Ice Contact (Milwaukee Steel Riders #1)

41. Olivia

41

olivia

I asked Hayes what to wear for this surprise date, but he said nothing. Not one hint. Not even a teeny-tiny suggestion of where we might be going or what we’d be doing. And now I’m trying to steady my shaking hands as I apply my eyeliner. Why am I so damn nervous about this date? I decided on a mid-thigh black dress with knee high black velvet boots. We’ve had a warm fall this year, so my bare legs don’t mind the open air. Unless we’re doing anything related to ice, then I’ll be freezing my ass off. Oh well…at least Hayes will be there to keep me warm. I do a half spin in the mirror, checking my outfit one final time. I texted Maggie a photo and she assured me I look hot. But I can’t shake the feeling that something is different about tonight.

Stepping onto the porch, I see Hayes pull up in his rental car. This is his first full day driving on his own since the accident. At least he’s been cleared to do that. My heart races when I think about him driving again, but he’s never let anything stop him. This won’t either. He jogs around to the passenger side to open my door. I can’t help but smile at the gesture, admiring the man who never fails to put me first. He’s wearing a fitted pair of grey dress pants and a white button-down shirt. Holy fucking hotness. This man in tailored dress clothes, especially those tight-fitting pants where the outline of his cell phone, and other things, makes it hard to breathe. I bite my lip, rubbing my palms down my thighs. Well, maybe it’s not the outline of the phone getting me worked up.

“Hey beautiful,” Hayes whispers, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me into him, nuzzling his face into the sensitive crook of my neck. His slight stubble sends a shiver through my entire body. “You look so hot in that dress and those sexy-as-fuck boots. Dammit! Why did I suggest going out? Let’s just go back inside,” he says as he jokingly starts to walk me backward.

I laugh as I lean in to kiss him. “This was all your idea, mister. No take backs. Plus, I’m way too intrigued as to where you are taking me on this date.”

“Okay, fine, we’ll go out. But just know that outfit is going to have me very distracted and I can’t wait to see it on my floor later tonight.”

“Mission accomplished,” I say with a wink. “Although, your dress pants may have me a little distracted as well. I would like to personally thank whoever it was that decided hockey players had to wear suits, because you wear the hell out of those slacks.”

“You’re not helping, siren,” he chuckles. “I think you’re going to need a punishment for all of this teasing.”

“Then I’ll say it again…mission accomplished.”

“Alright, Miss Sassy…get in the car before I throw you over my shoulder and do unspeakable things to you,” he says as he helps me into my seat, shutting the door behind me. I’m already blushing at the mention of unspeakable things, more than ready to find out what he has planned.

“Can you tell me where we are going yet?” I ask as he slides into the driver’s seat.

“Nope. Like I said, it’s a surprise.”

I cross my arms, pretending to pout. “And what if I don’t like surprises?”

“Oh, but I think you do.”

“I guess we’ll see. Jury’s still out.”

We pull up to an old brick building with a cool historic feel to it. Walking up to the entrance, Hayes opens the giant glass doors and gestures for me to head inside.

“What is this place?” I ask, taking in the interior of the building. Brick walls line the corridor, highlighting the brass art deco lighting. I see several tenant spaces for everything from a café to jewelry store to a spa as we walk through the long hallway, only heightening my curiosity. At the end, I see Milwaukee Sound Studio and a gentleman waiting on the other side of the glass door to welcome us. I feel like a swarm of butterflies are flying around in my stomach, my nerves and excitement surging like a wave of electricity.

“Mr. Larson, welcome to Milwaukee Sound! And you must be Olivia,” he says as he extends his hand to introduce himself. “I’m Dan, the owner of the studio space here. Follow me; I’ll take you to where you’ll be for the evening.”

“Hayes, what is this?” I ask, my heart racing and my mouth bone dry.

That damn smile and those damn eyes smolder at me again as Hayes says, “You’ll see.”

Dan leads us down another hallway and into a room marked Studio 1 . As he opens the door, I see a single table with a white tablecloth in the middle of the room, set with two chairs side-by-side, place settings, and a dozen roses. There are no overhead lights on, just the soft glow of candles of varying heights lit throughout the space. Turning slightly, I notice the most stunning grand piano across the room. Pressure builds in my eyes as I see a glass wall overlooking a control booth.

“Hayes…” I whisper, too scared to talk any louder, “what is this? Why are we here?”

He takes my hand, his soothing touch always a calming force, his soft gaze filled with anticipation. “We’re here for a few reasons. First, remember the errands I was running a few days ago? This was one of them. I came to check out this space for you. This is yours to use to record in whenever you like. Just call Dan up; it’s all paid for.”

Dan walks over, extending his business card to me. “Here’s my info. Just call or shoot me a text and we’ll get you on the books. We can set you up with studio musicians, recording engineers, mixing, mastering, you name it, we do just about everything here in house. I’ve heard you sing at Riders games and at Walt’s. I can’t wait to work with someone as talented as you.”

“Thanks for setting this all up, Dan,” Hayes says, shaking his hand.

“Anything for Hayes Larson. We’re so excited to have you here in Milwaukee. My kids can’t wait to go to the game next week. Appreciate the tickets! I’ll leave you two to enjoy your dinner; holler if you need me.” Dan nods as he leaves the room, a small smile on his face.

“Hayes, you can’t do this. When did you have the time to even arrange all this? It’s too much. I…I don’t even know what to say. I mean, obviously thank you, but seriously, this is way too mu-”

“Olivia,” Hayes soothes, cutting me off. “Nothing is too much for you. You deserve every good thing in this world, and I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure you get it.”

It’s impossible to hold back my tears, my sobs catching in my throat. I’m overwhelmed by the love and boundless care this man pours out to me every single day. I reach up to grab behind his neck, pulling him close for a kiss.

God, I love this man.

“Have a seat,” he says as he leads me over to the table and pulls out one of the chairs. The minute we are both seated, his arm around my shoulders, a waiter comes in to pour wine as another server comes in with our food.

I eye the plate in shock, my mouth watering at the smell. “Hayes, is this the same salmon meal we had at The Harbor?”

“Called in another favor. You’d be amazed what people will do for free hockey tickets and a pre-game ride on the Zamboni,” he says with a wink.

“When do I get to ride the Zamboni?”

I gasp as he grabs my hand placing it between his legs. He wasn’t kidding when he said he liked this outfit. Leaning in, he whispers in my ear, “Olivia, I think we’ve determined what you like to ride, and it’s not an ice resurfacing truck.”

Heat courses through me at feeling his hardness, my thighs involuntarily squeezing together. I love the way he always makes me feel wanted. A wicked smile creeps across my face. “Well, you’re not wrong. I’m all about fulfilling some fantasies, especially on top of that grand piano, but there also seem to be a lot of windows and security cameras in here.”

“Good point,” he says raising an eyebrow with a pouty look. “We’ll revisit this topic later tonight when your legs are wrapped around my shoulders. Now, excuse me while I order a piano for rush delivery to the apartment,” Hayes says as he leans in to press his lips to mine, silencing my laughter. This man. “Now let’s eat this salmon before it gets cold.”

The only sound for the next few minutes is the clinking of silverware against our plates, as we reminisce about our first meal together. “This is without a doubt, the best date I’ve ever been on in my life. I still can’t believe I get to record in here. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to properly thank you for this.”

“You are so talented, siren, I want you to share your music with anyone and everyone who wants to hear it. Whatever I can do to help you achieve your dreams, I’m going to do. And there’s something else I’ve been thinking about,” Hayes says, silence filling the air around us. I rub my hands up and down my thighs, unsure of what is going on. “I want you to sing for the Riders again, and I know we haven’t talked about it since the accident.” He hesitates again, his throat bobbing with a heavy swallow. “Do you remember what I said to you that day? That we were going to come up with a plan and it was going to be the best plan there ever was?”

“Yeah,” I say, choking back more tears. “I remember. But I’m okay giving that up if I can be with you. When I got that call from the hospital, and I thought you were…” I stop, not able to finish. Not able to go back to that terrifying moment. “I don’t ever want to lose you. Never. I couldn’t survive it. I love you so much.”

He reaches over to grab my hand, his touch always a calming presence. “I love you too. More than I thought I could love another person,” he says. “I did some thinking, and I came up with a plan. What if…what if you could have both?”

“I mean, that would be great, but I don’t think the Riders will allow it. You can’t socialize with or date a player, and there’s no way they’d bend the rules for me after everything that happened with Cayden.”

Hayes stands up, scooting his chair back, reaching into his back pocket for something. Bending down to get on one knee in front of me, making my breath catch in my chest.

“Hayes, what are you doing?”

“You’re right, Olivia. You can’t date a player,” his eyes catch mine, something I don’t allow myself to hope for shining in their depths. “But I did some investigating, and it turns out you can sing if you’re married to a player.”

My throat tightens, my pulse racing. Did he just say married?

Hayes holds a black jewelry box before me and opens it, revealing a little light shining brightly to highlight what’s sparkling inside. I stare down at the most breathtaking, giant square cut pink diamond in a white gold setting I’ve ever seen in my life. My eyes go wide, and I pull my hand up to cover my mouth.

“Oh my God, Hayes,” I whisper as I begin full-on ugly crying.

“Olivia, I know it’s not been long, but I know what I want. I want you. I want to marry you. I want to live my life with you. I want to start a family with you. I want it all. I know this seems so fast, but when you know it’s right, you know it’s right. And there is nothing in this world that has ever felt more right to me than being with you. Olivia Marie Brooks, will you be my forever emergency contact and marry me?”

“You’re proposing? You…you want to marry me?”

“Remember how I don’t offer things up I don’t want to do?”

I laugh, blinking to see the man I’m going to marry. “I remember,” I say nodding, probably looking like a bobblehead shaking my head erratically through my tears.

“This is definitely something I would not offer up if I didn’t mean it,” he says, his gaze matching mine, as if he can see right through me. “So, you haven’t given me an answer yet. Is the jury still out on this question?”

My heart beats faster than if I was running a race. Not because I’m nervous - something about Hayes makes me feel safe and calm. Nothing has ever felt more right, but the words about to come out of my mouth are going to change the rest of my life. That’s the reason for the speeding freight train in my chest.

“No jury needed for this. I’m in. My answer is yes.”