Tomboy (The Hartigans #3)(72)
Too nervous after that babbling word vomit, she shoved his hoodie in his direction, hitting him square in the chest. When she started to let go, he clapped his hand over hers, holding her in place and sending a jolt of electricity through her.
“Why did you do it?” he asked, his tone as inscrutable as his expression.
She’d practiced what she’d say in her head in the Uber. It had all made so much sense then. But now? It was just a jumble of emotion-soaked words swimming around her head and making her heart ache.
“I didn’t want anyone to believe your parents’ lies.” The words came out in a rush. “I didn’t want them to be able to hurt you anymore. I know that’s probably the last thing you want to hear from me, especially after that dig I made about how dumb it was for you to ignore what they were doing, just to protect your pride. Oh God, that sounded so much better when I was planning out what I was going to say in the Uber.”
He stroked his thumb over the top of her hand pressed to his chest before letting it go so it dropped back to her side. “You thought a lot about this?”
“Not enough, obviously.” She let out a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and looked him straight on. “I never meant to accidentally start dating you, and I most certainly didn’t mean to fall in love with you, but I did. The fact that I messed it all up will be one of my biggest regrets. I couldn’t help it, though. I thought, and I still do, that you’re worth fighting for.”
When he just stood there staring at her, that last little shred of hope that this crazy idea would work out, that somehow, he’d be able to forgive her, died. So much for that.
“Well, that’s what I had to say. Good luck tomorrow night. I’ll be rooting for you.”
And since there was nothing left to say, and she was about ten seconds away from falling apart, she turned and started toward her Uber.
Her driver gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Can you take me back where you picked me up?” she asked, her chin trembling as she dug her short fingernails into her palm to keep the tears at bay.
Her driver nodded as she reached out to close the door—but it wouldn’t shut.
“So that was your plan?” Zach asked as he stood there holding the door open, his gaze thunderous. “Say all of that and walk away?”
“I wanted to give you time to think about it.” Without her standing in front of him crying.
“I thought about it,” he said, his tone rough and hard.
She got out of the car and braced herself for the worst. Still, she managed to keep her gaze on him; she owed him that.
“You are always so damn sure you’re right, and that you can take on anyone’s battles, that you never give anyone else the chance to fight for you. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?” He threw his hands in the air. “Very. Do you have any idea what it’s like to love someone who can do the wrong thing for the right reason, which makes it impossible to be mad? I’ve spent most of my life pissed off and guarding against other people. Right until this bossy woman arrived on my doorstep and demanded I let her in.” He took a step closer so there was only the slightest space between their bodies, his hands going up to her face, cupping her jaw. “And now you want to go so I can think about things? Forget that. I just need to know one thing. You say I’m worth fighting for, but what about us? Are we worth fighting for? I think we are. I want to be my best with you, not because you’re my Lady Luck, but because you’re the woman I love.”
Fallon couldn’t talk. All of her emotions were blocking the words, so she nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped away her tears. “Then let’s fight for us together.”
He dipped his head lower and kissed her, and it was like the world started rotating again. Everything came back in a whoosh as he slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue sweeping across her lips and demanding entrance. The rightness of it all nearly overwhelmed her in a rush of joy, possibility, and the promise of forever.
By the time they broke the kiss, she’d forgotten the rest of the world existed—something the other Ice Knights players reminded her of by immediately beginning to clap and holler.
“Party’s over, boys,” Zach said with a laugh. “Go home.”
They hustled off the porch, delivering a few catcalls and offering up unsolicited advice. Caleb and the other first liners claimed her Uber, since they’d been drinking, while Svoboda gave them a cheery wave, said something in Czech she didn’t understand, and took off in his car.
“So what now?” she asked Zach as the cars’ taillights faded into the darkness.
He swept her up in his arms and started toward the house. “I have new furniture to break in.”
She would have said something smart in return, but then he kissed her, and talking became so much less important than getting inside the house so they could start forever right now.
…
Ice Knights Said What
On the heels of an amazing comeback season that saw the Ice Knights get all the way to the finals, it seems a new group of players has stepped up to take the mantle of most troublesome players from defenseman Zach Blackburn.
This morning, news broke of a video showing the rest of the Ice Knights first line talking smack in an Uber about one another’s love lives, their teammates, and their off-ice foibles. Word is that Coach Peppers is none too pleased about the distraction, and has set defenseman Caleb Stuckey, and the forward line of Alex Christensen, Ian Petrov, and Cole Phillips up with crisis communications guru Lucy Kavanagh to help them course correct.