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26

Natalie

N atalie sat on the floor with Winnie, waiting for Alice to come over. They were watching the game together, like always. But not only was Alice coming over, but Sydney was coming over, too. She was excited for Alice and Sydney to get to know each other because Sydney had been her best friend for years, but Alice was quickly becoming a best friend, too. The fact these women were so different made her nervous. Sydney was driven and no nonsense, and Alice was soft and artistic, but both were bad-ass women, and she needed them to get along. Not to mention she needed to talk to them about Sven.

Her phone buzzed.

Sven: getting ready to head into the locker room. I’ll call you when I get back to the hotel.

Natalie: Have a good game

Sven: I’ll get you a goal

Natalie: Get yourself a goal

This is what they did before every game this week. It made her smile. She needed to figure out how to work on this, but she knew she wanted to find a way to see where things could go with Sven. She had never felt like this about anyone before.

She’d dated, of course, having had one serious boyfriend in high school and a serious girlfriend in college, but that was about it. But she didn’t know if Sven had ever done the serious-relationship thing. He was kind of a mess from life with his dad. And then there was, of course, the baby. His life was a mess, but somehow, he seemed to be growing into an incredible man.

The doorbell rang, and Natalie picked up Winnie. Sydney was the first one here.

“Hey, babe,” Sydney said before pulling her into a hug. “Hello to you, cutie,” she said, greeting Winnie. “This place is incredible.” She slipped her shoes off.

“Do you want a tour? You’ve only seen the pool house before.”

“Sure.”

By the time they were done, Alice was there, and it was almost time for puck drop. “I made some buffalo chicken dip, and I have some ooey, gooey bars in the oven,” Natalie said as she made her way into the kitchen.

“This house is really open for as old as it is,” Sydney said as she sat on the big sectional.

“He did a big renovation when he signed his last deal.”

“When did he sign that?” Alice asked.

“I’m not sure. I think he still has some time on it.”

Which was nice when Natalie thought about it. She knew what they were building between them was new, and it was nice they had a few years to figure it out before he had to worry about getting traded.

After the first period, it was still 0-0, but it was time to put Winnie to bed. During the first intermission, luckily, she was tired from a short nap at Tiny Tots.

When she came back down, Alice and Sydney were on the couch looking at something on Alice’s phone.

“That was fast,” Alice said, looking up to her with a smile.

“Yeah, she was tired. What are you guys looking at?”

“I was just showing her one of my new pieces,” Alice said.

“So...” Sydney said, turning to Natalie. “Are you going to tell us what is going on with you and Sven? I know I’ve been super busy with residency, but I didn’t miss the text about moving back in, followed an hour later with a ‘never mind.’”

“What? Does this have anything to do with the escape room situation?” Alice asked.

“What escape room situation?” she asked, looking at Natalie for answers.

“Okay,” Natalie said, sitting down to get comfortable. “So, after the escape room, when he showed up acting like a jealous ass, I told him I was moving back in with Sydney because this wasn’t working out. I would still watch Winnie, but I wouldn’t live here. But then the next day, his dad showed up.”

“Whoa,” said Alice.

“What’s up with his dad?” asked Sydney.

“His dad is a Hall of Famer. In the nineties, he was one of the best, right up there with Wayne Gretzky, but he had a reputation for being kind of an ass,” Alice said.

“Can confirm. Big asshole,” Natalie said. “I’m not going to get into what happened, but I’ll just say it was bad. Sven is an incredible father, and even though he has his douchey moments, escape room included, he’s a good guy... Anyway, after what happened with his dad... I may have kissed him.”

“Hold up. You kissed him?” Sydney asked.

“Well, he kissed me but then immediately apologized and back away and then I kissed him and then we got baby cock-blocked.”

Alice smiled and clapped while Sydney leveled her with a look. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I don’t know,” Natalie said before taking a bite of her tortilla chip.

“I think it’s good. Sven has changed a lot this year,” Alice said before taking a sip of her beer.

“Hmmm,” Sydney hummed cautiously. “He’s still your boss.”

“I know, that’s the thing about it, but also, this isn’t permanent. Everything feels so transient right now. I’m still trying to figure out what’s next.”

“So, what happened after the little baby cock-block?” asked Alice.

“Well, he went to take care of Winnie, but that night, when he put her down, he made us a nice dinner and kind of laid everything out.”

“Oooh,” Alice swooned.

“Okay... what did he say?” Sydney asked like she was coming around to the idea.

“Well, he told me he had feelings for me, which he already had but after I kissed him, he asked if it was something I had any interest exploring... I said yes. We made out but ultimately decided to take it slow. Then he left in the morning for this road trip. And since we’ve talked every day, and it’s been wonderful,” Natalie said, trying to bite back the smile that wanted to spread across her face.

Alice was already gone and ready to jump on the Sven and Natalie bandwagon, but Sydney wasn’t sure, which is exactly what Natalie thought would happen.

“What do you want?” Sydney asked.

Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew what she wanted. She wanted him. “I think I want to see where this goes.”

“Awwww, yay!” Alice said with a big grin.

“He is hot,” Sydney said, motioning to the TV.

And she was not wrong.

The game was resuming, and there, on the screen, was Sven as they got ready for the second period.

“When is he coming home?”

“They come home tomorrow,” Alice answered. “Sorry, I’m just ready for Taylor to be home. I’m used to hockey seasons growing up with my dad, but now, being with Taylor, the road trips have gotten harder.”

“Aren’t you glad I convinced you to move up here?” Sydney said with a self-congratulatory smile.

“I am,” she said as they settled in to watch the game.

It was about seven minutes into the second period in a scoreless game. But Murphy pulled a tripping penalty and put them on the power play. She knew Sven was not happy being on the second power play unit, but when Taylor took a shot from the top, it bounced off the goalie’s pad, and Sven got it and sent it back to the net. It went in over the goalie’s glove.

Natalie and Alice both jumped and cheered, while Sydney smiled and shook her head at them.

“Never in my life did I think I would see you cheering for a hockey game,” Sydney said to Natalie.

“Well, you’re the one that got me this job,” she said, throwing a pillow at her.

“Yeah, I got you a job. I didn’t know I was getting you dick, too,” Sydney said.

“Hey, you haven’t gotten me dick,” Natalie protested.

“Yet,” Sydney said, leveling her with a glance.

There was no arguing with that. While nothing but kissing had happened with her and Sven, she definitely wanted more to happen. Lots more. And the more they talked, the more she realized she actually liked him. They had a surprising amount in common for being so incredibly different.

After the game, which sadly the Magic lost one to three, the girls headed out and Natalie headed up to the guest room to sleep. But this time, she didn’t stop at the guest room at the top of the stairs. She continued down the hall past Winnie’s room and into Sven’s. She’d been tempted to sleep in his bed, but that was weird.

The smells were the main draw for her. The plush carpet of his room cushioned her feet as she made her way to his bathroom. Once she made it through the dark room into the bathroom, she flicked on his lights. She may have already stolen one of his hoodies, put it on, and gone into the bathroom to find his cologne. Holding the small green glass bottle to her face, she smelled it. It smelled so cool and crisp and made her think of Sven, and she sprayed it on her hoodie because she couldn’t seem to help herself.

As she was putting the little bottle back, her phone rang. She was expecting it; he had called her before he went to sleep every night, but this time, it was a FaceTime. She was so excited to see his face she answered it without even thinking where she was... or what she was wearing.

“Hey, beautiful,” Sven said.

He was back in his hotel room, still in his game-day clothes. While his suit jacket was gone, he was in a white button-up, with the top few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up.

Natalie wanted to eat him up.

“Hey to you, nice goal tonight.”

“Thanks. It was a tough loss, but I was glad I could at least get us one. Where are you?”

“Oh, ummm . . .” She looked around.

“Are you in my bathroom? And is that my hoodie?”

Well, there was no getting out of it. “Yeah. I may have commandeered it when I found it in the library.”

“It looks good on you,” he said with a wag of his eyebrows. “Show me.”

“What?”

“Come on, prop up the phone and do a little spin,” he said, encouraging her.

And she did. She propped the phone up on his sink and gave him a spin. Even though she was just wearing sleep shorts, his hoodie, and had her light blond hair up in a messy bun.

“Damn, I’m so ready to be home.”

She picked up the phone and started making her way through the dark room.

“Why were you in my bathroom?”

She was just going to pretend she didn’t hear that as she made her way to the guest room at the top of the stairs. Making her way into the room, she propped the phone up before sitting on the bed.

“Ignoring the question, I see,” he said, shaking his head.

“When will you be home tomorrow?”

“I should get in around one, then I’ll head home. The following day is a rest day, and I’m so ready for that.”

She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face at the thought of Sven at home for a lazy day.

“Winnie’s missed you.”

“Is Winnie the only one?”

She shook her head, even though she couldn’t bring herself to voice it.

“And don’t think I didn’t notice you dodging the question about being in my bathroom.”

She gave him a doubtful look.

“Have you been sleeping in my bed?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You still didn’t answer the question.”

“No, Sven, I have not been sleeping in your bed.”

“Why not?”

“What?”

“It’s okay to miss me and sleep in my bed.”

She stared at the phone, utterly dumbfounded. How was this man so comfortable with things so quickly?

“I thought we were taking this slow. Isn’t sleeping in your bed not that?”

“Gotcha—no sleeping in my bed, just hanging out in my bathroom. Got it.”

“You are ridiculous, Sven Olsson.”

“You’ve already said that.”

Sven sat the phone down and went to unbutton his shirt.

“What are you doing?” Natalie squawked.

“I’m getting into something more comfortable.”

“Right in front of me?”

“You don’t have to look if you don’t want to.”

She was going to watch. How could she not?

“Is that a Gucci belt?” she asked as she watched him undress.

“Yeah, you don’t get to be called the best dressed in the NHL for nothing,” he said as he hung up his clothes.

Next thing she knew, he was in his boxer briefs headed back to the bed—and, holy fuck. He really was the most attractive person she’d ever seen in real life.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked as she got in bed and positioned the phone so they could keep talking.

“What’s tomorrow?” she asked.

Her brain still wasn’t quite online.

“I’m coming home, and I get to see you and Winnie. I can’t wait to see you,” he said in a voice filled with heat, and it was doing nothing to straighten out her thinking. “How ya doin’?” He grinned.

“Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” she said as she settled into the bed and propped the phone on the side table.

“I’m a little nervous,” he said in a voice lacking all the swagger she loved.

“What are you nervous about?” she asked, turning to face the phone.

“I’m nervous I’m going to mess this up.”

“Mess what up?”

“Whatever this is happening between us. I really want it to be something, but I’ve never done it before.”

A loud knock rapped on his door.

“Get your ass out here,” someone yelled.

“What the fuck?” Sven shouted back as he threw off his covers. “I’ll be right back.”

Heat filled Natalie’s body at the sight of him again in just boxer briefs.

“What do you want?”

“We’re going to the bars.”

“Have fun,” Sven said flatly.

“Come on, go hunting with me.”

“No. I’m going to bed.”

“Damn, first Cash, now you?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow on the plane.”

Before she knew, Sven was back in view, quickly getting back into bed.

“What was that about?” asked Natalie.

“Just some of the guys wanting me to go out.”

“Hunting?” she asked, confused.

“Yeah . . . bunny hunting.”

She cocked her head.

“Puck bunnies.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“I know. I’m sorry about that. That is kind of what I’m worried about,” he said.

“You’re afraid you’ll cheat with a puck bunny or whatever?”

“What?! No! Not that at all. I haven’t hooked up with anyone since Winnie, and I won’t. I never would if we were in a relationship. Ever.”

“Then, what are you nervous about?”

“I guess I’m just nervous that I won’t know how to do this right?”

“There’s not a right way and a wrong way to be in a relationship, Sven.”

A small smile flitted across his face but then disappeared again.

“I guess I’m just nervous because I’ve never really been in a relationship before.”

“Ever?”

He shook his head and bit his bottom lip.

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve been in two relationships. I dated a guy in high school, and for two years of college. Then I had a girlfriend the last year of college, and we were together for a year and half but then she moved to California, and we broke it off.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You had a girlfriend?”

“I did.”

“So, you’re. . . .”

He seemed to be struggling with words.

“Bisexual.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“I am. Can I ask why you’ve never been in a relationship?”

He took a deep breath and adjusted himself. “I have just always focused on my game. My dad told me that settling down would be a distraction I shouldn’t make.”

“Is that why he was telling you to go hook up to focus?”

“You heard that, too?”

Natalie nodded.

“Yeah... He was a shitty father and a shitty husband. But sadly, it seemed as long as he spent money on my mom, she didn’t care. And I mean, open relationships are a thing, and I get it, but I think he would have done it even if my mom had a problem with it.”

Natalie’s brows creased as she took in the new information.

“Natalie, I need you to know I would never do that. Ever.”

While there was no concrete evidence that she should believe him, she couldn’t help it.

“You’ve mentioned in the past that you kind of helped raise your sister, right?”

“Yeah,” he said as he laid back and put his hands behind his head. Natalie would listen and not be distracted, but the way his abs rippled with the movement... “I mean, we had a nanny, but I took on a lot of responsibility for her. I knew my parents ignored me, but I was always on a team of some kind, and being on a team can feel a lot like a family. I just felt like I needed to be there for her.”

“Does she play?”

“She does, but it’s not quite the same for girls. It’s getting there. Women’s sports have come a long way. She plays on a college team now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she joins the new women’s league when she graduates, but when she was growing up, she was still playing on a team with mostly boys, and it’s not quite the same.”

“I can see that,” she said before a yawn snuck its way out.

“Are you tired? Should I let you go?”

“No. I like talking to you.”

The warm smile that appeared across his face squeezed at her heart. She needed to be careful where he was concerned because she was falling far too fast for someone who had never been in a relationship before. Especially after this road trip. They had spent so much time on the phone getting to know each other. They had opened up to each other like this every night. Being on the phone made it easier to talk. Sometimes, being in his presence was too distracting.

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.

“Anything.”

“Why do you think you’re ready for a relationship now?”

He took a deep breath and mulled it over. “I guess because I’ve never felt like this before. I have been around women, and even dated a couple casually, but I never really cared to know more about them or make them happy or turn into a jealous fuck.” He chuckled. “The way I feel about you is just different.”

A sleepy appeased hum came from Natalie as she sank further into bed. His words did something to her, and she loved every second of it.

“What was it like growing up with Mr. Roper as your grandfather?” Sven asked. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot.”

“I mean, to me it was just normal. You probably understand that coming from your family. He’s just granddad, ya know. He was Santa at Christmas. He would take each of us to work with him whenever he had a guest star he knew we would love. He is the best man I’ve ever known. He’s the same guy you saw on TV reading books to kids, but he’s also the man who testified to Congress and read them for filth when they were trying to cut funding for public television.”

“He sounds pretty incredible,” Sven said before giving over to a yawn of his own.

“He is,” she said, snuggling down under her covers.

“Man, I wish I was there. I want to wrap my arms around you so much,” he croaked.

“Yeah, that would be amazing.”

Her eyelids started feeling heavy.

“I’m going to let you get some sleep.”

“No. Tell me something?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

“Hmmm. One winter when we were in Sweden, I broke my leg skating on a pond, and I got to spend two extra weeks with my grandparents. It was wonderful. Have you ever been to Sweden?”

“No,” she said with a sleepy voice, her eyelids getting heavy.

“I love it.”

He continued to talk about Sweden as sleep overtook her.

Around two in the morning, Natalie woke up and saw her phone was still on. It was showing a dark hotel room, but there was a streak of light from the curtains where she could see a sleeping Sven. When she listened closely, she could even hear him breathing. Her heart was fit to burst. How was he so perfect? But that was a thought for another day. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up to Winnie’s sweet voice babbling in bed. She sat up with a stretch ready to go get Winnie ready for the day. Her phone was still set up next to her bed, but Sven was gone. He had texted her, though.

Sven: I loved talking to you last night. I can’t wait to see you in a few short hours.

Natalie: It was nice. Can’t wait to see you either.

She texted back as a big goofy grin covered her face. Winnie’s babbling started to turn into little grunts of protest.

“I’m coming, Winnie-Bell.”