Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) (66 page)

Emotion chokes me as I watch her come undone before my eyes. This is my favorite part of her. The honest, emotional part. But then, that’s a lie because I love all of her. I do. The good and the bad, all of it. I love Baylor Irene Moore. The whole package.

Taking a step toward her, I say, “You’re killing me here.”

She smiles, wiping away at her face. “I’m pretty sure I made him feel like a doormat, and in the beginning I promised to never do that, and I still feel I didn’t. If anything, he’s the doormat to my home, and my home is his heart,” she cries, her tears streaming down her face before she holds her hand up. “Yes, I know that was corny. Shut up, Jace and Markus.”

People laugh, but all I can do is stare into her eyes because I really don’t think she realizes how much that means to me. Or maybe she does, because as her eyes burn into mine, her tears spilling over her cheeks, I feel nothing but love and understanding for the girl I fell head over heels for on the beach. The one who punched me square in the face, the one who has challenged me since day one, the one who has my heart.

My sure bet.

My Baylor.

Clearing her throat, she blinks away her tears before sucking in a deep breath. “So to end my little plea for forgiveness, in the corniest and most girlish way,” she adds, and I can’t help but laugh at that until her eyes turn serious, the hazel turning to a dark brown as they cloud with more tears. “I need to say, my name is Baylor Moore, and I am completely and utterly in love with you, Jayden Mitchell Sinclair,” she says, her eyes never leaving mine.

My heart, it has burst through my chest and is waiting for her to take it, but before I can move to her or say anything, she says, “And I’ll never hold that in again because I want the world to know I love you and only you. Yeah, the future is so unclear, but as long as you are with me, loving me, I’ll see my way.”

She then drops the mic against her thigh and looks at me, but I can’t move. The room, it’s silent, everyone’s eyes on me, and shit, my mom is bawling like a damn baby. Jude and Claire are giving me that encouraging smile, and Jace is looking at me like I’m an idiot.

“You know what to do, dude,” he says, and I do know what to do.

But as look back at her, I’m speechless. This girl. My God, she’s hell on the heart, and I knew from the beginning she would be. That never derailed me either, and this little bump in the road can’t. We are strong as long as we are honest and we love each other. Man, I’ve waited for her to tell me those three words since the moment I met her, and what a way to tell me, in a way I would never expect her to.

It is so unlike her and it proves so much.

Her actions, they blow me away.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I call to her, “Get your ass over here.”

Handing the mic to Jude, she cautiously walks over to me, and it’s so quiet that you can hear a pin drop as she stops in front of me. “I’m rea—”

“Shut up,” I say sharply, holding her gaze. “And say it again.”

Her eyes hold mine for a long time, tears spilling over and rolling down her cheeks as she breathes deeply. Then a small, watery smile covers her sweet lips, and I’m breathless. Rendered speechless at the mere thought that I get to spend the rest of my days with this gorgeous disaster of a woman.

“I love you,” she says, her lip wobbling. “I love you so much it hurts.”

Taking her in my arms, I move my nose against hers, my eyes boring into hers as my heart pounds against my chest, trying to get home. “I love you more than that, Baylor, so much more.”

“I should have told you sooner, but I was waiting for you to tell me again so I could say it back.”

“And I was waiting for you to tell me because I didn’t want to tell you and have you not say it back,” I tell her and she grins, her tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Why is it a constant competition with us?”

“’Cause that’s us,” I explain. “And I wouldn’t want to compete against anyone but you, Baylor Irene Moore.”

“Good, ’cause you won’t,” she challenges, her nose moving against mine. “Because I love you so damn much, and you aren’t going anywhere.”

Kissing her nose, I whisper against her lips, “That’s all I need to hear.”

And as I press my lips to hers, her fingers threading into my hair as her body molds to mine, I know that I just won.

Just like I knew I would.

I
always expected Jayden to go first.

I mean, how could he not? He should have gone in last year.

Not only is he one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen, he’s a leader. And with the announcement of Shea Adler’s last year in the NHL, Jayden will be an asset to the Nashville Assassins once he retires. He could be their leader. As he stands beside me, his eyes full of blissful happiness, he looks at me and I can only grin.

“Told you you’d go first,” I whisper against his lips as he kisses me softly. Squeezing my biceps, he kisses me again and then again before he finally lets me go to shake hands with my dad. He then turns, hugging his family before rushing down the stairs to the platform where Elli Adler and Bryan Fisher wait for him with his number 59, purple and black Assassins jersey.

As I watch him put the jersey on, and then the hat, my heart explodes in my chest. I expected to be jealous, I mean, I want this too, but I’m not.

I’m proud.

That’s my man down there.

Jayden is the greatest thing about me, and I want him to succeed. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him, and this is great. Because when I come to visit my dad, Jayden will hopefully be home and I can cheer him on, as long as the Assassins aren’t beating whatever team I go to in the standings. Which they probably will be. They are a great team, but they had a bad year last year after the goalie went down with a hip injury. Now that he is better, they are looking for fresh blood to make another run, and Jayden will be great for that.

He took the Bullies to the Championship and won, and he’ll do the same for the Assassins.

Looking up at me, he winks as he walks off the platform and to the room for the draft picks.

“You’re next, Bay,” my dad says to me then, and I nod as he squeezes my hand. These last couple months haven’t been easy. I’ve worked my ass off, played hard, and I am hoping that all the work I’ve done doesn’t go unnoticed.

But when I don’t go next, or even after that, my confidence starts to waver a bit. When my phone vibrates in my hand, I look down to see that it’s Jayden.

Jayden: Don’t worry, they’re gonna call you.

Me: I don’t think so. We are already on the ninth round.

My eyes are too clouded with tears, but I blink them away. I won’t cry. I haven’t failed. I’m a winner.

Jayden: Stop that right now. You got this.

Me: I hope you’re right.

Jayden: I always am.

Smiling, I swallow a sob as my dad wraps his arm around me. “Don’t worry, they’re about to call you. I can feel it.”

But then it’s the eleventh round, no call.

The twelfth and even the thirteenth with nothing.

“Let’s just go,” I finally say, tears burning my eyes.

“But we have one more round,” he says, looking at me with wide eyes. “Have faith,” he stresses, but I don’t. It’s gone.

“You got this, Baylor, don’t worry,” Jace says with a grin.

“Yes, honey. They’ll be dumb not to take you,” Mrs. Sinclair says, holding my hand.

Then my phone vibrates.

Jayden: Don’t you dare try to leave. Jude told on you.

As I glare down at Jude, he grins. “Hey, I don’t play nice.”

“He doesn’t,” Claire adds, her smile bright. “You got this.”

I used to feel so alone before, but now, I have a family.

I have Jayden.

Sucking in a breath and letting it out my nose, I sit back in my chair and wait. Chewing my lip, I fully expect to taste blood soon, but then I stop when there is a commotion at the Assassins table. Elli Adler is standing, her hands on her hips as she argues about whatever is upsetting her. Throwing down her pencil, she goes toe-to-toe with Bryan Fisher, which brings the attention of everyone.

“What in the world is going on?” Dad asks and I shrug.

“I have no clue,” I answer, scooting to the edge of my seat, hoping to hear something even though I’m at the top of the arena.

Then Bryan sits down, waving her off, and Elli bends down, writing something before handing it to the commissioner who is waiting for their pick.

When he reads the paper, his brows go up before he looks over at Elli. Bending down, he says something and she yells back in a very thick, country way, “It’s what I wrote, ain’t it?”

“Man, that Elli Adler don’t play,” Dad says, and I grin.

“She’s actually really nice,” I say, thinking of the hours on end I sat with her and Shea discussing hockey. While I hope my name is on that slip, I didn’t miss the uncertainty in her eyes when I suggested picking me. It was a snowball’s chance in hell, but I knew I had to say it. She smiled and told me she’d see what she could do, but I know that there are other prospects they may still want. Feeling defeated, I lean back in my chair just as the commissioner picks up the mic.

“Well,” he says, a little out of breath. “The Nashville Assassins have selected their fourteenth round pick.”

But yet, I hold my breath, my heart pounding, and I pray it’s me.

Pick me, pick me, pick me.

“And that is Baylor Moore of Bellevue University.”

“What the ever-loving fuck?” I mutter, my jaw dropping, but my dad is standing, hollering and jumping up and down, and I guess that means I heard correctly.

“Baylor!” he yells, picking me up out of my seat and hugging me tightly. “You did it, baby, you did it!”

“Oh my God,” I gasp as he shakes me.

“Baylor, you did it,” he yells as my wide, full-of-disbelief eyes meet his. “I’m more than proud of you, Bay! My little 50, come here,” he says, and oh my God, he’s crying. As I hold him tightly, tears burn my eyes before I’m passed from him to Jayden’s family, all of them hugging me and kissing me before I’m taking each step down to the platform in utter disbelief. I always thought when this moment happened, I’d run, do a little jig before getting my jersey, but I can’t even think right now, let alone do a jig! I hold in my tears though since hockey players don’t cry and take each step up to the platform. The arena is silent, probably in disbelief. Even my dad’s and Jayden’s family’s excitement has been contained, but nothing can contain Jayden’s excitement.