Page 397 of Faking the Goal

God, it feels like another lifetime now.

Maybe that's because Taylor doesn't live like she's waiting for something terrible to happen anymore.

Charlie is behind bars, serving decades for everything he did to her, and Taylor is actually free of him.

She's healing.

Really fucking healing.

And today feels like another piece of that.

She finally got a spot in the university dorms. Taylor is taking over Caroline's old spot, and eventually she'll be sharing the room with Sam once she's recovered enough to return to school.

And fuck, that's another thing worth celebrating.

Sam is cancer-free.

She's still recovering, still taking things slowly, but she's getting stronger every day. Elijah has been hovering over her from wherever his pro career takes him like the world's most overprotective long-distance guard dog, and according to Zach, she's already threatening bodily harm against anyone who suggests she isn't going back to Ridgewater when she's ready.

So, yeah.

She's definitely getting better.

"You helping Taylor move after this?" Cody asks.

I give him a flat look.

He laughs. "Stupid question."

"Very."

Of course I'm helping.

Taylor tried telling me she could handle most of it herself, which was adorable. Completely fucking delusional, but adorable.

I'm pretty sure my girlfriend still hasn't accepted that you don't have to do everything alone anymore wasn't a temporary offer.

"The twins volunteered too," Cody says.

I groan. "I specifically told them not to."

"Yeah, that's probably why they volunteered."

Fucking assholes.

Still, I can't stop the smile pulling at my mouth.

I grab my helmet, but before I can put it back on, I catch Cody staring off across the rink with the weirdest fucking grin on his face.

Not his usual cocky smirk either. This one is distant and stupidly pleased, like the asshole has temporarily left his body to revisit whatever filthy memory is playing inside his head.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Why are you smiling like a fucking pervert?"

Cody's grin only gets wider. He actually sighs.

Dreamily.

Jesus Christ.