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I can feel my eyebrows trying to hit the ceiling. She’s certainly not wrong, but Lainey generally isn’t quite so boldly explicit. She bites her lip, and her cheeks flush pink. I smirk and say nothing, waiting.
“Violet told me to say that,” she blurts.
“That sounds about right. You can tell Violet thanks for the hours of discomfort I face as a result, since I have to wait until Kody’s in bed to have that experience.”
She makes a face and looks over her shoulder to where Kody is happily playing, not getting into trouble. “We could put him in his room for ten minutes.”
I laugh. “I think I’ll take the prolonged anticipation, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Maybe we can get him into bed a little early tonight.”
“I’d like that.” She smooths her hands down my chest with a soft sigh, then steps back, aware if we keep touching and teasing each other we’re setting ourselves up for quick and dirty later, and that’s not part of my plan for tonight.
Lainey and I fall into our usual dinner routine, which means she tells me what to do and I do it while simultaneously getting all up in her personal space.
She stands in front of the fridge, bending to grab something from the crisper, so I take the opportunity for what it is and move in behind her. When she rights herself and steps back, she collides with my chest. I take the bag of carrots from her and kiss her neck. Lainey relaxes against me, tilting her head to the side, so I kiss all the way to her earlobe before I toss the carrots on the counter.
When she opens a cupboard to get a measuring cup, I step in and grab it for her. We move around each other, stealing kisses and furtive touches the entire time. Dinner prep is our foreplay.
“How was your meeting with your agent this afternoon?” Lainey asks as she sets the frying pan on the burner and brushes by me so she can get to the spice cupboard.
I pause in my carrot-chopping mission. “Good. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
She sets the ground ginger on the counter and turns to face me. “That sounds serious.”
I tug on her apron—team themed—and pull her closer. “It’s not serious bad. I just have some options I want to run by you.”
“Okay.” She glances over at Kody. He’s chewing on a book. It’s meant to be chewed on, so she refocuses on me.
“So we’ve talked about the Seattle expansion draft . . .”
She nods. “A lot of the girls are speculating who they’re going to keep safe. You have a no-trade clause, which makes you one of the nine.”
“That’s right, unless I opt to waive the no-trade clause for the expansion draft.”
Lainey’s eyebrows pull together. “But why would you do that? You’re team captain, and you love it here.”
“My contract expires in two years—I’ll be traded eventually. I talked to my agent, and if I waive the clause, Seattle will pick me up.”
Lainey chews her bottom lip. “Is that what you want?”
I pull her lip free from her teeth. “We would be closer to your family.”
She flattens her palm against my chest. “But these guys are like your family. You have years with them.”
I cover her hand with mine. “They’re not my partner, though—you are.”
She nods slowly. “I’m just getting used to everything here. If you’re traded, we’d have to move at the end of the season, wouldn’t we?”
“The timing would be good, though. Your contract with the aquarium is up soon. I’m sure they’d be happy to renew, but I also know you want to work on your PhD. And being in Seattle would make it a lot easier to see your family.”
Understanding hits her, and she crosses her arms. It would be cute if she didn’t look so irritated. “That can’t be the reason you waive your no-trade clause. I won’t take you away from your family so I can be closer to mine.”
“You miss them.”
“We can’t jeopardize your career and everything you’ve worked this hard for just so it’s easier for me to see my family until you get traded again.”
I pick her up and set her on the counter. “First of all, going to Seattle won’t jeopardize anything. And this isn’t just about my career or me anymore, Lainey. This is about what’s best for you and me and Kody, the three of us together. And if being closer to your family would be better for you, then it automatically makes it better for Kody and me.”
“You’d have to leave all these people you care about.”
“Not all of them.” I curl my hands over her knees. “Alex and Violet are going to Seattle.”
“They are?”
“This isn’t public yet, but they’re signing him as the head coach. He knows the general manager of the team personally. They want me. Players get traded all the time, Lainey—people come and go. A lot of contracts are up in the next year or so. If you say yes to this, my agent is ready to make a call. He’s already been in talks with the owner in Seattle. They want to sign me for five years, and they’re offering an extra million a year as incentive—but money aside, it would be a good move for us as a family.”
