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When we’re leading 3-0, Galena’s coach has no options but to put in Erik. He’s by far their best player and is on his way to the NHL. Our coach mixes it up and puts Wynward in with me and Flynn. He’s healing from his injury, and Coach wants to see where he’s at.
Erik has the puck and instead of passing it, he tries to take me one on one. Big fucking mistake.
I steal the puck and do a spin move with my back to our goal and skate behind it. He’s trying to catch up, but he’s not fast enough, and I score with a sweet wraparound goal.
Erik trips me as I start to celebrate, and my teammates do my job, slamming into him. I stand there with less than a minute in the game, feeling for the first time the icy ground beneath my feet is as solid as it’s ever been.
The celebration continues when I come out of the tunnel and meet Brooke, Caleb, my friends, and family in the waiting area. My jaws hurt from smiling. Caleb leaps from his mom’s arms to mine. He talks a mile a minute. He loves hockey as much as I do. Instead of taking Brooke on a private date, I ask everyone to go downtown to the park where they have a small ice skating rink.
We rent skates for Caleb, and our fathers take the ice together for the first time in twenty-something years. They’re enjoying themselves, reminiscing and competing.
Kandy came too. She’s a bit of a mystery but fun underneath those glasses.
Sitting on the bench, I lace Caleb up, while Brooke shows off her figure skating skills, twirling and jumping in the air. Her ponytail swings out as she spins so fast, it appears blue with water fountains shooting up behind her. When she stops, her cheeks are red, and her eyes sparkle.
While I finish tying his skates, Caleb claps along with the rest of our crew as she skates towards us. “You’re amazing and beautiful,” I say, kissing her in front of everyone. “You could teach Caleb to be a figure skater, or a I could teach him to be a hockey player.”
She says, “I want him to be just like you and my dad. There are no two men in the world better for him to emulate.”
Harper, Logan, Lettie, and Dane let out a collective sigh. “Aww.”
Under the night sky and the valentine lighting displays, we each hold Caleb’s hand as his blades touch the ice for the first time. Something tells me it won’t be the last.
Epilogue
BROOKE - THREE MONTHS LATER
Devastated over losing in the semifinals of the Frozen Four Championships, Reed sits on the edge of the bed. Bruises spot his body. I crawl along the mattress and gently press my lips against the one on his lower back and wind around to the ones on his obliques. His muscles are tight, and I feel his body soften as I kiss each purple spot.
“I never asked why your favorite color is purple. And I’m wondering why.”
He glances over his shoulder and expels a breath. “The bruises were always proof that I fought back against my stepdad. That I fought hard to win every game. I would look in the mirror and when they turned purple with shades of blue and yellow around the edges, I thought they were beautiful— a badge of honor.”
“And how do you feel now? Do you still love your purple bruises?” I place my finger under his chin, rotating his face towards mine and kiss his lips.
He twists his body, and I feel him wince. “Each bruise is a reminder, but since you plopped into the hammock with your big-ass tote, my favorite color is now green. Because I love your green eyes rimmed with gold. And I love the green sexy lingerie you’re wearing right now.”
I run my fingers over his chest and down to his abs.
“Miss Sweet, are you trying to make me feel better?”
“Yes, Mr. Cross, I am.”
My hand roams low enough to unfold the towel wrapped around his waist. His erection pops up, and I gently caress it while sucking on his neck. Reed relaxes into me as he utters, “You’re so fucking sexy, harder… slower… you make me feel like a king.”
He removes my hand as he moves onto the bed, covering my body with his. “I know you want to ride me, but I don’t think my ribs can handle the pressure of your hands.” He kisses the inside of my thighs, fondling my center until my folds are soaked and the noise of his fingers slipping through makes me hungry for him. “So, put your ankles on my shoulders, Cookie,”
“I feel so vulnerable like this,” I say. “The anticipation.”
His lips press against my calf before placing my ankle back on his shoulder. “I know what you love. You love for me to make love to you hard a few times and end up weighing your body down with mine.”
He pushes his thick erection into me, and I moan at how he fills me completely. That still after all these months, it’s even better than the first time. He knows everything or more about what I like. Some things I wouldn’t admit aloud except to him. Because with Reed, I don’t hide who I am. I’m the person who loves to have sex with my boyfriend. He makes me feel so incredibly safe to do things I never imagined.
“I love you,” I say, holding onto his inked forearms, gazing onto the new tattoo on his chest. A cross. He went with his dad, and they both got one. It’s their promise to each other to be the best fathers they can be. Even though we’re not engaged, we both know that is the ultimate plan down the road.
He pumps faster and plunges deeper as he wraps his hand around my ankles, raising my ass off the mattress until he groans so loud and unloads inside me, and we reach the highest high together. It’s so much better when you love someone, and they know what to do to make your toes curl.
Reed eases my legs down and carefully lowers himself beside me. He traces my stomach, contemplating his words. “When I was driving to the NHL office, I passed a field of weeds. Hills and hills of mostly dead weeds. I thought it was a metaphor for my life. That I would never have a parent who loved me and that in no way did I deserve your love. When we took that same drive last weekend, the same field was filled with wildflowers. So many different colors and shapes blowing in the wind. That’s how I feel about my life now. It’s so full of love and changes. I can’t imagine my life without you and Caleb and all the color you bring to me. I love you.”
