Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
I forget how to breathe. I don’t know how I’m even forming thoughts at this point, but my God, I love him—with my whole being. My tears stream down my cheeks as I move my hands to his jaw, and when I notice the tears in his eyes, my heart explodes in my chest. He reaches up, catching my tears, and everything fades away. The cold, the sounds of the woods, everything but the love that burns inside me for this man who has become such a pillar in my life. Such a need.
“Do you know what it does to me when you say, ‘I want’?”
Benson’s eyes flash with excitement, his lips curving. “I don’t. Tell me.”
“It makes me fall deeper in love with you because I can’t do anything but give you what you want.” His eyes close as tears leak from them, rolling down his pink cheeks. “Benson, you’re not just my second chance, you’re my home, my calm, my heart, and my safe place. I love you, and I’m yours. Always.”
“Always,” he whispers against my lips. “I am yours.” He glides his thumbs along my face, brushing away my tears. “Cameron.”
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you.”
My lips curve against his. We’re practically kissing already, but I don’t point that out. Instead, I whisper, “Then kiss me, Benson.”
He does, and with that kiss, our future is sealed.
Epilogue
Benson
The last few months have been a whirlwind.
Cameron scored a perfect ten on vault on senior night, and I lost my voice I was screaming so loudly for her. When the Bullies brought home the championship cup, Cameron cried and screamed louder than every fan in the rink. Her final project earned her an A like we knew it would, and our social media still buzzes for content from us. We are pushing brands like crazy, we do Amazon hauls, hockey hauls, and now that we’re moving in to a new apartment, we’ve basically furnished the place with products from different companies. Because of all of our sponsorships, we’ve donated so much money to different charities around Nashville and the surrounding counties. While I love money, I love helping people more, and I really love falling deeper in love with Cameron each day.
After graduation, we toured all of Scotland and Ireland for a solid month before we had to come back for the draft. As expected, I went third and ended up on the Blackhawks. Elli is convinced she’ll get me back, and as much as it hurts to be away from them, my home is wherever Cameron is. Thankfully, that place is beside me. Our move to Chicago has gone smoothly, and in the first week, Cameron found a gymnastics gym not only to coach at but also that asked her to run their marketing.
Not to sound biased, but my girl already has attendance at the gym up by eighteen percent.
She’s a damn marketing genius.
I miss her.
God, I miss her.
This past weekend was Callie’s bachelorette party, so Cameron went back home for that, leaving me alone. And I complained, much to her amusement. Even though we’re always in contact, I miss her.
It’s the first time we’ve been apart since I finally got her to realize we weren’t an “arrangement.” Ahfuckme, I still hate that fucking word. It’s rather laughable now, given how insanely happy we are. How great we are. How aggressively in love we are. Though, we always have been, even when she didn’t want us to be.
I crack my neck as I shuffle my skates on the ice while taking in lungfuls of air. Even though I got to where I wanted to be, the NHL, I know my work isn’t done. I have games to help the Hawks win. And since I’m a winner, I gotta make sure I’m in tip-top shape. Better than I was in college, better than I’ve ever been. I line up my shot and slam my blade to the puck before it goes sailing through the air, hitting the back of the net. Over and over, I shoot, tightening up my wrister and working on my slap shot.
It isn’t until I’m skating to the bench for a drink that I notice someone is watching me.
My gaze locks with a stunning pair of melted-chocolate eyes, and my grin comes without hesitation.
Cameron leans on the boards, her hair in wild waves along her shoulders, while her glossed-up mouth is tipped up in a smitten little smile just for me. But it’s what she’s wearing that has me in knots. My Bullies jersey covers her gorgeous body, and instantly, I’m knocked back to the first time I saw her in my number.
Even then, I knew she would always be mine.
I pick up speed as I cross the ice, and when I reach her, I lean in to press my lips to hers. She wraps her arms around my neck, holding tightly as our kiss deepens. I drop my gloves and throw my stick to the side as I wrap my arms around her waist, bringing her as close as I can with a board between us.