Luke had done the right thing even though it had cost him his dream, and she wanted to throw up for doubting his integrity for even a split second. He'd not only taken the high road and given her credit for breaking the story, he'd even thanked her publicly. And for what? For jumping to conclusions about him? She had to get in there right away.
Holly screeched to a halt and parked in an illegal zone as close to the door as she could. She turned off the car, silencing Coach Taggert's "weathering this adversity will only make us a stronger hockey club" speech.
Then she ran-in heels-for the press room. By the time she got there, the league commissioner was handing down his ruling.
A security person stopped her. "Ma'am? I'm sorry, you can't go in there. Press only."
"I am press!"
"I'll need to see some identification."
Holly dug frantically through her purse until she came upon the lanyard she'd failed to return: her Women's Hockey Network press pass. And for the first time, her wide-eyed, helmet-haired photo wasn't an embarrassment, but a badge of honor.
The security guard let her through.
"Although there will be a further investigation by the league, the fact that the Portland Storm brought this breach of ethics to our attention immediately upon learning of it will go a long way in expediting the process. Mr. LaCroix has admitted to being the sole perpetrator and has been banned from the league indefinitely. At this time, we will be taking questions."
The room was a roar of sound as the scrum exploded with queries.
"One at a time, and please use the microphone."
As she approached the front of the room, the interrogation quieted, replaced with whispers as the gathered reporters began to recognize her.
She stopped in front of the microphone and Taggert nodded at her to proceed. "Holly Evans, from the Women's Sports Network. My question is for Luke Maguire."
The way he was looking at her broke her heart, part hopeful, part wary. It took everything she had to keep herself from running up on that stage and pulling him into her arms so she could apologize.
"Luke, I was just wondering, do you think there's any chance that you can forgive me? Because if you love me even half as much as I love you, then I think we could be a great team."
There was a long, silent moment where the world went still. Seconds ticked by to the beat of the pulse echoing in her ears.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Teammates, huh?" he said.
She nodded.
He leaned forward to speak into his mic. "I don't know."
Dread wound its way through her stomach and into her chest, squeezing her heart like a vise. She deserved this, she reminded herself. She'd known this was a possibility.
"You think you can handle that, Evans? Because if we do this again, I'm going to need you in it for the long haul, a hundred percent commitment. Eye on the prize."
Holly bit her lip as Luke got up from the table and pushed his way past the rest of the panel members. With every step that brought him closer, hope bubbled in her chest like a lava lamp. She was nodding before he even reached her. "I believe I can manage that, yes."
"I hope so, because I love you, too." When he pulled her into his arms, his kiss was everything-an apology, a declaration, a promise. Holly wound her arms around his neck, relief and love pounding through her veins in equal measure.
The room erupted in applause and camera flashes. But all that mattered to her was the man who held her in his arms. She was never going to let him go again.
"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered.
Luke smiled and it made her heart flutter. "Not possible."
"How do you figure?" she asked.
"You ever heard people say that love is a game?"
She nodded.
"When I play, I play to win. And just for the record, I expect my teammate to do the same."
Holly grinned and grabbed him by the tie. "Aye aye, captain," she said and sealed her promise with a kiss.