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The Wilds can't keep up. By the time the buzzer sounds, they've pulled their goalie to put an extra skater on the ice, but it's a Hail Mary doomed to fail. Theo sinks the puck right before the final buzzer, and we win by three.
I rush through my brief discussion with one of the local news outlets and then hit the locker room to shower. There's a celebration in the Presidents' Lounge, but I skip out on it. As soon as I'm able, I duck out, determined to find Parker so we can hash this shit out.
I'm not losing her, not now and not ever. I'll do whatever it takes to convince her not to give up on us now. Fuck, Ihaveto convince her. I'm not sure I'll survive if I don't.
Her car is in the driveway when I pull in at Jonas's. I'm not worried about him getting home and finding me here. He and Jamie were heading up to the Presidents' Lounge when I left. They'll be there for a while.
I jog up to the front door, my eyes peeled for Jonas's crazy-ass goat. The damn thing thinks he's a guard dog. He's rammed my ass with his hard head more times than I care to count.
Shep, Tye, and Yoda, his Border Collies, are hanging out on the front porch. They recognize me and don't even bark. Yoda lopes over to me for attention, but Shep and Tye don't even move. I'm not stupid enough to believe they're harmless, though. Shep guards this property like his life depends on it. If he doesn't know or like you, you aren't getting far.
Luckily, he likes me.
I don't bother knocking. I punch in the code on the smart-lock and let myself in.
My heart breaks when I see Parker curled up on the couch in her jersey, her eyes red and puffy. Judging by the pile of discarded tissue beside her, she's been crying most of the night.
"Little one."
She lifts her head, blinking when she sees me. "Kellan?"
"Yeah, Rebel. It's me."
Tears well in her eyes, and she whimpers.
I'm across the room to her in three steps.
"You shouldn't be here," she cries, trying to push me away when I scoop her up into my arms.
"To hell with that. This is exactly where I should be."
"Jonas," she says, melting into me even as she tries to convince me to leave. She can't help herself. Does she even know she's in love with me yet? Or does she still think she's lying to her brother for whatever ridiculous reason she concocted days ago?
"He's still at the arena, Rebel." I stand upright with her in my arms, heading for the stairs. "Which room is yours?"
"The far left," she mumbles.
I carry her up the steps and then down the hall to her room. Neither of us speaks. Her little body quivers in my arms, and she sniffles periodically, still upset. I hate seeing her like this. She'sso vibrant and full of life, always giving as good as she gets. It kills me that she's this upset.
Her room is an extension of her personality. Fluffy, brightly colored accent pillows line the bed and small sofa beneath the windows. Black and white photos of her family spread across the wall above her desk, which is a mess. The rest of the room is pristine, but the desk is wild.
I carry her to the bed, pushing pillows off onto the floor to lay her out in the middle of it. She stares up at me through watery eyes. "Does Jonas hate me?"
"Does Jonas…?" Ah, fuck. She thinks Theo told Jonas about us. That's why she ran. I crawl onto the bed with her, pulling her into my arms. "He doesn't know, little one. Theo didn't tell him."
She blinks wide eyes at me.
I brush tears out of her lashes. "Even if he had, your brother could never hate you. He adores you."
"I've been lying to him." Her bottom lip quivers. "I tried so hard to convince myself that I was doing it for the right reasons, but I can't convince myself because it's not true, Kellan." More tears slip down her cheeks. "Theo thinks you're an idiot for being with me, but I'm the one who's been stupid."
"Don't say that," I growl. "Don't even think it, Parker. You aren't stupid."
"I've been lying to myself," she whispers, her blue eyes locked on mine. "I said I wanted to keep it from Jonas because I didn't want to come between you guys and the Cup, but that's not why I made you agree not to tell him."
I run my hands through her hair, letting her talk.
"I was afraid if we told him and he got mad, you'd call it off." Another tear slips down her cheek. "I didn't want to lose you before I even had a chance to know you." She sniffles. "And the more I got to know you, the less I wanted to lose you. I didn't mean to fall in love with you, but you made me."
