AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We continue to sit and swing for another hour or so, sharing every slightest update in our life and going on tangents about completely unrelated topics. That hour feels like five minutes by the time we’re done. I want to stay here with her until it closes, hearing old stories of Ella and hearing new stories of Harper.
She asks about all the wedding details, which I happily share. We are going to get married next summer. Of course, it has to be scheduled during the offseason because during the hockey season, it would be so hectic for both of us.
I’m back at work now, part time to start because I still need a lot of time to rest after my chemo treatments. But I didn’t realize how much I missed work. I love my job. I get to hang out with my best friend and have fun. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Reed pretty much gave me no budget because he thinks we deserve a wedding that any king and queen would be proud of. Who am I to deny that dream of his? I will happily throw the wedding of a century. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to find him, but I’m never questioning it or putting it at risk again.
As much as I love Cocoa and will cherish her forever as Ella’s most prized possession, she isn’t my bear; she’ll always be Ella’s. And that’s okay. I will keep her safe with me forever.
When I get home, I find my two boys snuggled up on the couch, watching the Washington Wild kick the Buffalo Norsemen’s ass.
“How was your coffee date?” he asks as I kick my shoes off and walk up to the back of the couch.
Bending over, I throw my arms over him and down his chest, kissing his head.
“It was…good. She gave me Cocoa. She said that Ella told her to give her to me if anything happened,” I say, resting my chin on top of his head.
“The teddy bear? That’s sweet. We should get, like, a shadowbox or something to store her in, if you want, just an idea,” he says, bending his head to look up at me.
“That’s a good idea actually,” I admit.
That way, I can look at Cocoa whenever I want, take her out to cuddle her when I need to, but never have to worry about her getting damaged.
“I’m going to hop in the shower,” I say and kiss him upside down.
He kisses me back the best he can in this position and says, “Need some help?”
I blush and smirk. “Do I need help in the shower?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s nearly impossible to reach the middle of your back without assistance,” he says with a straight face.
“You mean, like, how the loofah with the handle helps?” I say, giggling.
His eyes fall, and he says, “You’re ruining my cute offer.”
Grabbing a pillow from the cushion next to him, I pick it up and take a step toward the stairs, turning back and throwing the pillow at him as a distraction. “If you can catch me, you can join me!”
He grunts and jumps off the couch. I spring up the stairs, running with everything I have into our bedroom.
“I’m going to get you!” he calls a few feet behind me.
He yanks me back into his chest, twirls us around, and falls back onto the bed, taking me down with him. We are a laughing mess as we try to catch our breath.
My face hurts from the oversize smile pulling at my cheeks as his fingers dig into me, tickling my sides.
“Got you,” he whispers and kisses the side of my head.
Hopping off of him, I offer him my hand to help him up. “All right, let’s go, Goldy. Those luscious locks aren’t going to wash themselves.”
He takes my hand and barely tugs as he sits up. “True. After you.” He gestures in front of him. I step forward, but he grabs my shirt and pulls me back. “Ehh, never mind. Let the king go first.”
I slap his back playfully as he walks toward the bathroom. “Rude!”
He laughs and turns around, walking backward into the bathroom. His fingers grip the bottom of his shirt, and he pulls it up and off in one smooth motion. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen him naked; it’s impossible to get used to the way his body looks, like it was hand-carved by Michelangelo himself.
His muscles ripple as he tosses his shirt to the ground. God, I could stare at him all damn day. He works hard for that body, and it shows.
Knowing that if I want this shower to go smoothly without too much funny business, I need to stop ogling him.
