My husband stares at me with hungry eyes and arms crossed. “As much as I love watching you display your tits to me, I love seeing you relaxed and happy even more.”
I grab the silk robe hanging off the back of a chair. “I guess… I am.” The tropical way of life seems to suit me or at least destress me.
We’ve been here only a few days, but the change of scene has helped a lot. Only at the airport leaving Illinois did someone recognize Connor, and since it was a ten-year-old, Connor agreed to sign something for him. After that, we’ve been in our own bubble in an exclusive tiny resort in the middle keys and taking day trips to Key West or snorkeling. I’ve noticed since we have some distance from Lake Spark, our families, and hockey that it isn’t just me who needed a few days of shutting off. Connor has hockey on his brain far more than I realized. Not in a bad way, but in an ambitious manner. He’s determined to conquer his goals.
Connor peeks out around the bathroom door with the shower now running. “Want to join me?”
I’m in a faceoff with the pancake on the tray, wondering if it’s a good idea. “Nah, you go ahead, otherwise we’ll never get out of here.”
Pushing the cart of food outside and parking it next to the table, I sit down and enjoy the quiet morning and the gentle breeze. My eyes lock down on my wrist, and something connects in my brain for what might be a great idea. For months, I’ve wanted another tattoo, but I want to make it more significant. It’s a good while of contemplation and nibbling on food before Connor emerges with sunglasses in hand and ready to go.
“See? You could have joined me in the shower since we’re still not going to get out of here on time,” he teases me, but he leans over from behind to kiss me upside down while he slides his palm down the middle of my breasts.
I tip my head up to give him a better angle for a kiss. “You’re right,” I murmur against his lips.
His response is one more peck on my lips, and then he circles around the table to sit down. “It’s all good. We can go hang by the pool if you really want.”
I smile. “What do you want to do?”
“Nothing in particular, just to see where the day goes.” He pours a little pepper onto his eggs.
“Connor, you seem less anxious about hockey too while we’re here,” I say, being honest.
He runs his tongue along his inner cheek. “Maybe so. It’s not that I’m apprehensive, I just want to feel that my career is going up, not stalled. It’s hard when your family is so involved.”
I grab my glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and lean back in the chair. “I admit that the last few years, I didn’t always follow your career other than wanting to throw something at the screen if I saw you on TV. But since I now admittedly pay closer attention, I can without a doubt say that you have talent. You’re not just the next-door neighbor who played hockey; you are the man destined to rule hockey.”
His lips twist at my observation. “I like hearing that.”
I snort a laugh. “You like hearing anything that boosts your ego.”
Connor’s smoldering grin comes out in full force as he rests his elbows on the table, but his eyes pin to me with a heavy gravity sinking him down. “Hadley, we’ll be okay if I sign to another team after next season, right? I mean, it’s rare that a player is with the same team his entire career, it’s pure numbers that don’t lie. I know how close you are with your family, and you have your dance studio…”
Without hesitation, I slide off my seat and circle the table to land right in his lap where I loop my arm around his neck. “All of our beach walks and visiting eclectic boutiques has had me thinking about a lot of things.” A soft reassuring smile hits my lips. “The dance studio is a non-issue. I can manage it from afar with other teachers in my place and teach during the off-season. I can also dance anywhere. Our family will also always be there waiting for us. I never imagined that this would be a conversation that you and I would have.”
He's listening to me but worry fills his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t say we’re happening fast because we’ve known one another our whole lives. We’re doing a lot of things out of order too. No matter how hard I try to shake it, the idea of you and me just stays glued to everything in my body.”
Relief hits him. “Still not 100% sure what you’re trying to say.”
I kiss his forehead. “I’m open to whatever gets thrown at us.”
He offers me his mouth for a kiss and our lips meet. A life with Connor is one of the clearest things in this moment of my life.
“Don’t make a big deal about it.” I might sound blasé. “But I love you too.” I haven’t told him until now.
But I feel as though this is my moment to do so, I want to. He follows my lead and pretends that we didn’t just seal our fate.
“Thought you did,” he answers, casual as can be, trying to hide his smile as he grabs a stick of bacon.
We’re not going to make a big deal about this, because that’s just us. We accidentally went full speed ahead, only to retrace the steps to that end point, and that’s okay.
* * *
Walkinghand in hand down the busy street of pedestrians, bikes, and occasional roosters pecking around, I ignore the fact that I’m only slightly buzzed from the afternoon margarita that I just enjoyed with my burrito. We are having such a good time. There are literally no hours on the clock down here in the Keys. We don’t plan and just follow the trail of what takes our interest.
“Should we send a postcard to your dad?” Connor jokes when we pass a tower of cards, but I know that it’s his way of starting the conversation of the topic that he hasn’t pressed me on since we’ve been down here.
