Page 9

Cassie

Gabe: There’s a box for you at the front door.

Me: I didn’t order anything.

Gabe: Maybe I ordered something for YOU.

Me: Ooooo, is it kinky?

Gabe: That depends on how you look at it.

Gabe: I should mention there’s something in there for Kenz as well.

Me: Oh. I know what it is.

Gabe: Do you?

Me: You’re forgetting I have a hockey brother, Gabe. I know these things.

Gabe: Alright. What did I send you?

Me: Jerseys.

Gabe: And?

Me: There’s MORE?

Me: You. Did. Not.

Gabe: Those are ONLY for you. Don’t you even think about somehow getting them on Mackenzie.

Me: Where did you even find panties with your number on them?

Gabe: The internet is a vast place, Firecracker. One can achieve anything one’s heart desires with a Black Amex and overnight shipping.

Me: Wise words.

Gabe: Can’t wait to see both of my girls wearing my number tonight.

Me: We can’t wait to watch our favorite hockey guy on the ice.

Gabe: Your favorite?

Me: Don’t tell Grant.

Gabe: Too late.

Grant: WHAT THE FUCK, CASSANDRA

Me: Oh, shut up. Like you’ve never picked a puck bunny over me before.

Grant: I’ve never picked a puck bunny over you.

Me: …

Grant: That’s probably a lie.

Me: It is. If you’d like, I bet I can go through my camera roll and find at least five examples of times you’ve made bad decisions with women.

Grant: Let’s not take that trip down memory lane.

Me: Probably wise.

Grant: So you and Daws. I never would have thought to pair you up, but honestly, I don’t know why. You’re kinda perfect for each other.

Me: Why?

Grant: You’re both homebodies. Probably more introverted than either of you realize. But I think you’re going to complement each other as well. You’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of girl, and he is more likely to see the glass as empty, or broken.

Me: Are you saying you think he’s broken?

Grant: No, not at all. He’s a realist. Your head can be stuck in the clouds. He might bring you back down to earth while you’ll show him how much fun dreaming can be.

Me: That was remarkably poetic, big brother.

Grant: I have my moments.

Grant: Hey, did you ever get in touch with Teagan?

Me: I left a message, but she didn’t call me back.

Grant: Damn. Okay. I guess she’ll reach out again if she really does need something.

I hate lying to my brother, but I saw how broken Teagan was, and I want to give her a little time to come up with a solution. It probably won’t do any good to tell him I’ve been in contact with Teagan, and I’m meeting her soon for lunch.

Gabe left me the cutest little set of noise-canceling infant headphones, and once I put those on Mackenzie, I can’t stop fawning over her. I snap one picture of her gummy grin in the ensemble and fire it off to Gabe before we leave our house. Wait. His house. It’s not mine. I guess it’s their house. What’s going to happen now? Am I dating Gabe? He’s called me his girl, but we haven’t clarified anything. If something happens that sours this — whatever this is — I better have a backup plan. I love my brother, but if I have to stay at his place again, I don’t think we’ll both survive.

Once Mackenzie is safely secured in her rear-facing car seat, we head to the arena in downtown Denver. Gabe gave me a special parking pass to park in the lot where the players and family park, right next to the arena, which is a significant relief. The thought of something terrible happening while I’m handling such precious cargo gives me a lot of anxiety.

Upon entering the arena, I immediately put the noise-canceling headphones on Mackenzie, as it’s already loud. A quick check of my phone tells me they’re still thirty minutes from the puck drop, but the energy in the arena is palpable. Gabe and Grant told me they think this is the best team they’ve had in quite some time, and they think it’s their year to win the Cup.

“Ms. McNally?” I hear and turn to find a kind older man smiling at me. “I’m Shepherd. Mr. Dawson asked me to help escort you and Miss Dawson to your seat. Is there anything you think you might need?”

“Uh, no? I thought I’d be in a suite or something, though.”

“Mr. Dawson wanted you to be by the ice for warmups and the beginning of the first period. Then he took it upon himself to set you up in a suite where some other wives and girlfriends like to watch the games.”

“Okay,” I mutter. As soon as we begin walking down the concrete steps to the first row — because, of course, Gabe would have us front and center — I see a line of Wolves waiting for our arrival. Well, probably not me. Mostly Mackenzie.

The look on Gabe’s face is priceless. I swear, if I let him, he’d carry Mackenzie around the ice a la The Lion King , and expect everyone to sing Circle of Life . The pride emanating from this man is spectacular. But then I see his teammates, including my brother, and they’re all ready to fawn over little Miss Mackenzie in her adorable little number nine jersey.

Growing up with Grant, I’m well aware of how hockey teams become family, but I’ve never felt part of one … until now. Each guy makes eye contact with me, and the ones I’ve met, Jax, Luca, and Levi, speak to me through the glass. When it comes to my brother, he winks at me. “Motherhood looks good on you, Cass.”

“What?” I gasp.

“You heard me. You’re beaming, little sister.” He knocks twice on the glass, then pushes off the wall and skates back over to the bench, leaving only Gabe at the wall.

“Hi,” he says with a lopsided grin.

“Hi,” I giggle.

He motions for me to show him Mackenzie in her jersey, then swivels his hand around to have me turn. I do, but keep my eyes on him. I don’t miss the darkening of his gaze as he stares at his number on my back. “Hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, Firecracker.”

“Guess you’ll have to tell me if it’s hotter when I’m in only this when you get home tonight,” I tell him sassily.

“Fuck,” he whispers as he casts his eyes upward. When his eyes meet mine again, he says, “If you stay the entire game, ask one of the wives to take you down to the locker room. I’ll shower as fast as I can.”

I nod, then blush as Gabe’s intense eyes don’t falter. Removing a glove, he puts his hand against the glass and motions for me to do the same. I cover his hand with mine, then quickly grab Mackenzie’s hand and put hers against his. Her tiny hand against his massive one is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Gabe’s responding grin is massive, but I’m shocked at what he says next.

“I love you,” he blurts out, then pushes off the ice and skates away backward. Gabe gives me a soft smile and a wink before turning to exit the ice. I’m silent, completely ill-equipped to process what he said. He loves me? No, he meant Mackenzie. He had to. Right? We’ve only been dating — or whatever this is — for all of twenty-four hours. Granted, we met a few months ago, but can he really mean it?

And why do I feel like shouting it right back to him?

This is insanity. I barely know Gabe.

But I know he brings me a peace I didn’t know I craved. And his daughter is already such an integral part of my soul. I’ve always been the ‘live out loud’ kind of person. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’ve blurted out feelings within a few weeks of dating almost every guy I’ve ever been with.

So why am I second-guessing my feelings now? Am I finally acting mature in a relationship, or is this the actual first time I’m in love, and I want to ensure it sticks? I settle into my seat as both teams exit the ice, my thoughts fully centered on the hot right winger who seems to have stolen my heart without me even knowing it.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve fully engaged in a hockey game. Even when Grant traveled to Seattle, I typically couldn’t find the time to attend his games. I forgot how I can get engrossed in the action. The crowd, which was loud before, has taken it up a notch. As the end of the first period nears, I can tell Mackenzie is getting restless. There’s no way the noise-canceling headphones are keeping this racket out of her sensitive ears. I decide during the break, I’ll go find the suite where the other wives and girlfriends tend to watch the games.

I giggle gleefully to myself. I’m an NHL WAG. That’s something I never thought I’d say.

The game has been tense, with no goals so far, and there is a clear battle of defenses. According to my brother, Denver and San Francisco have never played well together. With only thirty seconds left in the first period, Denver has a power play, and I shout when I see that Gabe has a breakaway. I immediately stand and watch, my breath held tightly in my chest, as he fakes to the left, then shoots from the right. The red light above the net shines brightly as the arena erupts. Gabe is swarmed by his teammates, then immediately skates across the ice to stand in front of me. His grin is contagious as he stares at the two of us and mouths, “That was for you, Firecracker.”

Mackenzie finally lets it be known that she’s done with the noise and opens her mouth to scream. Gabe points up in the direction of the suites, and I nod. He blows a kiss before jumping over the boards by the bench.

Climbing the stairs, I’m immediately met by Shepherd, the gentleman from before.

“How did you know I was coming?” I ask when we get behind the stands.

“Mr. Dawson called to tell me you were ready to head up to the suite,” he answers.

“They have a phone at the bench? Could you even hear him?” I ask incredulously.

Shepherd chuckles. “I’ve been doing this a long time, ma’am. I can understand the players most of the time.”

As we board an elevator to the suites, I’m suddenly incredibly anxious. I don’t know any of these women. They might be standoffish or obnoxious. Most of the women from Grant’s time in high school and college treated me pretty abysmally in private but were nice to my face in front of Grant. I really don’t know what to expect.

As soon as Shepherd ushers me into the suite, a woman is waiting for me.

“Cassie?” she asks, a southern accent appearing in my name. She’s quite a bit shorter than me, with curly blonde hair, and she looks to be newly pregnant. One hand cups her tiny baby bump as she waits for me to answer.

“Hi, yes, I’m Cassie,” I say, extending a hand to her.

She giggles. “Girl, I’m from Georgia. I’m a hugger.”

I’m engulfed in a hug, and I don’t even know this girl’s name. “And you are?”

“Shit,” she mutters. “Obviously, Gabe didn’t tell you about me. I’m Hannah. I’m Luca’s girlfriend.”

“Oh! Gabe mentioned you to me, but he didn’t tell me you’d be waiting for me tonight.”

“I don’t usually come to the games anymore. We’ve moved into Luca’s house in Eternity Springs full-time, and it’s about an hour from here. But Gabe wanted you to have a friendly face tonight, and he begged Luca to ask if I could come.”

“Oh, that was nice of him,” I tell her bashfully. Gabe certainly did put a lot of thought into things for tonight.

Hannah smiles. “He’s pretty gone for you. All the guys said if he isn’t talking about his daughter, he’s talking about you.”

I smile down at Mackenzie. “Talking about her, I can understand. She’s pretty special.”

“Give yourself some credit, girl. He talked about you before you started nannying for him. Luca said he wouldn’t shut up about the amazing night he had with you and how bummed he was when he came back after getting breakfast and you were gone.”

“Seriously?” I ask, my mouth agape.

Hannah nods. “You know how women gossip in the bathroom? Evidently, men gossip in the locker room. And my sweet man can’t keep secrets, so I hear about everything. Her name is Mackenzie, right? Can I hold her?”

“Oh, of course. How far along are you?” I ask as Hannah carefully takes Kenzie out of my arms.

“About five months,” she says as she coos at Mackenzie. My girl stares up at Hannah in wonderment, and I realize this is the first time she’s ever been held by another woman. Well, I’m sure nurses held her, but from the moment she came home with Gabe, I’ve been the only one to hold her.

Wait.

I called Mackenzie mine, didn’t I?

Oh my God.

“Are you okay?” Hannah whispers, and I notice my eyesight is foggy as emotion clogs my vision.

“In my head, I called her mine,” I confess.

“And you’re sad about that?” Hannah asks, her brow furrowed in concentration.

“No. Yes. No. I just really want her to be mine, I think.”

“That’s okay, Cassie. You’ve been the only momma she’s known. You were bound to develop a connection and attachment to her.”

“It’s just …” I trail off.

“You’re worried about something bad happening that means Gabe and Mackenzie aren’t part of your life anymore,” Hannah states, and I nod. Damn. This girl is remarkably intuitive. “I don’t think you should live life in fear. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? I want to live in love. I’d rather experience love than choose fear.”

“That’s true,” I murmur as I watch Hannah loving on Mackenzie. “Oh! Do you know what you’re having?”

“A girl,” she whispers, a beaming smile covering her face. “But we haven’t told anyone yet. And don’t try to redirect, ma’am. I want the scoop on you and Gabe.”

I sigh. “I think he may have just told me he loves me? But that can’t be correct. Right? We’ve been dating all of a second.”

Hannah smiles softly. “Luca says he knew the moment he met me that I’d change his life, and within a couple weeks, he was ready to risk it all. You can’t put love on a timeline.”

“I guess —” I’m interrupted as all the women in the suite gasp, and I look at the jumbotron screen to see Gabe lying motionless on the ice. I gasp and unconsciously grab Mackenzie from Hannah’s arms, as if holding a piece of Gabe will either make me feel better or get him to stand up. The screen replays the incident, and I see a San Francisco player shove Gabe hard into the boards. When another Wolves player hits the two of them, all three go onto the ice. But Gabe doesn’t get up immediately.

And that’s when the camera zooms in on Gabe’s face, and I see a sizable gash on his jaw.

Every person in the suite is completely silent except for me. I’m chanting, “This is normal. Hockey injuries happen. He’s fine. Daddy’s fine. This happens.”

When I see Gabe move his arm, I sigh in relief. He waves the trainer away and carefully rises to his feet. I’m studying his movements, knowing exactly what a player will look like after a concussion. Gabe seems to be moving quite fluidly. He’s ushered off the ice, probably to get looked at regardless.

The moment his helmet disappears from view, I have one hell of an epiphany.

I’m in love with Gabe. I love him , love him.

If something happened to him tonight, I’d be devastated.

Turning to Hannah, I don’t even need to speak before she nods. “I’ll take you down.”

We swiftly walk to the elevator, and Hannah speaks quietly to a security guard. “Marshall can take you down to the players’ area, Cassie. Can I get your number from Gabe if it’s alright with you? I’m sure he’ll give it to Luca. I’d love to have coffee or lunch with you next week.”

“I’d love that, Hannah. It was wonderful to meet you,” I tell her warmly.

Marshall gestures for me to enter the elevator. As we’re descending, he looks at Mackenzie. “Gabe talks about her all the time. Both of you, actually. If I didn’t know the situation, I’d have said she looks like you.”

“Really?” I say emotionally.

He nods as we reach the floor and step off the elevator. “She has your nose.”

I giggle, thinking about how amusing it is that it made my day for someone to say Mackenzie resembles me. I’m about to respond when I hear a crash.

“Are you fucking done? Come on! My girl is here, I need to get back on the motherfucking ice!” Gabe bellows.

“Uh, maybe we should wait a moment or two,” Marshall says hastily, stepping in front of me. I shove him aside and move into the room where Gabe is getting stitched up.

Everyone stops when they see me, but when Gabe’s eyes meet mine, I forget anyone else is in the room. “Did you tell me you love me?”

Gabe smiles softly. “You came all the way down here to ask me that?”

“Answer the question. Were you telling me or Mackenzie?”

I vaguely notice people quietly leaving the room as Gabe motions for me to approach him. He’s sitting on an exam table, and it makes it so we are at eye level with each other. Gabe reaches up to gently move my hair behind my ear. “I was telling you, baby.”

My eyes fill with tears. “Really?”

“Yeah. I love you, Cassie. I’m in love with you,” he whispers, leaning forward to place a tender kiss against my lips.

“I love you too,” I breathe. “I saw you go down, and I think I had this epiphany that I was in love with you, and I worried that I wouldn’t get to tell you. Hannah got me down here.”

“Babe, you know hockey injuries happen.”

“I know,” I say fretfully. “But it’s never happened like this. When my heart was on the line. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. In such a short time, you’ve become my rock. That’s really scary.”

“I feel the same way, Cass. And I’m glad you came down to tell me that. But I gotta get back on the ice,” he says with a chuckle.

“Crap. The game is still going on. But you don’t need to impress me, Gabe. I’m in awe of what you do on the ice.”

“Thanks, Firecracker,” he whispers, giving me another quick peck before he jumps off the exam table. With his skates on, he towers over me. “You’re incredibly short like this.”

“I wish I had my skates so I could at least be back to our normal height difference.”

“You have skates?” he asks as he puts his helmet back on.

“Of course I do. I wasn’t about to let Grant do all the skating growing up,” I tease.

“If you tell me you played hockey, I’m liable to request some extra time on the ice just to see you all geared up,” he says huskily. I don’t know if I’d call it playing hockey, whatever I did, but there were pucks and sticks, and I certainly could hit the damn thing. Just don’t ask me to move at the same time. But Gabe doesn’t need to know that ... yet.

I cock my head, backing up toward the exit, grinning mischievously. “I have a wicked slapshot.”

I hear Gabe’s deep groan as I walk out the door.