Page 132 of Scarred

“That’s what you’re worried about?” He laughs. “I’m not worried about the money, Luna. It’s worth it to me.”

“I don’t understand. You already get tickets. Why not use them?”

“I want you there…in that seat.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where I look,” he says simply.

My throat tightens because he’s saying it like it’s nothing.

Like, he didn’t just tell me I’ve become the place he searches for when everything around him gets too loud.

“There’s no use arguing with me,” he chuckles softly.

“I’m starting to figure that out.”

“Good. It will make things a whole hell of a lot easier in the future.”

I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me. “You really are stubborn, you know that?”

“I prefer determined.”

“Of course you do,” I laugh.

The silence settles between us, but not the uncomfortable kind. It’s the stillness that feels natural and calm. The quiet I’ve come to crave with him.

“I found the jersey, too,” I whisper.

The line goes silent before he finally answers.

“Yeah?”

It’s one single word, but somehow I hear everything he doesn’t say.

“Yeah,” I say softly.

“Is that okay?”

A soft smile appears as my heart thuds against my ribcage. This is the Cayden I know. The man is confident enough to stop a hundred-mile-an-hour puck, but is still unsure about letting someone get close enough to love him.

“It’s more than okay. Although…” I chuckle softly. “It is going to get people talking.”

“Good.”

My eyebrows lift at his one-word answer. “Good?”

“I’ve spent enough time hiding, Luna.”

His words wash over me like a warm blanket as I close my eyes and let what I’m feeling through the phone seep into me.

“Daddy! It’s ready!” I hear Scarlett’s little voice in the background and smile.

“Coming, baby girl!” I hear him respond off in the distance before getting back on. “I'd better go. I’ve got a tea party I need to attend to before practice,” he says with a chuckle.

“Sounds fancy. You don’t want to keep the lady waiting.”

Just picturing his large frame sitting at her little table with dolls and tea cups makes my heart flutter in my chest as I grin wider.