“I don’t care about any of that,” he says, voice raspy but firm. “But I like that you worried about me.” His lips quirk into a half-smile that makes my stomach flip. “The first thing I saw when I woke back up at the arena was your face, and I knew right then and there that everything was gonna be okay because you were with me.”

He hesitates, something intense flickering in his eyes. “But that just makes me sure about what I’m about to say.” He holds my gaze, his thumb tracing circles on my wrist. “I want this to be real. To be out in the open about being together—as a couple.”

The world tilts on its axis. The way he’s looking at me, like I’m the only person in the world that matters, collides with all the emotions still swirling inside me from watching him take such a bad hit.

“Declan,” I manage, my voice barely audible. I swallow hard, choosing my words carefully. “Do you remember how you told me that nothing that happened between us that night at Opal and Oak was a mistake?”

He nods, hope brightening his eyes.

“Well, you were wrong.” I see his expression falter, and I continue on quickly. “I almost left you my number that night. I wrote it down on a note, but I kept second guessing myself. I was too scared. And that was the mistake—not admitting that I wanted more.” I cup his cheek with my free hand. “Because I want this to be real between us too.”

Relief and joy transform his face. He pulls me down for another kiss, harder this time, as if sealing a pact between us. I feel weightless against him, the hospital room fading away until there’s nothing but his lips on mine.

Because a big part of me never thought this would happen. Hell, some part of me initially didn’t want it to. I was terrified about what my father would say or do if he found out I was dating one of his players, but now that he knows, there’s nothing left to hide. Well, not with my father anyway.

I’m still worried about how our relationship might affect Declan’s career, especially since he’s still so new to the team and the league. The media circus that follows hockey players’ personal lives isn’t something I want to bring down on Declan or his mom. They already have enough to deal with.

But I wasn’t lying when I told him that I wanted this to be real too. When I first found out Declan had been recruited by the Aces, I never imagined we’d be having this conversation, but now it feels like the most natural thing in the world.

“Are we really doing this?” he asks, his eyes searching mine.

“Yes,” I say, certainty flooding through me. “We really are.”