“No, because maybe it’s one of us.”
Etna studies me. “Why do you think that?”
“They weren’t happy when we told them we were getting married. They voiced concerns about how it would affect the team.”
“Yes, and literally everyone knew we were together before we did, and ithasn’taffected the team at all. Nor our game. We haven’t given them any reason to trade either of us.”
I sigh. “You know they don’t need a reason to trade someone.”
“Okay,” Etna says. He wraps his arms around me and rolls us until I’m back on top of him. I try to burrow myself into his body. One of his hands tangles in my hair. The other holds me against him. “I think in all those questions you spewed, this is what concerns you the most. So, let’s talk about it.”
“I’m afraid of one of us getting traded,” I admit. “I’ve always been afraid of that since we met and just… clicked. In hindsight, it’s easy to say how completely oblivious we were, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s always terrified me that we’d be traded.”
“We’ve shared these admissions before,” Etna says. “I’m afraid of that, too. But lots of people live in relationships that are long distance for a while. It would be a challenge. If it happens it’s going to suck. But we’ll get through it. Like Lo said, it’s not forever.”
I sigh. “I know. The part that’s always scared me is the thought that we’d change. We’d grow apart. And by the time we get back together again, we’d no longer work.”
Etna’s hand tangles tightly in my hair as he turns his face. We’re far too close to see each other clearly, especially because I don’t want him to see just how scared I am of this scenario. “That’s not going to happen, Keno,” he says quietly.
“How do you know?” I whisper.
“Because that would mean we weren’t meant to be, and I don’t believe that for a second. From the moment our eyes met,you changed my entire world. You became an integral part of it. There’s no living without you in it. Even if this situation never came about, even if marriage never came up and we never changed the dynamics of our relationship, the same would be true. Some people are just meant to be together. You and me, Keno. We’re meant to be together. No amount of distance can change that.”
“I hate how you always have the sweetest things to say,” I grump.
Etna smiles, kissing me. “The truth is, if one of us is traded, we’re just going to have to see how it goes. It’s going to be trial and error. It’s going to be a challenge, and it’s going to suck in a way we don’t appreciate. If it becomes too hard, we’ll talk about how to change it. I have a feeling that Lo and Caulder’s mantra that it won’t last forever is something they learned from Jakub and Ethan during theirseven yearsof marriage they not only kept secret but spent apart for seven-plus months every single year. It won’t last forever. There will be a silver lining.”
“I’m still baffled they were able to keep that a secret for so long,” I muse, shaking my head. I remember when news of Jakub Bozik and Ethan Wilder’s secret marriage hit the headlines in a very rude and inaccurate way—because Ethan was seeing his teammate and best friend, Credence Ayrton at the time, so yeah, it wasn’t a pleasant outing. But when the truth was that Jakub and Ethan had been together for eight years, married for seven of those years, andno one knewbutCredence?Yep, I was just as baffled as the rest of the world.
Etna chuckles. His fingers brush against my cheeks. “We’ll figure it out and I promise, even if we’re traded to opposite sides of the continent, we’ll figure it out and when we finally get back together again, not only will it feel like nothing’s changed but our relationship—ourmarriage—will be stronger than ever.”
I sigh. “You truly believe that?”
“I do.”
Nodding, I press a kiss to his collarbone. “Okay.”
“Do you feel better? We can still talk about it some more.”
“No, I feel better.”
“Good.” His hand on my back drags down to my ass. I shiver as his fingers dip between my cheeks. A whisper of heat sparks at the base of my spine. How can the simplicity of his touch do that to me? “Now, let’s talk about some of your other questions. Where to live after hockey? I don’t have a preference. I enjoy being on the water and I think I prefer the lake to the ocean. But I’m open to other places. My only real point of concern is Edna. We always had plans to live close once I’m permanently settled somewhere.”
I nod. How does he think I can concentrate when his finger keeps sensually sliding over my hole?
“As far as what we’re going to do after hockey—I think that’s going to have to come with time. We don’t know when we’ll retire. It could be a year from now or ten years from now. I think we need to see where we’re at and where our interests lie.”
“Okay,” I say. It sounds breathless. “Etna, if you want a serious conversation, I need you to stop touching my ass.”
He grins. I’m disappointed when he pulls his fingers away. However, he slides his hand between us and under me, then curls it around so he can push his fingersinsideme instead.
“Now, about kids.”
I groan, closing my eyes and trying to concentrate on his words.
“I think we both always said we want kids, no?”
“Yeah,” I answer, distracted.
