"We’re both fine. I chased my dreams and you chased yours."
"We could have been chasing them together."
I'm not going to lie. This is the kind of book that makes my heart flutter. Small-town romance, a second-chance story, mixing in families and friends... it's perfect. I loved both these characters and how strong they were, and especially how imperfect they were.
Their journey made it all worthwhile.
"He was the whole package. Beautiful, strong, charming, humble, and kind."
How was I supposed not to fall for Hawk? I mean, honestly. The guy is a straight-shooter. He sees what he wants and he goes for it. And underneath all that muscle, brawn, and toughness lies a wonderful heart that feels so damn much. I think that's what I loved most about him. He's going to be a hard one to beat.
"He’d always called me Ever, and for years he’d followed it with the word mine. Ever mine."
Ever was such an amazing heroine! I loved her strength but I also that she wasn't strong all the time. That it was hard for her to remember the past. That she thought she could outrun her feelings and just not feel again. I've been there, done that. I know what it's like.
"And then on the first day of our freshman year, you taped a note to my locker and asked me to be your girlfriend."
I nodded. "Damn. I had mad game back then."
I want to say that Everly and Hawk were high school sweethearts, but they were so much more than that. There was a bond between them, something special, something you can only find once in a lifetime. But then life happened, and she pulled away. She let him go, thinking she was probably doing the right thing, breaking both their hearts in the process.
"Do you think I forgot how it feels to have you? A lifetime wouldn’t be enough time to make me forget."
Hawk became the NHL GOAT. A millionaire. A celebrity. He made all his dreams come true. But that's suddenly not enough because there's something missing, and he's off his game. Everly became a sports psychologist, and she's hired to 'fix him'. They're forced to work together, and it's hard because the past hasn't stayed in the past – I don't think that was even possible with these two. There are so many special moments between them, both memories and in the present, that made this such a heartwarming book for me!
"I’d spent the past decade searching for something I couldn’t find. Because I’d already found it. And nothing ever compared after."
There's no question that they want each other. However, is this a good idea? Hawk is every bit in love with her as he's ever been, and she is too. But she keeps running away because she can't deal with the loss again, the heartbreak, the loneliness. It's easier to lie to herself and tell herself this is nothing. I loved that he never gave up on her.
"Thanks for waiting for me."
"I told you once, forever isn’t long enough with you."
Being in their hometown puts them in a wonderful bubble, but what happens when real life comes knocking? Can they handle it? Can Everly take a leap of faith on this thing between them that we all know is strong enough to get through whatever bumps on the road? Can she meet him halfway?
"My life. My home. And my love. My forever."
This all hits you in the feels in the best possible way. If you're a sucker for small moments and they make you swoon, get this book. Sometimes you do find your soulmate when you're fifteen years old, and you'll never find anyone who can compare, no matter how hard you look. And if life gives you another shot at forever, you take it. Ever and Hawk were perfect.