Page 123 of Break my Heart
It’s like the world finally makes sense.
This has to be what love feels like.
The undeniable pull toward someone who makes everything brighter and better. The feeling manages to ground me while lifting me up at the same time.
As the game continues, I glance up at her whenever I can. It’s like she’s my anchor, the one thing that keeps me steady in all this chaos.
I have no idea how I got lucky enough to find her, but I do know one thing—there’s no way in hell I’m letting her go.
Not now.
Not ever.
40
Hayes
By the time the team arrives at Slap Shotz, the place is packed to the gills. Everyone is still riding high from winning our first playoff game.
It’s tradition—after a win, this is where we go to celebrate.
Fans are sporting jerseys and buzzing from the game, as if they were the ones on the ice tonight. There’s a frenetic energy that charges the air and is impossible to ignore.
I should be soaking it all in, enjoying the glory of the win and the attention. Hell, there are a few groupies hitting on me right now, tossing out flirty comments and batting their eyelashes, hoping I’ll give them a bit of attention or a word of encouragement.
But there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen.
I can’t take my eyes off Ava.
And if I’m being truthful with myself, that’s the way it’s been from the very beginning.
She’s across the room, talking with Fallyn and Juliette, laughing, her smile bright enough to light up the whole damn bar. In a short period of time, she’s become my everything. I never expected to feel this pull toward her. Now that I do, I can’t imagine a single day without her. She’s still wearing my jersey, and every time she glances at me, my heart skips a beat.
As soon as our gazes collide, she rises to her feet and cuts a direct path to me. The moment she’s within striking distance, I nab her fingers and pull her close enough to wrap up in my arms.
It’s exactly where she belongs.
It’s the best feeling in the world to be here with my girl and my teammates, celebrating our first playoff win. Ryder was just on stage with Juliette, singing some ridiculous duet that makes the whole place swoon and cheer. Wolf jumped up there after them, crooning a love song to Fallyn. I flick a glance at his wife to see she’s eating it up.
Even Bridger’s here, which is a surprise. There’s a black Western Wildcats ballcap pulled low over his eyes, and he’s sitting off to the side, nursing a beer and looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
The poor bastard can’t seem to catch a break.
“Last song of the evening,” Sully, the bar owner, announces.
A slow grin spreads across my face as Ava’s eyes widen, and she shakes her head.
“No way. You’ve heard me sing. It’s not good. We’ll get booed off the stage for sure”
“We have to, Tink.” I glance around at my teammates. “Apparently, it’s another tradition. Are you really going to be the one who breaks it?”
She huffs out a breath before muttering, “I guess not. But consider yourself warned if things go south quickly.”
The second I pull Ava onto the stage, the noise of the bar fades away, leaving only the thud of my heartbeat to fill my ears.
Her gaze darts nervously at the crowd as I give the song selection to Sully, and he cues it up.
When John Legend’s “All of Me” starts, her expression softens, and something shifts in the air. It’s like the world narrows down to just the two of us as the soft melody fills the space. I hold the microphone close, and when I start to sing, it’s not just to the crowd—it’s to her. As soon as she joins in, her voice intertwines with mine, and the room seems to disappear.