Broken Boy (The Puck Boys of Brooks University, #2)

by Hannah Gray

“Stop trying to save me. You aren’t my hero, Link.” She looks down, lacing her hands together. “You’re the villain.” Her eyes shift to mine, darker than I’ve ever seen them. “Stop pretending like you aren’t.”

And I pick it up. The last thing I have of her. The four-leaf clover. Our four-leaf clover.

The thing about falling in love with your best friend is, when it goes south, not only are you heartbroken, but you also no longer have your best friend to make you feel better.

But I guess in the story of Tate and Link, it isn’t ending with that happily ever after we all hope for when we open a book to begin with.

“She means everything to me. Not a thing matters now that she’s gone,” I say genuinely. “And it won’t matter, not even when I’m playing on that ice as a King in a packed arena.” I look him in the eyes. “I could be surrounded by a sea of people, all chanting my name, and I’d still look for her.” My heart aches. “Every. Single. Time.”

“If you plan on being together forever, you’re gonna say a helluva lot more things that’ll piss her off.” He chuckles. “I promise you that. But it doesn’t matter what tears you apart in those moments of anger and frustration. It matters that you go back and fix it.”

“Make it right, Link. Be a damn shame to lose a girl like Tate who looks at a knucklehead like you the way that she does.”

“He’s my best friend, yeah. But he’s also the man I love. I’ve been in love with him since we were kids.” I shrug. “I know they say it’s normal to not get over your first love, but this isn’t like that. It’s so much more.”

“Tate, I’ve only had two loves in my life. Hockey and you. But I’d walk away from the game right now if it meant you were mine forever.” I swallow. “I wouldn’t think twice about it.”

“Hockey is what you were made for. And now that I’ve had time to reflect on everything, I know the passion you have to be the best you can be at it is another thing I love about you. I’m ready to be there, beside you, on this next step. Like I should have been this entire time.”

“I wasn’t made to play hockey, Tate. I was made to love you. And I’m going to do that from here on out. Above everything else. Even hockey.”

“I promise you, I’ll never put you in a situation where you could get hurt. And I swear, however hectic this life gets, we’ll have something ...

a breath through her nose. “I believe you. And I trust you with my whole heart.” She smiles, nodding slowly. “I promise that when you leave for California, we will figure out a way to make it work. Even while I finish school.” “We won’t need to,” I say casually. “Not yet anyway.” “What—what do you mean?” Her eyes show panic. “What did you do?” “I called the general manager yesterday. I told him I wanted to be a King for sure. Just not yet. Because I’m going to be staying another year at Brooks and graduating—with you. Well, at least while you get your bachelor’s.” I kiss her again. “I know that you’ll still have another year of schooling after that, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But for now, I’ll get to stay and play another year as a Wolf. The only stipulation is,...

“It’s never been about the fame or even the money for me. It’s been about the feeling I get when I’m on the ice.” I shrug. “I get that every time I play for Brooks, with my guys. And you know what always makes it even better?” “What?” she whispers. “When you’re there. You’re the only one who matters, T. Someday, thousands of people might know my name. But you’re the only person I need cheering me on. As long as I have you, I’ll be fine.”

“It only took us nine years for us to figure our shit out. But here we are,” I mumble against her lips. “Nine years and a lot of fuckups.”

“Fuck,” he mutters. “That’s right, squeeze me like a good girl.” He bites down, this time on my neck. “So greedy for every inch as you drip on my cock.”

“I dig it, babe. And to be honest, it’ll come in handy. Because I plan to fuck you in every position over the course of the next few days.” Giving me a peck on the lips, he winks. “Gotta make up for lost time. Besides, years apart meant my imagination was working overtime.” Putting a finger to his temple, he taps. “Lots of ideas up here.”

The entire time, we’re grinning like fools because for once in the whole time we’ve known each other, it all feels like it’s going to work out. And I really hope that’s true. Because I am finally getting exactly what I’ve always wanted. Him.

“Lady, the way you’ve been jumping my bones lately, there aren’t enough protein shakes or steaks in the world to replenish the nutrients I’m losing, fucking you every way to Sunday.”

“I love you too, but only because you bring me treats.”

“If you’re good, I’ll have you spread those pretty legs while I eat one of those right off of you when I get back.” Kissing me one last time, he smirks. “But I’ll be honest, I like the way you taste better.”

Two weeks ago, all of my dreams finally came true. And even though I know there will be tough times ahead, my heart is bursting at the seams with happiness at this moment.

And maybe, just maybe, love is enough sometimes.

“That’s what happens when you get you a lady.” He winks. “Some good ol’ lovin’ nightly. It’s wholesome for the soul.”

“I can’t have coffee. So, let’s do lunch,” Isla says, turning her head to the side and tapping her foot. “I’m not missing out on girl time.” “Well, obviously not!” I wink. “What would a girls’ day be without Isla?” She widens her eyes. “That’s what I’m saying.”

Isla 🤣

“I didn’t know if we would win tonight or not. But I knew whatever happened, you’d be here. You are my biggest supporter. In the times where I celebrate, you’re who I want to open a beer and cheers with. And in the times when everything goes wrong, you’re what I need to lift me from the darkness. You are home. My compass. My arrow. My four-leaf clover. Everything that I am is because of you. I’m better because I want to be the man you see when you look at me. I’m patient because I’ve learned it from you. I’m honest because I can’t stand the thought of ever hurting you. I’m strong because I want to be strong for you.”

“Yes, I love you. Yes, I’m in love with you. But you and I are so much more than that, Tate. And maybe this seems fast, but to be honest, I feel like I’ve waited for this my entire life.”

“Marriage, I suppose, is just a piece of paper, but to me, it’s a promise. And I promise, whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together. No matter what. As husband and wife. If you want that, that is. So, Ta...

Even though Tate had this perfect birth plan in her mind—one that involved no pain medications, maybe a whirlpool bath, and watching Animal Planet and the Space Channel on TV—it turned into an emergency C-section, where Tate inevitably had one of her passing-out spells. Not that I could blame her. If I knew they were cutting me open, I’d pass the fuck out too. The nurse also thought it would be good to tell me how many layers of skin they were going through. And that led to me passing out too. So, there we were, Tate and I, in one big fainting party.

“You are the luckiest boy in the whole world,” I whisper down at Crew even though he’s asleep too. “Because you get to have her as your mama. She’ll protect you; she’ll love you, even when you mess up; and she’ll always see the best in you. Just like she does me.” I bend down, kissing his forehead. “We made you, little man. I can’t believe you and your mom are mine.” My voice grows hoarse with emotion. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this.”

I guess having that four-leaf clover all this time really was something. Because now, I have everything I’ve ever wanted, times a million.