Chapter 15
fifteen
. . .
jett
I swipe the sweat from my forehead and drop onto the locker room bench with nothing left in the tank. Not just physically. Emotionally too.
It’s the last intermission in our game against the Timberwolves—a rivalry matchup that always packs the arena. But tonight, the only person I’m looking for isn’t in the stands.
Hadley’s absence will throw my game off, and our continued winning is keeping the high school kids motivated.
It’s been a long two weeks without seeing her, but she wanted space and time to think. I get it, though. That was a ton of baggage to unload in one evening. All the things I’d kept from her.
I wasn’t lying back in high school, but I wasn’t being honest either. I’d kept some important stuff from her. Alcoholism is genetic. What if it’s in my genes? I saw what my mom went through with my dad. I don’t want to put that on Hadley.
I think I’ve resigned myself that the best I’ll ever get with Hadley is friendship, but—
“We have a special announcement tonight,” Coach Kessler says as he steps into the locker room, his face unreadable.
“Where are you, Jett?”
That voice.
My heart stops.
Hadley?
I launch off the bench, ignoring the confused looks from the guys around me. My legs are moving before my brain catches up. I push through the hallway, past the stick rack, and burst out into the tunnel that leads to the ice.
“We left things a little unfinished.”
She’s on the ice. In skates. Mic in hand.
What on earth is she doing on the ice? In skates?
“What are you doing, Skates?” I call out.
“This jerk face and my best friend conspired against me. Our relationship for the past six weeks was pretend.” Her face is expressionless.
My heart sinks.
“For those that are new here, Jett Monroe and I were high school sweethearts. We were voted most likely to get married.”
The crowd has a mixed reaction, boos here and cheers there. Soft, but I hear them.
“Jett and Vivi came up with this brilliant master plan. They’d catch me and Jett in a way that would allow social media to think we were an item again and then get me to fake date him. But all the while, he was trying to win me back.”
The boos get a little louder this time.
She waves for them to quiet. “Stop that. I’m not done.”
Not done?
Fantastic. My shoulders hunch, and I turn.
“Don’t you dare move, Jett Monroe,” she barks.
I face her but hang my head. She’s waited all this time to say her piece. I guess I just need to hear it out so we both get closure.
“I thought I’d hate him forever. Thought I’d never be able to forgive him.”
The crowd is definitely not feeling the love for me at this point. I’ll be lucky if someone doesn’t throw a hot dog at me.
“But then…” She lets the silence linger to an agonizing length. Then she says, “I fell in love with him all over again.”
My head jerks up. What did she say? “What did you say?”
Microphone in hand, she pushes off and skates towards me. “I said…” She reaches me and lowers the mic. “I love you. I have loved you and will always love you, Jett.”
“But…”
“I wanted space and time to think. I thought fifteen years was a long time, but these last two weeks have felt like forever.” She smiles, and her hand cups my cheek. “I’d like to never do that again if—”
I don’t think. I just wrap my arms around her waist and crush my lips to hers. In the background, I know there are cheers blasting through the arena, but it feels like we’re in a bubble.
I’m kissing her. She’s kissing me back. My heart is thundering in my chest. I don’t know how long we kiss, but when we break away, the crowd is quiet.
I’ve waited and wanted. Ached and prayed. I’ve got the woman of my dreams in my arms. I’ve wasted so many years. I won’t waste another second.
“I love you, Skates. With all my heart. Marry me, please.”
My eyes widen. "Marry you? But—"
"I want to fix your fence. Plant flowers with you.
I want to mow your lawn, paint your walls, reach the top shelf when you can't. I want all the things I missed the last fifteen years.
I want me and you to be us again." Yeah, tears fill my eyes.
Maybe I should be a little embarrassed, but I'm not.
I'm pouring everything I am into this. "I don't want to miss another minute of being with you. "
She holds my gaze and swallows hard. Tears glide down her cheeks. Slowly she begins to nod. "Yes." A bubbly laugh pours out. She grins. "I am kind of tired of mowing the lawn."
I laugh and shake my head.
Her finger touches my chin and she lifts my face. "Jett Monroe, you're the only boy I've ever loved."
Our lips collide again. The crowd erupts.
For the first time in my life, it feels like the sun has broken through that dark cloud that followed me, and every bit of darkness has dried up.
I’m holding my future. And I’m never letting go again.
Ready for more? Return to Briarwood in Sugar, Ice, & Everything Nice the next book in the Meet-Cute Match-Ups series.
A bashful bookworm, a hockey heartthrob, and the dog who pushes them together. Can they score a love that will last before the weekend is over?