Page 198 of Securing the Pucking Rebound

My mouth opens and closes, but I soon find I don’t have an answer to that.

“We all change, Calvin. I’m not the same as I was that summer. But I’m still me. Maybe a little more jaded, my edges a little rougher, but I’d like to think my heart is the same.”

“It is,” I say in a rush. “You’re incredible. I fell for you that summer, and nothing has changed. No, that’s not true. You’re even better now.”

Her cheeks heat as her eyes drop from mine to the bowl of bubbles between us.

She reaches into the water and pulls one of my hands out.

I watch in silence as she works. The products she uses smell incredible, but nothing compares to her touch. It’s so innocent. Only our fingers are connected, and yet, I’m rocking a semi as I watch her massage my hand.

When she gets to the bit between my thumb and forefinger, a moan slips from my lips.

She stills, her eyes jumping to mine.

“Sorry,” I rasp. “That just felt really good.”

She swallows thickly before getting back to work.

“I understand why you didn’t tell me at the beginning. But the fact that you continued to keep it from me after we got closer…that’s what really hurts. I trusted you. I told you about⁠—”

“If it helps, I hate myself for not telling you sooner. I knew I needed to, but it kept getting bigger and bigger with every passing day”.

“So you planned the date?”

I nod. “I suspected it would be enough to allow you to figure it out. I wanted to take you horseback riding, but Darcy shit a brick at the suggestion and made me promise not to go anywhere near ‘unpredictable animals’, his words, not mine.”

“And you thought blindsiding me was better than just being honest?” she asks, bypassing my attempt to lighten the mood.

I cringe. “I don’t really know what I was thinking. I needed you to know, and I hoped that by doing it in a place that would remind you of times gone by, you might not hate me too much.”

“I don’t hate you, Calvin. I could never.”

“Good, because I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you when I was twelve years old, and nothing has changed in all these years. I’m sorry I told you that for the first time in a message. I’m sorry I wasn’t honest from the beginning. I’m sorry I hurt you. You threw me for a loop when you reappeared in my life, looking more beautiful and perfect than even my imagination could muster up. You’ve always been my girl, Sienna, and I never want that to change. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, I swear. I’ll be so fucking good to you. Just…give me another chance, please.”

55

SIENNA

The look in Calvin’s eyes as he delivers that line—hell, everything he’s said since we sat down—tugs at my heart.

He might be brave enough to openly tell me that I’m the only one he’s ever seen a future with, and while I might keep the words locked inside, it’s safe to say the feeling is mutual.

Every guy I’ve ever gotten close to has been compared to him. To that incredibly sweet boy who made me laugh for two blissful weeks.

But as the years went on, I started to believe it was all a figment of my imagination, and that guys weren’t really like that.

But it’s real. He’s real. Sure, he’s made some mistakes, but who hasn’t?

“I swear to you, darlin’, I never touched or even considered touching another woman last night. Speak to the guys. Call Hailee. They’ll all say the same thing—that I spent the night pining after you and drowning my sorrows that the guy who took me out of action is about to step into my barn.”

“Nash won’t replace you. He could never replace you.”

“No, he’s replacing Brody. Which, in all honesty, isn’t a great loss. It’s clear that Monroe was the one taking the weight on our second line. Without him, Brody is floundering. Nash will certainly mix things up.”

“Do you think they’ll put him on the first line with Rett?” I ask, unable to stop myself from diving headfirst into a safer conversation.

“If I were Coach, no. Individually, they’re both fierce grinders. You don’t want them on the ice at the same time. Rett and Monroe are perfect. Nash and⁠—”