Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)(133)

Next.

“The song that was playing the night you asked me to keep driving. It was the night we kissed for the first time again.”

Next.

“This is the song you played over the speaker system in the house. It was the first time I heard you voluntarily play music for yourself again.”

Her soft expression shifts, lifting a brow. “You mean the day I walked in on you in the shower.”

“Yeah, that may have happened that day too.”

She laughs, head falling back to my chest as I hold her tight and skip to the next song.

“This is the song we danced to in the kitchen when we decided to give us another chance.”

As it plays in the earbuds, Hallie shakes her head in disbelief. “They’re all our important moments.”

I press pause.

“Hallie, do you remember the very first day we met, and you were listening to music? You had to finish the song before you could talk to me.”

She smiles to herself. “Of course.”

“Do you remember why you said you kept track of those songs?”

“Something about when I want to relive a moment, I can rewind it back and start from the beginning.”

“Exactly. I want to rewind all of it, Hallie. I want to remember everything. You made sure we could remember our first years together, so I made sure we would remember this one.”

She’s looking out over the neighborhood with her head leaning back on me, but I can still see her attempt to discreetly wipe at her cheek. “Are they all moments we shared?”

“Actually.” I hover my thumb over the last song on the list. “You weren’t there for this one.”

Pressing play, I let the music come through the earbuds. I let her listen for a while. I let her be the one to ask.

She looks up at me. “What happened while you were listening to this song?”

I smile at her softly. “This is the song I was listening to when I signed my contract extension with the Chicago Raptors.”

Those hazel eyes go wide as she abruptly sits up. “What?”

I just chuckle at her reaction because I know she heard me.

Turning, she straddles my lap, knees bent on either side of me with a mix of panic and confusion etched on her face. “But . . . but I heard you. After family dinner, talking to Indy. You said you were signing.”

I search for the memory of what she’s referring to until it clicks. “Yeah. I was referring to signing with Chicago.”

“You said, and I quote, ‘How is she supposed to come visit?’ and ‘I don’t know how I’m going to tell her.’ ”

I can’t help but laugh. “So nosy, baby.”

“Rio. You were talking about me visiting you in Boston.”

“No, Hal. I was talking about my mom. I didn’t know how I was going to tell her,” I explain. “She’s been planning on me moving back here for years now. And I didn’t know how it’d work with her visiting Chicago because she wouldn’t be allowed to stay with us if she continued to have an issue with our relationship.”

I watch as the realization settles in.

“You’re serious.”

“I asked team management to not make the announcement until next week. I’ve been planning to tell you like this. Listening to our important moments together. On your birthday. On the roof. Only, I didn’t know it’d work out so perfectly that we’d end up back on this roof.”

She puts her hands on either side of my face, holding my attention as if it weren’t already on her.

“Rio, playing for Boston is your childhood dream.”

I shake my head. “You’re my childhood dream.”

Her lips part without words.

“Some dreams have changed, but others have remained the same.” I brush her hair behind her ear. “I love the city we live in. I love my team. I love my friends. And I love you. We lost six years, Hallie, and I’m not missing another day of you again.”

Her brows crease with worry. “If it’s about me staying in Chicago, I don’t have to. I can come with you. I don’t want you to give up the chance to play for your hometown team for me.”

“Playing for Chicago feels like I’m playing for my hometown because it is my home now. You’re my home. Being loved by you for the rest of my life is the only dream of mine that’s never wavered. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m already exactly where I want to be.”

She lets the idea settle in before the beaming smile slowly lifts on her lips. “You’re staying.”

“I’m staying, baby. But I’ve got to say, if we ever do decide to move, we need to pick a warmer place to live if we’re going to keep sitting on the roof in fucking March. It’s freezing right now, and I know the roof of our home in Chicago is just as cold.”

She laughs, her head falling back, until my words sink in, and her eyes cautiously make their way back to mine. “Our home?”

“Our home.” Sliding my palms up her thighs, I pull her tighter against me. “I thought you would’ve realized it the first time you came over. Hallie, the irony of hiring you to design the house is that you’re the person I bought it for.”

Those eyes start to gloss over again, and she shakes her head. “I thought there was no way, at first. I noticed the white walls and the four bedrooms. The proximity to the city while still being in a neighborhood, but I thought there was no way you would have remembered that.”