Declan slides to a stop on the other side of the glass and waves at me. “There you are. I thought you fell off the face of the earth or something,” he says with a smirk.

“Sort of. Law school is like a black hole,” I banter back, and he chuckles.

“A black hole that apparently still allows you time to teach yoga,” he says, and my eyes widen in surprise. He shrugs with a satisfied smile. “I might have done some research now that I know who you are.”

“Stalking me now?” I ask, trying to sound disapproving but feeling oddly flattered.

“Not stalking. Just… interested. There’s a difference,” he counters, his brown eyes gleaming. “So what are you doing here for a preseason game? Does this mean you couldn’t resist my magnetic pull?”

I snort, doing my best to suppress a smile. “I know you probably think the world revolves around you, but I didn’t come for you. I’m here for my dad.”

Declan grins at me, clearly not deterred. “I’m gonna be a big star, haven’t you heard? You know, you should probably get a signed puck from me now before they’re worth millions.”

“Thanks, but I’m good. I don’t need anything to remember you by.”

“Well, that’s good because I’m pretty sure I already gave you plenty to remember me by. Although I’d be happy to give you some new memories if you want.” He winks at me.

My breath catches in the back of my throat. I can’t believe he’s being so bold, or how much my body is reacting to his words, so all I can do is stare at him.

He laughs, skating a little closer to the glass as he adds, “I’ll make sure we score a goal, just for you.”

I roll my eyes. “Do you say that to all the women who come to your games?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Just the ones who’ve taken permanent residence in my mind for the last six months.” His voice drops lower, intimate despite the barrier of glass between us. The playfulness in his expression shifts to something that could probably melt the ice beneath his skates. “Just you, hummingbird.”

I go rigid in my seat. He sounded so sincere when he said it that it’s impossible to doubt he means it, and I don’t have a clue what to do with that information. Or if I should do anything at all with it. I scramble to think of some witty comeback, something to defuse the tension, but my mind has gone completely blank.

Declan holds my gaze for a moment longer, then skates off, and I stare after him, trying to get my pulse to go back to a normal rhythm. I’m so distracted that I barely notice my mother returning until she settles onto the seat beside me.