CHAPTER 25
KIERAN
They lost the game. it was clear the team was shaken by what happened to Adrian, they were completely out of sync.
The MedHarbor Hospital team had discharged his best friend the day before, and Kieran had been texting every hour to check on him. There was a nurse with him at all times, but even so, this was basically his brother having to adapt to a new reality, so of course he would be worried.
His decision to retire was retracted after Adrian asked Kieran if he wanted him to be without hockey and his best friend, because he would cut ties with the defenseman if he did that. He then made him promise not to voluntarily retire until he had held the Stanley Cup.
Kieran had just gotten out of the shower and picked up his phone for the first time since he had turned it off before going into the game.
The mood in the locker room was even more depressing after this loss and no one wanted to go out.
All the players heading back to the hotel where they would spend the night before catching their flight back to Boston the next morning.
He was rubbing a towel through his hair when the deceive began to vibrate, messages appearing on the screen.
Chatterbox: I think my leg is itchy. Which is weird because when I scratch it, I don't feel anything. So how can it feel like it's itching?
My Rila: we don't have to do this anymore.
My Rila: I don't want the last date.
His body froze, every one of his muscles tensing instantly. Shit, he thought he was making progress with her.
The first day he saw her in that hospital, there was so much anger in her dark, beautiful eyes. So much pain and hurt. However, he saw those dark emotions slowly fade with each interaction they had. Yes, she continued to fight him the whole way, but there were moments of hope.
And then they had the talk and she asked for time to think. It took her two days. Forty-eight hours to decide that she wouldn't forgive him and that they weren't worth it.
— Fuck — he cursed and began to move quickly around the locker room.
He wouldn't let it end like that. If that was what Rila wanted, then she would have to say it looking into his eyes.
Kieran flew across the room, pulling on his Bruins sweatshirt, black coat, and sneakers, all while buying the first available ticket to Boston.
It was a little after ten p.m when the taxi dropped him off in front of her apartment building.
The sidewalks were white, layers of slick ice covering everything around, and the wind seemed to cut into his face with every step he took towards the building's entrance.
The sky was hazy and starless, a sign that snow was about to fall.
Obviously, he went to MedHarbor first, as he knew the chances of her being anywhere else were very slim. But to his surprise, Rila wasn't at the hospital. So, he headed to his second option.
The lobby was silent, a gray-haired man behind the count so focused on the book in his hands that he only noticed Kieran when he stopped in front of him, his body casting a shadow on the open page.
— You're Kieran Ward — the doorman's dark eyes widened.
— Yes, I am — he gave a small nod and leaned on the counter — Could you call Rila Hill's apartment and tell her I'm here, please?
— Hm — the man blinked repeatedly to organize his thoughts and speak again — I'm sorry, I can't, she's not home.
Shit, he hadn't been expecting that. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't know where else she could be, and he was too desperate to wait until tomorrow to try to find her at the hospital again.
That was when he remembered her friends. Kieran could go back to the hospital and look for the blonde — Blake, if he wasn't mistaken — who had followed Adrian's case.
Okay, so that was the new plan. And if that didn't work out, he would come back here and wait for her. Even if he had to stay in that lobby all night.
Stepping back onto the sidewalk, he pulled his black beanie down low to protect his ears from the cold and picked up his cell phone to call a cab.
But before he could unlock the screen, a car pulled up to the curb and the passenger door opened, revealing the slender figure and straight black hair he was so familiar with.
— Kieran? — her voice was thick with surprise when she noticed him standing on the sidewalk — What are you doing here?
She pulled the black jacket she was wearing closer to her body as a chilly breeze blew between them. Kieran wanted to close the distance between them and wrap his arms around her so the cold couldn't reach her. He wanted to hold her and never let her go again.
The thought of losing her a second time made it feel like a monster was sinking its claws into his chest in an attempt to rip his heart out. However, the beast would find nothing there, because his heart had always been with her this entire time.
However, Kieran fought his body to stay where it was. If she had sent those messages, it was because the resentment he had seen bubbling up in her on the first day was back, and knowing Rila, if he made any sudden moves, she would attack.
—We have a deal —he clenched his fingers into fists at his sides, trying to resist the urge to close the distance between them — We need to have the third date, you can't break the agreement.
— Kieran — she tried to interrupt him.
— No —he took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was going to say — I'm always listening to you talk, and don't get me wrong, I love listening to you.
But now it's my turn. And I'm not very good at it, but I spent the whole flight rehearsing what I was going to say, so you need to listen to me.
She looked at him with raised eyebrows and an amused look, giving a small nod of affirmation for him to continue.
— I love you, Rila — his heart didn't beat faster when he spoke, he didn't feel an adrenaline rush or anything like that.
He was completely calm because he was completely sure of what he was saying, there was not a shred of doubt in his body to make him anxious about those words. Kieran was absolutely certain that Rila was the woman of his life and the owner of his heart.
— I knew you were the one for me since the day you asked me to teach you how to skate when we first met.
I loved you as a child, as a teenager, I still love you as an adult, and I know I will love you when I'm old.
In my life, I have never regretted anything, except for what I did to you, to us.
And I understand that you don't want to give your heart to me again, because I hurt you the first time you did that.
“But I'm here asking you for another chance to keep it safe. And I could ask you not to ruin my heart, but you can do whatever you want with it, because it's in your hands. It's yours. You've had it all these years, and you'll keep it even if you ask me to leave you alone.”
Silence fell between them, their hot breaths teaming as they hit the cold air. He watched the first snowflake of the night slowly fall between them. Another fell on her hair soon after. And more began to fall on the sidewalk, on the street, on their bodies.
All his calm from seconds ago evaporated now that he was waiting for a reaction from Rila.
She took a confident step forward and kept moving until the distance between them was gone, the tips of his feet brushing against hers. Her citrus scent mixed with the snow one surrounded him, immediately reminding him of his days in Vancouver.
She lifted her chin and held his gaze for two seconds before breaking the silence.
— The third date won't be necessary because I forgive you, idiot. I don't hate you, Kieran Ward — he eyes shone under the dim street light — So no, I don't want to have one last date with you. I want every date you can give me.
Fuck, he wasn't expecting that. And that last sentence hit him like a bolt of lightning full of promise, making him suck in a sharp breath through his nose.
This was really happening. After five years, eleven months, and three days, Rila Hana Hill was finally yours again.
— Are you saying I won you back? — he couldn't help but tease her a little.
— Yeah — she rolled her eyes and shook her head from side to side — Are you gonna kiss me now?
— I'll kiss you now, tomorrow and every single day you allow me.
Kieran used one arm to pull her around the waist and sank his other hand into her hair as he liked to do, his fingers curling into the black strands in a firm grip as he pressed her mouth to his. He felt her hands grip his coat in a desperate attempt to pull him closer.
Rila's soft lips moved against his in a rhythm that was familiar to them, full of hunger and need. He deepened the kiss and their tongues intertwined, exploring each other's mouths. And somewhere in his desire-clouded mind, he recognized the familiar taste of alcohol on her.
— Why do you taste like beer? — he murmured against her swollen lips, the huskiness in his voice revealing how a single kiss could affect him.
— I was in my bar — their heavy breathing mingled as they stood on the sidewalk, as if it wasn't five degrees outside.
The snow was falling slowly on them, their coats starting to get damp from it, and Kieran knew he needed to get Rila inside before she got cold. But first he needed to understand what she was talking about.
— You bar?
— The Secret, Jessie and I go there every week — he remembered her saying something like that when they were trying to set up their first date.
— Wait, are you drunk? — his eyebrows shot up, surprised by the information.
— Just a little bit — she raised her hand next to their faces and brought her thumb and index finger together — I'll still remember all of this tomorrow, don't worry.
— I'm not — Kieran exhaled a laugh and placed a chaste kiss on her lips — I cant repeat everything I said if I need to, because I meant it.
He meant every word he said and would repeat them to her as many times as necessary. Every day, if she wanted.