AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Five Years Later
"Mommy!" Carina cries, waving her arms wildly in the air. She nearly smacks Gray in the face, but he just laughs and dodges her wild flailing. "I skating!"
"I see that,minha anjo," I say, smiling at her. She's not actually skating. Gray is skating around the arena with her in his arms. She's only two, so not quite old enough to operate ice skates on her own, but if she's anything like her big sister, Ana, it won't be long.
If Ana had her way, she'd live on the ice with her daddy. She's four, and she is Gray's little shadow. I think she knows more about hockey than I do. I love how excited she gets when she gets to see Gray play. Her and Carina are his biggest fans.
They're growing up so fast! It makes me sad. I want our girls to stay little forever. Gray wants the same thing. Thinking about them growing up gives him anxiety. Which is entirely his fault for giving me girls when I wanted boys. But I adore our babies, and I wouldn't change them for anything in the world.
Besides, I'm getting my boy. Their little brother will be here in a few months. It's a little bittersweet because this is Gray's last season in the NHL. When we found out I was pregnant again, he decided it was time to hang up his skates. He will always love hockey but he's ready to spend more time at home with the kids. He thinks he's missing too much. He also claims he's getting too old to keep playing. I'm not so sure I agree.
He may be older than a lot of the newer players, but he's still one of the best in the league. He says Jonas has a lot of energy, but he's the same way. Hockey is a great physical outlet for him, and he's still in incredible shape. Honestly, I think he may be in better shape now than he was the day we met.
He says that's from all the sex. He's probably right. Keeping my hands off him is next to impossible. The girls like to sneak into bed with us, so we've had to get creative over the years. I never really appreciated the sheer size of our house until we had to start hiding from the girls to get off. I think we've made use of every room in the house, including the closets.
I don't mind though. There's nothing better than having Gray all over me. He knows exactly how to drive me crazy and is so damn good at it. I know I make him feel the same way. He tells me all the time how much he loves when I touch him or suck him. And I don't have to ask to know how much he loves being inside me. He's vocal in the bedroom. Even after five years, he still finds new ways to tell me how much he's enjoying it.
It's a little frightening how much dirty Portuguese he's learned over the years. I love him so much for it though. We're teaching our girls the language just like my mama taught me. I want themto know as much about their heritage as they can. It's important to me, and it's important to Gray too. When they're a little older, we plan to take them to Brazil so they can experience it for themselves.
"I think it's time for a snuggle break," Gray says to Carina, skating toward the bench where I'm sitting. Ana is on the far side of the arena, talking to Kellan. God only knows what he's teaching her today. Last week, she came home with five dollars she won playing dice with him. He's kind of a mess. He's the only one of the old guard, as Gray calls them, who isn't married now. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a great guy. I think women are just intimidated by him.
Most of the guys who played with Gray when I first met him have moved on. Kris, Wes, and Theo have all retired. They live in Nashville with their families. We get together as often as possible. Jonas plays for the Penguins now, and Logan was traded to the Capitals last year.
I think the fact that the old guard is gone is part of why Gray decided to retire. The team just isn't the same without them. But he has so many good memories on the ice. They're retiring his jersey after his final game. It's an honor, and I know how much he appreciates it.
"I misseded you!" Carina cries, practically catapulting out of Gray's arms to me.
"Careful, careful," Gray reminds her when she plows into me.
"Sowwie."
"I missed you too,minha anjo," I say, kissing all over her face. Her gray eyes light up with happiness and her little girl laugh spills across the arena. I could listen to her and Ana laugh all day and never grow tired of it. They're the happiest little girls.
Gray spoils them rotten. Whatever they want, they get. He's the same way with me. He says it's his God-given right to spoil the three of us and no one is going to stop him. He is so good tous. Every day, he finds new ways to show us how much we mean to him. And every day, I find myself falling a little bit harder for him.
"You look good enough to eat, angel," he says, leaning down to kiss me once Carina crawls out of my lap. He brushes his lips across mine before plunging his hand into my hair to deepen it. I moan quietly when his tongue touches mine, unable to stop the sound. The girls slept with us last night, so we weren't able to spend the night making love. I missed it. I can tell by his kiss that he did too.
"Wow," I whisper when he finally lets me up for air. "What was that for?"
"Because you're mine and I can," he says, making me smile. "How was your meeting?"
"Fine," I say.
He pulls back, frowning.
Crap. I knew he wasn't going to buy that.
"What did he do?" he growls, already scanning the ice for Caleb Stone, their newest team member.
Caleb is barely out of his teens. He's a hell of a player, but he's a flirt. He's also a little dumb, because he thought it was a good idea to ask me to dinner. I've never seen Kelsey laugh so hard. Or seen someone turn that particular shade of white. As soon as Kelsey told him that I'm Gray's wife, he stuttered out an apology and took off.
Needless to say, I won't be representing him. Which is fine because Emma and I have our hands full already. Not long after Gray and I got together, Theo and Kris both approached me to ask about representing them. Several others followed suit. My firm now represents a number of high-profile players in the NHL. With the baby on the way, I don't have time to take on anyone else, but I agreed to meet with Caleb because he's one of Gray's teammates.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," I murmur, trying to pull him back down for another kiss.
He resists, still looking for Caleb.
"You should take me home,meu amor," I say, trying to distract him. "I'm sleepy."
