Page 35

THIRTY-FIVE

Rowan

I was having a few drinks with my dad last night when I got the message from Autumn, requesting my presence for a meeting with Harper. I’m curious but not overly concerned since we left things on good terms the other day. I drop Dad at the airport and then head for the arena. It feels a little weird coming back now that the season is officially over, and no one is working beyond the sales team.

I park in my usual spot and notice a car I don’t recognize.

It’s not Autumn’s, though she usually parks in the executive parking lot, so I’m not sure whose it is.

I walk down the hall and wave at the elderly security guard who watches the elevators before getting on the one that will take me up to where Harper’s office is. I don’t come up here often, since my office and the training areas are on the ground floor, and the locker room and ice level are actually in the basement.

It’s eerily quiet so it’s jarring to hear laughter coming from Harper’s office.

It sounds like she’s talking to a man, and I wonder if Gene is here.

Are we having another meeting about my position in the fall?

“Harper?” I knock on the door even though it’s open.

“Rowan! Good morning.” She motions for me to come in.

I walk inside and freeze.

Blake is sitting in a chair in the small sitting area adjacent to the main part of her office.

Blake?!

A feeling of unease spreads through me and I look to Harper in confusion.

“Would you like some coffee?” she asks. “There are bagels too.”

“Oh, uh, no thank you.” I look around. “What’s, uh, what’s going on?”

“Relax. Get some coffee. Have a seat.” She’s smiling so I don’t think I’m in trouble, but what the hell is going on?

Since it seems to be expected, I pour myself a cup of coffee. I skipped breakfast because Dad had an early flight, so my stomach rumbles when the aroma hits me.

Maybe a bagel isn’t a bad idea.

I grab one off the counter and put a dollop of cream cheese on it, before going over to join them.

I’ve managed to keep from looking at Blake since I’m pretty sure I’ll either burst out crying or smack him if I do.

“So. I thought the three of us needed to have a talk,” Harper says, looking from me to Blake. “First, I have something for you.” She hands me a file folder. “That’s your new contract. I’ve had the no fraternization clause replaced with the disclosure clause we talked about—and there’s a document in there for you to sign if it’s pertinent after the meeting.”

I take the proffered documents and scan them briefly since I’m not sure how to respond to that.

My salary has gone up ten thousand dollars.

“Is this… you gave me a raise,” I say finally.

“I told you I was going to. And you deserve it. You worked harder than anyone else on the support staff,” she says, “and you deserve it. It’s also a good faith measure to let you know that you’re not being punished in any way. Gene is coming back for a couple of years or until his health no longer allows it, but it’s in no way a reflection of the job you did while he was out. You went above and beyond. I want to make sure you know that.”

“I do. Thank you.” I nod graciously.

“Also, I asked Blake to come in a few minutes before you because I wanted to discuss a few things with him as well concerning next season. And a recent trip he made to Boston.”

“That, uh, has nothing to do with me,” I say quietly.

“Actually, it does.” Blake speaks up for the first time. “It has everything to do with you.”

“I offered Blake a contract for next season,” Harper continues. “But he says he can’t make any decisions until the two of you talk. So, I’m going to give you a couple of minutes to do that.” Without another word, she gets up and leaves the room, closing the door to the office behind her.

I turn to Blake in confusion. “What…I’m not sure what’s going on.”

To my surprise, he drops to his knees in front of me, resting his hands on either side of my hips. “What’s going on is that none of this means anything without you. I have an offer from Boston, Winnipeg reached out to my agent this morning, and Harper has offered me a contract as well. But I’m not doing anything unless you’re part of it. I love you, Rowan. I don’t know how to make you understand that this isn’t some fling for me, or a hookup, or even a fun little interlude where we relive the past. This is it for me. You have always been it for me.”

“I don’t understand,” I whisper, a surge of emotion suddenly overwhelming me.

“How else can I explain this to you? I love you, and I’ll walk away from all of this if it means having you. I don’t care about the money… Hell, I don’t even care about hockey that much anymore. Not unless you’re at my side. Tell me what I have to do to make you love me again, and I’ll do it.”

“Blake.” I reach out—how can I sit here and not touch him?—putting my hand on the side of his face.

“Do you love me?” he asks in a raspy voice.

“Yes, but?—”

“There can’t be any buts. It has to be a firm yes or a simple no.”

“There’s nothing simple about this.”

“There is. I left Boston yesterday and drove straight to your apartment. Were you there, ignoring me?”

“No. I was out with my dad. It was our last night together.”

“Well, I told everyone I couldn’t make any decisions until my girl weighed in. Period. And I told Harper the same thing this morning. I didn’t know anything about your contract at that point, so I told her the truth—that it was up to you, and I couldn’t make any decisions until we talked.”

“But…” I’m crying again, tears sliding down my cheeks unchecked. “You’ve always wanted to play in the NHL—and you didn’t know Harper was going to rescind the no fraternization clause.”

“Yes, I have always wanted to play in the NHL, but I’ve always loved you more.”

“ Blake .” I throw myself in his arms, burying my face in his neck.

“Say it, baby.” He strokes a hand down my back.

And I know exactly what he means.

“I love you,” I whisper, my voice muffled against his skin.

“Tell me what you want me to do. I can stay here, though I’ll be making less than I would in Boston. We can go to Boston together. We can do the long-distance thing?—”

“I want you to play for whichever team makes you happy,” I interrupt, lifting my head so I can look into his eyes. “Seriously. Go grab that pot of gold, babe. I’m not going anywhere. If you need to be in Boston, because the money’s better, we can do long distance for a year or two.”

“Fuck that,” he says, as if it’s the easiest decision in the world. “I’m staying here. With my girl, and a team I happen to love. Also, winters in Boston are brutal.”

I snicker. “There is that.”

“Are you sure this is what you want? I am fully prepared to leave hockey.”

“That would be ridiculous,” I say, shaking my head. “I never wanted you to leave hockey. But now you don’t have to.”

“No, but I feel like there was more going on when you ended things last week.”

“I didn’t want to have to give up my career… but I was already second-guessing myself, wondering if I’m the asshole in this relationship.”

“Not even a little.”

“Then sign the contract. By the time you’re ready to retire, hopefully I’ll have Gene’s job and you can stay home with the kids.”

“Kids?” He arches his brows. “Are there going to be kids? Plural?”

“I was thinking two. Maybe three. Probably two.”

He laughs. “I’m down with being a stay-at-home dad if we can afford it.” His expression grows serious. “Do you love me, Rowan? Like, the forever kind of love? The let’s-get-married-soon-because-I-can’t-stand-not-being-with-you-another-second kind of love?”

I can’t help but smile. “I was ready to marry you in Mrs. Sellers’ tenth grade British Lit class,” I whisper. “If you’d asked, I’d have said yes even back then.”

“I should have asked,” he whispers.

Then he leans in and covers my mouth with his. Our tongues move together passionately but without urgency, as if we somehow already understand that we have all the time in the world now.

“Knock knock.” Harper sticks her head in. “Are we—oh, I see we are. Good. Because I have another meeting in twenty minutes.” She comes walking back in briskly and sits across from us. “What have you decided?” she asks.

“We’re staying,” I reply. “Both of us.”

“Excellent. That’s what I wanted to hear.” She rifles through some other papers. “This is your declaration of an intimate relationship or whatever the hell legal said we had to call it. It’s just a formality.” She hands a piece of paper to Blake. “Both of you have to sign and give them to me so I can get this taken care of. Then Blake, let your attorney look at the contract and?—”

“I don’t need an attorney.” Blake opens a file I hadn’t noticed before and signs something. “I’m good. I don’t care if it’s the league minimum. I just want to play and be with my girl.”

“It’s a fair amount above league minimum,” Harper says with a smile. “Three years.”

“Done deal.” He gets to his feet and reaches for my hand. “Are, uh, we done here, boss? Because we’re going ring shopping.”

Harper laughs. “It’s a good thing your playoff bonuses were deposited today.”

“I don’t care if it’s a ring pop,” I say softly. “I don’t need anything fancy.”

“I care,” he says firmly. “I’ve never been able to put your needs first, and that ends now. Starting with the biggest ring we can afford.”

We .

Because we’re a team.

Forever.

“I know a jeweler who’ll give you a good deal,” Harper says.

“Text me the info!” Blake calls over his shoulder, tugging me toward the exit. “But we have things to do—bye, boss!”

“Why are we in such a hurry?” I demand breathlessly.

“Because I can’t wait to make love to you as my fiancée. But first, we have to buy the ring.”

“We’re really going ring shopping today?” I ask in surprise.

“We really are. Right now, in fact.” He turns and presses his lips to mine as we wait for the elevator. “Today is the first day of forever. I fucking love you, Rowan Taylor.”

“I love you too.”

The first day of forever.

I love the sound of that.