“Yeah. They always do. Life has ups and downs.” I pause. “If we’re lucky, most of the ups and downs will be in bed.”
She huffs out another laugh. “Oh my God.”
I grin. “But seriously, it’s true, right? Life isn’t a straight line or a smooth road. But when things get tough… we have each other. I’ll always have your back, diva.”
“I’ve got your back, too,” she replies softly.
There’s that feeling I had the first time I met her, the feeling that something joins us together, a web of invisible, silky strands, soft yet so strong. “I want you. All the time. I think about you all the time. All that year I tried to play it cool and not text you or phone you or email you every hour of every day, trying to pretend I wasn’t obsessed with you. I’m never gonna let you go.”
“I felt like that, too. I wanted you all the time. I kept thinking I didn’t even know you. But I wouldn’t have gone to your room that night if I didn’t know you, somehow. If I didn’t trust you.” She shakes her head. “I thought maybe I was a little crazy.”
Her trust in me makes my heart light up like a glowing red goal light. I will be a man worthy of her trust. I will treasure her and worship her forever. I clear my throat. “Nah. It’s called love at first sight,” I say, striving for light and laid back. “It happens all the time.”
EPILOGUE
NIKKI
“I’m so excited I get to go to Uncle Ernie’s.”
It’s three days after the season ended for the Storm when they lost to Denver in the Stanley Cup final. So close… so, so close but in the end heartbreaking. Talk about a rollercoaster ride of emotions, the wild highs of the wins, moving on in the playoffs, and again and again… and then the soul-crushing low of losing.
The final game was in Denver so they flew home that night. The last couple of days have been media interviews, exit interviews with their coach and GM, and cleaning out their lockers for the summer. With that done this morning, a bunch of us are getting together at Uncle Ernie’s for pizza and beer before most of the guys go home for the summer.
“It’s not that exciting.” Marek smiles at me, his eyes crinkling into that so-attractive squint and his dimples appearing. I want to jump him, just over a smile.
“It is for me. I haven’t spent that much time with your friends because of the playoffs, and I’m weirdly excited about having lunch in public.”
He laughs. “Okay.”
We walk into the restaurant. The décor isn’t fancy or even particularly Italian, but it’s nice, with an old brick wall along one side, black painted woodwork on the other wall and behind the bar, oak tables and black chairs. Some of the guys are there already and have arranged a few tables together in front of the black banquette running along the brick wall.
“What’s kickin’, chickens?” Marek greets them.
We slide onto the banquette, and I scoot over. I’ve met these guys… I’ve been going to their games, although I’ve been mostly watching in the family lounge rather than sitting in the stands. I’m still leery of being in a big crowd but just going to the arena a bunch of times started to ease that anxiety. Marek introduced me to everyone after the first game I went to.
“Hey, Nikki,” says Nash Wilson, who the guys call Crusher, distinctive with his shaved head. I have to say, he has a nicely shaped head. He’s also sporting a bushy playoff beard.
“Hi.” I smile at him, then exchange greetings with the others: Eduard Lafond (Eddy) and his boyfriend Sebastian, their goaltender Ford Archibald (Archie) and his girlfriend Andi, Dillon Landry (Dilly), and of course Mabel and Ben.
A waitress approaches our table and smiles. “Hey, guys.”
She’s super pretty, her pale blonde hair a little shaggy and just short of shoulder length with long bangs that emphasize dark blue eyes. But her smile is… guarded. I think she’s genuinely happy to see the guys, though.
I feel the vibe shift to cautious.
“Hi, Ayla,” everyone says, also with real warmth.
I know this is Ayla Alford. Her husband Carson is the guy who asked Marek about staying with him for a while because he and Ayla had split up. Marek told me about their baby dying and how hard it’s been for them.
“Hey, Ayla,” Marek says. “Meet Nikki. Nikki, this is Ayla. Ernie is her grandpa.”
“Hi,” Ayla greets me with a tilt of her head. “I heard a rumor that Marek had a famous new girlfriend.”
I laugh. “I guess that’s me.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I love your music.”
“Oh, thank you!”
