Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)

by Liz Tomforde

God, I’m the worst. This guy is trying to impress me and I’m over here having an existential crisis.

“I pick a song when something cool or important happens so I can remember it. Then when I want to relive a moment, I rewind it back and start the song from the beginning.”

“Well, maybe that was the first time you were told, but I know for a fact it wasn’t the first time someone liked you.” My eyes feel like they’re going to pop out of my head with how quickly they widen. Does he mean himself or someone else? My heart is thundering in my chest and if I were braver, I’d ask him what he means. But I’m not. I don’t ask for clarification and instead, decide to overthink that single sentence for the rest of my life.

We were starting our first design consultation when her phone rang, so I’m currently sitting at the conference table when she hesitantly checks over her shoulder to see if I’m eavesdropping. Of fucking course I’m eavesdropping.

“Hallie, something is clearly wrong.” “Rio, please. We both know you don’t actually care if something is upsetting me.” If only that were true. It’d make my life a whole lot easier if I could care less about this girl.

“Friends,” I agree. Feels wrong. Tastes like a lie.

I look back over my shoulder at him. “Good night, friend.” He grimaces. “Yep. Don’t love that.” I chuckle, unlocking the front door. “Good night, Rio.” He stays there, hands in his pockets, watching me go inside. “Night, Hal.”

Because we’re friends. I could laugh at the thought. We’re not friends. We’re just trying not to kill each other. And personally, I’m trying not to rip off his clothes.

Green eyes look back at me. “If this were your house, what would you do?” The answer sticks in my throat. Because there was a time I thought I would be designing our house.

“Yeah, well you’re not his, so tell him to keep his hands to himself too.” Her eyes drop to my mouth. “I’m not yours either.” We’ll see.

I wet my lips, leaning in awfully close. “You sure look good in my shirt for not being mine.” “Get fucked, DeLuca.” I smile as I open the door. “Would love to. You just let me know when and where, Hart.” She enters the loud bar, throwing a middle finger over her shoulder for me to see.

She’s laughing again before she explains why this song is important to her. As she does every year, she describes what was happening when she listened to it that made her want to rewind it back and relive that moment. That continues for the entire CD, and no, I don’t love the song choices, but I do love hearing about all the big, important moments she had this year.

“Ariel!” Taylor supplies as she and Max join the other two on the couch. “Absolutely not, Tay.” Rio’s brows are pinched. “Spoiler alert, but she gives up her voice because she thought some random dude was hot. We’re strong independent women here. The only princess movies we’re going to watch are the ones where they realize they don’t need a man.”

“You’re going to give me high blood pressure, woman. How long are going to make me dwell on that question before you finally give me the answer?”

Rio pulls out of the parking lot, and I don’t waste time, reaching for the truck’s screen display and finding his music app. Because for the first time in God knows how many years, this is a moment I want to remember. I want to listen to music and allow it to give me hope. I want to associate a song with a memory.

“You single, Hal?” I finally give him the long-awaited answer, nodding to tell him yes. “Good.” He takes a slow predatorial step towards me, tone sharp and leaving no room for question. “Because we aren’t fucking friends.”

“I need to get back to work. Text me when you figure out what day I should meet you and where. And Rio, just so you know, I’m going to be so annoyed with you if this whole thing ends up being the epitome of the phrase, ‘it could’ve been an email.’” “Well, then.” His voice gains a gruff edge. “I’ll be sure to make it worth your time.”

“I made up some bullshit excuse about needing to make decisions in-person, just so I could take you to dinner without having to wait two weeks to see you. The least I can do is carry all the stuff I made you bring.” “I knew it.” Shaking her head at me, she bites back her smile. “This isn’t a date, you know.” “Oh God, no. It’s a work meeting, Hallie. Focus, please.”

“Hallie,” I breathe out, taking in the images on the computer. “Your brain is so fucking cool. How did you think of this?”

I place the mix CD on his stomach and that grin on his lips turns up even more. “I was waiting for this.” I may cringe a bit when we listen to it together later and he realizes that every single song is from a moment with him, but that’s okay. He was a part of all my best memories this year, just like he is most years. Any memories I wish I could rewind and relive are all the ones he and I have had over the years, growing up together. Learning each other. Falling for each other.

The front door swings open, ending our conversation. “There’s my boy!” my mom bellows, arms open wide and charging to wrap them around…Zanders.

“How could you do that to her?” My words are quiet and though I’m asking him the question, it feels like I’m asking myself the same thing. How could I leave Hallie behind like that? It wasn’t her fault that my dad blew up my family. It wasn’t her fault that his decisions had me questioning everything. What the fuck is wrong with me?

He smiles at me. “I knew I always liked you.” “All right, Dad. No need to kiss his ass. He’s not that great.” I laugh. “Yeah, I kind of thought you would have hated me by now, Mr. Hart.” “Nope,” Hallie cuts in. “Dad, I don’t think you’ve missed more than a handful of Rio’s games since he’s been in the league, huh?” He lifts a brow. “We both know I wasn’t the only one watching.” I tilt my head as I look at her. “Oh, is that so?” “Big hockey fan,” she says. “Couldn’t care less about the players themselves, though.” Hallie shoots me a smile to tell me she’s full of shit and does, in fact, care about one.

“When we were in New York, you asked me why I never upgraded that old boombox. Do you remember that?” I nod. “This is why,” he says. “I didn’t have any other way to play the tapes and CDs, and not playing them wasn’t an option for me. For years, I’ve taken this fucking boombox everywhere with me. Held on to it, like if I could keep rewinding and replaying these moments we had, then maybe it wasn’t over.” He pulls a random cassette tape out of the box, running his thumb over the inked heart. “I don’t want it to be over, Hallie.”

“We’re not hiding this anymore. I’m done pretending like we haven’t planned out our entire future. I’m done acting like you’re not mine.”

“Gross.” She grimaces. “You guys have got to stop calling him that.” “We can’t,” Stevie chimes in. “Even my husband refers to Monty as Miller’s hot dad.” Kennedy is trying to hold back her laughter. “Who started that?” “Ryan,” Indy and Stevie say at the same time. “I think the boys might be in love with him,” Indy continues.

Holy shit. I’m an idiot. I shoot up from my seat. “Why didn’t you guys tell me?” Kennedy cocks her head. “We just did.” “Fuck me. You would’ve thought I learned something in all the years I’ve been coming to these girls’ nights, but apparently not.”

I’m not going to run away because where could I go? Hallie, you’re in here.” I tap my chest. “Regardless of the years we spent apart, you’re still in here.” She’s trying to hold back her smile, which seems like a good sign. “Are you sure that’s not just a first-love thing?” “No, baby. It’s a last-love thing.”

“You’re not assuming anything.” I pull him down to kiss me. “I’m all in too. It’s you and me.” Again is what I’m tempted to say, but for good feels more accurate.

The way this man knows me.

“Everyone,” Rio announces, “this is my girlfriend, Hallie. Be nice to her or I’ll literally never talk to you again.”

“Exactly. I want to rewind all of it, Hallie. I want to remember everything. You made sure we could remember our first years together, so I made sure we would remember this one.”

“Rio, playing for Boston is your childhood dream.” I shake my head. “You’re my childhood dream.” Her lips part without words. “Some dreams have changed, but others have remained the same.” I brush her hair behind her ear. “I love the city we live in. I love my team. I love my friends. And I love you. We lost six years, Hallie, and I’m not missing another day of you again.”

“Playing for Chicago feels like I’m playing for my hometown because it is my home now. You’re my home. Being loved by you for the rest of my life is the only dream of mine that’s never wavered. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m already exactly where I want to be.”

“The house has always been yours, Hallie. Ours. It was just waiting for you to come make it a home.”

I just sit back and watch nine of the most important people in my life. I’m the luckiest man alive, I swear. When I was younger, I remember how much I wished I had a sibling. Someone to play hockey with. Someone to talk to. Someone who understood me. Little did I know, as a grown man, I’d end up with eight of them. These girls are practically my sisters, and there’s no question that these guys have become my brothers. I spent years complaining about being the single one of the group, the odd man out. But even though I was the last one, how lucky am I that I got a front-row seat to watch each of my best friends fall in love? I watched Zanders strip the façade he wore for so long to allow the flight attendant on his team’s plane to see the real him. I watched Stevie learn to love herself the way the arrogant hockey player who followed her everywhere loves her. The way we all do. I watched Indy come out of a relationship she wasn’t meant for and learn to be loved in a new, quieter way. I watched Ryan allow someone into his home and his heart after shutting everyone else out for so long, only for the brightest ray of sunshine to move in and light every dark space she could touch. I watched Kai learn to ask for help, only for that help to come in the form of a firecracker pastry chef who taught him how to have fun again. I watched Miller stop running and grow deeper roots than she ever thought she could by falling in love with a single dad and his little boy. I watched Kenne...