Page 26

tyler

I held out my arm for Halle to take. I was ignoring Kirby, who was sitting on the couch. Especially his eyes on my girl. It didn't bothered me as much as it would've earlier. Then again, I still had the memory of Halle whispering my name over and over again racing around my head. As Halle took my arm, I dipped to whisper in her ear.

"I won't be as inclined to tear that off you now." She blushed deeply. We started for the door together. Halle's heels clicked on the hardwood floor. It was almost four, but Tayler and Dylan's apartment wasn't too far away.

In the car, Halle was quiet. It was a comfortable silence, both of us familiar with each other. Compared to the date from a month before, this was more relaxed. I focused loosely on the road, traversing the streets until I reached Dylan's apartment. Halle almost didn't wait for me. I found the cause of her excitement after a moment. There was a squeal from the other side of the car. I hurried around, and was faced with Alex looking lost. Lyndsey and Halle were hugging in between us. Alex moved to stand next to me. His mystified expression made me laugh.

"I didn't know Halle was coming. You didn't say anything." I shrugged.

"Yeah she got here this morning. I guess her and Tayler planned this little party."

"Huh. I was really confused on why Lynds made us dress up nice. At least we're not the only ones." He motioned at my dress shirt and pants. I shrugged.

Halle and Lynds separated, starting to walk into the apartment. Alex and I followed at a distance.

"So you two are good now? She seems happy."

"We're perfect. Or as good as it can get." I grinned, rubbing the back of my neck. Alex looked at me carefully.

"That's good. It's nice to see you happy man."

We traveled up the elevator, Halle and Lyndsey promptly ignoring us to talk about other things. When we reached the right floor, Halle returned her attention to me. She was absolutely glowing, even in the less than ideal lighting of the hallway. Her posture was elegant, yet relaxed. She'd applied fiery lipstick and eyeshadow, and the look was something new and stunning on her. The grayish blue hues on her eyelids, paired with the sleek dress and heels, created a look that was runway worthy. I wondered if Halle knew that she looked like a model right now.

Lyndsey barely had time to press the doorbell on the ornate apartment door when it swung open. Tayler greeted us with a wide smile. She was holding a champagne glass loosely in one hand. She swirled it at the four of us.

"Bonjour, welcome to chez moi!" Her eyes lighted on Halle. She grabbed her hand, pulling her through the doorway. Lyndsey followed. Alex and I were next. My eyes took in the spacious studio-like living room. Somehow, Tayler had completely transformed the space. It was set up with a long table, with eight places set. I found Dylan lounging on the couch to the left, watching Tayler with interested eyes. He stood when he saw Alex and I. I held out a hand to greet him.

"Stromer. Who's all coming?"

"Sup Walty. Merz and Lex are almost here. Kub and Klara should be coming too." I nodded. I hadn't expected there to be that many of us. Halle came to my side, her arm threading through mine. She smiled at Dylan. With a jolt, I realized she'd never met my teammate.

"Hey Dyl. Where's Wrigs?" I gave her a look. Obviously I didn't need to introduce them.

"He's at the neighbor's downstairs. We decided not to force him to stay in the bedroom while we enjoyed the evening out here. He'd whine the entire time." The three of us turned when the doorbell rang again.

"It's Lexie!" Tayler danced to the door, her heels clinking against the floor. Halle tapped my shoulder, pulling my attention from the door.

"Let's get a picture before it gets too dark." She waved Lyndsey over, handing her the phone. I saw what Halle had picked as a backdrop. On the right side, the entire wall was glass. It overlooked the city, high enough for a stunning view. The sun was setting, casting the sky in a multitude of red shades.

"Go on the balcony, that way the glass isn't in the way." Tayler called to us from the doorway. Halle gave her a thumbs up.

Halle positioned herself next to me, one hand wrapping around my back. I did the same, my hand visible where it wrapped around her waist and pulled her to me. Just by her pose next to me, I could tell the picture would be smoking. Lyndsey handed the phone back, showing us the picture. I was right. Halle was extremely photogenic. Dylan dipped in, looking at the picture as well.

"Wow, Halle almost takes the attention away from your ugly mug."

The four of us retreated back inside. We greeted Elvis and Alex, who were followed by Dominik and Klara. As soon as we were all in and had taken a slew of pictures, we settled down to eat.

The dinner party quickly turned from fancy to the usual goofy get-together. The girls all kicked their heels off within an hour. I lost my tie somewhere at the hour and a half mark. Between bites of pasta dishes and sips of champagne, we told ridiculous stories about each other. Halle told the group, much to my dismay, about the first time she tried to teach me to paddle board at the beach. In retaliation, I told them about her inability to whistle, no matter how hard she pursed her lips and blew.

We laughed so hard about minuscule things that we all cried. The added alcohol from champagne, and wine, didn't help. I refrained from drinking, but Halle was all over the alcohol that Tayler shoved into her hands. It added to the hilarity of the stories and relaxed everyone. We sprawled on the couches for hours, just talking. By the time ten o'clock hit, everyone was starting to disperse. Klara and Dominik had already left, while Lyndsey and Alex were in Tayler's room digging for clothes to change into so they could stay the night. Halle turned her bright eyes to me, though they were clouded with exhaustion and slight drunkenness.

"Home?" Her voice was smaller, filled with innocence. I nodded.

"Come on, sleepyhead. Let's go." I said goodbye to my teammates that remained, reminding them about the morning skate the following day. There was a family skate directly after, which I was excited for. Halle's first exposure to team publicity. I hadn't told her about it yet, but I would when we got home.

Halle immediately fell asleep on the drive home. Instead of waking her up, I took her shoes in one hand, and then scooped her up. She murmured quietly into my chest, blinking blearily for a moment. Her eyes drifted shut again. I didn't say anything as I carried her in, then up the elevator. I didn't put her down until we were in my bedroom. As gently as possible, I placed her on the bed. I surveyed her appearance before sighing heavily. Her eyeshadow was heavily smudged. I knew she absolutely despised sleeping with makeup on.

I went into the bathroom, finding the makeup wipes sitting on the counter. I knew she did more to cleanse her face at night, but the least I could do was take her makeup off. I pulled a towelette out. Gently, I wiped at her eyelids. I cursed as Halle started to wake up. Her eyes looked up at me, more awake now. When she realized what I was doing, she smiled.

"Thanks. I'll finish it." She took the towelette from me and disappeared into the bathroom. When she re-emerged, her face was clean and her hair was thrown into a loose bun. As I watched, she pulled her dress off. I protested when she opened my drawer and snagged a t-shirt. Halle didn't reply. Instead, she carefully put the shirt on and returned to bed.

I pulled the covers back so she could wiggle under. I kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Family skate tomorrow. Will you come?" She smiled, her eyes still closed.

"Of course. Can't say my skate skills will be good. But I'll be there."

"Good. Kids will be in Halloween costumes. It'll be cute."

"Can't wait. Goodnight Ty."

"Goodnight Halls. I..." I wanted to repeat the words I'd said to her earlier. They'd been in a moment of passion, or vulnerability. Could I say them now? Who was stopping me. "I love you."

&&&

Practice consisted of almost entirely power play and penalty killing work. I was tired, but it had been a good session. Now, I was heading back onto the ice for the family skate. It was officially the first time I was staying. Before, I'd been one of the few who walked off and didn't remain at the practice rink.

I followed Pat, who was enthusiastically skating to where Amanda was waiting for him. She was accompanied by Chaunette and her kids, along with Halle. I couldn't help but grin when I saw Halle holding the youngest Shaw. I slid up, saving Halle from the pain of a spray of snow. Jax looked at me with bright eyes. I waved at him.

"Oh Ty isn't he adorable." Halle was beaming down at the baby in her arms. Chaunette laughed from next to her.

"Don't get too attached. You'll be grossed out when you have to change diaper and deal with spit-up."

"I'll do it gladly. Please call me to babysit anytime this kid is absolutely worth it." Jax had Halle wrapped around his finger, that much was obvious. Chaunette caught sight of Andrew further down the ice. She took her son back from a very reluctant Halle. I read her pout with ease.

"Don't get Baby Fever too strong, eh? I don't think we're there yet." Halle glared at me.

"Don't tell me what to do." Her serious look broke into a smile. "Come on, let's go get Tayler." Halle took my hand, gliding away and taking me with her. I went with her, my eyes finding our group of friends. To my surprise, I saw a familiar figure standing talking to Alex and Dylan. He was standing in the bench area, not on the ice. My mouth gaped.

"Tazer!" He turned, smiling at us. I nudged Halle. "Halle, this is Jon." Her mouth opened slightly.

"Oh wow, Captain Serious?" Jon laughed.

"Yep, that one. You must be Halle. Heard a bit too much about you from this one right here." He motioned at me, giving Halle a wink. She blushed, turning to me slightly. I shrugged at her.

"So, Jon, how's the leg?" Jon's smile dropped slightly.

"It's getting there. I still can't drive or walk too much, and I definitely can't skate for awhile. At least Lindsey let me come here to see the boys." He looked annoyed. I could understand. His career had been permanently and prematurely ended. I couldn't imagine how he felt.

"Hark, the Old Man!" Pat and Amanda rejoined Halle and I. Jon glared at his former teammate.

"For the last time, I'm not much older than you buddy. And look at Duncs. He's way older than we are." Pat shook his head.

"You just wish you could still get around like that." I rolled my eyes at Pat's teasing. It sounded just like last year, when the two had done nothing but hound each other for random things.

We left the two to argue by the benches. I surveyed the ice for a moment, picking out my fellow teammates. There was Robin with Donya and their two kids, Zach Smith and Britney, also accompanied by children. Duncan's kids were older, already flying around the ice on skilled skates. Their mother watched from her husband's side with disinterested eyes. I left the smattering of skaters on the ice, letting my eyes travel to the stands around the rink. I didn't miss the few groups of fans sitting there. Down on the ice, there were cameras from our team photographers. I'd tried to prep Halle for this beforehand, but I didn't know how exactly she would react. Nothing seemed to bother her right now. In fact, she was already skating away from me to talk to Kris and Brittany.

I watched her interact with the other wives and girlfriends of the team. She fit right in, as if she'd been around for years. Even the kids immediately gravitated towards her. I didn't blame anyone. Halle was a likable person, easy to get along with, and sweet to everyone she met. Seeing her interacting with everyone filled my heart with happiness. This was everything I'd ever wanted from the very second I'd laid eyes on her.

Of course, at the time, I hadn't known it was what I'd desired. I'd seen a pretty girl with stunning eyes, and I'd wanted to meet her. But the more time I spent with Halle, the more I knew what I wanted in life. I wanted to be the reason she smiled. I wanted to be the reason she was excited to go to hockey and watch practices. I wanted to keep her safe. I wanted fifty more family skates with her. I wanted to settle down with her. I wanted to marry her. I wanted to raise the cutest kids with her. I wanted to grow old with her. But most of all, I just wanted to be her happy.

Halle was the reason I played. I'd thought a relationship would hold me back, but now I knew better. I knew that I performed best when we were on good terms. Something told me we'd be going strong for the rest our lives.