Page 51

Fifty-One

Henry

I hate the fact we’re stuck having to spend most of our alone time at a hotel when we want to have sex, but she’s living with her parents, and I have Bodhi.

Jade is done filling in at St. Pat’s so I told her to pack an overnight bag, and that I’d pick her up right after I dropped Bodhi off at school. Juggling my time between them isn’t ideal, but I’d run myself into the ground to give them both the attention they deserve.

And this thing with Jade and I is just starting up again. I don’t want to miss an opportunity for us to cross the finish line this time.

I pull up to the curb outside her house and get out of the car to go get her, but she’s already running down the stairs with her bag slung over her shoulder.

“Hey!”

“I was going to come to the door,” I say, opening the passenger car door.

She inches up on her tiptoes and kisses me, and I reach over to slide the strap off her shoulder as her lips meet mine too briefly. “We’re past that. No one is home anyway.”

“That’s not why I do it.”

“I know, but I was too excited to wait.” She grins up at me.

I suck in a breath and try to act a little cooler than I’m feeling inside. I’d like to drive to the courthouse and marry her today, but I need to chill, not scare her off.

She slides into the car, and I shut the door, putting her bag next to mine in the trunk, and then climb into the car.

“I just love what you did to the car,” she says. “I’m surprised you’re taking it out in the winter.” Her hands run over the dash.

“What’s the point of owning it if I don’t allow myself to use it when I need it? And it hasn’t snowed yet. Plus, there are way too many memories in here not to drive this to our first overnight getaway together since we got back together.”

She smiles and buckles her seatbelt. I cross the center console and capture her lips again, hoping I can make the three-hour drive to our destination. Pulling over on the side of the road and asking her to straddle my lap wouldn’t be a good look when the police come knocking on our window and find the Falcons’ right wing’s dick inside his girlfriend.

“I can’t wait to get you naked tonight.” I pull away from her and insert the car key in the ignition.

“Just so you know, I brought that gift you gave me in Minnesota.” She flutters her eyes at me mischievously.

Fuck, this is going to be a rough three hours.

“You love to torture me, don’t you?”

“Torture you? You bought it for me to wear for you.”

“Yes, but not so I’d have to envision you in it on a three-hour car ride. We might have to make a pit stop.” I pull the car away from the curb and head down the street.

We pass St. Pat’s, and she puts her hand on the window. “How did Bodhi take it?”

I fucking love how much she cares about my kid. It’s a turn-on that’s hard to explain.

“He understood, but we’re taking him to that new doughnut place when we get back.”

She laughs but then frowns toward the window.

“He’s going to have fun with Mack.” I place my hand on her thigh.

Truth is, Bodhi didn’t take the news well. He actually threw a fit and said I wasn’t sharing. But I’m not telling Jade that because she’d probably tell me we should stay in town or bring him along, and that’s not going to happen. He’ll have fun with Mack and be excited for the doughnut place when we return.

Just as I pull on the highway to head west, Jade links her fingers with mine, and I can’t remember a time I was this excited for what was ahead. Maybe when I adopted Bodhi, and I couldn’t wait to give him the life that he deserved, a life he couldn’t imagine, that was filled with love and support. The same exhilaration swirls in my stomach for what’s about to come for Bodhi, Jade, and myself.

Three and a half hours later after two bathroom stops for Jade and one snack run, we pull up in the driveway of the cabin I rented that overlooks a lake. According to the VRBO listing, it promises the best sunsets that we can see from the bed.

“Henry, it’s beautiful.” Jade steps out while I grab our bags.

“I hope so. You brought your camera, right?” I ask, walking with her up to the door.

“Yeah. I will admit, ever since that day with Bodhi at the lakeside trail, I’m starting to want to take pictures again. Thank you for that.”

I shake my head. “It wasn’t me. Thank Bodhi, he’s the one who showed an interest.”

“He took this one picture,” she says. “Remind me to show it to you later.”

“What’s it of?”

“Us. Just the two of us talking. He actually took a bunch. It’s really sweet seeing how he looks at us through the lens. I don’t know, you know how much I love the fact everyone is looking at the world from different angles.”

“I’ve always loved that thought. Can’t want to see it.” I pull my phone out to get the email with our door key code.

“I’ll show it to you after we get situated.”

I open the door and let her enter first, picking up both of our bags. The pictures online didn’t do the place justice. It’s breathtaking how the sun is shining down on the water in front of our cabin.

There’s a small kitchen, living area, and stairs along the wall that should lead to the bedroom situated to face this magnificent view.

Of course, Jade bypasses everything else to head into the bedroom because she’s taunting me to make sure there’s nothing else on this getaway other than us in bed and my dick sinking inside of her.

I follow her with our bags in hand.

When I reach the bedroom, she’s sprawled out on the bed, her head in her hands, staring out the window.

“Henry, come. It’s gorgeous.” She pats the spot next to her.

She doesn’t have to tell me to join her on a bed twice. I drop our bags on the floor, slip out of my shoes, and join her.

“Too bad it isn’t fall.” Most of the leaves have already fallen off the trees.

“No.” She shakes her head. “That’s what makes it so uniquely pretty. The branches twisting up toward the sky, their silhouettes cast down on the lake. The sky isn’t blue and vibrant but subdued and pale. I love the stillness and muted grays and white. It’s the end of something, but you know in a few months it will be the beginning of something else.”

I kiss her on the cheek. “I’ve always loved your eye.”

She sighs. “Will others?” She cringes. “I mean, I kind of detoured off the path for a while, and I hope people find me again.” She turns to rest her cheek on the bed, staring over at me. “There’s this art boutique where different artists can display their stuff in River North. I’m debating adding my work there. I’d have to work there at times, all the artists take turns.”

“You should. Everyone needs your work on their walls.”

She laughs. “Always my biggest cheerleader.” She slides off the bed.

“You were always mine. Supported me in high school and college when I wasn’t sure of the player I’d come to be. That always meant a lot to me.” I watch her walk away as she goes to her bag.

“It was important to you. But you know my mom thinks I didn’t find myself because of your hockey.”

I sit up. It’s not a secret to either of us what Victoria thought when Jade decided to go to Minnesota. She once had a talk with me after Jade was off finding herself, that it wasn’t that she didn’t want us to date, she just didn’t want me to be the only thing in her daughter’s life. She wanted her to have dreams and goals of her own. Victoria thought what I did was admirable and selfless, but she wished Jade could have found herself alongside me instead of so far away. I’ll probably never tell Jade that story. The past is the past, and we can’t change it.

“What do you mean?”

She peeks up at me, unzipping her bag and pulling out her camera. “You know how my dad always picked work over me? Well, she thinks I gave up on what I wanted to make sure I never fully lost you to hockey. And I’ve been thinking lately that maybe she kind of has a point.”

“Really?” Was she unhappy with me when we were together? The thought makes my chest ache.

She comes over and sits on the bed. “I don’t think she’s completely right, but I don’t think she’s completely wrong either. I did probably cancel a lot of plans to be available for you back then. Maybe I did push my dreams aside so you could reach yours. But I was also really confused on what I wanted to do, and you had this very clear goal, this planned path, and it felt so certain. I liked helping you get what you wanted.”

“Shit, Jade, I feel like an asshole. It was my job to do the same for you as you were doing for me.”

She tilts her head and stares at me because we both know how lucky we were to even still be together then. How many of my teammate’s relationships did we see fall apart due to the grueling schedule.

She sets her camera next to her and crawls into my lap, straddling me with her arms around my neck. “This is the last time we’re talking about this. Agreed?” She tugs me by the hair when I don’t answer. “Agreed?”

“I kind of like the hair tugging.” My hands find her ass.

“This is serious.” She gives me her sternest look which isn’t that stern truthfully.

“Agreed.”

Her fingers loosen, and she runs them up the back of my head. “I wanted it for you. Henry, hockey made you happy. It was yours. I’m not sure if it’s because you lost your parents young, but you were always putting other people first, and you deserved to get what you wanted for once. I was happy to support you and be there for you, and it was amazing… hell, it still is amazing to see you get yours. I mean going to your games and seeing you on the ice still makes me choke up because you look so happy out there.” She hems and haws. “Most of the time.”

“Not when douchebag defensemen are all over me.”

“Technically, it’s their job.”

“Whose side are you on?” I move my fingers up her ribcage and tickle her.

She squirms and wiggles until I have her on her back, and I’m hovering over her. “Thank you, Jade. Thank you for helping me get to where I am.”

Her eyes meet mine. “I didn’t do much except give you great orgasms.”

I shake my head. “We both know that’s not true.” All the late-night snacks, massages, and, sure, there were great orgasms, especially after the wins, but it feels really fucking good to know she actively wanted to be there for me. “You sacrificed yourself for me and that means a lot.”

She shrugs. “Okay, that’s a little dramatic. The reward was worth it. You’re a Chicago Falcon and the best right wing in the league.”

“Some would argue with that statement.”

Her hand falls to the back of my head and guides me down to hers. “They would be wrong.” I inch closer to her. “Henry we’re in our own cabin with no little ears around. How about you do something that makes me scream your name?”

“Oh, I intend to.”