I press send and tip my head back on the headrest. I don’t care anymore if I sound pathetic and desperate. I spent half the plane ride imagining coming home and finding her in the kitchen with Liam and Pierce waiting with a late-night snack.
No. What am I saying? She should be tucked into her nest, all cozy and sleeping, not waiting up in the middle of the night for me.
A nest. We have a guest bedroom and Liam’s office. We’ll have to move. She’ll need her own space.
The high-pitched trill of my phone makes me jump. I fumble it and have to dig around the wheel well blindly for it.
Ash:
Congratulations!!! Liam and I watched at your house
My heart does this stupid little flip. She was with Liam. At our house. Watching my game. I’m typing again before I can help myself.
Beckett:
You were watching me? I mean, the team?
Ash:
did you get another concussion. you weren’t on theice
I snort.
Beckett:
Can I call you?
I hit send before thinking about it. There’s a pause that feels like forever. I watch the dots appear and disappear twice before her message comes through.
Ash:
Ok
I dial immediately. When she answers, her voice is low, almost a whisper.
“Hey there, hockey star.”
“Hey yourself,” I say, grinning stupidly at my dashboard. “Did I wake you up?”
“No, I’m just… being quiet.”
Something in her tone makes me sit up straighter. “You have roommates?”
A beat passes. “Not exactly.”
I let it go, not wanting to push. “So, you really watched the game? What did you think?”
“Liam had to explain everything. I had no idea there were so many rules.” There’s a smile in her voice now.
“Hockey’s pretty straightforward once you get into it. You just try to get the puck in the net while avoiding getting smashed into a wall.”
“How do you not get a concussion every game?”
I laugh again, louder this time. “Well, I’m usually the smasher not the smashee.”
“Hmm. Not sure I believe that.” Her voice gets softer. “You seem too nice.”
“I’m nice to you. To Liam and Pierce if he’s behaving. Anyone else is smashable.”
