Page 38

December

Jordan

“Are you awake yet?” she asks sleepily, smiling into the crook of my neck. I shake my head and she giggles, trailing her hand down and cupping my balls. Fuck.

“I need to get to work,” I grumble, stopping her hand and turning over to face her.

She looks adorable in one of my oversized shirts and nothing else.

Her bottom lip pops out in a pout, and I kiss it quickly.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” I say, trailing a few more pecks down her jaw and neck.

“Fine, I’ll allow it this time,” she says, pulling me back into a deeper kiss.

For the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I’m right where I belong.

I may be terrified of fucking this up again and losing her for good, but I can’t imagine not trying.

I can’t imagine a world without her in it.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her how much I love her, but something holds me back. I want her to know I’m all in before I start making promises.

We break apart when my alarm goes off and I put on my coaching tracksuit, ready to head to practice.

“Did I tell you how sexy you look in that, Coach ?” Alice says, running a finger down my bicep.

My eyebrows raise and I fight a smile as I look down at her trying to seduce me. As if she needs to. If I didn’t have to get to work, I’d be on her in an instant. “No, tell me,” I tease.

“Well, your ass especially is fucking fabulous,” she says, squeezing one of my cheeks.

I laugh and tip her head back to kiss her. “You are a devious little thing, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but I’m your devious little thing.”

I groan against her lips and use all my willpower to step away from my perfect girlfriend. “I’m sorry, I really do have to go. Will I see you at the game?”

“I’ll be there. I’m bringing a friend from work.”

“Okay, have a good day molding those young minds,” I say, and wrap her in a hug.

“Have a good day yelling at grown men on skates.”

“I don’t yell,” I scoff, grabbing a red Manticores winter hat and putting it on.

“Whatever you say, hotshot,” she says, biting her lip.

I walk backwards out of my own bedroom, admiring her naked legs and thick thighs that I wouldn’t mind having wrapped around me again.

“Practice is going to be pure torture when all I can think about is my sexy girlfriend,” I say with a wink, hearing her laughter echoing in the hall as I leave my apartment.

When I get to my car, I send Ash a quick text, thinking of an idea for Alice’s Christmas present.

Jordan

I have a huge favor to ask and you’re not going to like it.

Alice

The arena is packed by the time we get to our seats. Happy hour with Megan usually involves more than one drink and long-winded conversations about our crappy coworkers, none of which I mind. But I knew I had to cut it short today, which is why I invited her to see the game with me.

“So, I finally get to see the elusive Jordan in the flesh,” she says, pulling her beanie further down her ears to ward off the cold.

“You’ve seen pictures at least.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. I need to get a good read on him, you know? Really see what his vibes are if he’s here to stay for good this time.”

I sigh, feeling bad that Megan got the brunt of most of my complaints and heartbreak over Jordan. She’s seen me cry at work in between classes and in the break room. “Things are different now,” I say, a touch defensively.

“I’m not suggesting otherwise. I just want you to be happy, Al,” she says gently, squeezing my hand.

I squeeze hers back and say, “We’re figuring things out. It’s a good thing, I promise.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself. The truth is, I could tell Jordan was holding back today and all I want is for him to be open with me and be able to say what’s on his mind.

Right as my mind starts to wander, the announcer welcomes the Manticores to the ice, and I stand up, cheering. The seats Jordan has reserved under his name for the season are right by the home bench, so if I lean into the railing and pop my head over, I can see the players in the tunnel.

Tripp, the team’s new captain since Robbie retired, sees me and waves enthusiastically. I wave back and smile, reaching my hand down for a high five as they start getting on the ice.

The coaches and staff are the last ones to come out and I watch Jordan as he confidently takes his place behind the bench, looking like a million bucks in his charcoal grey suit that looks like it was tailor-made for him.

“Hey, hotshot,” I yell over at him, earning a glare from the nearest security attendant. All the coaches turn over to look at me at the same time and I bite my lip, laughing.

I wave at Jordan and turn around, showing him the jersey I’m wearing. It’s his old one with the number 20 stitched under “Hill”. It’s well-worn and frayed at the cuffs, but it’s my favorite one. And now I have a reason to wear it again. Now I have a reason to come to games again.

When I turn back around, I expect Jordan to be embarrassed, maybe sporting a blush on his pretty face, but instead he’s grinning from ear to ear.

Hand over his heart, he throws his head back and closes his eyes. When he looks back at me, all I see on his face is pure happiness. I blow him a kiss and he winks at me, just like he did this morning as he was walking away in his sexy-ass tracksuit.

I swoon and decide I’ve made enough of a scene for now. When I turn back to Megan I find her regarding Jordan with a curious expression on her angular face. She usually looks stoic, but there’s some softness to her now. “What?” I ask her, not sure I want to know what she’s thinking.

“I get it now,” she says as we continue to stand and turn to face the flag for the anthem.

“Get what?”

“That man is head over heels in love with you.”