“And cranky, yeah,” I say, and she chuckles. “I’m looking forward to Tuesday. It’ll be nice to spend time together.”

“I can’t wait. I love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too.”

I hang up the phone and stare down at the black screen, my mother’s comments about Aaron swirling in my head alongside thoughts of Declan’s thoughtfulness and our undeniable chemistry. I feel like I’m being pulled in two diametrically opposed directions.

My parents want the perfect daughter with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect job. But what do I want?

And why does the answer to that question terrify me so much?

17. Declan

Chapter 17

Declan

The piercing blast of Coach Dunaway’s whistle cuts across the arena, signaling the end of practice as we’re all winding down. I glide across the ice to meet the rest of the guys as they start piling off, and Sawyer claps me on the shoulder when I swish to a stop next to him.

“Good work out there today. You’re really giving me a run for my money.”

“At this rate, he’s going to force you into an early retirement, old man,” Theo teases him, but Sawyer just rolls his eyes.

“I think that’s your own insecurity talking, not mine.”

Theo smirks and playfully punches our massive, notoriously stoic goalie’s arm. “Speaking of talking, why are you so quiet today, Grant? Did your tongue get stuck to the ice while trying to block my shots?”

Grant glares at him. “Not all of us need to be talking twenty-four-seven.”

“Oh, wow, someone’s extra grumpy today,” Theo banters back, feigning offense.

The guys start disappearing down the hall to the locker room, but I stay on the ice. Maybe I’m overdoing it, but I’m not ready to call it quits yet. I still have a lot of energy to burn, and there’s no better way for me to do it than by hitting the drills. The rest of the guys are too caught up in their bullshitting and easygoing banter to notice.

I glide out across the ice toward the small pile of pucks that got left behind and swipe one of them with my stick, then square up in front of the net. I’m determined to get my pivots on point, since that’s the big thing Coach Dunaway told me I need to work on.

The yoga I’ve started doing with Hannah is definitely going to help, but it’s not enough on its own. I take a few deep breaths, really trying to zone in on the net in front of me and how I’m going to get there, then leap into action.