Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
WADE
I wince as the medic dabs the split in my lip with a swab. The disinfectant burns, making me hiss through my teeth.
“You need stitches,” he says as he probes the swollen skin and presses his gloved finger against my incisor. “The tooth is slightly loose, so don’t bite or chew on this side for a week. Might want to have your dentist check it.”
I nod, noting his skilled hands as he prepares the needle and thread to repair my lip. I’ll probably have a scar, but it was totally worth it. I knew Chase would start something—I not only expected it but craved the opportunity to make him regret he ever hurt Bree.
The things he said about her—it will take every ounce of strength to wash them from my head. I’ll make damn sure she never knows the vile words that scumbag had the nerve to say about her.
Her voice reaches me before I see her. She plows into the room, her blonde hair flying around her flushed face, making her appear even more beautiful than ever. But it’s the feral look in her eyes that stops and makes me take notice.
She’s worried about me. Sure, she’s shown concern when I’ve gotten hurt in the past, but not like this. As if I’m her world and she’s terrified she might have lost me.
I attempt a half smile, enjoying the show. “Hey, Bree-bear.”
Putting her fists on her hips, she lets out a huff. “Don’t you dare try to sweet-talk me, Wade Anthony Pierce. You promised!”
Her blue eyes glitter like the lights hitting the ice. If I didn’t have a busted lip, I’d yank her against me and kiss her until she couldn’t remember her own name. I find this protective side of her rather sexy. But I probably should explain that I did, in fact, keep my promise.
“I promised not to instigate something. Not to finish it.” I inflect a sharp tone, so she understands it’s a closed discussion. She’s suffered enough at the hands of that jerk. I won’t let him hurt her ever again.
“Semantics.” She crosses her arms.
She’s adorable as she tries to hold her resolve, but the rising fear in her eyes makes a strong appearance as she relents and takes a step closer. “Why wasn’t he moving?”
I shake my head. “Dunno. I didn’t think I hit him that hard.”
“It was about me, wasn’t it?”
The medic begins stitching my lip, giving me a reprieve from answering her question.
Annoyance crosses her features at the timing. Maybe if this takes long enough, she’ll let it go. The sooner we put all this behind us, the sooner we can move on with our lives. Together. Because all I want right now is to be with Bree, in whatever way she’ll have me.
Once he finishes, the medic hands me an ice pack.
Bree takes it from me and holds it up to my lip, making me hiss. “What did he say to you?”
I let the cold permeate my busted lip for a few seconds, then I tug her wrist away so I can talk. “I’m not sharing any of it because I refuse to let that asshat have any more power over you. Do you understand?”
Her eyes go wide, filling with tears.
And now I’m the asshat. I cup her face with my other hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”
“No, it’s okay.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you did that. For me.”
I pull her closer, wishing I could kiss her, but settling for resting my forehead against hers. “I’d do anything for you, Bree.”
A voice clearing her throat pulls us apart. Bree jumps back, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, which intensifies my desire to kiss her. I don’t even care who would see us.
Rebecca glances between us. “Sorry to interrupt a private moment, but I thought I’d come and give you an update on Langston.”
Bree waves a hand in front of her. “I’m sorry. I should be handling the PR mess.”
Rebecca stops her from leaving. “Yes, but that can wait a few minutes more. Once the article link was live, I shared it with a few key people on the Board of Governors, along with the evidence Lily provided. And based upon the brief reply I received from the Chairman, I suspect an investigation will soon follow.”
“Thank you.” Bree lets out a sob through her smile. “Thank you for believing me.”
Rebecca seems almost startled. “Of course, we believed you. What that man did was reprehensible. There was no way we could just sit idly by and let him get away with it.”
She looks over at me next. “However, I also suspect this will result in a suspension for you. I’ll do my best to explain the extenuating circumstances and make it clear that he instigated the fight, but beyond that, it’s out of my hands.”
I nod. “I understand.”
Rebecca smiles. “You know, there could be a bright side to this. If you are suspended, you can visit your family early for Christmas.”
“That’s a great idea.” Especially if I can take Bree with me.
“I thought so, too.” She turns to leave.
“Rebecca.” I wait for her to turn around again. “I’m sorry for letting the team down.”
Her gaze darts from me to Bree before settling back on me. “You haven’t let anyone down.”
After she leaves, Bree and I stare at each other. She starts to laugh, but then slaps a hand over her mouth, which makes me chuckle.
But not for long. I wince in pain. “Ahh.”
“Sorry.” Bree lunges forward with the ice pack, touching it gently to my mouth.
Since I can’t kiss her, I do the next best thing and drink her in as she attempts to play nurse.
Her blue eyes look like gemstones in the bright lights of the room, and that freckle on her lip keeps playing peek-a-boo with me every time she tugs her lip between her teeth as she concentrates on keeping the ice pack on my injury without pressing too hard.
I trace a finger down her cheek. “Come with me.”
She blinks at me. “Where?”
“To the ranch. For Christmas. Nana said you weren’t sure you could make it. Was it because of Langston?”
She drops her gaze. “Originally, yes.”
I tip her chin up, forcing her to look at me, which I seem to have to do a lot of late. But I will make it my life’s mission to ensure this amazing woman knows how priceless she is. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. It’s over.”
Something wars in her eyes, but then it flits away. Is she having doubts about us?
A small smile spreads across her kissable lips. “I’ll see if I can take a few days off and leave early, too.”
“Good.” My relief is palpable. I need her there with me to face what comes next.
Possibly say goodbye to the only place I’ve ever called home.
My sisters and I are in this weird tug of war, each of us offering to walk away from our careers to run the ranch, only to be shot down by the other two.
Not that Nana would let any of us do that.
Knowing her, she’d secretly sell the place first.
The next words practically rip me apart. “This may be our last Christmas there.”
Bree’s eyes connect with mine in a deep exchange of understanding. Her fingers touch the uninjured side of my face. “I believe everything is going to work out better than you think.”
Holding my hand over hers, I press my cheek into her palm. She smells of sweet honeysuckle, like the stuff that grows wild on the fences back home.
That’s when it hits me. Bree Sutton is my home. Not a piece of property. Sure, my family has owned the ranch for generations, but maybe that timeline is supposed to come to an end.
The thought isn’t as painful this time, and I think I can move on as long as I have her. “I’ll send Nana a text to let her know you’re coming.”
She tilts her head in an adorable yet coy manner that heats everything in me. “How about we surprise her?”
“Are you nervous about telling them we’re together?”
“Maybe a little?” Her eyes search mine.
I’m half tempted to tell her I want it all—a marriage, a family, a life. The things I’d dreamed of having with her but had lost hope that they could ever come true. Yet here we are.
But I’ve had years to fall for this woman, while she’s only discovering who I am to her now. I’ll give her all the time she needs to figure it out as long as it leads her back to me.
I slide off the table, towering over Bree in my skates. It’s killing me to not kiss her and show her she has nothing to worry about. “Bree, they’ve known for years how I feel about you.”
“They have?” Her expression shifts from surprise to mortification. “Do they know I ghosted you for almost a year?”
“Over a year.” I stride toward the locker room, ready for a shower, food, and some alone time with my girl.
“Again, semantics. What if they think I’m horrible?” She cringes.
“Trust me. They could never think that. They adore you. Always have. Always will.”
Bree blinks teary eyes at me. “I adore them, too.”
I tilt my head toward the door. “I’m going to get cleaned up. I suggest you don’t follow me unless you want to see a bunch of goalies in various states of undress.”
She taps a finger to her cheek as if in thought. “Tempting, but no.”
I scowl at her, regretting it the minute I feel the pain shoot through my lip. “Hey, now. I’m the only one you look at from now on.”
“That works both ways, you know.” She pretends to pout.
Unable to resist touching her one more time, I hold her face and press our foreheads and noses together. “There has never been, nor will ever be, any other woman for me, Bree-bear. You’re it.”
She places a gentle kiss on the uninjured side of my mouth. “Same. I know that now.”
No words have ever meant more to me. “It’s about time.”