Killian

"Miss you every minute."

Sidney

My weekend had been surprisingly relaxing. I'd had lunch with my mom the day after the party and she had tried to reassure me that Dad only wanted what was best for me, and that sometimes his brain didn't always catch up with his mouth. I was grateful for her sensitivity and she helped me feel a bit better about how things had gone the previous evening.

Instead of catching an early flight back to Fenway, I stayed in the hotel and spent some time working and reading before catching the red eye home.

Now it was Monday.

But the trepidation had returned this morning when I watched the practice from a seat high in the stands, hoping no one would spot me. Killian's smile had made my heart pound, even though it wasn't directed at me. The sight of his powerful body moving up and down the ice made me miss his warmth next to me in bed.

Why had he texted me and asked me to come to his place after practice instead of just coming up to my office?

Killian's apartment was at the end of a simple red brick building. This was the first time I'd seen player housing. It wasn't bad, but it needed some landscaping. My real estate developer wheels were always turning. I made a mental note to have it taken care of in the spring. My frazzled nerves welcomed any thoughts that weren't about Killian right now. I was walking up the sidewalk to ring his doorbell, though I still didn't know why.

I reached for the small round bell and rang it. I was about to find out what was on Killian's mind.

He opened the door and before I could get out a greeting, he grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, pushing the door closed behind me.

I gave a small cry of surprise as he wrapped his arms around me, his mouth warm and familiar on mine.

"I've missed you," he said.

"I missed you, too. It's only been two days!"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you if I came up to your office."

He slid my coat off my shoulders and tossed it on a worn brown sofa. I got my first look at his place. The walls were bare and white. There was just a couch, a coffee table and a television in the living room. Open boxes were spread out on the floor.

He was packing.

"What's this?" I asked, gesturing at the boxes.

"Let's sit down," he said, leading me to the couch.

He kept my hand in his as he turned to face me as we got comfortable.

"I talked to Orion and the coach of the Indy team. I'm leaving tomorrow to take that spot on their roster."

He was leaving. I'd never thought about what this decision would feel like. And now I knew--it was like my heart was being pulled from my chest.

I realized I had a death grip on his hand and I released it. The tears were back. The woman who never cried was apparently making up for lost time. I swiped my fingers beneath my eyes, embarrassed by yet another emotional display.

"Hey." Killian slid down from the couch and got to his knees in front of me. He wrapped his arms around me, one warm hand grazing across my lower back. "I want to be with you more than ever, Sidney. I'm doing this because of you. Before we met, I was bitter and afraid. But you're fearless. I love that about you. If I can be fearless too, I'll be deserving of you."

"I want you to be happy," I said. "Whichever team you're on, that's all I want."

"I hate the fact that I became a guy who backed down from a challenge. That's not the kind of man I want to be. You were a challenge, but I was too crazy about you to back down. And now I've never been happier. So I want to face the challenge of playing for Indy. Maybe I'll stay, maybe they'll cut me. But I'm ready to give it a shot."