He wrote what I’d said in his notes, then looked up at me. “Any other issues?”
God, I hated going into this.
“Well, my agent showed up here in September and created a problem in the parking lot. The Storm took care of it. Not me.”
John’s brow furrowed, then relaxed. “I read about that. If I remember correctly, the only mention about you was that he was your disgruntled former agent.”
“That’s correct. I’m done with him and ready for a long-term fresh start.”
Jonah looked over the paperwork while I sat nervously, awaiting his assessment. After what felt like hours, he looked up and smiled.
“Everything looks in order. You should be fine. If you have any concerns, let me know.”
He slid me a business card across the desk. “Keep this handy for the interview. If you have the opportunity to mention that you have legal counsel who has gone over your application, they might feel more confident in their decisions.”
I frowned, a little concerned about the process. “Are these difficult to secure? I was under the impression they were fairly simple when you had a team sponsor.”
He sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “When everything is in order, as yours is, they are. Don’t worry. It will all be fine.”
When I left Jonah’s office, I called Carson.
“How did it go?” he asked instead of hello. He’d been anxious ever since we left practice.
“Good. He said it should go smoothly. Now I wait for the interview.”
He released a heavy breath. “Thank fuck.”
“I know,” I sighed.
“We’re one step closer to getting everything we want, babe. We should celebrate.”
I grinned as I beeped the locks on the car. “What did you have in mind?”
Carson’s voice dropped an octave. “Come home. And I’ll show you.”
Chapter 27
Carson
The road twisted around the mountain to the home I’d spent every Christmas in since I was ten. We only had three days off before the team headed to Nevada, but I really wanted this for Colin. We had to go back on the twenty-sixth for his interview the next day, but I was glad we’d come when Colin couldn’t tear himself away from the window. Giving him something money couldn’t buy with an experience he’d never had made me unbelievably happy. It was the perfect gift for someone who could buy anything he wanted.
When we pulled into the driveway on Monday evening, his eyes widened at the house decorated for Christmas. White lights hung from the eaves while the surrounding balsam firs were dressed in colored lights and falling snow. Smoke drifted from the chimney as the house glowed in warm light. It was postcard-worthy.
“This place is like every Christmas movie I’ve never watched.”
I grinned at his statement. Bella barked in agreement from the backseat.
Bringing our clasped hands to my mouth, I kissed his hand. I was so fucking gone for him.
“Welcome to the St. James family Christmas.”
When his eyes met mine, it confirmed yet again what I’d known for a long time. He was everything I’d been waiting to find.
“I love you so hard for all of this,” he said, leaning over to kiss me.
The front door of the house opened, interrupting our moment. My mother stepped out onto the porch, wrapped in a thick cardigan, waving for us to come in.
“Let’s go. She couldn’t wait for us to get here.”
