“Well, I was. I am. Have you actually looked at him?” I pulled from Gunnar’s embrace and bent down. My incisions weren’t tender anymore, and I felt better each day. The CATS had set up a calendar for the past month to ensure I wasn’t left alone for long, organized by Paloma, who was truly the most amazing woman. I aspired to be her when I grew up. Thanks to her, Vivian, Keelie, Ida Jane, Hana, Naomi, and Millie, I was part of a family again. Losing my mother had left me rudderless for a while, but I’d found my determination now, my spark.
A significant reason for that was the man in front of me. He’d confronted his fears to make sure he was the best possible version of himself for us. That didn’t mean we were always able to communicate easily, or that there was never any tension. But I’d come to accept that part of what made us work was that we had to remain on our toes. Most of our tension came from outside forces. Gunnar and I had, quite accidentally, forged something strong and time-tested. We were better together. The Wildcatters were better when we worked together, too, which the CATS and the rest of the staff frequently remarked on. In the past few weeks, I’d really bonded with Vivian and Hana, who, like me, were quieter than the more vivacious Ida Jane and Naomi. I liked their introspection and willingness to let me work through my issues at my pace.
I hadn’t realized how rare that was until I’d lost that full-throated acceptance from my parents.
The dog shifted, scooting closer, his ears tilting forward as if listening to us, his light brown eyes gleaming as they pleaded for the love he’d already engendered in each of us—though Gunnar was reluctant to admit it. I reached down and petted his head, enjoying the soothing softness of his ears.
“I can’t believe you named him Hat Trick,” Gunnar muttered, but I caught the hint of a smile ticking up the corners of his lips. I was now well-versed in Gunnar’s tells.
“Well, he got out of prison, made me fall in love with him, and scored billionaire-doggy status all in one day.” I shrugged. “Those are some impressive stats.”
“It had nothing to do with the fact that Luka Stol and Cormac Bouchard each managed a hat trick against Jeff Cross’s new team the night before?”
I widened my eyes before blinking up at him as I bit my cheek to stifle the smile threatening to burst forth. “I never thought of that.”
“Liar.” Gunnar chuckled even as he pulled me close, his lips at my temple, warming me as I snuggled closer.
I started back at work a month after my surgery as the associate social media director, a position that offered higher pay and a better title, but most of the same tasks as I’d had before. I had a job I loved, and Tim was my boss now. It was great collaborating with him. We were all happy with the arrangement.
Being engaged to the big boss man had perks, too, because even Natalie had apologized to me, and then asked for my help with a tricky issue that Gunnar had assured her I’d be willing to solve. I did, and now Natalie and I planned to have regular strategy meetings.
The CATS had invited me to their away-game-watching parties, and I adored being included in their group. We were at our house, the one I shared with Gunnar, for tonight’s playoff game, and the Wildcatters would battle Montreal. Of course we’d all wanted to attend the game, but it was the first of the series. We’d decided to hold off until the next rotation back to Montreal, if needed, so we could celebrate or commiserate with our guys when the series ended.
However, it soon appeared that celebration was already in order after the guys decimated Montreal’s defense and scored three times in the first quarter. Under Cormac, the guys were playing smart and loose—and they looked like the champions I knew they were.
Ida Jane leaned around Vivian and tapped my knee. “Did Gunnar tell you Jeff’s ‘fresh start’ lasted all of thirteen games, including the one where Cormac and Luka scored six goals to Jeff’s nil before he was sent back down to the minor leagues?”
I nodded and buried my face in my margarita so they would miss my satisfied smile.
“He pitched such a fit about the demotion he’s now serving a month-long suspension, the longest in the league,” Paloma added.
I shook my head. We weren’t sharing anything new. We just liked this story.
Vivian grinned, her eyes dancing. “Jeffy boy is going to be force-fed humility, even if he fights it kicking and screaming.”
Ida Jane clanked margarita glasses with her before slamming back her drink. She opened her eyes and gave a satisfied sigh. After watching the massive screen for a few seconds, she said, “We need to discuss the second line. See that? I’m not happy with the guys’ interactions there. What’s going on, and how do we fix it?”
The second line had just scored a goal, but there had been a stutter between the younger players, which had almost led to a missed pass.
“Well, we can find the younger guys partners,” Hana suggested. “Pax has been telling them how much happier they’ll be in loving, long-term relationships.”
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, as I soaked in lessons on how to improve the team dynamic.
“I’m going to tell Gunnar to hire you all,” I said later that evening, deep into my second margarita and late in the third period. We’d turned down the game because the guys were up four-one. “You’re really smart.”
“And you’re really toasted,” Keelie said with a tipsy giggle of her own.
“We don’t want to be on the payroll,” Paloma said. “We like what we do.”
Naomi gave a sharp nod. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t do our damnedest to make sure our team performs at peak.”
“Oooh, did you hear about Lydia and Jay?” Millie asked as she set down her phone.
I shook my head.
Millie grinned. “Their gossip empire collapsed.”
Naomi made a blow-up sound as she opened her hand.
