Page 124 of Break Points and Face Offs

“Can’t have your sweet tooth going unsatisfied now, can we?”

An alarm goes off on Priestley’s phone. He jumps up, turning the TV on.

“What was that?”

“Puck drops in five. Let’s finish eating on the couch.”

I pick my plate up and join him, moving the remote out of the way. I can’t believe how into hockey he is now. Sometimes I catch him on the phone with my dad, having animated conversations about trade deadlines and goalie save percentages. My dad loves listening to Priestley talk about hockey in numbers. I know most of it goes over Dad’s head, but he likes seeing Priestley get excited about the sport in a way that makes sense to Priestley.

His face lights up as he watches the game build-up. I lean over and kiss him on the cheek.

He smiles, batting me away. “Stop, no distractions. This is an important game.”

“‘Course, sorry.”

Someone starts texting him during the first period. I lean over to see who it is. My heart soars when I see my dad’s name pop up.

Maybe I should be offended that my dad isn’t texting me? But I’m not.

PRIESTLEY

I’m in a good mood thanks to David Pastrnak’s OT goal against Pittsburgh. I text with Joe while Will washes the dishes. When I look up again, Will’s disappeared into the bedroom. I turn the TV off and follow him.

He’s in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He spots me in the mirror and pumps his eyebrows, his mouth full of toothpaste. I laugh and shake my head.

My stomach knots at the sight of him in his ratty sleep shorts and Boston College Hockey tee—it suits him more than the Princeton one, though he’d look good in literally anything. I’m still watching him after he spits his toothpaste out and rinses his mouth.

“Okay?”

I nod. No one has ever been able to read me before. I’d never let them. It’s scary to let someone in, but it feels good, too. It’s far less lonely than pushing everyone away.

Will puts his hand out and I go to him without hesitation. He wraps me up in his arms and kisses my forehead.

“Love you, Rosie.”

I hum with satisfaction. “I love you, too.”

He rubs my back.

“Tomorrow, I was thinking we take Jamie somewhere. Has he been to Six Flags? That kid needs to have more fun.”

I snort. God, I love how much he cares about my family. Probably as much as I care about his.

“Will?”

“Mm?”

“Do you ever want to have kids?”

He pulls away enough to look down into my face.

“Do you?”

I pout. “I asked first.”

Will swallows. “Yeah,” he says. Why does he look so nervous? He runs a hand through his hair. I want to grab that hand and put it back on me.

“Me, too.”