Page 81 of Risking the Pucking Defense

She releases one of my hands and presses her palm against my heart, or as close as she can when I’m in full equipment.

“She’s right here, Hayden. She’s with you. Always.”

My entire body trembles with grief. It’s so overwhelming, so debilitating.

“And she wants to watch you go out there and do what you love the most.”

I nod, keeping my eyes locked on Hailee’s.

“She’s so proud of you, Hayden. These last few weeks, you’ve been incredible. You’ve been showing up every day, doing your job, pushing yourself, proving yourself. It’s okay to break every now and then⁠—”

“Not now, not when I need to be focused and⁠—”

“It’s okay. Everyone in the dressing room will understand. Everyone in the crowd will, too. Losing someone is really fucking hard. Give yourself some grace. You deserve it.”

“I just…I want it to stop hurting,” I confess quietly.

Her own eyes glisten with tears, and I fucking hate that watching me struggle drags up painful memories for her too. She might not have dived into her past loss, but I see it. Hell, I fucking feel it.

“It’ll get easier. But it takes time. Right now, you’ve just got to keep going.”

“I don’t know how,” I whisper.

Her palms lift to my face. The warmth of her skin against mine makes my eyelids lower.

“By keeping going. By going out there and bringing the first W of the preseason.”

I nod gently before pulling my eyes open.

“You can do this, Hayden. I believe in you. The guys out there believe in you. Your parents believe in you. And most importantly, so does Rylee.”

Her words trail off to nothing as we stand there staring at each other. With her stretching up to keep her hands on me, there’s barely an inch between us.

“Hails,” I whisper as everything begins to settle inside me.

It’s her.

She did that.

My breathing comes easier, and everything gets lighter.

“I’m here, Hayden. You’re okay. You’re gonna get through this.”

I nod again, because with her here with me, I truly believe that I will.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Hails, I⁠—”

My words die as she stretches even more and presses her lips against mine.

I freeze, unable to process the sudden shift, but that’s not because it’s unwelcome. It’s the exact opposite, in fact.

Wrapping one arm around her, I pin her against me as our lips part, and our tongues meet.

Holy fuck.

I’m kissing Hailee Caldwell.