I‘m such an idiot. I don’t know why I didn’t tell Ava about my dad. Maybe it was the fear of seeing her look at me with pity, or perhaps I just hadn’t had the guts to be so open. Either way, she was right.

I am a hypocrite.

It seems like everything is starting to come apart—and the issues just keep piling up. At what point does it stop?

The fight at my mother’s house was two days ago. If I don’t talk to her soon, I think I might explode. The restlessness from my injuries isn’t helping with the pain that comes with not talking to Ava, either.

I texted her that night and asked her to let me know when they got home safe. But it was Tyler who texted me four and a half hours later to let me know he dropped her off.

The next morning I got a simple “hey,” followed by a lame attempt at a conversation before she stopped replying altogether. I know we’re both hurting, but it doesn’t make any of this any easier. It sure as shit doesn’t help my mood. I’m surprised Matt hasn’t socked me one yet for my piss poor attitude.

The medic cleared me to join the team on the ice again just in time for our game tonight. We won by a blowout score of seven to two. When I scored the final goal, I spun around searching for Ava, only to be hit with the harsh reality that she hadn’t come.

My stomach dropped when I saw that a skinny guy had filled her usual seat beside Morgan. That was when it hit me. This has to end. We have to fix this.

“Dude, you’re going to be with Morgan the whole night. Why the hell do I need to come?” I ask, not trying to hide my annoyance. The last place I want to be at a party—especially one of Adam’s.

Matt rolls his eyes and shoves me through the door and into the crowded living room. “You needed to get out of the damn house. You’re wasting away in there.”

“It’s only been two days,” I grumble, shifting my eyes around the humid room as I feel Matt scurrying away.

I spot Tyler sitting on one of the leather couches in the far corner. I drop into the seat beside him and take a long swig of the bitter liquid Matt gave me. “Hey, man.”

Tyler looks over at me with raised eyebrows and bloodshot eyes. He nods and takes a sip of his drink. “She was in the kitchen with Adam the last time I saw her.”

My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline. “She’s here? With Adam?” The thought makes my head spin.

I didn’t expect her to be here after she didn’t show up to the game. Tyler nods again and drains his cup. He gets up—stumbling slightly—and slaps my shoulder before walking towards the sea of drunks. Clearly, it’s been a rough night for him too.

The sudden overwhelming smell of perfume makes me cough. A small body collides into my side, knocking the air out of my lungs.

“You’re Octavia’s boyfriend, right?” The mystery body asks, judgement clear in her slurred words.

“Yeah,” I reply with a shrug. “Oakley Hutton.”

“Well, this party sucks. I would grab her and get out of here before these freaks suck the life right out of you. I’m pretty sure she’s outside with Adam.”

I cock my head to the side and consider her through slitted eyes. Why does it seem as though everyone is keeping tabs on my girlfriend? And why does she always have to be with Adam?

“Thanks,” I grumble. “You got a name?”

She rolls her piercing blue eyes—which are wide behind her thick black-rimmed glasses. She blows a bubble with her gum and lets it pop with a loud smack when she speaks again. “Beth Winston. I’m surprised Ava hasn’t told you about me.”

From this chick’s apparent ego, it isn’t hard to guess why I haven’t heard about her.

“Well, thanks, Beth. Get home safe.”

“You too, Oakley Hutton,” she sighs and flops back against the couch cushion.

I stand up and push my way past the herds of incompetent drunks swarming around me. Swinging open the back door, I take a deep breath

and allow the fresh, crisp air to calm me. I lean against one of the many brick pillars and groan. I shouldn’t have come here.

My head snaps up at the sound of Ava’s laugh. It rings in my ears teasingly. There she is, standing in the middle of the small group I call my friends.

My eyes zero in on her smile and I can feel myself smiling like an idiot almost immediately. Her long hair has been pulled up in a beautifully messy bun. I laugh to myself, knowing full well that she had probably gotten sick of it blowing in her face and pulled it up.

“When are you going to admit it to yourself?” Morgan asks from beside me. I jump in surprise, making her grin.

I scoff, “Admit what, Morgan?” “That you’re in love with her.”

I choke on my drink and burst into a fit of coughs. “Where did you get that idea from? You need to stop watching so many romcoms,” I tease as soon as my coughing subsides.

“Oh, cry me a river, Oakley,” Morgan snaps, smacking my arm. “You’re standing in the shadows, all alone, watching her with a shit-eating grin. Either you’re in love with Ava, or you’re planning on kidnapping her. Personally, I’m hoping for option number one. ”

I don’t say anything in response as she elbows me in the side. “Don’t stand in the shadows for too long. She’s been struggling too. Go talk to her.” And with that, Morgan walks away.

Am I in love with Ava? We’ve only known each other for a couple of months. Is that even long enough to fall in love with someone? All I know is that I never want to be away from her.

She’s ignited feelings inside of me that I never knew existed. I would do anything for her without question. Anything to keep that perfect smile on her face. Is that what love is like? Hell if I know.

A sudden buzzing in my pocket snaps me out of my daydream. I pull out my phone to see my agent’s name written across the small screen.

“Hey, Will. What’s up?” I ask, curious as to why he is calling me this late. As much as I enjoy having Will’s rough, unimpressed voice ringing in my ears, I can’t say that I’m pleased to hear it right now.

“Oakley! I’ve got fantastic news. 2020 is your year!” he practically shouts on the other end of the phone.

“What do you mean?” My words come out slow and careful. My heart starts to pound, and my hands are slick with nervous sweat.

“You’ll be in this year’s draft, dumbass. I got the call this afternoon!” Will exclaims, no doubt giving his head a shake.

“Are you serious?” I blurt, dumbfounded. I knew it was possible when I had scouts watching me back in Penticton, but I had no idea it would be so soon.

“Dead serious. They’re projecting you first round. That’s all I know for now, but I wanted to tell you as soon as possible.”

“I don’t even know what to say. Thank you.” I grin, still in shock. He hangs up after a gruff goodbye and I breathe out a sigh of disbelief. This has to be a dream. It can’t be real. I have to tell Ava.

The giant grin doesn’t budge the entire way over to my girl. At this exact moment, I don’t give a shit about our fight. All I care about is sharing one of the best moments of my life with my girlfriend.

I push past Adam, shoving him to the side. I chuckle when I hear him scoff as I finally reach Ava. She doesn’t have time to ask any questions by the time I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her. I spin her around and she lets out a surprised gasp.

“I did it, baby. I did it. I’m going to play with the pros,” I murmur into her ear and cover her face in kisses.

She pushes me away suddenly, her eyes wide with shock. Everyone is dead silent as they wait to see what’s going to happen. Is she going to shrug me off? Slap me? Tell me to leave her alone? To my surprise—and delight, her bemused frown turns into a beam. She jumps into my arms and wraps her legs tightly around my waist. I breathe a sigh of relief and bury my face in her neck.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so proud of you. I knew you would,” she beams, pride swimming in her shining eyes when she looks at me.

We stand there in silence for I don’t even know how long. I just stare at her with a huge, goofy grin until I can’t hold back any longer. I lean down and plant my lips on hers.

She smiles against my lips and leans up to kiss me back. This kiss feels different. It tells each other everything we can’t bring ourselves to

I keep my thoughts to myself, knowing that speaking out loud would only make things more complicated. This unspoken connection feels more genuine and meaningful.

An annoyed grunt snaps us back to reality. I reluctantly pull away, and Ava’s cheeks flush with embarrassment as she remembers we’re not alone. She drops her legs to the floor and buries her face against my chest.

I can’t help but smile when I realize it was Adam who interrupted us. His dark eyes glower at me, clearly marking his territory. Yeah, she’s mine.

“Do you need us to leave, or…?” Matt asks, breaking the silence with a joke. “Actually, we’re heading out. Have a good night, guys,” I chuckle, waving lazily as we exit the party. “Can we go back to my place? I’ve got something I want to show you.”

Ava’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “Is this your way of trying to get me in bed? Because that’s not happening.”

I laugh as she crosses her arms. “Keep dreaming, princess. It’s important, and I think you’ll like it. Please?” I add, hoping she’ll agree so we can escape the cold.

She reluctantly nods. I clasp her hand for the first time in what feels like forever and follow her lead. Just being with her makes me feel lighter and more content than I’ve felt in weeks.

I squeeze into the front seat of her car and push it back as far as it will go. She laughs, shaking her head in amusement.

“You look ridiculous,” she giggles as she turns up the heat. “Hey, it’s not my fault you drive a clown car,” I tease.

“She’s not a clown car! Don’t hurt her feelings,” she scolds, giving my arm a gentle swat.

“Okay, okay. Whatever you say.” I place my hand on her thigh as she pulls out of the parking spot.