose, huh? Too bad. I guess you’ll need a new nickname.”
“I sure as hell don’t. I haven’t let a puck in yet.” He pointed to his scar. “Blocked this one with my face.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Okay. This is crazy. But if all three of you are Renegades, then who owns the team?”
“We’re working on that. Cole’s going to retire at the end of this season, so he’ll take on the role then. In the meantime, our attorney’s handling things.”
“But…isn’t there only one other person who can be the owner?”Booker.
