Slowly, she opened the card and smiled.
We’re dating, Sticks.
Never doubt it,
Cujo
Sighing happily, she pressed the card to her chest and closed her eyes, savoring the unexpected sweetness from him. She got to see the best parts of him sometimes, and it felt like a treasure. On the ice, he was sharp, hostile, aggressive, and angry and to most people he was like that, pushing his way around, but with her it was different.
With her, he backed down.
Tate let her take the reins, control, or decided on their path – unless he needed to clarify something or whisk her away so she was his for a little while. He put himself out there for her – and only her – and she knew it.
“Honestly, I love pressing his buttons too,” she whispered to Mulligan like they were sharing a secret as she reached over toscratch his little gray ears, chuckling at the tufts from each of them.
Setting down the card, she moved to the pantry and got out Mulligan’s things, feeding him, and then decided to take a peek around. He’d invited her in, encouraged her to make herself at home, and she’d said ‘no’ immediately… but he wasn’t here and wouldn’t know if she indulged in her curiosity.
As she looked around, she was startled to see a massive room full of white foam interlocking floor tiles that looked like they’d been used repeatedly with marks on them. They looked glossy, and as she stepped in, she realized that he practiced in here. There was a large tarp on the wall that looked like a goal with padded tiles behind it, some obstacles attached to the floor, and a bucket of pucks in the corner. Hooks on the side wall held a few sticks that had seen better days and a few photos.
Moving forward, she saw a photo of Tate from his college days in a bright yellow hockey jersey. There were a few newspaper shots from his time in Denver – along with a page announcing his move to the North Texas Coyotes. She saw a picture of him with his parents and Gina – all with a Denver jersey pulled over their outfits and smiled once again. As grumpy and standoffish as he was, family obviously meant a lot to Tate. He had photos of people in his life everywhere in his home; you just needed to look around to see them.
And hesitated as an idea hit her – and she heard his voice in her head once more.
You could take a photo of you and Mulligan…
Tate had asked for a picture of her, and she’d shot him down immediately, thinking he was playing around or messing with her. He was serious and had put himself out there, making the unexpectedly tender request, because he wanted a photo to put up in his home of her.
“I can’t believe I’m going to do this…” she whispered aloud, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. As she walked down the hallway, the photographs on the wall seemed to call her name. He was a hidden shutterbug, and no one knew except her.
As she walked over to the couch, she saw Mulligan attacking a skein of yarn – and paused. Swallowing the lump in her throat, looking around at his home once more with keen eyes, she realized just how personal it was to be in his house without him.
Here, there was no hiding.
Here was where he was bare and exposed.
And here, Nettie saw him for who he truly was.
Tate was trying so hard, putting himself out there by talking to her, reaching for her. He was talking with a therapist, acting differently, secretly and obviously trying to learn how to knit like she did… and all of these things spoke to her soul, the deepest recesses of her heart, where she had once been so afraid.
Picking up the attempt at knitting, she chuckled tearfully and smiled, remembering her own attempts at learning how to do this from her grandmother. Gigi had told her to undo the stitches and try it again, several times. Even now, she did that, going back to work on her pattern when something went wrong, and that’s what needed to happen with Tate.
Their life, her life, had unraveled when he’d pushed her away – but he’d been right despite the hurt it caused. They had both been so young, so stubbornly pigheaded with ideas and dreams that would never be realized if they had taken a different path. They each needed this bullheadedness to make their way, succeeding in different aspects of their lives. Yeah, she was broke, but she got to play with children for a living – just like she always wanted. Tate made his dreams come true to be in the NHL – just like he’d hoped for… and now they were both here.
Together.
“No more hiding,” she whispered softly to the gnarled attempts that lay in her fingers. “No more of everything. I see you, Tate… and I think I’m ready to figure this out.”
She took a photo of herself cuddling with Mulligan – texting it to him.
CHAPTER 25
NETTIE
Something was changing.
It wasn’t physical, not something you could measure, but she could definitely tell that she was not the same person deep down inside anymore – because the last time she was at the game, it was full of excitement and wonder. This time it was visceral, deep, thrilling, with a knowledge that was more about the man than the game.
Nettie shifted in her seat, fingers twisting lightly around the strap of her purse as her eyes skimmed over the rink that glowed like glass under the lights. She couldn’t wait to see Tate in his uniform again.
