“He’s just through there,” I hear Jordan say, and Hunter appears a moment later. His dark brows are furrowed over his nose, and his hands are stuffed in his pockets, like he wants to reach for me but knows he can’t with all these people around.
Blaine steps aside, allowing Hunter to come over and perch on the edge of the table. “Alex showed me where to come. I didn’t want to wait until the end of the game to see you. Are you okay?”
I smile softly, reaching out to take his hand. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll need to have an MRI in the morning, but hopefully, it’ll only be a sprain.”
“I can take you to the hospital,” he says immediately, squeezing my hand. “Whatever you need.”
Behind him, Blaine is grinning like an idiot.
“What?” I ask my brother.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head, then holds his fist out to Hunter. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too.” Hunter returns the fist bump, and then the corner of his lips hitches in a smirk. “Your husband is furious with you. Just thought you should know.”
Blaine lets out a long sigh. “Fuck. I’m gonna be groveling hard tonight.”
Laughing, I give him a thumbs-up. “Bet you’re glad I threw that ice pack at your face now, aren’t you?”
The following morning, Hunter takes me to the hospital for my MRI, where Chris, the team doctor, is waiting for me. They let me play my own playlist through the headphones they provide, and I sing along to settle my nerves while I have the scan.
“Good news. It’s a grade 1 sprain, so it’s minor. You’ll be out for two to four weeks,” Chris says. “Greg will set you up with a rehab program, and as long as you keep on it at home too, you should be good to be back on the ice after the All-Star break.”
“So, what does that mean?” Hunter asks quietly once we get back to his truck.
“I’ll miss the next two weeks’ worth of games, but then it’s the All-Star break, so I’ll have another ten days until our next game.”
He takes out his phone out of his pocket and starts tapping away.
“What are you doing?”
“Requesting some time off work,” he replies without looking up from his phone.
My mouth drops open. “You don’t need to do that.”
His head snaps up. There’s determination in his eyes. “Yes, I do. I need to take care of you.”
The back of my eyes burns at the sincerity in his words. There’s no mistaking it. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have someone drop everything for me. To be there at a time of need. To show up for me and make me feel like I’m the most important person in their world.
I have that with Hunter. And the idea he would take time off work to take care of me… Fuck. It kinda makes me wanna cry.
“I’ll be okay,” I croak, feeling a little guilty.
“Who’s going to drive you for physio if Blaine’s away?”
I shrug. “I dunno. I could get a ride share.”
He shakes his head. “No. I want to do it, El. Please let me take care of you.”
My smile breaks into a wide grin, and I throw my arms around him across the center console. He wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my temple.
“Let me do this for you, please,” he whispers.
“Okay,” I murmur, then slide my mouth over his, moaning lowly as his tongue slips inside. My hands travel up his ribs, and when my thumb reaches his pec, I give his nipple a flick. He nips my bottom lip, then gently guides me back to my seat and turns on the ignition.
“Can we still have sex? I don’t need my knee for sex.”
He chokes on a breath. “Yes, we can still have sex. We’ll need to be conscious of it, though, because we can’t have any setbacks in your recovery.”
