We’re both gasping for air, slick with sweat and leftover rain, still in the same position. I have no idea how Greyson is still supporting us, but he doesn’t seem ready to let go, either. Not until the baby monitor comes to life with a wail.
“Fuck,” Grey grunts against my shoulder.
I smile, my fingers stroking his hair. “I’ll put her back to sleep. Why don’t you go clean up and lock up downstairs?”
“Okay.” He kisses my lips, then sets me down on the floor gently. I slip into my robe by the door and turn to leave, but Greyson stops me. “Em?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re my one,” he whispers.
My heart blooms. “I’m glad you’re my one, too.”
Chapter forty-six
Greyson
I think this sunflower lost a few petals…
~ One Week Later ~
Last night was game five of round four in Dallas. A game we won, which now puts us at a three-to-two lead. One more win and the cup is ours. When we got off the ice last night after our victory, I was bombarded by texts and calls, most being from Bunny. She was beyond elated.
The texts had come in during the game, practically giving me a play-by-play of every move or block I made. It was adorableto read. The way she cheered me on even being over a thousand miles away made me fall in love with her all over again.
Then there were my parents, Lance, Mira and John, and the rest of the girls. Even Nadia and Gracie’s maternal grandparents, Claudia and Simon, left me a message and a call, congratulating me on our win.
Since the incident, Claudia and Simon have only seen Gracie once. It’s not that I wanted to keep her away from them, but I needed a bit of time to trust them more, and I could tell Claudia was still dealing with a lot of guilt over what happened. But even though they weren’t coming to see her in person, they still video-called every few days to see her through the phone, showing they still wanted to be involved in her life.
But I think the best part of my night, excluding Emma, was seeing Coach’s face after the game. Even when we lose, he’s always positive, always pointing out our strengths and never making us feel worse about a loss. This is his sixth season as our coach, and he’s probably the best change that was made for the team. The improvement since he’s been here and every following year can’t go unnoticed.
But tonight, the pride on his face when the buzzer rang and we were two points over, I honestly thought he was going to jump on the ice and join our little celebratory circle. I imagine it’s in those moments that he misses playing. He was a legend on the ice.
I never got to play against him, but I used to watch him on TV, and by the time I signed my first pro contract, he had just suffered his accident that ended his career. Silas is the only one in our gang that got to play him a few times since he’s one of the lucky fuckers who drafted right away. But I get it, he’s a fucking good player.
Once I’m in my truck leaving the airport, my phone rings through the cab. Usually Clay, Silas, and I share a ride, but Iwanted to stop at the hospital to see Maddie before leaving for our away game, so I ended up taking my own car.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie. Are you on your way home?”
“Yeah, just got on the road. Should be home in thirty. Why?” I frown.
“Oh, just curious. It sounded like I was on speaker, that’s all.”
“Yeah, you are. But I’m alone, so no need to worry.” I chuckle. My mom hates it when everyone can hear our phone calls.
“Good. I was just calling to make sure you got home safe.” Weird, she never calls for that. I usually just send her a quick text to let her know.
“Umm… okay. Well, yeah, I’m fine. Home soon.” I suddenly hear murmurs through the phone and my mom quickly shushing them away. “Mom? Where are you?”
“Oh, nowhere. I’m home. Your father just has some friends over. Okay! Well, I have to run. I’ll talk to you later. I love you, sweetie, and I’m so proud of you.”
She sounds strange, but I just shrug it off. “Thanks, Mom. I love you, too. Say hi to Dad for me.”
“I will, bye.” She hangs up right away, another thing she never does. She’s the type to wait until you hang up, or else she never will.
I’m racking my brain as I make my way home for reasons as to why my mother would be acting so strange, but it all clicks the minute I get into my driveway and find Lance’s car parked to one side. Amanda is by his side, and my mother and father are facing them.
