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“You come to me if you ever get in a bind again. Let me help you. Do we have a deal?” She stared up at him, cheeks pink, eyes like saucers. A tear spilled down her face.
“Yes!” she exclaimed at last, throwing her arms around his neck in an uncharacteristic display of affection. I laughed out loud. Neither of them was the type to show emotion, but now they hugged each other and I’d swear I could see a hint of tears shining in Thacker’s eyes, too.
When Ronnie finally released him and got back to work, he walked toward his office, nodding at me to follow him. I trailed after him, still reeling from his announcement. What happened to the gruff grump who only cared about his bottom line?
“I can’t believe you just did that,” I said as I closed his office door behind us.
“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Well,yeah,” I said. “But I guess I just didn’t peg you as a sap.”
He dropped into his chair and flashed me a smirk. He was loving this.
“You’ve changed me for the better, Hope,” he said, reaching out an arm. I went to him willingly, eagerly, perching on his lap and twisting around so I could look at him.
“That was all you,” I said, raking a hand through his hair. He shook his head.
“Please,” he said. “The thought never would have entered my mind to give the girl who was stealing from me a raise. But thanks to you, I’m cursed with a conscience now.”
“How will you ever survive?” I asked, stifling a giggle. He smiled up at me, looping his arms around my waist.
“Who knows,” he snarked. “Maybe I’ll actually be happy for once in my miserable life.”
I pressed a kiss to his grinning lips, closing my eyes and breathing him in.
Even when I’d had my doubts, I knew deep down that he was a good man. His heart was strong and pure, and I could count on him to do the right thing.
Any woman would be lucky to have him.
So how the hell didIget so lucky?
I decided not to dig too deep into that question. I didn’t want to peel back the mask of a universe that had been so kind to me, not once but three times. After several long, delicious seconds, I broke the kiss and leaned back, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
“I love you,” I said, without hesitation or fear.
It took him a second to register the words. I saw the moment they dawned on him, like a lightbulb turning on behind his eyes.
“Do you really?” he asked, with genuine surprise. I pressed my forehead to his, gazing into his dark eyes, and nodded.
“I really, really love you, Thacker Morris,” I said. He winced like I’d slapped him, and then he gathered me up against his chest, squeezing me tightly. I could feel his wet cheeks as he kissed me with everything he had, and I kissed him back, knowing that no matter how non-traditional our situation was, our connection was everything. It was the only thing that mattered.
I loved him, as much as I loved Rowan and Jamie. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, this time last year. But now my life was fuller than it had ever been.
And, lucky girl that I was, so was my bed.
93.
Hope
“Oh, I can’t watch,” Jeanine said, covering her eyes with her hands.
“You have to!” I shouted, laughing as I grabbed her wrists and tugged. “Lars is playing the best game of his life!” Every shift, he came out and literally mopped the ice, annihilating the fast, wiry boys from Las Vegas. It was getting to the point where they were afraid to go after the puck, afraid Lars would come flying out of nowhere and give them the lumber straight to the teeth if they even looked at it.
Jamie, on the other hand, had no fear. He was racing from one net to the other like the wind. But despite how well they were playing, the championship game wasn’t a runaway. They were tied, one-to-one in the second round. The Casper Memorial Arena was unexpectedly packed. There were even more people in the stands than during last year’s run for the ship. Rumors had leaked to the press after Kane was cut from the team, and now eagle-eyed fans were not only watching Reid Wright in the stands behind me but also his bestie James Larsson who, they’d heard, was embroiled in a polyamorous sex scandal with Reid’s sister.
As the sister in question, I was grateful to be surrounded by my people. Lola, Reid, and all the guys were there, as were Mom and Dad and the rest of the WAGs. I was lying low, but I was not hiding. In fact, I was wearing Jamie’s jersey proudly, for all to see. But I also had my Hawks cap pulled down over my eyes, and my entire girl squad had escorted me to my seat, with Will and Nate, Dallas and Xander, and Reid and Huck securing the perimeter as my de facto bodyguards. There was a heavier-than-usual sports media presence, and one intrepid reporter had already ambushed me outside the Hawks’ locker room, asking for “clarification on my relationship to Captain James Larsson and Head Coach Rowan Wilder.” Thacker was the only one missing from the fray on that important day, but he’d be here as soon as he could get Ronnie rolling in the kitchen. It was her first Saturday night flying solo, and I was thankful for the time off. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if I couldn’t be here for this all-too-important game.
Lola squeezed my hand as Jamie knocked the puck into the net and put another point up on the board, bringing the Hawks into the lead as the buzzer signaled the end of round two. Our entire section jumped to their feet, screaming, as the team skated back to the locker room. Jamie was last, and he blew a kiss at me over his shoulder as he disappeared into the tunnel. I could feel eyes burning into me from every side, but I didn’t care. I was no longer concerned about the opinions of strangers. I’d chosen this life, I’d chosen these men, and I didn’t care who knew it. I had nothing left to hide. But I also wasn’t about to hand the media a fumbled, off-the-cuff quote that might be taken out of context. Reporters had been stalking Lola and me around the stadium like a bunch of jackals. Luckily, I had my best friend's experience to guide me.
