Page 29 of Leave Me Not: Nick & Elissa #2 (Badger Creek Duet #8)

29

NICK

I t’s been two weeks since Gerry called with the news about my contract, but it’s been two full on weeks where I’ve barely had a moment to breathe. I’d given Gemma her interview, not holding back on everything that had happened to me. I knew the story was dropping soon, but I wasn’t worried. I’m glad something is being done about it all. My career might be over, but that didn’t mean I wanted anyone else to go through what I’ve gone through.

“How’s the knee?” Lis asks as she walks into the living room, dropping onto the couch beside me. I’d also had the second surgery on my knee last week, knowing I needed to get the extra damage that had been caused by jumping too soon fixed sooner or later. It wasn’t like I’d be skiing anytime soon anyway, and I just wanted to get it done.

With a grin I hoist her over so she’s sitting in my lap. “It’s good,” I reply, leaning in to kiss her neck as my hand moves to her tiny bump.

“Not too sore?” Lis asks, looping her arms around my neck.

“Not sore at all,” I murmur, kissing a path to her jaw. “But something about this certainly feels familiar,” I add, shifting Lis so she’s straddling me, my right leg in a brace and propped up on the coffee table.

She smirks, her arms resting on my shoulders as she looks down at me. “Certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when I showed up at your house that day you came back,” she says, her fingers playing with my hair.

“Didn’t exactly put up much of a fight though, did you?” I tease, my lips brushing hers.

Lis laughs. “Of course not. I still wanted you so bad.”

Chuckling, I slip my hands around to her ass, gripping it hard as I pull her closer. “I want you more and more, with every day, Lis,” I whisper. “I can’t ever get enough of you.”

“Yeah, I’ve kinda noticed,” she says, before closing the distance between us and kissing me.

I groan, my grip on her ass tightening as I grind her against me, lifting my hips a little as I press my hard-on against her. “You’re just so fucking gorgeous, Lis,” I murmur against her mouth. “I can’t resist.”

She smiles, sliding her hand down my chest and over my stomach before she slips it into the front of my track pants. Just as she grips my dick though, a knock sounds at the front door.

“Fuck, ignore it,” I groan.

Lis laughs, pulling her hand from my track pants. “We can’t ignore it; you know Ethan said he was dropping by.”

“Don’t care,” I reply, nuzzling her neck.

She climbs off my lap now, a smile on her face as she says, “I’ll get the door.”

“Babe,” I plead, reaching for her hand. “How the fuck can I talk to Ethan with this?” I ask, gesturing to my dick which is currently pitching a tent in my sweats.

Lis laughs, reaching for a cushion and placing it in my lap. “There,” she says, and I growl in frustration. “Promise I’ll make it up to you,” she adds, giving me a quick kiss before she walks off to answer the door.

“You better!” I call out, Lis’ laugh echoing back to me.

I hear the door open, the sound of voices, before Lis reappears with not just Ethan, but also Jeff. “Hey,” I say, grateful I have the excuse of my knee, so I don’t have to get up considering the boner I’ve currently got.

“Hi, how’s the knee going?” Ethan asks, shaking my hand before taking a seat on the couch, Jeff doing the same.

“Yeah, all good,” I reply. “Glad I don’t have the crutches this time.”

“Prognosis with it all?” Jeff asks.

I shove a hand through my hair as I blow out a breath. “Pretty good. Got months of rehab ahead of me, but that’s cool, I can handle that. Probably be able to ski by next winter too.”

“Wow, that’s good news,” Jeff says, smiling.

“Yeah,” I respond, grabbing Lis’ hand and pulling her down onto the couch beside me. I drop my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Gonna have to be a downhill skier now though. No jumping for me anymore.”

“I can give you a hand with that,” Lis teases, her hand squeezing my thigh as she gives me a cheeky smile.

Grinning, I lean in and give her a quick kiss, murmuring, “I’ll hold you to that.”

Smiling, Lis turns to our guests. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Beers?” I suggest.

“Yeah, I’ll take a beer, thanks,” Ethan says with a shrug, as Jeff nods in agreement.

Lis heads into the kitchen, returning with three beers and a glass of water for herself, before she says, “You want me to?—”

“Stay, babe,” I say, as I tug her back down to the couch again. Whatever this is about, I want Lis to be here for it. I don’t ever want to keep anything from her ever again.

Even if I have no idea what this is about. When Ethan had texted me earlier today asking if he could come over and run something by me, I’d said yes without even asking what it was about. He hadn’t elaborated and he hadn’t mentioned anything about Jeff being involved either.

“So I’m guessing you’re wondering what this is all about?” Ethan asks, sitting back on the couch.

“Well I mean, maybe you just wanted to come see how my surgery went?” I suggest with a laugh.

“Definitely,” Ethan replies, chuckling. “And I also want to offer you a job.”

“What?” I stutter, nearly choking on my beer.

Ethan laughs again, glancing at Jeff briefly before turning back to me. “A job,” he repeats. “As head coach at the ski academy.”

I blink once, turning to Lis who is sitting beside me, her hand over her mouth as she takes in Ethan’s words. “Head coach?” I repeat, turning back to Ethan.

“Yep.”

I let out a quick laugh. “I mean, shit, no offense dude, I know you’re not a skier or anything, but me? Head coach? You sure you wanna do that? There must be plenty of better options out there.”

Ethan laughs again, nodding his head. “Yeah, I’ll give you that, I don’t know much about skiing, but I do happen to know some people who know an awful lot about skiing. People whose opinion I trust very much.”

I turn to Jeff. “This was your idea?”

“Hmmm, I’d say it was a group decision,” he says, smiling. “Actually, I think it was Zoey who suggested it first, but when she and Ethan mentioned it to me, I was a hundred percent onboard. I think it’s a great idea.”

I’m shaking my head before he’s even finished speaking. “Okay, now I’m confused,” I say. “Are you involved in the ski academy too?”

Jeff laughs, taking a sip of his beer before he says, “Well, Ethan has given me first run at sponsorship options on all new recruits and considering our relationship with you, he wanted my opinion on it all.”

“Yeah, but I’m not skiing anymore, so I guess…I don’t know, I assumed this.” I pause, gesturing between me and Jeff. “Our business relationship anyway, is over.”

This gets me another laugh as Jeff leans forward a little, shaking his head. “No way,” he says, smiling. “I’m actually here to renegotiate all of that because I’m also offering you a job.”

“Okay, what the hell?” I ask, even more confused.

“Brand ambassador,” Jeff says, still smiling. “For Holden. You might not be competing anymore, Nick, but you have a huge online presence and with you taking on the head coaching job at the academy, that is only going to grow. I personally can’t think of a better person to represent us. Can you?”

“I certainly can’t,” Ethan says, smiling. “Whole thing sounds perfect to me.”

I turn to Lis, not sure what to say to any of this. With my ski career over, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I’d never really thought beyond skiing competitively, not even giving it a second thought when I dropped out of college to pursue that dream. Back then, everything had felt possible, and I’d never even stopped to consider what would happen if I got injured or couldn’t ski or things didn’t play out the way I expected them too.

And it’s safe to say that nothing has played out the way I expected it to over the past few months. But I’m totally okay with it all. My competitive skiing career is over, but I’m okay with that. And while I pretty much figure I have no real job prospects in addition to a fucked knee, I also figure I’ll work all that stuff out. Because at the end of the day, what I do have is Lis and she is the most important thing in the world to me. Her and the baby.

So yeah, while it’s a relief not to have to pay back any of my signing bonuses, especially given everything, I’m pretty damn happy with how my life is playing out.

Besides, I always just assumed I’d find something to do at Badger Creek. Maybe more along the lines of lessons or even just working in the lodge with Lis. Not head coach at the amazing ski academy Ethan is opening and brand ambassador for Holden Winter Gear.

Lis smiles up at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she squeezes my hand in hers.

“Are you serious?” I ask, my question directed at both Ethan and Jeff.

They both nod, as Ethan says, “You don’t have to decide now. I get that coaching might not be what you want to do, but we wanted to run it by you. Let you know what was on the table.”

“I just…sorry, I’m just... I don’t even know what to say. Are you really sure about this? Seriously? I have no experience being a coach.”

Ethan nods, taking a swig of his beer. “Yeah, I get that, but you’ll have your pick of hires to help you out. You’re free to pick whoever, but I know Alexander Mikhail is looking for a new gig, so…”

“Alexander Mikhail?” I repeat, knowing this guy is like a skiing god. Three-time Olympic gold medalist and possibly one of the best aerial skiers ever. Not to mention his record as a coach for the Canadian team. “Why aren’t you making him head coach? He’d be much better than me.”

Ethan laughs. “First of all, that’s an unfair assessment, Nick. I might not know skiing, but I know a great career when I see one and while yours might have been cut short, it was still really great.”

“Yeah, and I feel like Zoey might have been talking me up a bit too much,” I say, and Ethan just laughs.

“She’s not the only one,” he says, glancing at Lis beside me. “Also, Alexander doesn’t want to be head coach. He’s at the end of his career and what he wants is to mentor someone else, teach them everything he knows. Someone like you.”

“But it would be my decision if we bring him on?” I ask, the idea of this already starting to sink in.

“It is. We’ve had a conversation, and he knows you are part of the plan, part of where we see things going.”

“And he’s okay with it?”

Ethan laughs again. “More than okay with it. He’s a big fan of yours, Nick.”

I blow out a breath, still trying to process all of this as I turn to Lis again who is smiling up at me. “What do you think about this?” I ask, knowing her opinion is the one that matters the most to me.

Her smile widens as she takes my hand in both of hers. “I think all of it sounds amazing,” she whispers. “But I want you to do what makes you happy, Nick. That’s all that matters to me.”

And there it is. Elissa putting me first, pushing me to do what I want. She’s always been like this; from the moment I met her. It’s why I got as far as I did because she always backed me, pushed me to be more, supported me even when it cost her, cost us.

She has always been my biggest fan and my greatest supporter; my rock. And now it’s my turn to be that for her.

“Would there be travel involved?” I ask, turning back to Ethan, knowing there must be if our recruits are going to compete at meets.

“Yeah,” he says with a nod. “But it’s all flexible. And of course, I’m okay with you bringing family along when you do travel. Hell, we might have the next Olympic champion on the way there,” he adds, tipping his head toward Lis.

“Hell yes, and that kid is totally wearing Holden too,” Jeff chimes in, making me and Lis laugh.

I suck in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I try to process all of this. It’s way more than I ever could have expected, and I quite literally have no idea what to say.

“I’ll support whatever decision you make, Nick,” Lis says, her words low, her mouth close to my ear as though she senses how overwhelmed I am by all of this. “I just want you to be happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

I curl my hand around the back of her neck and bring her close, so our foreheads are touching. “Yeah, and all I want is for you to be happy.”

She smiles now. “I am happy. I have you.”

“Always,” I whisper, giving her a quick kiss, before I turn back to our guests. “I really have no words for what you guys are offering me. Honestly it feels like way too much and so not what I deserve. But…” I pause, lifting Lis’ hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. “I would seriously be honored to do both jobs. So if you’re really sure about this, I’m in.”

Jeff claps his hands together as Ethan smiles. “We are, Nick, absolutely. Welcome to the team,” he says, standing as he holds out his hand to me.

Jeff and Ethan stay for another drink, the four of us talking over our ideas for the academy and staff hires and plans for the future. I actually can’t remember being this excited over something in forever and I still cannot believe how fucking lucky I’ve gotten.

Just before they leave, Jeff hands me an envelope, telling me to open it when they’ve left.

“What is it?” I ask, turning it over in my hands.

Jeff smiles, pulling me in for a quick hug. “Just something you deserve, Nick,” he says, slapping my back.

After Lis and I say goodbye, Lis turns to me and asks, “Wow, that was…”

“Yeah,” I reply, still blown away by everything.

“We should celebrate. What do you feel like for dinner? Do you want to stay in, go out?”

“Um, pretty sure I know what I’m having for dinner,” I say as I close the front door, grabbing her hand and hauling her against me. Lis laughs, her hands resting on my chest as I slide mine down to her ass and press her against me. “If memory serves, babe, you promised you were going to make something up to me?”

“Did I say that?” she teases, hitting me with a smirk.

Chuckling, I lean down and press a soft kiss to her lips. “Yeah, you did.”

She smiles, pressing up on her toes to kiss me again. “Well in that case,” she murmurs.

“Hang on, let me see what this is first,” I say, holding up the envelope Jeff gave me. Lis watches as I open it, my eyes scanning the letter, my heart pounding in my chest as I take in the words.

“What is it?” she asks.

“It’s…it’s… holy shit. It’s compensation,” I say, looking at her.

“Seriously?” she asks, knowing neither of us believed this was something I would get. To be honest, we both just hoped for me not having to pay my bonuses back, neither of us wanting to be saddled with that much debt before we’d even got started.

“Yeah, seriously,” I tell her. “Says here that Holden went after the coach and the team admin. Damaging an asset apparently, even though he insists in this letter I’m way more than just an asset to them.”

“Holy shit,” Lis whispers.

“Um, yeah,” I say.

“Can I…I mean, is it much?”

I pull the check from the paperclip and turn it toward Lis, watching as her eyes widen at the amount, at the number of zeros there are.

“Oh my god,” she says, her eyes flicking back to mine. “Nick, this is…this…”

“This is fucking huge, babe!” I shout, wrapping my arms around her as I press kisses to her cheeks, her jaw, and her lips.

Lis laughs, her arms slipping around my waist as she kisses me back. “It’s the very least you deserve,” she whispers. “I’m so proud of you, Nick, for everything.”

I cup her jaw, my thumb brushing along her cheekbone. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Lis.”

“I love you too,” she says, smiling up at me.

“Everything is going to be so good, babe, I promise. You, me and our little bean,” I say, sliding my hand onto her stomach. “We are going to be so fucking happy.”

“We are,” she whispers, a tear falling down her cheek. “I mean, I already am.”

Laughing, I pull her in for a deep kiss, slow and intense. “Me too. So fucking happy,” I whisper against her mouth. “But if we could get back to that promise…”

Lis laughs, kissing me once more as she pulls me back into the living room and makes good on what we were starting earlier.