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It’s a good opportunity for her, but I know it isn’t what she was looking for. My protective nature hates that there isn’t anything I can do—or anything she wants me to do—to help her. It’s my job to take care of her, but the older she gets, the harder I’m finding it to do so.
I turn to look at Gracie and smile almost instantly when I see her handing Adam one of her headphones and swiping through a bunch of pre-downloaded movies on her iPad. Adam flicks her in the cheek when she tries to play one of her Nicholas Sparks ones before he grabs the device from her altogether and starts scrolling through her endless list.
Ava squeezes my knee. “I wish you would have humoured me with the stick-on moustache.”
I turn to her and crack a grin, knowing full well bringing up the disguise she insisted I wear before we left is just a ploy to distract me. It works well enough that I pull the brim of my hat down to further cover my eyes and slouch in my seat.
“Nobody has recognized me without it. Maybe I’m not as famous as I thought I was.” I stick out my bottom lip but shoot my girlfriend a wink.
The fake moustache Ava brought home with her yesterday looked like a dead squirrel. There was no way in hell I was going to glue it on my face in the first place, fear of recognition or not. I would rather be forced to take a face-numbing number of selfies and sign a million autographs than have to smell some musty-ass piece of fake hair any day.
“You’re lucky we didn’t fly out of Seattle or Vancouver. I’m not sure we would be saying the same thing.” Ava snorts, shimmying closer and resting her head against my shoulder.
We both spare a look at the burly, dark-haired man sitting directly in front of me.
Tyler entered the pros—undrafted—a few months ago, exactly a year after I did, and even though he wasn’t sure anything would come from him continuing to play past his draft year, it clearly paid off. He’s now a rookie defenseman for the Vancouver Warriors—my dream team.
Ava was worried that watching one of our best friends be snatched up by the team I wanted would build a rift of resentment between us, but if anything, it’s done the opposite. I’m incredibly proud of Tyler and now have a fire lit under my ass to do everything I can to eventually join him over there. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
“Worried about all the Bateman fangirls?” I laugh and kiss the top of her head, breathing in the scent of floral shampoo.
“More like the Hutton ones,” she grumbles. “Remember the one that ripped the hat off of your head last week and then begged you to sign it for her? I mean, seriously?”
An uncomfortable feeling slithers up my spine. The urge to touch my head and search for the small spot of missing hair an inch above my left ear is a strong one. At least the mall security guard was close by and able to escort the girl far, far away from me before Ava slapped her.
Clasping a hand around Ava’s thigh, I say, “Put all those memories in storage for the next week, baby. This trip is all about us.”
Once preseason training finishes and the season begins, life will start moving at lightning speed again. We need this time together now. While we still have it. Lord knows when we’ll get another chance to spend a week away on the beach with our best friends.
I feel her nod and loop her arm through mine, pressing herself tight against me, as close as she can get with the armrest pinched between us. I’m close to telling her how much more comfortable it would have been in first class when her next words silence me.
“I love you, Oakley.”
My chest swells at the familiar saying that I can’t see myself ever getting used to hearing from her. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
