Page 157 of Small Town, Big Storm

For a second, anyway.

Then she groans and buries her face in my chest again.“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Um, acting insane?”she says, the words muffled.

“You’re not insane, baby.Life has moved fast and it’s not like the last years have been a breeze for you.”

She falls quiet again, but I don’t push.

And eventually, she gives me the missing piece.“Everyone I’ve ever loved has left me,” she whispers and the words are like a blow to the temple.“My mom and dad.You.Sully.If you leave again, I—” Her lungs hitch again.

I hold her close.

Because she needs it.

But also because I don’t knowwhatto say.

This wound…there’s nothing that will heal it, nothing that will make it go away.

Nothing except time.

And maybe some of the inner workings of my job.“I wasn’t even sure I still wanted to play hockey after the last couple of seasons.”I dry her tears.“I hated it, hated who I was out there.But you and Holly made me see I could have something different.I won’t give that up, won’t giveyouup.”

“Trades happen all the time, Storm.You can’t control?—”

“Actually, I can,” I say softly.“The new contract I just signed has a clause specifying what teams I can be traded to.”

“It does?”

I nod.“And they’re all in this time zone, baby.All within commuting distance to you and Holly.Maybe it wouldn’t be ideal, but I can promise you that we’d make it work.”

“How do you know?”she whispers.

“Because we know what we lost.”I brush my lips over her cheeks, kissing away the salty trails on her cheeks.“Because we’ll fight for what’s important—fight for the people we love.”

Her lungs hitch again.“You love me?”

I nod.

“You don’t think it’s all too fast?”

I touch her jaw, tease, “You’re the one who said it first.”

Her mouth drops open and I have to kiss those tempting lips.I do it for a long time, our tongues tangling, our breathing short and staccato when I finally pull back.“But, yes, Poppyseed.I’ve loved you from your first smile, from our first kiss, from that tiny red bikini?—”

She snorts.

“And I’ll love you until the moment this”—I take her hand, press her palm to my chest over my heart—“stops beating.”

“I love you too, Storm.”Her eyes close, another glittering tear escaping.But I know it’s not because she’s sad, not any longer when she smiles says, “But I really don’t love that light fixture for the dining room.”

I laugh, vow to heal the wound that began with the loss of her parents, grew when I left town, and expanded even more so when Sully died.Then I cup her face in my hands and say, “If you want to live in the apartment, I’ll move my shit in tomorrow.The only thing I won’t accept is not having you in my life so I can show you and Holly how much I love you both every single day.”

She sniffs, settles her forehead on my shoulder.

And we stand there for a long moment.