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“You love me,” I repeat.
He presses a soft kiss to my lips, then pulls back and gives me a full smile. “I love you.”
“And you’re not leaving?”
“Well, notyet. Nothing has changed that I know of. Jeremy seemed to think that I’d get at least a month or two here, no matter what.”
“Oh.” I deflate a little. “So, you’ll still leave eventually?”
Logan licks his lips and searches my eyes. “That was the plan.”
“Was?”
“I planned to have this conversation tonight with you, not here in the hallway when I stink and you’re crying. But I wanted to tell you how I feel and to ask you to be my official, non-fake girlfriend. And to discussourfuture.”
I love the way he saysour. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“No—our.”
Logan chuckles. “Our future.” He kisses me again, this one a little longer, more lingering. “That is, assuming you say yes to the girlfriend thing and are interested in talking aboutourfuture.”
I lift my hands, brushing my fingertips over the rough stubble of his jaw until I’m cupping his face like he is mine. “Yes,” I say. “I’ve been yours since … well, maybe forever. I’ll happily make it official,boyfriend.”
If I thought his smile was magnetic before, I had no idea how bright it could be. “Is that so,girlfriend?”
“It is so.” I love hearing him call me his girlfriend—forrealnow.
“As for the future … that’s a much longer conversation I’d still like to have later. On my couch. Once I’ve showered and we’re in our pajamas. But, to ease your mind, here’s the short version.” Logan takes a breath. “I want us to be together, and I see a few options. I can’t get out of my current contract, so if I get called back up, I don’t have a choice but to go. But my contract is done with the Hurricanes after this season. If you want to come with me, I wouldn’t fight you. Honestly—you’re not getting the respect or the pay you deserve. You could leverage what you’ve done here for a better paying job. That is, if you aren’t set on staying in Harvest Hollow.”
Am I set on staying in Harvest Hollow? I never really thought about it, mostly because I didn’t have a reason to go. I was homesick after college and happy to come back. But now … I love the team, but Logan’s right—I’m not getting quite the recognition I deserve from the suits upstairs. Especially not for what my social media strategy has done.
“I would definitely consider that. If it could be with you.”
He grins. “So, you’d go with me?”
I shrug. “I’m definitely interested in thinking about it.”
“Awesome. Another option is that after my contract is out this season, I could get picked up by another team and play somewhere else. Like, say here.”
This floors me. “You’d leave the NHL for the Appies? Why?”
Logan presses a quick kiss to the tip of my nose. “I like the company.”
“Logan, you can’t give up your career for me.”
“It wouldn’t be giving up my career. It would be taking a different career path. I thought a lot about what Felix said—did you know he turned down a contract with the NHL?”
“No.” I shake my head slowly. “I did not know that.”
“I like it here. The level of play is still intense. I’ve made enough money to be okay making less. Plus, I don’t just like your company. I like the guys. I feel more like part of the team than I ever have. Speaking of—” Logan’s eyes go wide. “We have to go.”
He grabs my hand and starts tugging me down the hallway. Only then do I realize he’s not just in his uniform, but still in his skates with his skate guards in place. “Where are we going?”
“It’s why I came looking for you,” he says. “I have a whole grand gesture planned. Which I basically messed up by saying everything now. And I’m not sure if they will have waited.”
“Who? Waited for what?”
