Page 70 of A Match Made In Fall

His forehead presses against mine.

"I think I've been falling for you since I first spotted you on your crutches,” he whispers.

I laugh through my tears. I hated those crutches, but if they helped Austin notice me then they may not have been so bad.

"I'm falling for you too,” I tell him, all my emotions pushing to the surface.

His smile lights up his entire face, and this time it’s not forced. For the next hour, we sit together on his couch, talking, kissing, and pretending everything might not be on the brink of changing.

The trade might happen, and it could be tomorrow. But as I rest my head on his shoulder, I realize there's no point worrying about things neither of us can control. All we can do is make the most of the time we have. And tonight, that's enough.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

AUSTIN

Well, it's official. After some extensive negotiation, I'm being traded to the Golden State Seals.

In two days, I'll be leaving North Carolina and heading to the west coast to begin the next phase of my career. That means I have exactly forty-eight hours left with Isabella. Forty-eight hours that also include contract discussions, media obligations, phone calls, meetings, and packing up my entire life for a cross-country move. Nothing like a little chaos to keep things interesting.

This whole thing happened faster than I expected. One minute, a trade was just a possibility. And then after a few days it was done. That's the reality of professional sports, things are constantly changing. Teams make decisions, and suddenly your entire life changes before you've had time to process it. One conversation can determine where you'll live, who you'll play for, and what your future looks like.

Even with all the craziness, I've been trying to focus on the positives because there are plenty of them.

The Seals are one of the best organizations in the league, and I can't help but feel grateful for the opportunity. The fact that they specifically wanted me on their roster means a lot. I'll also be much closer to my family, which is a huge bonus, especially with my brother's upcoming wedding. Being able to see them more often is something I haven't had in years.

And in a few months, Isabella will be back in Los Angeles.

Looking at the big picture, everything about this trade makes sense. But I’m still struggling with leaving now.

For most of my career, I thought I'd welcome a change likes this. I figured I'd embrace the challenge, experience a new city, and keep moving forward. But my life isn't just about hockey anymore.

Now it includes Isabella.

In a very short amount of time, she became more than someone I enjoy spending time with. She's become the person I look forward to talking to every day. The first person I want to share good news with, and who somehow makes even the worst days feel manageable.

She's the woman I'm falling in love with. And maybe this is what scares me the most.

For the first time in a while, I can picture a future with someone. But the problem is the future I'm imagining is a lot more complicated than I’d imagined.

Even when Isabella returns to Los Angeles, we'll still be hundreds of miles apart. We'll have to figure out how to make long distance work while pursuing careers that already demand most of our time and energy.

I know long-distance relationships can succeed because I've seen it happen. I've played with guys whose wives and girlfriends lived in different cities and sometimes different states. They found ways to make it work because they wanted it to work. At the end of the day, I believe if two people are committed enough, they'll find a way. I just wish we had more time.

Instead of looking forward to spending the next few months together, we'll need to figure out when we'll be able to visit each other. And we won’t be able to spend the holidays together, starting with Halloween.

Leaving Isabella is the hardest part, but she's not the only thing I'm leaving behind.

I'm leaving teammates who have become like brothers. Coaches and staff who believed in me and fans who've supported me through some of the biggest moments of my career.

For the first time, I think I understand how Nick felt when he got traded here last season. He was miserable for weeks after arriving. The difference is that everything eventually worked out for him because he found Abby here, whereas I'm leaving Isabella.

After a long day of meetings and conversations, I pull out my phone and send her a text.

Hi. I'm done for the day. Are you free?

Her response comes only seconds later.

The trade is happening, isn't it?