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As I lie there, my thoughts running wild in my head, my cell buzzes on my nightstand.

My heart jumps into my throat at the thought of it being Garrett. But the second I look, I discover I’m wrong.

Why would he reach out when he hasn’t done anything wrong?

I’m the one who fucked up. I’m the one who needs to fix it.

Unknown: You up for that breakfast tomorrow?

Something similar to hope flutters in my stomach. It might not be the man I really wanted to hear from, but reconnecting with Kodie is a close second.

Assuming this is Kodie, seeing as I’ve been too much of a pussy to get his number since moving here.

Just something else to add to the long list of failures I’m collecting.

Maybe my father was right all these years…

Coach doesn’t want us in until later, so we’ve got time before he expects us on the ice. And I guess there’s no time like the present to finally put our demons to rest.

Cooper: Yeah, sounds good. Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.

He begins typing immediately, and only seconds later, I have all the details I need.

Spurred on by the thought of finally fixing one of the most important relationships I’ve ever had, I open my contacts and find Garrett.

My thumb hovers over the call button, but before I get a chance to tap it, my cell starts ringing in my hand and the man in question's face appears before me.

This time, I don’t second-guess my actions as I swipe the screen, accepting the call.

“Hey,” I rasp, my voice rough.

I flop back on my bed and close my eyes, waiting to hear the rumble of his voice on the other end.

“Hey, how are you?”

“I…uh…I owe you an apology.”

“So do I.”

“What? No. You didn’t do anything wrong. I fucked up. I jumped to conclusions when I should have trusted you.”

“It’s okay. I get it. If the situation were reversed, I probably would have acted the same.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You’re a better person than me.”

“I don’t think that’s true. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met. And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve now met every player on the LA Vipers’ roster, so…”

I can’t help but laugh.

I know how much he loves his team and his players. If I didn’t know any better, I might say that he’s spending time with me just because of the jersey I wear, but I know that’s not true. It’s more than that. So much more.

“Yeah, some of them are a hard act to follow. I mean it, though. I’m sorry. I freaked out. Seeing that notification made me feel things I wasn’t ready or prepared for.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t like the idea of you being with anyone else,” I confess.

“Why’s that?” He’s baiting me, but I allow it because I need him to hear the truth.