Page 187 of Lose You Twice

Before he can answer, Donnelly calls me over and hands me a new bin of jerseys that need to be hung up while I wait for more loads of laundry to be ready to wash.

By the time I finish what feels like a never-ending shift, the sun is long gone, and I head toward the parking lot, contemplating a power nap while Harlow drives me home.

To my surprise, Kai is the one I find waiting in the parking lot for me instead of my best friend, and he’s standing next to my car, not his.

“I thought you headed out.”

He pushes off the car, taking a few steps toward me. “I did. But I might’ve snapped a pic of your schedule last week, so I knew when you’d be done, and then Harlow mentioned she was going to come give you a ride home. Only made sense for me to do that, since I was already planning on coming back to see you. Then Weston made a comment about your car, and we decided to just bring it to you.”

I look up at him under the parking lot lights, and my eyes start burning. His face turns to concern, but I shake my head. “That was very thoughtful, is all. I’m fine. Did you get the bill for how much I owe?”

“I did.” A guilty grin plays on his lips, and I narrow my eyes at him.

He caves quickly. “It’s taken care of. I don’t want you to worry about it, and no, you can’t pay me back.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Kai.”

He smiles then. “I know I didn’t, but I wanted to. Let me take care of you once in a while, yeah?”

Kai pulls me toward him, and I go willingly, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It calms me instantly, my own personal recharging station.

We stand there in silence for a few moments before he speaks. “So, I was thinking.”

“Mhmm,” I murmur, not wanting to move my head just yet.

“The team banquet is coming up soon, and I was hoping you’d go,” he says, gently stroking his hands up and down my back. “With me. As my date or girlfriend, whichever title you want to have for that. And if you’re not ready, that’s okay too.”

I don’t answer for a moment, the thoughts mulling around in my mind. Some players will talk, yes, but do I care at this point? Not really. With the regular season ending next week and the tournaments starting soon, we only have a few weeks left, and I want to spend as much time as possible with Kai as I can before he leaves.

“Girlfriend, huh?” I tease, finally looking up at him. “I’m pretty sure you were more romantic when you asked me out in sixth grade.”

“If I recall correctly, Tommy Mullins told me that he liked you, so I walked to where you were sitting at lunch and asked if you’d be my girlfriend.”

“You’re leaving out an important detail.” My smile grows. “You were mid-sandwich and had peanut butter and jelly all over your mouth.”

“Okay, fair enough.” He laughs before his expression turns more serious, his wide smile softening. “You’ve owned every piece of me from the first day we met to now. You’re the only person I want to do everything with. The three years I had to do without you were some of the blankest, most unfulfilling moments I’ve had. I didn’t know, or maybe I did and pretended not to, that you were the thing that I was missing.” He moves his hands to cup my face. “I love you, Wrenley Mae. Always have, pretty sure I always will.”

He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything before he’s kissing me, and I let myself melt into him. Everything inside of me—the fears, the worries about what comes next—quiets. My body heats—not with lust, but with something soft, something that has me smiling into his kiss.

I pull back just enough to rest my forehead against his. “I love you.”

He grins before wrapping his arms around my waist, lifting my feet off the ground, causing me to squeal.

I think I’m going to be just fine.

32

KAI

I’m pouring myself a cup of coffee when my phone starts vibrating on my counter, Dane’s contact lighting up the screen.

Frowning, I answer the call, nervous about the reason since we didn’t have a check-in scheduled until after the regular season ends next week.

“Hello?”

“Kai, sorry for the early call. I’m in Chicago and forgot about the time zones for a minute. Is now a good time?”

I scrub a hand down my face, turning to lean back against the counter. “Sure. What’s going on?”