Page 89 of Tripped Up

One of the other women overhears. I think her name is Chloe.

“Your boyfriend told you he loves you last night?”

When I nod, my face flaming, she lets out a squeal of delight.

“He’s a real-life book boyfriend,” Katrina chimes in. “Super cute, totally devoted to her, and even better, he has single friends.”

A murmur goes through the group, and I laugh.

“OMG!” Another person gasps. I’m fairly certain their name is Alex. I should have brought name tags. “I recognize you! You’re Wyatt Whitney’s partner.”

Hesitantly, I nod. I don’t want to be known as his possession. I want to be my own person.

“He gave an interview last night after that scene with his jersey,” they continue. “He talked about your job with the symphony and the new fundraising campaign they’re doing for youth music programs. It’s clear how much it matters to him.”

I blink. I only mentioned the program in passing. I didn’t realize he was paying attention.

“He said that?”

They nod. “It was super motivating. I pledged a donation. It’s nice to see a hockey player care about the arts.”

“It is,” I murmur, my head spinning.

Wyatt has never made me doubt his feelings for me. He’s never played games. He’s apologized profusely for what happened thirteen years ago.

When we’re together, I’m happy. He makes me so freaking happy. I enjoy being around him to the point I’d rather spend time with him watching paint dry rather than be by myself. And as someone who needs a lot of alone time to recharge, that’s huge.

I think… I think I love him.

I played it off last night at the pub as a joke. I wasn’t ready to think it through, especially not with everyone watching.

But now…

Coming home to him is the best part of my day, second only to waking up beside him. When he’s on a road trip, I count down the hours until I can see him again. And not in an obsessive, can’t survive without him, codependent kind of way.

More like… I can survive perfectly fine without him, but it would be a half-life. It would be a slog to get through each day. The world is tinged in shades of gray, but when he’s around, everything is in bright technicolor.

He makes my life brighter. He makes everything better.

I don’t want to live without him, not for a single minute more.

“Oh, fuck,” I whisper. I have a vague memory of saying it last night, but I can’t remember if that was a dream.

Katrina looks at me with worry. “What’s wrong, sweets?”

“I love him.” I stare at her, not really seeing her. “I really love him.”

“You have to tell him,” Chloe insists.

Half rising out of my seat, I start to gather my things, until Katrina pulls me down.

“But not right now,” she says. “We’re being social and making friends. You can tell him when he gets home tonight.”

With a laugh, I settle back in my chair, turning my attention to the people around me.

“How do you feel about a romance-only book club?” I ask, and I’m surprised when people agree and want to make plans.

This will be good for me. I wanted a fresh start, a blank slate. I’m finally getting what I wanted—and it feels good.