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I stood stunned, a smile curling my lips as I spotted them in the stands. The entire hockey team was there, all dressed in our colors and their faces painted in some way. My gaze met Lucas, and he gave me a devastating grin.
I ran up to him, shaking my head. “What are you doing here?”
“Misty told me about your parents. Are you okay?”
It was easy to fight against the sadness threatening to pull me down when he was standing in front of me. “I’ll be fine, but you, on the other hand, are supposed to be over an hour away by now.”
“Misty told me what happened, so I convinced Coach that it was good school spirit to cheer you on.”
She gave me a wave from beside him, and I smiled. “And he believed that?”
“Doubtful,” Lucas replied, “but it helped that Jax, Alex, and River backed me up.”
I grinned over at them, then laughed when I saw their matching painted faces.
“Kick their ass today, Pips.”Alex called out.
Lucas turned and showed off the back of his jersey, my last name clear across the top.
“How did you get that?” We didn’t sell merch.
“Shana was able to find me an extra-large jersey, and there’s a place up the road that does the names.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me closer.
“You made my jersey today?” I breathed out the words, unable to fight the sense of wonder.
He brushed his lips against mine. “I couldn’t come to your game without it, could I?”
My breath caught in my chest, but a loud whistle pulled me back to the moment. Coach Keller was calling a huddle.
“You better go, babe.”
I raised onto my toes and pressed a kiss against his mouth, not giving a single shit if I got into trouble. “Thank you.”
The game was neck and neck the entire time, and I could feel sweat dripping down my spine. We were tied, and whoever got this last point won. I met Shana’s determined gaze, and she nodded.We’ve got this.The ball came hurtling over the net, and a player at the back rebounded it to Shana, who set me up perfectly for a spike. I slammed my hand against the ball and barely registered the stinging in my palm as it crashed into the hardwood floor on the opposing side.
The crowd erupted in cheers, the hockey players proving to be the utmost best cheerleaders. Shana grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “We did it!” she screamed before flitting off to celebrate with another teammate.
Strong arms lifted me from behind, and the spicy scent of cinnamon and sandalwood filled my senses. “Fuck, it’s hot watching you play.”
Lucas set me on my feet, and I twisted to face him, smirking. “Oh yeah?”
He groaned and kissed my forehead. “You have no idea how much I wish I could stay. I’m proud of you, Piper.”
My chest constricted as I watched him and the other guys leave. I was still scared he’d hurt me again, but there was no way I was giving him up. Some things in life were worth the risk.
* * *
“The ACL is one of the major ligaments in the knee joint that plays a crucial role in providing stability and preventing excessive forward movement of the tibia.” The professor droned on. I tried—really tried—to pay attention, but I couldn’t stop the thoughts of Lucas from flooding into my head.
The way his eyes darkened when he looked at me, the feeling of his rough hands traveling over my sensitive skin. Fingers slipping under my skirt inch by inch under the table where anyone could’ve seen us.
I flushed beet red and tried desperately to focus on this class, internally grateful when the professor closed it out early.
I dumped my bag the second I shut my dorm room door behind me. It had been a long-ass day, and I couldn’t wait to take a hot shower and curl up on the couch.
“You know he loves you, right?” Misty said from her bed, removing her headphones and pointing at the tulips on my counter in a beautiful crystal vase.
I ran my thumb over a petal and smiled as my chest expanded twice its size. God, he was killing me. I looked over at my roommate, unable to hide my smile, and she squealed, wrapping me up in a hug. “You are so freaking lucky!”
