Page 219 of So This Is War
“Most definitely.” Winnie winks just as the locker room door opens, and Silas pops out, looking fresh from the shower. Whenhe spots Ollie, he walks right up to her and wraps her up in his arms before placing a big kiss on her lips.
“Need you, babe,” he says, barely loud enough for us to hear. And then he whispers something in her ear that makes her cheeks flush.
She twiddles her fingers at us. “Got to go. Talk to you later, ladies.”
“Bye,” Winnie and I say together with a laugh.
When they’re gone, Winnie leans over and whispers, “Bet they do it in the car in a parking lot somewhere.”
“Seriously?” I ask.
Winnie nods. “Yup, they’ve been into this voyeur, almost getting caught situation lately. I don’t know. I prefer the privacy of my own home where Pacey can bend me over the counter.”
I laugh just as the door opens again, and this time, it’s Levi. He’s wearing the same green suit he showed up in, but unlike the image I saw of him on social media, walking into the arena, this time, he has a smile on his face as he spots me.
He scoops me up into his arms, spins me around once, and plants a huge kiss on my lips. When he pulls away, he groans quietly. “Fuck, I love seeing you here, waiting for me in my jersey. It feels like everything is right in the world.”
I cup his cheek. “Everything is right in the world.” Then I stand on my toes and kiss him one more time before pulling away. “Ready to go home?” I ask.
“Ready.”
I turn toward Winnie. “Thanks for tonight. My ears will never be the same.”
“Anytime.” She winks, and then, hand in hand, Levi and I start heading toward the parking lot, but stop when we see my dad staring back at us.
I knew this would happen at some point, but I wish it didn’t happen tonight. Not when we’re both on such a high from the game.
Dad crosses his arms over his chest. “Wylie, may I have a word?”
That doesn’t sound great.
“Uh . . . sure,” I say as I look up at Levi. He nods and then leans down and gives me one more kiss before he encourages me to go with my father.
I head toward his office, but my dad moves toward the rink instead.
“Where are you going?” I ask him.
“Follow me,” he says. So I do as I’m told and follow him through the players’ tunnel and onto the bench, where he takes a seat.
He leans his forearms on his thighs as he stares out at the ice. Uneasy and unsure of what he’s going to do, I keep some distance from him and prepare my heart for whatever he has to say.
After a few seconds of silence, he says, “Did he get you that jersey?”
I look down at it. “He did.”
Dad slowly nods his head. “Seems like he really cares about you.”
“He does,” I answer. “We, uh, we actually have known each other longer than what you might think.”
Dad glances over at me. “How so?”
“We met a year prior at a hotel bar. It was when I caught a ride with you to visit Sandie in college. Levi and I got to talking, and well, I didn’t let him know who I was out of fear that he’d stop talking to me. It was honestly one of the best nights. I felt an immediate connection with him, which surprised me because I too had a preconceived idea of who he was. But when I saw youcome into the bar, I bolted before I could tell him my name. I only recently found out that he’d felt the same attraction, as he spent the better part of a year looking for me. Using a private investigator and everything. He was so shocked when he then found out I was your daughter in your office a few weeks ago.”
Dad runs his hand over his bald head. “What a moron.”
I don’t know why, but that makes me laugh. “He can be at times,” I say, “but he’s a loveable moron.”
“Did he tell you what he and his teammates have been doing these past few days?”
