Liza’s expression goes soft as she looks up at me, pressing her hands to my chest. “I hate you so much,” she says. “So, so much.”
Her words should cut like knives, but when she follows them with a kiss, I forget to be offended. “You sure about that, Tiger? Because it doesn’t seem like you hate me,” I say, pulling away just to tease her before capturing her lips again.
“Oh, I definitely do,” she says the next time we come up for air. “I hate you for making me miss you so damn much.”
“That’s fair,” I say, wrapping my arms around her lower back to keep her close.
“But,” she continues, a smile gracing her lips, “In addition to hating you, I also love you, too. And that’s not easy for me to say. It’s scary as hell. Who knows what happens next? You know how much I love having a plan, but maybe there isn’t a right way to do this. Maybe we just love each other every day and see where that takes us.”
“That sounds like a solid plan to me.” I take her hand and lead her through the locker room.
“I can’t leave yet. The laundry’s not done.”
“Isaac can do the laundry for once. There’s one more thing I want to do before we leave the Wolf’s Den tonight.”
“I’m pretty sure this place is way too crowded for us to spend some quality time in the penalty box. I think that will have to wait.”
“Oh, we’re definitely putting that back on the list. But this won’t last nearly as long, and it’s a lot more PG,” I assure her before glancing at my phone and tapping out a message. “Come on, they should be down this hall.”
When we round the corner, I see something I never thought I would. My dad is standing at the end of the corridor, decked out from head to toe in Bainbridge Wolves gear. He’s even got a foam finger and a souvenir cup. The guy looks more like a kid at the county fair than a grown ass man with his own financial empire, but he’s smiling, and I’m not pressing my luck.
“Hey, guys,” I say, giving my dad a clap on the bag and embracing Bri with a one-armed hug. “Thanks for waiting. Things tend to get a little hectic after games, especially when we win.”
“Congratulations,” my stepmom says. “I have no clue how you play in here, though. It’s freezing.”
I want to tell her that’s the fucking point, and when Liza squeezes my hand I know she’s thinking the same thing I am.
“Great game, son,” my dad says, clasping my hand. Again, I’d like to point out that the only reason my dad knows we had a great game is that my team has more points on the scoreboard. I don’t think he could name two hockey rules, two hockey players, or two pieces of hockey equipment. But tonight isn’t about that. It’s about something far more important.
“I’d like you both to meet my girlfriend, Liza DeWalt. Liza, this is my dad, Greg, and his wife, Bri.”
They exchange pleasantries and my dad acts as though he’s never seen Liza before in his life. I shouldn’t be surprised. He probably doesn’t recognize her because the last time he saw her, she was just a waitress in his mind. But he’s not the one I’m focused on right now. I’m not doing this for anyone’s approval. I’m just proud as hell to call Liza mine, and I want everyone to know it.
Our idle chitchat lasts a few minutes until Bri says she’s got to get home in time to put the dogs to bed. I’m glad they came, but I’m not sad to see them go. I doubt I’ll ever have the relationship with my family that some of my teammates have with theirs, but that’s okay. I’m making my own way, and that’s more important.
We stroll back into the locker room hand-in-hand. “So, I noticed you didn’t correct me when I called you my girlfriend back there.”
“Of course I didn't," she says. “I only correct you when you’re wrong. Granted, that’s a fair amount of the time, but since you got this one right, I kept my mouth shut.”
“Are you sure? Because the general consensus of the team was that I had no hope of winning you back unless I went into full grand-gesture mode. I believe a parade of swans was mentioned. Also an announcement on the jumbotron and a declaration of undying devotion given while riding the Zamboni.”
Liza pales. “Oh, my god. You realize that’s the stuff of my nightmares, right? I’d have died if you’d done something like that.”
“Tell that to the guys! They probably think I’m a shitty boyfriend because I didn’t serenade you during one of the intermissions.”
“You are the best boyfriend,” she tells me, reaching up for a kiss. “You show up everyday and you love me. What more could I ask for?”
I lift Liza in my arms and set her on top of the dryer before bringing her in for another kiss. “Showing up for you is easy. Loving you is easy,” I tell her. “And I promise I’ll never forget how damn lucky I am to have that privilege.”
Epilogue
LIZA
Two weeks later
The best part about officially being a couple is the sex.
Okay, that’s not entirely true. There are many things I adore about Blue Halliday, but the sex is definitely in the top three, especially now that we no longer have to sneak around. It was hot for a while, but nothing beats sharing a bed and waking up together.
