Chapter Thirty-Two
Clay
It’s late by the time we get back to my place. During the entire drive, she’s in the passenger seat, with one leg tucked under her, telling me about the time Summer caught the microwave on fire, and I can’t stop smiling.
This feels different. I’ve been carrying so much for so long that I almost forgot what it’s like to breathe without all that weight. But with her, it’s easy.
I pull into the lot, tires crunching over gravel. The radio plays in the background. She finishes her story, laughing so hard she hides her face behind her hand, and I can’t help but think I could listen to her forever.
“Okay, that can’t be real,” I say, chuckling.
“Oh, it’s real,” she says, voice muffled through her fingers. “She left her curling iron plugged in and went to class. Came back to a scorch mark shaped like Texas on the carpet. We spent two hours on YouTube trying to figure out a DIY fix for it.”
I shake my head, still grinning as I cut the engine. “The two of you seem to attract chaos, you know that?”
She turns to me, eyes shining. “You better get used to it too because that’s what you’ve signed up for now.”
“Yeah,” I admit. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
We climb out, and she jogs ahead of me toward the stairs, her laughter echoing across the empty parking lot. I catch up easily, looping my arm around her waist and pulling her close as we walk.
“Hey!” she says, breathless when I spin her before setting her down. “You’re in a good mood.”
“Can’t help it.” I grin. “You make it hard to stay grumpy.”
“I’m not always this happy,” she teases. “Careful, Coach, or you’ll ruin your reputation. Keep that up and no one’s gonna believe the Scrooge act anymore.”
I nudge her. “Something tells me you’ll find something.”
We’re still laughing as we reach the door to my building. It almost feels foreign after all the drama we've gone through the past few days. I’m halfway through fishing my keys out of my pocket when a voice cuts through the quiet.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?”
My hand stills, and I feel Tessa go rigid beside me. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. When I turn slowly, there he is, leaning against the wall.
Evan stands a few feet away, hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
Tessa’s breath falters beside me. “Evan?”
He steps forward, anger rolling off him, his shoulders square. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. Looked like you two were having a good time.”
The air shifts instantly, and the warmth from just a second ago is sucked right out of the night.
“Guess you didn’t come here to say hi,” I say, keeping my tone even.
Evan’s gaze flicks between us, landing on Tessa before finding me again. “I came to talk. You both have been blowing off my calls and messages. I guess I figured it was time.”
Tessa squeezes my hand. When I glance over at her, I realize she’s trembling, and it’s not from the cold. We’d talked about this, about how I was going to reach out to him. I just didn’t think it would be like this. Not here. Not now.
She swallows hard, eyes darting between us. “Maybe I should leave—”
“No,” I cut in, but she’s already pulling the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder.
“Clay, it’s fine,” she says softly. “I’ll go inside and wait. You two should talk.” She turns to me, holding out her hand. “Can I get your keys?”
Before I can move, Evan speaks.
“Don’t,” he says, his voice sharper now.
Tessa freezes, glancing back at him.
He steps closer, the streetlight catching the tension in his jaw. “You don’t have to go anywhere, Tessa.”
Her brows knit together, her voice careful. “I think maybe it’s better if—”
“I said you don’t have to,” he repeats, quieter but firm this time.
The space between us tightens. My jaw clenches. I take a step toward him, putting myself slightly in front of her. Not because I need to protect her from him, but because this is between us anyway.
“Then say what you came here to say,” I tell him.
Evan exhales, running a hand through his hair like he’s trying to keep control of something already slipping. “I didn’t come here to start anything.”
“Then what?”
His eyes flick to Tessa again, softer this time. “I just needed to see it for myself.”
Neither of us speaks.
The air’s cold enough that every breath comes out in small puffs. Somewhere down the block, a door shuts, muffled voices fading into the night. The rest of the world around us keeps moving, but right here, everything is still.
And I know that whatever comes next will change everything.
Evan stands there for a long moment, his breath visible in the cold. His hands flex inside his jacket pockets before he finally speaks.
“When the story broke,” he says, voice low, “I couldn’t believe it.
I thought it was another rumor. You know how reporters are, always twisting things for clicks.
” His gaze lands on me. “But when I called you, and you didn’t answer, when you didn’t respond to my texts, I knew it had to be true. Then I saw the post-game interview...”
Tessa exhales softly beside me, her hand drifting to the pendant at her neck, rolling it between her fingers.
Evan looks back and forth between us, his expression more tired than angry. “Why didn’t either of you tell me?”
I shift my weight, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “Because I didn’t know how.”
It’s the truth. The words hang there, heavy but honest.
He lets out a small laugh that doesn’t sound amused. “You didn’t know how?”
“No,” I say quietly. “We didn’t plan for any of this. It just… happened. And when it did, we were still trying to figure out what it meant. I didn’t want to drag you into something that might not even last a week.”
Tessa nods, her voice soft. “We weren’t hiding it to hurt you. We just didn’t want to make it worse than it had to be. We were both still trying to understand it ourselves.”
Evan studies us for a moment, then his jaw tightens. “So what I’m hearing is, there is something between you.”
Neither of us answers right away. The silence says enough.
“Yeah,” I finally admit. “There is.”
His eyes flick toward Tessa, searching her face. She doesn’t look away.
“I fought it,” I say, the words rough in my throat. “For a long time. I tried to bury it. I tried to pretend my feelings didn’t exist. Told myself it was a line I couldn’t cross. But I couldn’t keep pretending.”
Tessa nods. “Me too. We didn’t mean for it to happen, and we never wanted to hurt you. You have to know that.”
Evan nods slowly, his expression unreadable. He looks down for a second, kicking lightly at the slush near his feet before speaking again. “I believe you.”
Tessa blinks, caught off guard. “You do?”
“Yeah,” he says simply. “You both look miserable trying to explain yourselves. I don’t think you’d bother lying to me if you didn’t mean it.”
He looks back up, his eyes flicking between us again. “But I also saw you before you noticed me. Heard you laughing.” He swallows hard. “I’ve never seen either of you look or sound so... happy. Especially not Clay.”
He lets out a breath, shoulders sagging slightly.
“I can admit it now. It was never like that with us.” His eyes shift to Tessa.
“You laughed with me, sure, but it was different. I think maybe we both wanted something that felt easy. But that”—he gestures faintly between her and me—“it was never like that with us.”
Tessa looks stunned, her voice barely above a whisper. “Evan…”
He shakes his head lightly, cutting her off before she can continue. “I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. I just needed to see it for myself. To know I wasn’t crazy for thinking something had changed long before you ever said it out loud.”
I stay quiet, letting him talk. I rarely see him like this. No jokes, no smugness. He’s just a guy trying to process what he’s seeing.
He looks back at me, and for a second, the tension between us shifts. “I can see the change in you, too. This isn’t just about having hockey in your life again, either. You really do seem happy. Lighter.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just nod once.
“Guess what I’m trying to say,” he continues, “is that I get it. Doesn’t mean I’m ready to sit around and pretend we’re all good, or have it shoved in my face. I’m sure eventually that’ll change, but…” He exhales. “If this is what makes you both happy, then… I’m not going to stand in the way.”
Tessa steps closer to me without even realizing it, and I rest my hand on her lower back, pulling her against my side.
“Evan,” she says gently, “I don’t know what to say.”
He gives a short laugh. “Then don’t. Just... maybe next time you have a secret, trust that the person can handle hearing the truth rather than keeping it from them.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “You’re right.”
He nods once, his jaw tight. “Take care of her, all right?”
“I will,” I say quietly.
His gaze moves to Tessa, and something in his face loosens. “You deserve to be happy, Tess.”
“Thank you, Evan. You do too.”
Then he turns, walks toward the car waiting at the curb, and doesn’t look back. The quiet he leaves behind settles deep, like the kind that comes after a storm finally passes.
Tessa exhales shakily, her shoulders dropping. “I didn’t expect that.”
“Me either,” I admit.
We stand there for a minute, watching his taillights fade at the end of the street. The air’s cold, sharp in my lungs, but it feels lighter somehow— like the tension that’s been holding everything tight finally let go.
She turns toward me, eyes searching mine. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I pause, then nod. “Yeah, I think I am.”
She nods, her breath visible in the cold air. “Me too.”
I unlock the door and hold it open for her. She steps inside first, and as it clicks shut behind us, the quiet that follows doesn’t feel heavy anymore.
Tessa sets her bag down and leans against the door, exhaling slowly. “That was… a lot.”
“Yeah.” I drag a hand through my hair, still feeling the weight of everything I said out there. “He deserved honesty. I should’ve told him sooner instead of letting him find out the way he did.”
Her expression softens, but I keep going.
“I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to be the guy who crossed the line.
But the truth is, I stopped being able to pretend a long time ago.
I told myself to stay away, tried to convince myself it wasn’t worth it, but every time you looked at me, every time you smiled that way…
” I shake my head, a small, helpless laugh slipping out. “I was already in too deep.”
Her eyes glisten, but she doesn’t say anything. She just steps closer, close enough that her fingers brush the front of my shirt. “You don’t have to convince me,” she says softly. “I know.”
I reach up, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, my thumb lingering along her jaw. “Good,” I murmur. “Because I meant every word I said the other night, and I don’t ever want you doubting me again.”
Her breath catches, her hands sliding up my chest until they rest at the base of my neck. “You said you’d prove it,” she whispers. “Then show me.”
I lift her, her legs wrapping around me as I press her gently against the wall. The kiss isn’t frantic or rushed. It’s full of everything we’ve held back, everything we’ve already promised without saying it out loud.
When I finally pull away, I rest my forehead against hers, both of us breathing hard.
Her voice dips, teasing. “Guess this makes it official. You’re stuck with me now.”
I grin, thumb tracing her jaw. “About time you admitted it. You were mine a long time ago.”
And standing there, with her in my arms and the weight finally gone, it doesn’t feel like starting over. It feels like finally arriving where we were always meant to be.