Page 123 of Oh, Puck!
"Excuse me?" Josie's mother draws herself up. "This is a private conversation—"
"You're wrong about him." I step between them, and I say it slow, because I've spent seventeen years learning what silence costs and I amdonepaying. "Her father wasn't filling her head. He was the only one who ever bothered to look close enough to see how special your daughter is."
I stay steady on my skates, locking eyes with Josie's mother.
"Your daughter just took a dead franchise and gave it a heartbeat. Every seat in that building tonight… she's the reason they sold. Every jersey on every kid. Every smile in that building right now. This wholetownbelieves in something again, and it's because of her." I look at Josie but she doesn't smile. "Sweetheart, that's not a scandal. That's the most impressive thing I've ever watched a human being do."
"And you'd know, of course," her mother says icily, forcing my eyes back to her. "You must be thecaptain."
"Yeah. I'm the captain. And I'm in love with her."
Josie's breath catches and her eyes grow wide.
"That's right. I love her," I say again, to Josie now, because she's the only one who matters right now. "I was going to wait to tell you. For the right moment. But I spent my whole life waiting for the perfect moment, and I'm not doing it anymore. I love you, Josie. I love you so goddamn much."
Josie makes a sound that's half sob, half laugh. "You're in full gear."
"I'm aware of that."
"You smellterrible."
"Also aware."
"I love you too." She's crying and grinning and stepping closer to me all at once. "God help me, I love you too."
She launches herself at me and somehow, I catch her, lifting her clean off the asphalt. I kiss her while the arena behind us roars on for a goal I've already forgotten.
Her mother stands there a moment longer, stripped of an audience, then turns on her heel and piles into the sedan without another word.
Josie pulls back, forehead against mine, breathless. "We won?"
"We won."
Josie shakes her head like she's trying to clear static from a bad signal.
"Wait. How did we—" She looks at the arena behind us. "You guys were down two-nothing. Beck wasn't even looking at you. How thehelldid you win that game?"
"Would you believe me if I said it was all me?"
"No."
"Good, because it was mostly Mason bailing us out and me getting lucky on a rebound."
She laughs, and presses her face into my chest pad like she needs a second to just breathe against something solid.
The sedan's headlights sweep across us as her mother's rental peels out of the lot, tires chirping against the asphalt like even the car wants to make a point on its way out.
I watch it go, then tip Josie's chin up with two fingers. "You okay?"
She exhales, watching the taillights shrink into the dark. "Honestly? That's exactly what I expected." A small, sad shrug. "At least now I know for sure. I don't have to keep hoping she'll surprise me."
"Josie—"
"It's fine." She swipes under her eyes, streaking mascara worse. "Maybe if she's not part of my life, that's okay. Besides… I've got someone else to disappoint now."
"Who?"
She looks up at me, half-laughing despite the tears still drying on her cheeks. "You."
