Page 59 of Goalie interference

She let out a slow breath, offering me a smile and a kiss on the side of my head.

I used to find comfort in her kisses when I was a kid, but now?

It was nothing compared to when Thayer did it.

Thayer solved just about every problem I had with a smile on his face.

“I love you, Ashy,” my mom sighed, hugging me one more time before leaving.

It felt…good.

I had been worried about what life outside of our bubble looked like. I wasn’t sure we worked under a microscope like this, but the longer I was in this with Thayer, the more I needed it. I needed this to work in the real world because the idea of not having him now…

I couldn't stomach that.

It was unhealthy, but my god, I loved him.

And I wasn’t letting it go.

When I walked back into our apartment, Thayer had a smirk on his face. “So,” he started, chuckling to himself a little bit. “Ashy?”

“Don’t start.”

Epilogue

Ash

November, 2017

There was something ironic about ending up on the San Jose Sharks.

The team that drafted Thayer and kept him until the day he retired, only to draft me two years later and bring us both home–it was poetic.

Thayer was happy to be back in San Jose, and I was just happy he came with me. We would have made it work with him in Michigan, but luckily, his borderline toxic and obsessive love for me didn’t have to stretch that far.

It was nice coming home to him all the time, but I had also been doing so for years now.

We lost the Frozen Four after I got my concussion, junior year–we lost that game to Notre Dame. I was out for the rest of the season, but by the time the next season started, Thayer had my leg fully healed up.

I was a workhorse that season and got to graduate a winner that year.

Only to get drafted to the Sharks that summer–it was beautiful, really.

My whole team knew about Thayer and me before the end of Junior year, but they kept the secret to their graves. The dean never found out, at least not until after I graduated and kissed Thayer on live TV after getting drafted.

Yes, that’s right.

As of now, I was the only one of two out NHL players.

My team was super supportive, and some of the older guys were so happy to see Thayer again. They joked with him a little bit about how this technically made him a WAG–wife and girlfriend of a player– but they were happy that inviting the rookie out somewhere meant likely seeing their old friend again.

Our life was really settled in San Jose, and no one gave a shit about a thirteen-year age gap.

“Home!” I yelled happily, toeing off my shoes by the door–don’t get me started on how long it took to retrain Thayer to keep a no-shoes house. “We have ten minutes before we need to leave!”

“Then you need to get changed–I’m ready, baby,” Thayer chuckled, stepping out of our room in a full suit, but with his Kincaid jersey over his arm and Sharks hat in hand to change into.

What I'd give for a little more than ten minutes…