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I can hear the waves rolling in against the shore as the sky beyond Trevor’s bedroom windows dims. We’re lying together beneath the sheet, his big, muscly arm over my shoulder as my head rests against his chest. It’s perfect.
After we cleaned up, we climbed back into bed and maybe even dozed a while. But mostly, I think we just wanted to be.
Here.
Quiet.
Together.
But it’s time.
Tracing the lines of his chest with my fingers, I peer up at him. “Think now that the heat of the moment has cooled a little, you want to talk?”
His chest stops moving. “That what it was? The heat of the moment?”
I shake my head, shifting so I’m more on top of him than not. “It was hot. And yeah, we were caught up some. But no, not entirely.”
Trevor brushes my hair from my eyes. “I love you.”
Direct and to the point. This is the man from four years ago. The one who knew what he wanted from the start and, afraid or not, went after it.
“I love you too. So we both meant what we said about that.”
He swallows, those beautiful eyes searching mine. “I meant what I said about everything. I can’t leave you again. I won’t.”
I blink. He’s not saying what I think he’s saying.
“Hockey?” I choke out through a tightening throat.
But he’s already shaking his head. “I choose you.”
My heart goes into free fall, and this time I can’t even form words. But he’s there, rubbing his hand over my shoulder and arm, touching me like he needs the contact as much as I do.
“Cam, if— if that’s too fast or you don’t feel comfortable yet—”
“No.” Pushing up on my arms, I brace above him to take a kiss and breathe him in. “Not too fast.”
It’s four years past the time I should have grabbed him with both arms and never let go. “It’s just there are more options here than you giving up your career. The sport you love. Your dream. Because, yeah, I know that’s what this is. I remember lying out in that field beneath the stars all those years ago and you telling me you’d been dreaming of playing hockey since you were old enough to put on skates.”
“Yeah, and you told me the only thing you’d ever wanted was to run your dad’s store with him. It’s the reason we broke up. This town, this life is your dream and it’s no less important than mine. Besides, dreams change. Mine is being with you.”
And mine is spending the rest of my life working to be worthy of the kind of love this man is giving me.
“Trevor, listen—”
But he isn’t ready. “Why would you come with me? I can’t offer you stability. Hell, after training camp, I have no idea which city I’ll even be living in. If it’s like the end of last season, it could be both. It could be like that for a long time. And then there’s the travel. You’d be left alone—”
“Trev, that stuff— hell, I don’t know what that will be like, but we can figure it out as we go. That stuff isn’t stability to me. You are. Having someone I love who loves me back. Someone who wants our life, whatever it looks like and wherever it takes us, to be… together.”
His face twists like he’s in pain. “I don’t want to wreck your life.”
“Then don’t make me watch you sacrifice who you are and everything you’ve worked for because you think it’s what I need.”
“But you love it here. Your whole life is here.”
Taking his hand in mine, I hold it to my heart. “I do love it here. And I expect we’ll spend a lot of vacations here. We can have both. I’ll find a team to swim on or play water polo with during your season. I’ll watch your games and meet your friends. I’ll— we’ll build a life that we can love together.”
I wait for his argument, ready to talk it through all night or however long it takes for him to see, to believe. But then the most magical, amazing fucking thing happens. A tentative smile breaks across his lips.
