The silence settles between us for a long time, long enough that I think maybe she’s fallen asleep. But then she suddenly whispers, “I’m kind of afraid to ask how your contract negotiations are going.”
I exhale, staring at the ceiling before looking down at her.
“Oh. Um… okay, I think.”
My voice is low. Honest. A little raw.
“I think the team’ll renegotiate.”
I slide my hand into her hair, tugging gently.
“But… I also think they might trade me.”
Emma stiffens in my arms. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “The only way to make real money in hockey is to be a superstar. To stack the stats. To hit bonuses. I can’t do that on the Reapers.”
“You can’t?” she asks, frowning.
“No.” I brush my thumb along her hip, grounding myself. “Because the team isn’t always trying to win. They hold certain players back. They… manage outcomes. If a loss benefits a few powerful people, that loss happens.”
She stares at me. “Are you serious?”
“Mmhmm,” I hum. “I didn’t see it at first. Some of the guys are trying to push back, but… I’m done. I want a fair shot. So honestly? Apart from having to move wherever, I kind of welcome the trade.”
Emma exhales slowly. “Yeah, I mean… that makes sense. It’s just?—”
I kiss her forehead gently. “I know. A trade could take me anywhere. California, Florida, Texas. Every mile is too far from you two.” I swallow hard. “Would you ever… consider coming with me? We could start fresh. All three of us. A real family. I mean, there are nursing jobs everywhere, and Laddie’s young, he’s got friends here but not roots yet, and I?—”
She cuts me off with a kiss.
A soft, sure, silencing kiss.
When she pulls back, she whispers against my lips, “You’re babbling. And yes. I’d consider coming with you.”
My heart almost explodes.
I kiss her again. And again. Like I can’t get close enough.
“I love you,” I breathe, unable to hold it in. “Fuck, Emma… I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers back.
“And I love our son,” I add, kissing her forehead, her cheek, her jaw. “I love both of you. More than anything.”
“I’m so sorry for how much time we lost,” she says, and starts crying again. “Shit, I hate how much I cry.”
I kiss away her tears, salty against my lips, and my cock is hard again. Her legs part instinctively and trustingly, letting me inside, and we’re front to front on our sides, moving in sync, our bodies totally aligned.
Our foreheads touch. Her breath mingles with mine. We move together in a slow, aching rhythm that feels like forgiveness, hunger, and home.
“I love you,” I say again. I can’t say it enough.
We make love slow, deep, unhurried, as if we’re learning each other all over again and claiming each other at the same time.
When we’re spent, we fall asleep tangled together, warm and safe.
And for the first time in weeks…
