But we both knew it was more than that. It was five more minutes of this perfect morning, but it was also the beginning of everything. No more hiding, no more pretending, no more careful distance.
Just us, finally free to love each other the way we’d always wanted to.
“Hey,” Adan said softly. “We made it.”
“We made it,” I confirmed, kissing his forehead.
And as we finally got up to retrieve his trophy and face our future, I knew with absolute certainty that this was only the beginning. We’d fought for this, sacrificed for this, waited five long months for this.
Now, finally, we could start living the life we’d both been dreaming of.
Together.
EPILOGUE
ADAN
Six Months Later
I groaned as I lowered myself into the hot, soapy water. Every single muscle in my body hurt, including ones I hadn’t even known I used while playing hockey. Thank fuck for the deep, massive bathtub in my new apartment in Detroit, one I shared with my now-official boyfriend.
“Feel good?” said boyfriend asked, sitting down on the floor next to me.
“Fucking amazing.”
Nils brushed my cheek with a tender gesture. “You have some colorful bruises on your legs and back.”
No shit. Playing in the NHL was definitely a whole different game than playing in college. These guys were bigger, meaner, and stronger, and I’d had to fight to keep up. But tonight, I’d played my first minutes in an actual game against Boston, and I’d never been more proud of myself. No, I hadn’t scored, but I’d also not fucked up, and that was all I’d set out to accomplish for my first appearance. My parents had watched from the stands, both beaming with pride.
“They’ll heal.”
“I still hate to see it.”
I chuckled, too tired to open my eyes. “Don’t tell me you never got banged up at Rideau.”
“Of course, but it’s different seeing it on you.”
Aw, he was such a softie underneath.
I’d been worried about what he would do with me being in Detroit, but he’d adapted easily. His contract with Millard had ended, and he’d ended up not renewing, even though Coach Brennan had offered it. He’d known Nils wouldn’t take it, but he still wanted him to have the choice, which spoke volumes about him.
Instead, Nils had become a hockey coach with a local hockey club for talented players, and he was deeply content. No, it wasn’t at the same level, but he didn’t care. He loved the game, and he enjoyed working with young players to help them improve. And since it was a part-time position, it left him with plenty of time for his royal duties and to spend time with me.
He rarely missed a Red Wings game, even when I wasn’t playing, and he made sure I had everything I needed. He took care of the apartment, of grocery shopping and meals, allowing me to focus on training and growing as a player.
The first few weeks had been brutal. The team had not taken it easy on the rookie, nor should they have, and I’d fought to earn their respect. They’d definitely taken me down a peg or two, though Nils still called me a cocky bastard from time to time. He wasn’t wrong.
“When are you flying to Sweden?” I asked sleepily, the warm water and the stuff Nils had put in there doing its job to relax me.
“Two days from now. I’ll be back in a week.”
I sighed. “I don’t like it when you’re not here.”
Did I sound like a whiney child? Absolutely. Did I care? Nope, not even a little bit. I did miss him terribly whenever he was gone, and the only consolation was that he didn’t seem to fare much better.
He chuckled. “I’ll miss you too,älskling.”
He still called me that, and I loved it. My own Swedish was basic, but I was practicing every day, and it wasn’t as hard as I had expected. Nils said it was because I was already bilingual. He, in turn, had started to learn Spanish, which had made my mom crazy happy. My parents loved him, period, which was a massive relief.
