Page 224 of Cross Check

“Monday,” I repeat. “I can’t wait.”

SIXTY-NINE

AMELIA

“Dinner was fun.” Lainey adjusts her face mask and leans back on the couch. “I’m kicking myself for not bringing home a slice of the tiramisu to have as a midnight snack.”

“I think the button on my pants popped off. I’m so full.” Sienna groans and rests her head on a pillow. “What’s your schedule look like tomorrow, A?”

“I’m going to head to the arena around nine for a short practice and team meeting, then I’ll be home for lunch. I’ll head back to the arena around four or so, and after the postgame press conference, I’ll drive you all back here.” I smile. “Are you excited to watch some hockey?”

“I’d say I like watching sports I’m not emotionally invested in, but I’m invested in the Sea Crabs because of you. I hope you get the win, Amelia!” Lainey pats my hand. “We can’t wait to cheer for you.”

“It’s a shame Grant won’t be there,” Sienna muses. “He sure was nice.”

I smooth my hand over the blanket in my lap and drop my gaze to the floor.

This is it: my chance to come clean about my personal life. I so desperately want—need—to keep this secret safe, but I’m tired of hiding my happiness from my best friends.

They’ve sat through awkward dating stories. They flooded the comment section with anonymous complaints after a blog post talked about my lack of experience coaching professional athletes. They show up when I need them the most, and if I see any kind of future with Grant, I need to be honest with my girls.

“I have to tell you something. What I’m about to say can’t leave the apartment.” I reach forward, grabbing my whistle off the coffee table. “Swear on my most sacred possession.”

“If a whistle is your most sacred possession, sweetie, you need to get out of the house more,” Sienna teases, but she touches the silver. “I swear.”

“So do I,” Lainey adds, mimicking her.

“Thank you.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes. “Grant and I are dating, nobody knows that we’re seeing each other, and I’m falling in love with him.”

It’s an avalanche of words, and when I finish spilling my guts, nobody answers me.

After a beat without a response, I blink and find Lainey covering her mouth while Sienna smirks, her eyes tinged with mirth. I hate the stretch of silence, but I don’t want to be the first to talk. I feel cracked open after finally letting out what I’ve been carrying for so long, and someone else needs to start the conversation.

Beneath the raw ache of vulnerability and telling my deepest, darkest secret, I also feel unbelievably free. Relief courses through me. The pressure in my chest loosens. The air is lighter, and I didn’t realize how much holding this inside was nearly eating me alive.

“Oh my god,” Lainey squeals. I wince and cover my ears at the high-pitched tone. “Is Grant who you were talking about three years ago? The guy you wanted, but couldn’t have?”

“I knew I was catching a vibe between the two of you.” Sienna stands and jumps up and down. “Our girl is in love!”

“You need to tell us everything.” Lainey takes the whistle and sets it safely to the side. “From the very beginning, because now I’m trying to figure out all the times you’ve vaguely mentioned him.”

It turns out I vaguely mentioned him a lot.

I go through our story, starting back at that night in an Italian restaurant in Denver. I talk about our friendship and the messages that kicked off our communication. I tell them about the days I spent in his apartment in DC after Riley’s accident. When I share about the first night we kissed, they both shriek.

I leave out some of the details that feel too intimate and personal to share; I don’t say that Grant was a virgin before we hooked up. I also don’t mention that his sister is dating Brody, knowing that’s part of his journey, not ours.

By the time I finish, an hour has passed. My throat is hoarse, my brain is mush, but gosh am I happy.

“And you’re falling in love with him?” Sienna asks.

It’s the bow that ties the story—our story—together. The perfect way to sum up the last six years of friendship, of secrecy, of complicated feelings that have led us here today.

Love.

It’s not even a question at this point but a fact. Something I no longer want to deny.

“Yeah,” I whisper, wetting my lips. “That’s a more recent discovery, but I am. I am falling in love with him. It’s terrifying and exciting, and I’m afraid of what it means for our future.”