“Holy shit,” I mumble to myself.
Peyton laughs.
“How did you know?” I ask Grace.
She shrugs. “It’s obvious to me. You know he loves you too, right?”
“You think so?”
Peyton scoffs. “Please, that boy is head over heels in love with you. Why else would he be making things right with people he’s done wrong?”
“Because he’s a good person?” I offer.
I hadn’t even thought about why he wanted to make amends. All it meant to me was that he was doing the right thing. He is growing.
“Please, that boy wouldn’t have pulled his head out of his ass yet if it wasn’t for you,” Peyton says.
Grace winces. “I hate to admit it, but I think she’s right.”
“You don’t think he would have apologized to you by now if it wasn’t for me?” I fold my arms over my chest.
Grace shakes her head. “No, he would have kept his head buried in the sand, pretending like nothing is wrong. Kellan is one of those guys who has mastered the art of out of sight, out of mind. Don’t get me wrong, he would have come around eventually, but I don’t think it would have been this soon. Besides, he hasn’t actually cleared the air with me yet. He will, though. You will push him to do it in your own way.”
“I don’t push him to do anything.” I take the stairs down to our seats.
“You don’t have to. His love for you is doing it for you. He wants to be who you deserve. I’m not mad about it, Cora. I’m glad he has you,” Grace tells me.
I take a deep breath, turning to her when we get to our seats. “I didn’t want to love him,” I finally admit.
“You never had a chance. Trust me, I get it.” Grace hugs me.
“I do too.” Peyton hugs me from behind.
“Wait, what? Who?” Grace demands.
“Yeah, who are you dating?”
Peyton laughs. “Kidding, guys. I just wanted to be included. Now can we watch these yummy players warm up?”
“Gross, one of them is my brother,” I tell her.
“One of them is your boyfriend too, so hush and watch the man become a sex symbol.”
Players start to take the ice, and I look out, trying to spot him as everyone zips around. When I find Kellan, I can’t help but smile when I see that he’s already looking my way. I watch as he taps Clay and points toward us.
Grace sighs next to me when my brother smiles her way. “I love that man,” she says wistfully.
“Do you think it’s too soon for me to love Kellan?” I blurt out.
“Do you feel like it is?” Peyton questions.
“I…I don’t know.” I chew on my bottom lip as nerves run through me.
I’ve never been in love before. How should I know if I’m doing it right or not?
“Cora, love has no timeline. You can fall hard and fast or soft and slow. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it, or you can know at first glance. The only one whose opinion matters right now is yours and maybe Kellan’s,” Grace tells me.
“You think so?”
