Penalty for Boarding (Curves on Ice #3)

18. Olivia

OLIVIA

I sit in my car outside Calvin's building, tears dry on my cheeks, and a cardboard box of office belongings that mocks me from the passenger seat. I’m pissed and hurt beyond measure, but underneath all that is a certainty that I know I made the right choice.

When my phone buzzes with Calvin's message saying he's coming to me, my heart does that familiar flip it's done since the moment I first saw him. I quickly text back that I'm already in his parking lot, not wanting him to go searching for me elsewhere. His response is immediate.

Calvin:

Stay there. Five minutes.

Those five minutes stretch like an eternity as I sit rehearsing what to say, how to tell him I've just walked away from my career. For us. But the moment his truck pulls in beside my car, all my carefully planned words evaporate. Our eyes meet through our windows, and the look on his face—part anguish, part fierce protectiveness—steals my breath.

We climb out simultaneously, meeting in the space between our vehicles. The late morning sun casts harsh shadows across his features, highlighting the tension in his jaw, the storm brewing in his eyes.

“Did you see—” we both start at once, then break off with weak laughs.

“The article,” I clarify, wrapping my arms around myself. “My GM had it waiting on his desk this morning.”

Calvin's expression darkens. “Sara ambushed me with it after training. Those pictures...”

“I know.” My voice cracks. “I guess we weren’t as alone in that parking lot as we thought.”

“Shit, Liv. I’m so sorry.” He closes the distance between us and pulls me into a gentle but urgent embrace. I melt into him, letting his warmth seep into my bones and wrap me in a feeling of safety. “I should have been more careful,” he murmurs into my hair. “I never wanted to put you in this position.”

I pull back just enough to look up at him, searching his eyes for the strength I need. “It's not your fault. We both knew this was a risk.”

A silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken fears and the weight of our decisions. I think of the article, the grainy photos of Calvin and me locked in a passionate kiss. It was only a matter of time before someone put two and two together, but so soon? I thought we’d have managed to keep this to ourselves for the rest of the season, at least.

“What happened at work? What did the GM say to you?”

I swallow hard, fighting back fresh tears. “They gave me a choice. My career or...” I gesture between us, unable to finish the sentence.

His fingers tighten against me. “They made you choose?”

I nod, watching his face carefully. “What about you? What did the Nighthawks say?”

“Same thing.” His thumb brushes away a tear I didn't even realize had fallen. “Said I had to choose the game or the girl.”

My heart stops. “What did you do?”

“I walked.” He says it simply, like it's the most natural thing in the world. Like he didn't just throw away his entire career for me.

“You what?” Horror and love war in my chest. “Calvin, no. The playoffs?—”

“Mean nothing without you.” He pulls me tighter against him, and I bury my face in his chest, letting out a sob. His hand rubs gentle circles against my back. “Hey. It’s OK if you chose your job. The whole point of me quittin’ mine was so you didn’t have to.”

I shake my head, unable to speak. How can I tell him that his sacrifice makes everything so much harder, so much more real? That the thought of him giving up his dream for me is both the most beautiful and most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard?

“Liv,” he says softly, tilting my chin up so I have to meet his gaze. “Talk to me, baby. What’s going through your head?”

I let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t…”

“You didn’t what?”

“I didn’t choose my job. I chose you. Of course I chose you.”

He stiffens, pulling back to look at me. “You quit? Your career? Everything you've worked for?”

“I did.” My chin lifts defiantly even as tears spill down my cheeks. “And I'd do it again. I’d do it a hundred times if it means I get to keep you.”

“Liv.” He lifts his hand to cup my cheek, brushing away my tears with his thumb. “No, you have to call them. Tell them you changed your mind or?—”

“Are you kidding me?” I cut him off. “You're the one who needs to call your team. The playoffs, Calvin! Your contract?—”

“Olivia—”

“No, listen to me.” I grab his shirt, fisting the material. “The Nighthawks are skating straight to the Stanley Cup. You can't throw that away. Not for me. I won't let you give up your career?—”

“You won't let me?” His eyes flash. “Like you didn't just do the exact same thing?”

“That's different?—”

“How?” His hands frame my face, forcing me to meet his gaze. “How is it any different?”

“Because...” My voice breaks. “Because you're Calvin Barrett. You're a star, a legend. And I'm just?—”

“The woman I love.” His voice is rough with emotion. “The only thing that matters. The rest is just... noise.”

“But the cup?—”

“Fuck the Stanley Cup.” He pulls me closer, his forehead resting against mine. “Fuck everything that isn't this. That isn't us.”

“Calvin...”

“No.” He cuts off my protest with a fierce kiss that steals my breath and melts my resistance. When he pulls back, his eyes are burning with need. “Fuck, I love you, Olivia Angelo.”

And then his mouth is on mine again, desperate and claiming, pouring all our fear and love and certainty into one devastating kiss. I melt into him, knowing in my soul that we made the right choice. Some things are worth any sacrifice. And this. It’s worth all of it.

Without breaking the kiss, Calvin scoops me into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist instinctively as he carries me toward his building, both of us knowing that words are no longer enough to express what we're feeling.

“Wait,” I gasp against his lips. “My box?—”

“Later,” he growls, tightening his hold. “Right now, I need you.”

“I need you too,” I whisper.

And as he carries me up to his apartment, I know that this is it. The start of our forever. Because if we can choose each other now, I know that we’ll continue choosing each other every day, no matter what life throws at us.