My heart floods with warmth, sparkles floating through my veins. “I want the same.”
Epilogue
Easton
“Holy shit.”
I’m dressed in my game day suit and ready to leave for the arena when my phone blows up with messages and notifications.
“What’s wrong?” Lilly’s still in my bed, naked, sleepy, and gorgeous. Fuck, it’s hard to leave her there, but I know she’ll be here when I get home and that’s all I want.
I scroll through messages. “The team just made a trade. Holy shit.” I blink and stare at my phone. “Larry’s gone, and we gave up a second-round draft pick.”
She sits up, pushing her hair off her face. “In exchange for…?”
My gut seizes up like a giant hand is squeezing. And twisting. I’m paralyzed for a moment. Then I blink and swallow. I look up at her. “Josh Heller.”
A little notch appears between her eyebrows, then disappears as her eyebrows fly up. “Ohhh…wow.”
She recognizes the name.
Josh Heller was one of my best friends on the Swift Current Warriors. He played defense, and along with our other buddy Hunter, the three of us were pegged to make it into the NHL. Then the bus crash happened.
Josh was one of the guys who was injured, with both his legs fractured and a few other broken bones. They weren’t sure he’d ever walk again, never mind play hockey. He’s from Winnipeg and they moved him right away to the hospital there so he could be near his family. He was a year younger than me and ended up getting drafted the year after I did. I didn’t see him for years. He ended up playing in Dallas, but when I was in Vancouver we only played them three times in one season, two of which I was injured for, then once the next season before I got traded here. We’ve barely spoken two words to each other since the accident.
I’ve tried to leave my past behind me. I don’t talk about it to people here. I really don’t want to be reminded of it every fucking day.
And I bet Josh feels the same.