Puck Pact: A Marriage of Convenience Hockey Romance (East Coast Series)

“I think you should get out of here for a while.”

I ignore Cassidy and continue with my routine. I fluff Alexander’s pillow, roll some chapstick over his dry lips, and change the water in the vases from the flowers that continue to show up from random strangers.

“Aarya.” She comes up behind me and touches my shoulder. “Seriously, this isn’t healthy for you. It’s been seven days. You need a break.”

“I take a break every night when visiting hours are over.”

“No, you don’t, because you go home and take care of a four-year-old. And Annie said you haven’t been sleeping because you’re painting all night.” She moves in front of me so I can’t pass her. “Why don’t you go to my apartment and sleep? Trenton’s at an away game, and no one’s there.”

I shake my head. “I’m not tired.”

“Okay, well, I can take you to the gallery if you want. Maybe that’ll take your mind off⁠—”

“I don’t want to take my mind off of him.” My voice comes out harsher than I intend it to. “I want to stay right here, and wait for him to wake up. He needs to hear me. He needs to feel me. He needs to know I’m here. I don’t want to leave him alone.”

“The doctor will call you if there’s any change.”

“No.”

The words are on the tip of her tongue, but she doesn’t let them out.

She wants to ask, What if he doesn’t wake up? How long will you continue this?

I know because she’s my best friend, and it’s what I’d be asking her if the roles were reversed. But I can’t bring myself to leave until visiting hours are over.

And I can’t even think about the gallery, let alone go there. I only have that place because of Alexander. Maybe things will change in time if he doesn’t wake up, but right now, after a week of this mind-numbing torture, I’m not ready to let go.

My stomach breaks through the silence with a loud grumble.

Cassidy arches an eyebrow. “Not hungry, huh?”

I hike a shoulder. “I guess I could go for something.”

She sighs. “I’ll go grab us some cheeseburgers from the cafeteria.”

“Hey.” I reach out for her arm before she can turn away. “Thank you for being here for me.”

She’s been here every day. She brings her laptop and works on her next book while she keeps me company.

She clasps my hand. “You’d do the same for me.”

And I would.

I wait for her to leave before I take my seat beside Alexander’s bed, and run my fingertips along his forearm. “Well, it’s day seven. I took Giuliana to get her cast taken off today. The doctor said the fracture healed just fine. I made sure to ask a hundred questions because I know that’s what you would’ve done.” I lift his hand and press my lips to his knuckles. “I love you, Alex. I wish I would’ve told you sooner. I wish I wasn’t such a stubborn ass. But I hope you can hear me in there. I love you.”

I swipe my phone off the armrest and click to open the Spotify app. I’ve been shuffling through his playlist for him, hoping the music helps stimulate something in his brain.

Brown Eyed Girl comes on first, and I smile, remembering the story Alexander told me about how his father used to sing this to his mother while they were cooking in the kitchen. Then the memory of us dancing with Giuliana in the kitchen flashes through my mind, and hot tears sting my eyes.

“Please, Alex.” I lower my head against his palm as I sob. “Please, wake up.”

I lie there until the song ends, needing to release the emotion before Cassidy returns with dinner.

But right before the song switches to the next, Alexander’s fingers twitch against my cheek.

My head whips up as I gasp.

Did I imagine it?

I stare down at his hand until I see his fingers twitch again.

“Alex? Can you hear me?” My eyes flick up to his closed ones, waiting to see if they’ll open. “Alex, you just moved your fingers. Do it again, baby. Come on. Come back to me.”

I hit the button to call the nurse’s station, and within seconds, one of the nurses I’ve become friendly with shows up in our room.

“Jerome, I felt his fingers move. I was sitting here, and they twitched. Then they twitched again. Does that mean⁠—”

Alexander’s eyelids flutter.

I gasp, and my hands fly to my mouth. “Tell me you see that.”

“I see it, sweetie.” Jerome moves around the bed and checks the screen displaying Alexander’s vitals. “He might be disoriented at first, so we have to give him time to come out of this. Sometimes, patients are agitated. Other times, they fall right back to sleep. We have to be patient. It’s not like it is in the movies.”

I clasp Alexander’s hand and stare at him, waiting for him to make the next movement.

“I’ll go page the doctor,” Jerome says.

I nod and lower myself back into the chair, afraid to blink, afraid to miss something.

“Alex, I’m here, baby.” I keep my voice low and even. “I’m here waiting for you to open those beautiful brown eyes of yours. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere. Everything is going to be okay.”

My heart races, and I can barely suck in a breath as I wait.

Dr. Stephens enters the room several minutes and two hand twitches later. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Krum. I hear our hockey star is finally waking up.”

“I think so. His fingers keep twitching and his eyes are moving.”

“All good signs.” He leans over Alexander and lifts each of his eyelids up, shining his small flashlight into his eyes. “He’s responding to light.”

I watch the doctor as he moves around Alexander’s body, performing tests for responsiveness. I have so many questions, but I keep them bottled inside because right now, all I want to focus on is Alexander waking up.

Cassidy strides into the room holding a brown paper bag in one hand while balancing two soft drinks in a cup holder in the other.

Her eyes go wide as soon as she looks at me. “What? What’s wrong?”

A lone tear trickles down my cheek. “He might be waking up. H-his fingers… they moved. And his eyes…”

My voice trails off, hope getting caught in my throat.

Cassidy quickly sets down our dinner and scampers to sit on the chair beside me. “Come on, Krum Cake,” she whispers.

“This is a gradual process,” Dr. Stephens says. “Slow and steady.”

I nod, wiping away the evidence of my tears. “How long does this process usually take?”

“Every patient is different, but we’ll get the feeding tube out of him and see how he does over the next twenty-four hours.”

After he leaves, I call Annie and fill her in. We agree to hold off on telling Giuliana until we know what state Alexander wakes up in.

I try to contain my excitement, but my insides feel like they’re about to burst.

This agonizing wait might finally be over.

The nursing staff lets me stay overnight.

Jerome is a huge Goldfinches fan, and when he convinced everyone on the floor to keep a secret and let me stay, I told him I’d get him free tickets to thank him.

Annie let Giuliana sleep at Makayla’s house so I don’t have to explain where I am. I feel guilty not going home to see her, but I also don’t want to leave Alexander’s side in case he fully wakes up.

It’s impossible to sleep in this place, so I’m in and out of cat naps in this uncomfortable chair. Jerome offered to get me a cot, but I want to be as close to Alexander as possible. I need to feel him move again, even if it’s the slightest of movements.

I’m watching a muted Goldfinches game on my phone when I feel Alexander’s hand squeeze mine.

My gaze shoots up to his, and I’m greeted with dark-brown puppy eyes.

My phone clatters to the floor and I swallow down a gasp. “Alex.”

He squeezes my hand again, blinking slowly and keeping his eyes locked with mine.

So many words bubble to the surface, so many things I want to say, but the only thing that comes out of me is, “Please tell me you don’t have amnesia and you know who I am, or so help me God, I’m going to fucking scream.”

The corner of his mouth twitches, and I hold my breath waiting for more, but it doesn’t come.

I lift his hand and press it against my cheek, pressing my opposing palm hand against his handsome face. “I missed you so much. I’m so happy to see your eyes open looking at me.”

A tear escapes me and rolls down my cheek, and his thumb moves to catch it. He makes a raspy noise in his throat, but no words come out.

“It’s okay, these are happy tears.” I turn and grab the cup of water waiting on the portable table on the side of his bed. “Here, your throat is probably so dry.”

I lift the straw to his lips and watch as he attempts to take a sip.

“There you go, baby.” I lean down and press my lips against his cheek, peppering his face with kisses. “You were in a coma for seven days. But you’re going to take it easy, and everything is going to be okay.”

Everything is going to be okay.

His eyes flick around the room like he’s searching for something.

“Giuliana is at a sleepover tonight. She was here earlier today.” I smile. “She got her cast off. She’s excited to show you.”

His eyes water, and my heart wrenches at the sight.

“It’s okay, baby. We’re all okay. You just scared the shit out of us, but we’re all good. I’ve been taking care of Giuliana, and so has Annie. I’ve even been taking Ellie on her daily walks. That dog takes such massive shits, it’s unreal. Also, McKinley might’ve taught Giuls the word fuck, but I made her swear to never repeat it until she’s thirty.”

Something in his chest wheezes as he attempts what sounds like a laugh, but then he starts coughing.

“Okay, okay. No more jokes.” I let him have another sip of water. “God, Alex, I’m so fucking happy you’re awake right now.”

He squeezes my hand, tugging me closer to him.

“What’s the matter? What do you need? More water?”

He pulls me until I’m in an awkward position, half leaning over him on the bed.

“You want me to come lie down with you?” I ask, searching his eyes for the answer.

He nods, the slightest movement, and my heart soars.

I kick off my shoes and climb onto the bed, maneuvering around the tubes in his arm. I settle my head against his chest, and he rests his free arm on my waist.

He’s awake.

He’s holding me.

A wave of relief floods me, and the tears start falling from my eyes without permission. I bury my face in his neck so he doesn’t see. The last thing I want to do is upset him further right now.

“I really hope this means you remember me,” I say, choking back a sob. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to kick your ass for letting some random woman get in bed with you.”

His shoulders shake as he quietly laughs.