Page 104 of Hockey Halloween

Jessica

Early November in Denver was crisp and cool — the perfect weather to sit by the fire pit in Xander's backyard and enjoy some wine with a gorgeous man by Jessica's side.

It was also calming after the past few days at her son's house.

She never felt like she wasn't wanted there and she always loved spending time with her son.

But there was something about the past few days that made her feel uneasy.

It had alot to do with that night in his kitchen when he found her making out with his captain.

Chase was still a bit bent out of shape about the whole thing and Jessica couldn't blame him. She should've been honest with him up front instead of holding on to this secret for so long.

"I can hear you thinking," Xander said from his spot next to her by the fire.

Jessica gave him a small smile and took a sip of her merlot. "The last few days have just been alot."

"I know." He reached over from his chair to grab her hand. "How are you doing with all of this?"

She leaned back in her chair and looked over at him. The fire was casting shadows on Xander's face that made his scruff look delicious and his eyes sparkle if that was even possible .

"I'm doing fine. Really." She gave him a reassuring smile that he seemed to easily return. "I'm really happy to be here with you, and I'm glad we don't have to sneak around anymore. But I still worry about Chase."

Xander nodded and took a sip from his wine glass. "He only scowled at me today, which is better than the openly hostile stare from the past few days. And he did remind me to be on time to pick you up."

"That kid always had a thing for punctuality."

She turned at looked back at the fire, remembering those morning skates that started at 5 a.m. when Chase would be up and ready to go before Jessica even rolled out of bed.

His favorite thing was to be on the ice and he always made sure they were on time so he could spend as many extra minutes as possible with his skates on.

He was a grown man now but still a stickler for being on time.

And he was still her son no matter how old he was.

Although sometimes she needed to remember he wasn't a kid anymore and could handle adult conversations.

She would need to remember that in the future too now that her relationship with Xander was becoming more serious.

"Jessica?"

"Yeah?"

Xander's hand tightened around hers and he could imagine the look on his face without even turning to him. "You know he'll come around," he told her reassuringly.

She took a deep breath and stared into the fire. "I know. I just wish I could speed that part up, but it's going to take time."

"I can talk to him when we're on our road trip if you want."

She shook her head. Xander and Chase played together and knew quite a bit about each other's personalities. But Jessica was his mother, and she knew him better than most people and definitely better than Xander.

"He's going to be stubborn and push back," she said. "Let him come to you. Plus, I'll be back in Toronto and working so maybe distance will help him adjust."

Xander was quiet from his seat next to her and she would've called him out for the same thing he chastised him for.

She could practically hear him thinking, but she couldn't quite make out what exactly he was thinking about.

Instead, she heard him pick up his glass to take another drink, then set it down on the arm of his chair next to her, the quiet falling over them in the dark night in his backyard.

"Would you ever think about moving out here?" Xander quietly asked her.

"I've thought about it."

She could feel Xander shift next to her, his hand pulling hers closer to him. "Jessica."

She turned to look at him again, his face warm and open but with that hint of seriousness that was well known across professional hockey. He took the game seriously, and Jessica had learned over the past several months that he took things in his personal life seriously as well.

"I'm not asking you to move in or anything, and this is probably a conversation that would be better to have in the off-season when my life has calmed down, but it would be nice to have you here in Denver more often." He gave her a lopsided smile. "Maybe even permanently."

"Well, my two favorite men live here." Xander gave her a teasing smile that she couldn't help but return. "And I have thought about it."

"And what have you thought?"

His voice was low, almost as if he didn't want her to hear so she couldn't give him an answer. It was the most vulnerable she had ever seen him, and she understood why because she felt the same way.

"I really would like to be here." She took a deep breath, willing her to say what she wanted to say. "Is it too soon to tell you that I think this could be a long-term thing?"

"Living in Denver?"

She leaned over, resting her elbow on the edge of the chair to be closer to him. "I mean, being with you."

The smile on his face out shined the fire even in the dark. "It's not too soon, Jessica. It really isn't. And I feel the same way. "

Xander leaned over and kissed her with soft lips against hers. He had the calloused hands of a hockey player but prided himself on his lip balm routine, and Jessica was very thankful for that.

She was also thankful for Xander. This is where she needed to be. With him. He wasn't like anyone else she had been with — even Chase's dad. He respected her, he cared about her, and he took care of her both physically and mentally. Yeah, she could see herself leaving Canada behind for him.

"You always taste so sweet," Xander murmured against her lips. "But I'd prefer to taste more of you inside."

She smiled against his lips. "I would like that very much. Why don't you kill the fire and I'll be waiting for you in your bedroom?"

Xander's growl vibrated against her, and it turned her on in a way she couldn't explain.

"Go."

His voice was dark and demanding now, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she could have her way with him.

So she did as she was told, picking up their wine glasses and carrying them inside.

She put them on the kitchen counter and had just started heading up the stairs when she heard Xander's footsteps stomping across the floor as if he was racing to get upstairs and see her.

She couldn't disappoint him, taking the stairs quicker than normal to make sure she was exactly where he wanted her to be.

Tonight, it would be in his bed. But someday, she hoped that where he wanted her to be would be more permanent than that and it sounded like he wanted the same thing.