31. Olivia
31
olivia
“ T hank God the Bayview Bourbon campaign got sent to the client last night,” I grumble to Maggie, slouching deep in my chair. “I am so glad to have that off my plate. Now I can finally get Bill off my back about it.”
“Ditto. He’s been extra annoying lately. He came over yesterday and asked if I could put a drop shadow on a photo. A drop shadow. I had to find a polite way to explain that we no longer use graphic design elements from 1996.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t know how we would survive without each other. Also,” I straighten in my chair, leaning across our shared desks, “what’s for lunch today?”
“Olivia, it’s 8:45.”
“And what better time is there to plot out where we are going for lunch today?”
“I brought my lunch. I s hould eat that,” Maggie says hesitantly. “But…I could be persuaded to go out.”
“I was kind of thinking that new make-your-own-salad place down on Broadway. I could use a blueberry muffin… or four from their bread bar,” I say with a glimmer in my eye, hoping she agrees.
“I love how that place comes across as being healthy with fresh greens and kale, and then once you pay, you have access to a smorgasbord of super carb-heavy breads, soups, and desserts. I transform into Templeton from Charlotte’s Web once I pass that cash register.”
“But it’s basically salad…with a side of cornbread, asiago cheese breadsticks, and ice cream sundaes. It’s called balance.”
“Hell yeah, it is. I’m in.”
“Sweet! Only two more hours to plot out our attack on the bread station,” I say as I turn back toward my monitor, my phone lighting up with a text.
Hayes
Hello, is this my emergency contact Olivia Brooks? I have another emergency.
Olivia
Another one? Do I need to wrap you in bubble wrap?
Can you provide me with the details of your emergency, sir?
Hayes
I had a dream last night about this girl, but I’m worried she’s not real. She was beautiful with long auburn hair, blue eyes, and sexy legs. Do you know anyone that matches that description?
I can’t hold back the giddy smile forming on my face, warmth creeping across my cheeks. God, this man is everything.
Olivia
How is this an emergency?
Hayes
If she’s not real, I’ll die.
Olivia
Hmm…interesting. How can I help you prove she exists?
Hayes
Well, I gave her a spare key to my apartment. I thought maybe, she could use it on Wednesday night and stay at my place. That way, when I get home from my road trip, I could crawl into bed with her.
Olivia
I think that is a fantastic idea. But…what if she is fake, and you end up going home alone?
I really love egging this man on…and I love that he eats it up.
Hayes
I’m 99% sure she’s real, and I’m pretty sure she’ll show up.
Olivia
I think you’re right.
Hayes
So, it’s a date?
Olivia
A date in your bed? Sir, I would NEVER!
Hayes
You can call me sir then too
Holy shit. My thighs squeeze together as I do a quick scan around the office. Maggie is giving me serious side-eye while she’s on a call, but I breathe a sigh of relief seeing everyone else staring blankly into their monitors. Thank God no one can see the wetness building between my thighs.
Olivia
Okay, in all seriousness, I’m at my desk at work right now, and this conversation is causing me all kinds of issues lol
Hayes
My plan is working then
Olivia
But I’ll be there Wednesday night.
Hayes
Feel free to put on my jersey again, just the jersey, and watch the game from my bed. In case you see anything on TV that excites you
Olivia
Nothing more exciting than watching 22 skating past the blue line and shooting the puck toward the goal.
Hayes
Why does you saying ‘blue line’ get me all worked up like when you knew what a deke was? I’m pretty sure you’re perfect.
Did he call me perfect? My heart is pounding in my chest as I try and calm my shaking hands enough to respond to the text. But how do I stay calm when the most perfect man in the world just called me perfect? No big deal, right? Oh my God, this is such a big deal.
Olivia
It’s one of my many skills
Hayes
You do have some amazing skills . I gotta get up and get going for the day. I’ll call you later.
Olivia
Can’t wait to talk to you again. And can’t wait to see you later this week.
“Excuse me, Miss ‘I’m too busy to talk to my work bestie but can text for five minutes’…I’m assuming Larsy said good morning over there?” Maggie asks, hovering over me as I hold my phone close to my chest and away from her.
“Yes,” I reply, trying to play it cool. “He wants me to go over to his place and watch the game so I can be there when he gets home.”
“ Girl . I swear you won the man lottery.”
“I certainly feel like I hit the jackpot with Hayes. Cayden would have asked me to avoid him for three days if he got back from a road trip. Ugh…I have to stop comparing them. But…Cayden was just so…so...”
“Douchey? Selfish? Narcissistic? Egotistical?” Maggie suggests, offering several options as she ticks down her fingers.
“All of the above?” I say as we laugh. “Hayes just makes me so comfortable in my own skin. I’ve never had anyone make me feel this special. I mean, he probably has ulterior motives for asking me to come over, but…I can’t say I’m mad about it,” I say as we exchange a high-five.
“Liv, I’m so freaking happy for you! When can I meet him?” Maggie asks, walking backward back to her desk.
“The team schedule is so crazy right now, but I promise I’ll find a time to introduce you. Just, you know, not Wednesday night.”
“Yeah, so I love you, Liv, but I don’t love you enough to be there when your hot hockey player beau comes over to slam you into the headboard.”
Okay, now I am having a problem thinking about Hayes slamming me into the headboard while I scream his name until my throat is hoarse.
How is it possible I am in Hayes Larson’s bed, watching him on TV, in his jersey, knowing in a few hours he will be flying home to be with me? He was joking about making sure I was real, but I’m the one wondering how this isn’t a dream. I bite the inside of my cheek, the pain reminding me this is real.
The deepest corners of my mind keep whispering this is too perfect to last and that, one day, I'll wake up to the same recurring nightmare of being alone. I’m a thirty-one-year-old woman from the Midwest, and he is an insanely hot hockey god. What would it even be like to be married to a hockey player who is on the road a lot? Am I capable of handling that? He’s got to have girls coming out of the woodwork to be with him. Ladies handing him hotel room keys at all the away games. Women much prettier, thinner, and more famous clinging to him as he walks down the street. Why would he want to stay with me?
I flop back on the bed, rubbing my eyes until I see stars. Geez, Olivia, calm your tits. I’m acting like I’m already engaged to this guy, and we haven’t even defined this relationship…or whatever this is. Take a breath and relax. Sitting up, I settle against the headboard. I should simply enjoy this and see where it goes. Although now that I think about it…Olivia Larson does have a nice ring to it.
My stomach twists into knots, and my nerves are a hot mess. Hayes is playing great tonight, but we are still down 2-1 with two minutes left at the end of the third. Hayes is flying down the ice with the puck, passing it to Johansen, who is waiting in the slot. He takes the shot, but Columbus’ goalie blocks it. The rebound comes out, and Hayes is right there to grab the puck again. He’s surrounded by the opposing players, all of them pushing and shoving, trying to get the puck away. Hayes thrashes around, and suddenly this has turned into a full-on brawl between him and two of the Columbus players. I pop up to my knees in the bed, my hands flying to cover my face. My heart is pounding. Oh my God, please don’t get hurt, Hayes. One of the officials blows his whistle, trying to separate all the players and figure out who started what. My heart freezes as they skate Hayes over to the penalty box for instigating.
“What kind of bullshit call is that?! No penalty for the other team?” I scream at the TV. Fuck! Now Columbus is on the power play for the last minute and a half. Hayes slams his helmet and stick inside the penalty box. Shit, he’s clearly pissed. I jump out of bed, pacing in front of the TV. The teams face off, and we spend the last minute and a half trying to keep the other team from scoring instead of pulling our goalie to try and tie it up. The game clock ticks down to zero, and the horn sounds. I collapse back on the bed, a weight pressing into my chest. Milwaukee suffers another loss.
I run my fingers along the seam on the sheets, a dull ache in my heart for Hayes and his team. Hockey is a long season. You can’t win every game, and I’ve seen our team lose plenty of times. But…it’s different now.
Cayden was horrible when one of his teams lost. It was like he went into a depression, and he wasn’t even playing.
Olivia, I force a deep breath; Hayes is not Cayden. Hayes is a professional athlete. He can handle a loss. Cayden is a fucking tool who acted like he had a stake in the game. Hayes is different. Cayden’s entire personality depended on something outside of his control. Hayes’ doesn’t. Hayes is better.
For now, I shoot him a quick text…
Olivia
You played great tonight! Sorry for the loss. Refs are blind . I’ll probably be asleep when you get home, but wake me up when you get in. Can’t wait to see you
Normally, I have a hard time sleeping in a strange place by myself. But it’s been such a long week. My head hits the pillow, the nicest, most expensive pillow I’ve ever slept on in my life, and I quickly pass out.
I stir in my sleep as warm hands wrap around me, my neck tingling from soft kisses as a spicy, musky scent washes over me.
“I missed you, Olivia,” a deep voice whispers in my ear.
“Hayes,” I say with a super groggy smile, trying to wake myself up. “I missed you too.” I turn my head to kiss him, pleased when his lips effortlessly find mine. “What time is it?”
“1:45. Go back to sleep, siren. I’m exhausted.” He kisses me again. “I can’t believe I came home to you in my bed. I missed you; I just need to hold you.”
“Me too. I’m sorry you guys lost. Does snuggling help you get over a loss?”
“Olivia, I’ve been dealing with being outplayed for most of my life. Losses suck, but they happen. Losing is just part of the game.” He drops his forehead to my shoulder, the warmth of his breath spreading goosebumps across my skin. “I know your mind is wheeling with thoughts of me being upset and standoffish, but that’s not me,” Hayes says as I start to wake a little more, his voice thrumming through me. “And whether or not it helps me get over a loss is yet to be determined,” he says as he cozies up closer. “But there is nothing I would rather be doing than snuggling with you.”
“Are you sure?” I tease, wiggling into him. “Because, from what I’m feeling, you’d like to do more than snuggle.”
He lets out a soft laugh. “I really want to let you get some rest, but seeing you in my bed, my name across your back, has me fucking hard as a rock.”
“Well, we can’t have you trying to get a good night’s sleep like that, now, can we.” I turn over to face him as I grasp his length. He moans as a warmth settles deep within me. “Fun fact. I told my boss I needed to work from home tomorrow. He thinks I need to let a repair man in my house, so I can sleep in and have a lazy morning with you.”
“Olivia Brooks, you sneaky liar.” He drops his head into the crook of my neck, his lips lifting into a smile against my skin. “I love your ploy to spend more time with me.”
I roll over to face him. “Oh, you love it, do you?”
Hayes gazes at me quietly, the burning heat in his eyes melting me to my core. He cups my cheek with his hand, my breath catching at the look on his face. “Olivia, I love you.”
My heart is beating in my throat, my pulse racing so fast I can’t breathe. “You…you…” I can’t form the words. “You love me?” I blink, trying to convince myself this is real. “Already?”
His brows draw together, a tentative smile on his face. “I do. I don’t know how this happened so fast,” he admits as I lean into his hand. “But I know I don’t want to spend another minute of my life without telling you how I feel. After Walt’s, when I thought I may never see you again, was the longest I ever want to be without you.”
My pulse races, and tears of joy flood my eyes at his words.
This man is everything.
“I almost said it when you left for your trip. I was so worried it would freak you out and you’d leave.”
“I know,” he says as he flashes that damn gorgeous smile at me. “I haven’t taken enough hits to be that dense, and it didn’t scare me one bit. Honestly, I wish you had said it so I could say it back. And now, I don’t ever want to not say it.” His thumb traces my cheek, more goosebumps erupting across my body. “I am madly in love with you.”
I pause, cherishing how vulnerable he is. I take in a deep breath, filling my lungs with newfound confidence. I don’t have to hold back my feelings anymore. “I love you too.”
He presses his lips to mine with a fierce passion, melting all of my worries about him being on the road, trusting his actions, and my paranoia of not being enough. As he claims me, I’m reminded of the good and selfless man he is. This all seems fast, but it also feels right. I don’t know what I’ve done in my life to deserve this man, but the one thing I know is that I’m never letting go.