Page 36

Hallie

I clock in on one of the computers before saying hello to my coworkers at the bar. It’s happy hour and there’s a Raptors game later tonight. With their arena only a few blocks away and still a couple of hours before the puck drop, this place is packed.

And regardless that I will probably make good money tonight, I have no desire to be here.

This is my last shift of the week, and I made such good tips from the previous nights that I was tempted to try to get this shift covered. I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t, other than I’ve never given up a shift before.

You could say I officially have senioritis from this job. My internship at the design firm will be over in a couple of months and with how smoothly Rio’s home project is going and the way my social media content has been blowing up the last few weeks, thanks to some of Chicago’s biggest names continually sharing it, a full-time position at Tyler Braden Interiors feels inevitable.

Tyler has said as much.

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with a higher salary and more free time, but I wish that time was already here. I’m enjoying my personal life far too much these days to bury myself in work.

Carson, or Ken as Rio still refers to him, pushes through the swinging side door that connects the back of the bar to the storage room. He stops short when he sees me standing at the computer. “I thought you were off tonight?”

I furrow my brow. “I thought you were off tonight.”

“Shit,” I hear from behind me. “I was trying to get here before he did.”

Turning, I find Rio pushing himself through the crowd to get to the bar. Which isn’t all that difficult for him because people are staring at him in disbelief, shocked that one of their favorite players is here. It’s the same way they look at him almost every night he shows up to wait for my shift to be over.

He’s in his game-day suit and looks sinfully hot.

“Hey.” There’s plenty of surprise in my tone because he should be on his way to the arena right now. “What are you doing here? I thought I wasn’t going to see you again before you left.”

He leaves straight for the airport tonight from his game, which is why we said our goodbyes this morning when he dropped me off at work.

“What do you think about coming to my game tonight?” he asks. “We’re playing against Boston, and I could use my good luck charm.”

A spark of excitement blooms before I quickly put it out. I’ve been wanting to go to one of his games for weeks. But there hasn’t been a home game on a night I’m off work.

“I wish I could, but I have a shift.”

“Actually,” Carson cuts in, “I’m covering for you. Your boy begged me, so here I am.”

I whip my head in Rio’s direction. “You did?”

He rubs his palm over the back of his neck—his adorable but nervous tell.

Rio and Carson have gotten to know each other a bit from all the time Rio has spent here sitting at the bar. Carson even enjoys his little nickname, but I didn’t know they were on the level of calling in favors.

“He also bribed me with two tickets to the game on my boyfriend’s birthday,” Carson adds. “So here I am.”

“I did do that.” Rio’s smile turns cheeky. “What do you say, Hal? Think you could take the night off?”

I check back in with Carson, who gives me the go-ahead.

“Yeah.” My smile gets way too big, way too fast. “I’m in.”

“Let’s go!” Rio cheers, knocking his fist on the bar top. “I’ll meet you around back. Thanks, Ken! I appreciate you!”

Rio jogs out the front before either of us can say anything else.

I look at my coworker. “I can tell him to stop calling you that, you know.”

Carson lifts a brow. “Um no... have you seen him? Don’t tell my boyfriend, but yours can call me anything he wants.”

“Back off,” I tease, clocking out on the computer before I say a few quick goodbyes.

When I walk out the back door, Rio is waiting by the passenger door of his truck, holding it open.

“I should’ve asked, but are you sure you’re okay taking the night off work? I’m probably being selfish here, but I’ve been kind of desperate to get you to a game and it hasn’t worked out yet.”

“I’m sure.” I lean up and kiss him. “I’ve been wanting to go see you play live instead of watching you from that TV in the corner of the bar.”

I round the door to my seat to find a folded jersey waiting for me on it.

“What’s this?” I ask, already knowing.

“Well, I couldn’t exactly give you my extra jersey like I used to in high school since the equipment guys keep them, so I got you your own.”

Opening it, I hold it up to my body to check the size and that’s when I see his last name stitched on the back above his number thirty-eight. An overwhelming sense of pride takes over because how the heck did he go from the kid who couldn’t even stand on a pair of rollerblades to this?

“And,” Rio continues, “I wasn’t sure what you’d want to wear with it, so I kind of raided your closet and brought you a bunch of options.”

He opens the back door and right there on the bench seat is what looks like half my closet.

“I thought I’d know what you’d want to wear, but then I got in your closet and realized you have way cooler style than me, so I brought a bit of everything. Apologies for how annoying this is going to be for you to put back later, but I got nervous.”

The way this man knows me.

I snag the pair of wide-legged checkered denim that I love but then find one of his hoodies tossed in the back seat, so I grab that too. He even brought some of my favorite jewelry pieces, so I add that to my pile, making sure to select a mix of silver and gold.

“Thank you for doing that.”

His eyes bounce between mine, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the way he looks at me. It’s the same way he would look at me when we were younger. “Anything for you, Hal.”

He waits until I’m in my seat to close the door. Rounding the truck, he gets behind the wheel while I take a quick inventory of my surroundings to find no one else in the lot.

I lift my shirt up over my head, leaving me in only my bra for a moment.

“ Fuck me ,” Rio groans from next to me.

I can’t help but laugh. “Let me change real quick before we get to the arena.”

Slipping my arms and head through his hoodie, I situate my new jersey over it, pulling the hood out of the neck hole. Then I unzip my work jeans and push them down my hips.

“Maybe I could be late.”

Looking over, I find him fixated on my partially naked body, hooded eyes, parted lips.

“You need to focus on your game,” I tell him as I pull the checkered denim on.

“I don’t care about my game right now.”

I zip and button them, fully covering myself. “Well, you should. This is a big one. You missed your last Boston game because of me. You need to do well tonight, right?”

He offers me a sweet smile and a nod. “Yeah, but I’m glad you’ll be there.”

I smile right back at him. “Me too.”

He laces his hand with mine for the short drive.

I can tell he’s mulling something over in his mind, and he hesitates before finally asking, “Could you ever see yourself living in Boston again?”

I knew this conversation was going to happen at some point, so I’ve already been thinking over my answer to his question.

“One day, yes.”

He quickly looks in my direction, utterly surprised, before refocusing on the road.

“If that’s where you’re going to be, then one day, I’ll be there too,” I continue. “I’m not going to lie to you and say I’ll be ready to move before your next season starts. I’m just beginning my career here and I have a huge opportunity at this design firm. Plus, this is my first time living away from my dad since he got sick, so knowing I’m within driving distance is comforting. But I think eventually, yeah, I’d feel okay being farther away.”

I can see his wheels spinning as he nods.

“But we’re going to be fine either way,” I tack on. “After everything we’ve been through to make it back to this point, a bit of distance while you’re in season isn’t going to break us. You need to chase your dreams, like I’m chasing mine.”

His lips tilt into an understanding smile. “I just don’t want the idea of chasing my dreams to mean that I’m losing you again.”

“It doesn’t. I promise.”

He lifts my hand to his lips to leave a kiss there.

“Since you’re coming early with me,” he says, “there’s a room where all the players’ families hang out pre-game and again post-game. It’s right outside of our locker room. I’m going to take you there. All the other wives and girlfriends will be there, and Stevie will make sure to show you how it all works.”

That is not what I was expecting. I kind of thought I’d have a ticket with a seat number that I could sneak into while I waited for the game to start.

As if he can read my mind, Rio asks, “Does that make you feel nervous?”

“A little bit.”

His voice is soft. “Why does that make you feel nervous, Hal?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

I huff a small laugh because what’s the use in lying to this guy? He knows me too well.

“I think because for six years, I watched your life move into this new, impressive phase. You have all these new people around. I mean, you’re literally famous now.”

“Gross.”

“But you are, and sometimes I get nervous that because I’m part of your old life, I won’t fit into the new.”

He’s quiet for a long moment before he says, “But you’re not just a part of my life. You’re the center of it. So, if something isn’t fitting around us, that piece needs to change, not you.” He runs his thumb over my knuckle. “And yes, I’m in a different phase of my career than the last time we were together, but you’ve been with me since the beginning of all of this. So, if anyone should feel out of place, it certainly isn’t you.”

I squeeze his hand in mine.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve wished you were there, waiting for me after these games the way you used to. But I also don’t want you to feel uncomfortable about it.”

That hits me right in the heart, thinking of how many times he came out of the locker room post-game to find no one there for him.

I shake my head. “I’ll be there.”

Rio parks in the private lot behind the arena. He opens my door for me and immediately slips his fingers through mine as he leads me to the private entrance.

An older man in a black blazer opens the door for us as we approach. “Rio!” His face lights up. “Good to see you, man. How are we feeling?”

“Great. Excited to play tonight.” Rio puts his free hand in his. “Bruce, this is my girlfriend, Hallie. Hallie, this is Bruce. He’s worked here since the United Center was built and hasn’t missed a single game as long as I’ve been playing here.”

“That’s right,” Bruce says proudly.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I offer him a smile.

“You too. Rio has never brought someone with him to a game other than his mom when she’s in town, so I take it we’ll be seeing you again?”

“You’ll be seeing her a lot,” Rio adds for me.

“I like that.” Bruce smacks him on the shoulder. “Good luck tonight.”

We say our goodbyes before taking off down a hallway that’s lined with photos of previous Chicago teams. It only adds to the surreal nature of it all. To see him in his fitted suit, headed to the locker room, and finding him in six of these previous team photos along the wall.

He’s really doing what he always dreamed of.

“So,” I begin. “ Girlfriend , huh?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you think we should take a couple more decades to get to know each other before I start calling you that?”

“I just didn’t know I was, is all.”

“I assumed this was another one of our unspoken things.” He drapes an arm over my shoulders as we continue walking. “But in case it needs to be said out loud... Yes, Hallie Hart, you are my girlfriend. Though, you should know, there’s a good chance I’ll be changing both that title and that last name one day.”

He pops a quick kiss on my hair as we continue walking.

It feels nice to hear him say it, but we both know what we’re doing here. There’s so much history between us that getting into a relationship only a few weeks ago does not make our relationship new. It feels like we’re restarting right where we left off six years ago when we had our entire future planned with one another in mind.

“Rio,” a man calls out, walking towards us. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him.

“Hey, Will. I didn’t know you were coming tonight. I would’ve gotten you a ticket.”

Will and Rio put their hands in each other’s.

“I’m not sure if you remember each other, but Will, this is my girlfriend, Hallie. Hallie, this is my agent, Will. He started representing me towards the end of my second year at Michigan.”

That’s how I know him. He was there the night Rio got drafted.

I watch as Will puts all the pieces together before a genuine smile lifts on his lips. “Of course I remember you.” He nods as if he were approving of the whole situation. “It’s really good to see you again.”

“You as well.”

He returns his attention to Rio. “Do you think I could talk to you for a moment in private?”

Rio looks down both ends of the hallway. “We can talk now. Anything you need to say, you can say in front of Hallie.”

Will keeps his voice quiet. “The reason I’m at the game tonight is because Boston’s general manager invited me to join them in their box.”

Rio’s brows lift in surprise. “Really?”

“Apparently, they’re not planning on re-signing Eriksson after this season.”

“No shit?”

“Who is Eriksson?” I ask naively.

“He’s one of Boston’s defensemen,” Rio explains. “And his salary is about the same as mine, which means...”

“They’re making room in their budget for you,” Will states.

I watch as the realization sinks in for Rio and this childlike smile graces his mouth.

“Of course, nothing is official,” Will continues. “And any discussion I have with their GM tonight is all hypothetical, but they’re making it clear that they want you.”

“I’ve always dreamed of playing for the Boston Bobcats.”

I squeeze Rio’s hand in mine. He was always a huge fan of our local team. His childhood room was covered in their memorabilia.

“I know. And we’re going to make it happen.” Will gives Rio’s shoulder a smack. “Good luck out there tonight. I’ll call you after and let you know what I find out. Hallie, I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of each other in the future. Have fun.”

He takes off with that, leaving the two of us alone.

“That’s exciting!”

There’s an edge of disbelief on Rio’s face. “I knew it was a possibility of happening, but their lack of cap space in the budget was always going to be an issue.”

“And now it’s not.”

“And now it’s not,” he repeats.

I swear I watch him go through every emotion. Excitement. Disbelief. Concern. Sadness when he looks at me and remembers I won’t be going with him right away. But then that all settles and he seems centered and content, and I’m hoping that the reminder I gave him in the car is repeating in his mind. That whether we’re living next door to each other or there’s a few hundred miles between us, we’re good.

We continue down the hall, approaching a door.

“All right,” he says, “this is where I leave you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

With a bit more confidence thanks to Rio’s little speech from earlier, I nod.

But before he opens the door, he turns to face me. “I know this is just another in-season game and there’s not much significance to it for anyone else, but it feels significantly more important now that you’re here. You should’ve been at my very first pro game, Hal. But seeing you in my jersey again?” He shakes his head in disbelief. “It feels nostalgic. Finding you in the crowd was always my favorite part of my high school games.”

I lightly laugh. “You never told me that.”

“Every week I looked forward to game day like it was Christmas morning because I viewed it as my chance to impress you. Today feels like that, but amped up to a million.”

Reaching up, I wrap my arms around his neck. “I don’t think I could be more impressed by you if I tried. And I just feel lucky that I got a chance to see it all happen.”

“That’s exactly how I feel about you renovating my house. Do you know how many times I watched you repaint your bedroom walls growing up?”

“Just be glad I’m not still in that lemon-yellow phase now that I’m working on your house.”

“Baby, I’d happily live with yellow walls, knowing you’re the one who chose them.” He gives me a quick kiss. “Ready?”

When he opens the door, every pair of eyes turns our way. I find Stevie first, which settles me more than I was expecting, and I give her an excited wave. It’s nice to know that even though I’m the new girl around here, she’s been doing this for years and can show me the ropes.

“Everyone,” Rio announces, “this is my girlfriend, Hallie. Be nice to her or I’ll literally never talk to you again.” There’s a collective laugh throughout the room before Rio tilts my chin up to him. “See you after.”

“Good luck.”

He drops a quick kiss on my lips before taking off to the locker room.

Stevie instantly greets me with a hug. “Don’t be nervous. I was working for Zee’s team before I ever showed up to one of his games as his girlfriend, and I was terrified. But we’re all here for the same reason. Everyone is so excited to meet you.”

We spend about an hour in the family waiting room and any nerves I did feel about being the new girl quickly dissipate. Everyone is kind and excited for me to be there, and apparently, they’ve been curious about me for weeks, ever since Rio told his teammates that we were together.

They seem invested in getting to know me, which I think could be attributed to Rio telling his buddies that I was his high school sweetheart. It helped affirm the fact that my being here tonight isn’t temporary.

About fifteen minutes before warmups begin, Stevie leads me up to their family’s box. Apparently, this box belongs to the Zanders and Shay families all season long, with Zee playing here some nights and Ryan on others.

When Stevie opens the door, I find it full of people. Familiar people this time.

They all turn to face me as I stand in the doorway, but I’m not as nervous as I was downstairs. Because these people I’ve all met at one point or another. Ryan and Indy are here, as are Miller, Kai, Kennedy, and Isaiah.

I lift my hand in a wave. “Hi.”

“Hell yes!” Miller cheers.

“Finally,” Kennedy says with a smile.

“I am so glad you’re here!” Indy tacks on, rushing me with a hug.

I say my hellos to them and to their husbands too. They give me a little tour of the suite, showing me where the food and drinks are, and we hang out while we wait for the game to start.

It’s nice. It’s really nice.

They don’t just make me feel like I belong, but they make it seem as if I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Any fears I had about fitting into Rio’s new life are quieted. His “new” friends are exactly the kind of people I’d hope for him to have in his life.

Outside of Zee, I learn that Stevie and Indy have known Rio the longest, since they started working on the Raptors’ team plane at the beginning of Rio’s second year in the league. It’s clear how much they care about him. They seem like a pair of older sisters without the intimidating aspect.

I don’t even have to ask to know that Indy is his closest friend here, and that Ryan, her husband, loves Rio but won’t admit it out loud.

The Rhodes families met him a couple years later, rounding out these five athletes and their wives who formed this unique little friendship group. But it’s wild to me that Rio met Kai and Isaiah last because every time Isaiah opens his mouth, I can’t get over how similar it sounds to some of the goofy things I’ve heard Rio say over the years.

The way they all speak about him—highly, while still giving him a bit of shit—makes it so clear how loved he is by these people. They seem like the definition of his people . Like they’d do anything for him.

I understand that sentiment all too well.

We take our seats as the team skates out for warmups, and I’m smack dab in the middle of the girls, with two on my left and two on my right.

The jumbotron plays the team’s intro video, but I can’t peel my eyes away from the rink, following Rio as he skates onto the ice and takes a few laps on their team’s side. Even with the arena dark and the light show bouncing over the ice, I watch him.

Which is nothing new, I suppose. Thirty-eight has had my attention for fifteen years now, even when he was wearing a different number.

“Does this all feel surreal to you?” Stevie asks.

I nod. “That’s exactly how I would describe it. I started watching his games when he was in middle school, but I haven’t seen him play live since his second season in college.”

“All of us met our husbands after they were already playing in the pros,” Miller says. “How do you feel, getting to see his career form from the beginning to this point?”

Still focused on him on the ice, I simply say, “Proud.”

Once the lighting lifts again, I watch as Rio drops his helmet and gloves off at the bench before slowly skating along the length of the rink closest to us, eyes up in our general direction. I note the moment he spots Zanders’ box, and more specifically, me, because his face lights up with a beaming smile in a way I feel possessive over. In a way I’ve only seen directed at me.

Rio lifts his stick in the air, pointing it in my direction, then tucks it under his arm to form his hands into a heart. And I don’t miss the way he lets one thumb overlap past the other to create a little extra piece, not letting it connect where it should.

Too many people sitting in the section below us turn over their shoulders to see who he’s pointing at. My cheeks are most likely flaming right now as I shake my head at him, but I also can’t fight the stupidly giddy smile on my lips.

This man has no shame, acting like a love-sick idiot on the ice with twenty thousand fans watching him.

But I’m a love-sick idiot too, so I somewhat discreetly make the same heart, our heart, with my hands for him to see.

That smile on his lips only grows before he skates back to the bench, grabs his gloves and helmet, and refocuses on warming up.

“That boy is so in love with you,” Indy states.

Spoken or unspoken, I feel the exact same way.