Page 146 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"I know."

He doesn't elaborate. He doesn't need to. He's known me for too long.

"I'd forgotten how much I missed the room."

"The room missed you too."

I laugh quietly. "Liam certainly didn't act like it."

"He was trying very hard not to hug you."

I turn toward him. "Liam?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"I would've paid good money to see that."

"So would've the rest of the team."

The thought makes both of us laugh. For a few miles, that's enough.

The road curves around the lake, moonlight stretching silver across the frozen surface.

Colby slows as we enter Briar Cove town limits. The familiar streets are nearly empty at this hour. A wreath still hangs from the post office. His wife’s bakery windows glow softly in the distance as she finishes cleaning for the night.

Everything feels...steady. Comfortingly ordinary.

When we pull into my driveway, Colby shifts the truck into park but doesn't reach for the door.

"You okay?"

I follow his gaze toward the cabin. Warm light spills from the front window onto the fresh snow.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

I nod. "I think..." I search for the right words. "...I remembered something tonight."

"What's that?"

I smile to myself. "I'm still part of the team."

Colby studies me for a second before returning the smile. "I could've told you that months ago."

"I probably wouldn't have believed you."

"No." He chuckles. "You probably wouldn't."

I open the truck door and step into the cold night air. The silence wraps around me immediately.

No crowd. No music. No laughter echoing through the locker room. Just the soft crunch of snow beneath my boots.

I grab my overnight bag from the back seat. "Thanks for the ride. Tell Sadie and Jillie I miss them."

"Sure will."

He starts the engine again, then rolls down the window before pulling away. "Oh..."