Page 47

THIRTY-FOUR

Jolie

A s I was walking toward the entrance of the locker room, taking the back way to the ice, Landon was on his way out, smiling as soon as he saw me, releasing the door from his fingertips. I gave him a wave, stopping mid-hallway to speak to him.

“Hi.” I studied his face, which was still flushed from practice, drips from his wet hair running down it. “You look tired. Are you feeling okay?”

“Hey, Jolene.” He adjusted the strap of his bag as it dangled on his shoulder. “I’m good. Just exhausted. Sore. And really looking forward to our day off tomorrow before we hit the road.”

Kirk, along with two of our wings, came out of the locker room, each one greeting me cordially as they passed. Their smiles not too big, their tones even, their eyes staying above my neck.

“My, how things have changed.” My lips were pulled into a toothless smile as I shook my head at Beck’s best friend.

“Their lives were threatened.”

I laughed. “I’m not even a little surprised.”

He pointed toward the door behind him. “Beck is almost done. I know he wants to talk to you, so don’t go anywhere.”

“You got it.”

“See you on the plane in two days.” He patted me on the shoulder.

As he was walking away, I took my phone out to shoot my team a text.

Just as I was hitting Send, I smelled Beck, the spiciness filling my nose, causing my eyes to slowly gaze up from my screen.

He was dressed in a pair of gray sweats, his T-shirt tight enough to show the outline of his pecs, with his sweatshirt unzipped and hanging open, a backward hat on his head.

His beard was now a heavy shadow across his cheeks, whiskers long enough that I could just clasp it between my fingers.

Butterflies instantly exploded in my stomach.

It had only been a few hours since I’d seen him … would I ever stop feeling this way?

“Hey, you.” He stopped in front of me, keeping a professional distance, but he held the base of my neck, his thumb stroking my skin.

“Hey, you.” I knew my smile was obnoxiously big, and I didn’t care. Even if I tried to hide it from anyone walking by—although there was no reason to because everyone knew we were in a relationship—I couldn’t.

“I was going to go to your office to find you. What are you doing down here?”

I checked my watch. “My team shot some footage of your practice while I was in a meeting. I came this way to find them. I was thinking I’d edit some of it so I can add it to the campaign we’re starting tomorrow to promote the Colorado and Nashville away games you have coming up in a few days.”

His hand rose to my jaw. “Do you have to edit the footage or can someone else do it?”

My hands went to my hips. “Why?”

“Because I have tomorrow off.”

“And?”

He pulled his hand back and stroked his lips with the pad of his finger. “I planned something.”

I laughed. “So, because you have this afternoon and all day tomorrow off, you think I can just ditch work and hang with you?”

He nodded, grinning. “That’s exactly what I think.”

“Beck …”

“Run away with me, Jolie.”

He made everything enticing. A five-word sentence felt like the most exhilarating one I’d ever heard.

The truth was, I didn’t have to be at the arena. I had the capabilities to work from home since my laptop could access every task I needed to accomplish. Plus, my assistants would much rather be working from the comfort of their couches as well.

I came to the arena to see Beck.

“Where would we be running to?” I asked.

He took a step closer. “You either say yes and we leave right now. Or you say no and you never find out what I had planned.”

My hands lifted from my waist, my arms crossing over my chest. “Now that’s just mean.”

“What’s your answer, gorgeous?”

“I mean …” I glanced down my body. I had on jeans and a Whales sweatshirt. A pair of cute sneakers. And my hair, it was in a high ponytail—today wasn’t a wash day. “Look at me. I’m dressed for a game, not to go out anywhere. Shouldn’t I change? Or …”

“You look perfect.” He held my chin. “Stop looking for reasons, Jolie. Just say yes.”

I gazed into those beautiful hazel eyes. Eyes that could get me to agree to almost anything. “Yes.”

He held out his hand for me to grab. “Come on.”

“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going?” My fingers clasped his, and as we neared the exit of the arena, I added, “What about my laptop? It’s in my office. I need to get it so I can get some work done.”

“Work your assistants will cover while you’re gone.” He gave me a long stare. “Where I’m taking you, you’re not going to be needing anything but me.”

While I’m gone?

“And my Jeep, Beck. It’s in the parking lot. Are you going to bring me back here later so I can grab it? I’m assuming we’re taking your car?”

He laughed. “So many questions.”

“I feel like I’m getting kidnapped. On a random Tuesday. Sue me for wanting to know things.” I winked at him.

“Here’s all you’re getting: a driver is picking us up, and my assistant will have your Jeep taken to my house. Where’s your fob?”

What is even happening right now?

“It’s in the top drawer of my desk.”

“Is your office unlocked?”

“Yes.”

He took out his phone, holding it in his palm while he typed with his thumb, appearing to send a text before his cell went back into his pocket. “Done.”

“You make everything look so easy.”

He smiled at me as we walked through the door of the arena, an SUV waiting for us directly outside. “Because it is, baby.”

When I stepped onto Beck’s private plane, I had no idea where we were flying to.

Five hours later, as we were getting ready to land, I still didn’t know.

The monitors inside were dark. The flight attendant had given absolutely no hints at all.

The two captains had provided updates, but without the mention of a destination or where we were flying over.

But what had been waiting for me on one of the seats when we boarded was a bag that Beck’s assistant had packed for me—the only clue that, wherever we were going, we were staying overnight.

Inside were four outfits, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, and makeup.

One day, I would meet CC—the woman who had worked for the Weston family for years—and get to thank her in person for having such incredible taste, taste that had only improved from the clothes she’d bought me in college.

For now, I just used Beck’s phone to text her, sending her my appreciation that way.

“We’re about to land,” Beck said from the seat beside me. We’d just finished nibbling on a charcuterie board, seated on a couch together, our food and drinks on a table in front of us. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

“No.” I huffed. “I don’t know if we went east or west, north or south. Every time I look out the window, nothing below gives it away.”

His hand fanned over my cheek. “Surprising you might be my second favorite thing.”

“Yeah? What’s your first?”

He smiled as the plane landed on the tarmac, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pressing his lips against the side of my head. He held me like that until the plane stopped and the flight attendant opened the door, releasing the stairs to the ground.

He took me by the hand to the exit, whispering in my ear as we stood together in the doorway, “Bringing you home.”

Home.

I glanced around the runway, looking for signs, a distinguishable mark—anything. And I took a long, deep breath. Oh God, it smelled just like Boston—a scent only a person from the city would be able to detect and appreciate.

I looked at the man I loved and whispered, “Why?”

Out of all places, here.

There had to be a reason. I was dying to know what it was.

Still holding my hand, he led me down the stairs toward the SUV that was waiting just beside the jet. The driver had the door already open for us, and we climbed into the back seat. One of the crew members packed our bags into the trunk, and the driver steered us away from the runway.

“Why Boston?” he clarified.

I nodded.

“I have the smallest break in my schedule, and since we won’t be playing here until later in the season, I thought you could use a little taste of the Northeast. It’s been a bit since you were here. I know you’ve missed it.”

“How do you know that?”

“No matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to fuck the Boston off you.” His eyes dipped to my lap. “And we both know I’ve really fucking tried.”

I laughed. “You have.”

“But for real, whenever I travel, LA is where I crave to return to. I’m sure you feel the same way about your city.” He kissed my cheek. “I don’t want you to miss it so hard that you want to move back.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“You’re sure about that?”

I moved my arm around his neck. “Beck, it doesn’t matter where I live as long as I’m with you. You’re my home.”

“ Mmm .” He kissed me hard. “I like that answer.”

I unraveled from his neck and linked our fingers. “How long are we here for?”

“We have all of tonight and most of tomorrow. Our plane leaves at eleven p.m., so we get back in time to fly with the team to Colorado at ten the next morning. We’ll sleep on my jet, and we can nap on the team’s plane if we need to.

But seeing your smile right now makes the impending tiredness well worth it. ”

“I still can’t believe you brought me here. Do you have things planned for us?” I snuggled under his arm.

“I didn’t want to take anything away from you—a spot you wanted to visit, a restaurant you wanted to eat at. The time we spend here is all in your hands, baby.”

“Where are we staying?”

“Miss Questions today.” He laughed. “When I spoke to your father about this trip, he told me we should stay at their place.”

My brows rose. “You told my father you were bringing me here?”

“I did.”

“And he offered for us to stay there?”

“He sure did.”

“Are you trying to score brownie points?”

He laughed again. “I don’t think that’s needed. Your father knows at this point that I’m very much in love with his daughter.” He grazed my lips with his.

“Just so you know, we wouldn’t only be in separate bedrooms, we’d be on different floors.”

“I figured, but that’s not the reason I declined his offer.”

The SUV was navigating the city traffic. I tried to pay attention to which direction we were going, but there was something so intriguing about this conversation; I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off Beck.

“What was the reason?”

He set his hand on top of my head. “Well, from what I understand, your parents live in Beacon Hill.”

“They do.”

“But that’s not your favorite part of the city.”

I stared into his eyes, trying to look past them, to see the words Beck wasn’t speaking. “My favorite part of the city … how do you even know where that is?”

“You told me. The night I met you, when we were in the car on the way to my hotel.”

The conversation was barely coming back to me, but within those tiny specks of memories, I recalled saying something about South Boston.

“How do you remember that?”

“I remember everything about you, Jolie. I’ve said that to you many times before. So, when I was looking for a place here, I only searched in South Boston.”

I shook my head, in awe of him, stilling to say, “You looked? Not your assistant?”

“I got no help with this one.” He smiled. “It was all me.”

“I’m suddenly very impressed.”

“Just wait … it gets better.”

The SUV pulled up in front of a high-rise, the driver opening our door. Beck got out first and helped me to the ground. A valet attendant grabbed our bags while Beck led me inside the building.

I looked around the lobby, one that resembled where Ginger and I lived in LA, but this was far nicer. “This isn’t a hotel.”

Beck escorted me to the elevator, the doors instantly opening, and he waved a fob in front of the reader before pressing the PH button. “No. It’s not a hotel.”

“Did you rent an apartment for the night?”

“More questions.”

“I can’t help it. I’m so fascinated with everything that’s happening—at the arena, on the plane, here, now.”

He chuckled, and once the elevator climbed to the top floor and the doors opened, he brought me out.

It took a moment before I realized we weren’t in a hallway.

We were already inside a condo that was fully decorated with art and furniture.

An entire wall of windows in the living room showed the most incredible view of the city.

“Holy shit,” I whispered as I walked toward the glass wall.

Beck moved in behind me, his hands on my stomach, his face in my neck while I stared out at Boston. “Welcome home, Jolie.”

“What?” I felt myself jump. “Home?” I turned around to face him.

“You love this city. I know it was hard for you to leave it. Of course, you can always stay at your parents’, but I can’t—at least not in your bed, and I don’t like sleeping without you.

So, I bought us this place, and when we come to visit, we’ll stay here.

And if you come back without me, you have a choice of being here or in Beacon Hill. ”

The only reason I knew my head was shaking was because I started to get dizzy. “Hold on a second. Did I hear you right? You said you bought this condo for us? This is … ours ?”

“Our first of many homes.”

I surrounded his neck with my arms, a sound of complete awe and semi-deliriousness and laughter coming from me. “What are you?”

“I told you … a man in love with you.” He kissed me, softly at first and then with a little more urgency.

With his lips on mine, I not only heard those words.

I felt them.

And he showed them to me in so many ways, this being one.

When he pulled back, he said, “I had your parents come look at the space to make sure it was as perfect as it appeared in the pictures.”

“Were they shocked you were doing this for me?”

“You mean, because I’m a wild one when it comes to you?”

I poked his chest. “Not just when it comes to me.”

He smiled. “I think your dad was happy I was bringing his baby home.”