Chance flicks his stormy eyes to mine.
“I’m sorry. I was so angry, and scared, but I shouldn’t have blamed you for what happened. I never should have said the awful things I said to you.”
Chance’s jaw flexes under his skin, and the seconds tick by without a word from him.
Presley keeps my hand in hers as she leans over and reaches for Chance with her right hand. “Is there anything you want to say, baby?”
Finally, he breaks his silence. “I understand you being angry and scared. I was feeling the same way. I understand you thinking what Ivanov did was reckless and dangerous. I agree. I understand you needing time to cool off after the game. I needed space as well.” Chance lifts Presley’s hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles before letting it go. “But what I will never understand is why you thought I’d try to hurt Alexander on purpose.”
My heart drops into my stomach. “I know. You’re absolutely right?—”
“No.” Chance’s voice booms. “Youdon’tknow. You didn’t even hear me out, or let me explain. You shut me out, and instantly pointed the finger at me without a second thought. It’s like you don’t know me at all.” He rises from the couch and stabs his chest with his finger. “Do you know how much that fucking hurts?”
Yes, baby. There we go. Let it all out.
“I’m so sorry for hurting you.” I push off the couch to meet him in the middle of the room. “I didn’t mean what I said about your father. That was a disgustingly low blow, and I swear I didn’t mean it.”
He clenches his fists at his sides, his entire body rigid. “You can’t just take back the words after you hurl them at people, Stephen. The damage is already done.”
“I know that.” I step forward and grip his face in my hands. “I know I’ve hurt you, and I just need you to know how sorry I am. I know it doesn’t take away the pain I’ve caused, and I know it doesn’t wipe away what I said. But I’m going to work at earningyour forgiveness and trust every single day if you give me the chance.”
Tears well in his eyes as he stands strong, unmoving. He’s not pulling away from me, so that counts for something.
“You hurt me.” His voice cracks as a tear spills down his cheek. “You tossed me aside like I didn’t matter.”
“Just like you did to me!” I stab my chest with my finger. “When Presley left us, you pushed me away and told me our love wasn’t enough.”
“Oh, so this is all because you want to get back at me? Come on, what else have you been holding onto for all these years? Let’s lay it all out on the table.”
Anger swirls in my chest. “I’ve been the only one holding on to the three of us for these last four years, so don’t try talking to me about who pushed who away.”
Chance shakes his head. “You know what scares me the most? If Alexander never would’ve woken up, you wouldn’t be standing here right now. You didn’t have faith in me to know that I would never do something like that.”
My heart splinters at his words. I could continue fighting with him, tell him that he didn’t have faith in us either at one point in time. But we’ve come so far since then. We’ve been given our second chance, and I could either be stubborn and keep wedging this distance between us, or I can let the past go and figure out how to move forward. Together.
“Please, let me make this up to you. I want to prove to you that nothing like this will ever happen again.”
“You didn’t have my back.” He shoves me back a step. “You didn’t trust me.”
I choke back a sob. “For years, we’ve been at each other’s throats! We talked with our fists, and we took out our aggression on the ice. I just thought?—”
“You thought I hurt your friend—and for what? What purpose would that serve?” Chance’s voice gets louder. “Do you even hear yourself?”
Presley stands up and moves toward us. “Look, the bottom line is, Stephen made a mistake. Everyone fucks up in life. Look at me; I hurt you both in a way I’m still trying to figure out how to make up for. But you both forgave me. You knew that our love was strong enough to overcome any obstacle.”
She’s not wrong. We’ve each hurt the other while trying to find our way.
“Presley fucked up when she left us. You fucked up when you walked away from me and gave up on helping me find her. Now it’s my turn to fuck up.” I press my palms against my chest. “I’m allowed to fuck up every once in a while too, you know. I can’t be held to this impossible standard where I never make a mistake. I’m not perfect, but I will always own up to my mistakes and take responsibility for my actions. And that has to count for something.”
Tears overflow, the dam I’ve been trying to hold together all week while Alexander was in a coma finally breaking. “I’m so fucking sorry, Chance. I hate that I hurt you. I hate that you had to go through any of this because of me. I wish I could go back and do it over again, but I can’t. All I can do is try to make it better moving forward. Please, baby, let me make it up to you.”
The three of us are standing in front of each other with tear-streaked faces, laying it all on the table. All of our imperfections; all of our mistakes; the good the bad and the ugly. We’ve been through a lot together, and we’ve been able to make it this far.
I believe our love can carry us through anything.
But it’s not me who needs convincing.
It’s the beautiful, broken man standing in front of me.