Chapter 35
thirty-five
. . .
Jason
Amelia’s been keeping her distance. Last night, she went to the Bulldogs game—I watched it on TV with a few of the guys—but I thought she might come over after the game.
But she didn’t.
After that day in her office, when I nearly punched out my own teammate, she’s kept to herself. She hasn’t had lunch with Andrews and the other staffers. They had a two-night trip to DC and, sure, we texted, but there’s distance in her messages.
Is she over me? Or is she trying to protect her job?
I’m not offended by the fact that she puts her job first, even before me. She should. We’re dating; we don’t have anything official. If something happened between us, I want her to have a safety net.
Which is why I have to do this.
The guys are all at morning skate, so the medical offices are empty. Graham and Zac are on the ice, Derek is at his desk, and Amelia is arranging medical supplies in her small office.
I knock on her open door, and she flinches. When she looks at me, something shutters in her eyes before her face goes carefully blank.
“We can’t,” she says immediately.
“We can.” I limp my way into her office, and then hoist myself up onto the table.
“Jason.” Her voice comes out as a whisper.
“I love you.”
Her eyes widen, and she looks to the open door.
Cupping her cheek, I force her gaze back to me. “I love you. I want to be with you. And I don’t care who knows it.”
“But—”
“If you’re not in this, if you don’t want me, that’s fine. I can take it. But if there’s even a part of you that wants to be with me, I need you to do me a favor.”
Slowly, she blinks. “A favor?”
“Yeah. I need you to sign this.” I pick up the folder beside me. “Look this over and see if it’s something you can agree to.”
“What is it?”
Lifting my chin, I nod to the packet. “Read it over.”
She opens the folder, her eyes widening. “Jason, this is—”
“I love you, and I want to be with you, Amelia. I’m in this, and I don’t want to hide anymore. I want everyone to know it.”
She reads the interpersonal relationship declaration form. My signature is already at the bottom.
“I was offered a job on the coaching staff,” I continue. “It involves traveling with the team and working with the guys. We wouldn’t be working together directly, per se, but we’d be coworkers.”
Swallowing, her eyes dart up to mine, wide as saucers.
“Coworkers and colleagues are allowed to be in relationships together. All we have to do is file with HR.”
“That simple?” she breathes.
“That simple.” I slide my hand down to the column of her neck, feeling her pulse flutter beneath my palm. “Sign that form, and we don’t have to hide. We can live our lives and be happy.”
“I want to be happy,” Amelia says softly. “I want to be happy with you.”
“We will be.” I know it in my bones. “You just have to give us a chance.”
She takes a step back, out of my grasp, and my heart stutters to a stop. She turns away, and I think my heart might actually break.
Fuck. I pushed her too far. It’s too soon. She’s not ready.
But then she goes to her desk, rummaging for a pen, and when she signs her name on the dotted line, I can finally breathe again.
“There,” she announces. “We’re official.”
Slapping the papers onto her desk, she strides across the small office to where I’m sitting. I don’t know who reaches for who first, but the next thing I know, she’s in my arms, and her mouth is on mine, and all is right with the world.
She’s mine, and I’m hers, and there’s nothing that can tear us apart.
There’s chatter in the hallway outside the office, and we break apart, but we don’t go far. Amelia rests her forehead on mine, breathing hard.
“I love you,” she whispers.
Happiness blooms deep in my chest, and I blink a few times to keep the moisture in my eyes at bay. “You do?”
“I was scared. So fucking scared.” She draws in a shuddery breath. “I was afraid I was into this more than you were. That it didn’t mean to you what it does to me.”
“I love you. I want a life with you.” Kissing her, her soft sigh makes my pulse throb.
“Whatever it looks like for us, whether we’re traveling three quarters of the year or you want a change of pace, we can do it.
I want bagel brunches with your friends and family dinners with your brothers.
Nights out with the guys and quiet nights in.
Whatever you want, we’ll do it together. ”
She swallows. “Together,” she whispers. It’s a promise.
I wrap my hand around her throat again, needing to touch her skin. She covers my hand with hers, her eyes locked on mine.
“We need some ground rules,” she says. “We still can’t—not at work.”
“All our clothes will stay on,” I promise. “Can I kiss you? Hold your hand? Take you to lunch?”
Her eyes soften. “Yeah, Jase. You can.”
Ducking my head, I kiss her again, and again, and again, until we’re both breathless.
There’s a knock on the open door, and Amelia jumps, but I don’t let her go far. I raise my eyebrows at Derek, who stands in the doorway with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Glad to see you worked your shit out,” he says. “Morning rounds start in five. Better get ready.”
He’s gone as quickly as he came.
I nod to the packet on her desk. “I better get the paperwork in to the office.”
Amelia’s cheeks go pink. “Will I see you later?”
“As soon as you’d like.” I kiss her quickly, and then hop down onto my good foot. She hands me my crutches and the folder. “I’m off to tell HR.”
She winces. “Good luck?”
“It’ll go great,” I tell her, cupping her cheek. “And if it doesn’t, we’ll get through it. Together.”
We can do anything together.
I head toward the office suite. Jacky, the head of HR, is at her desk, and as I knock on her open door, her eyes widen.
“What can I do for you, McKittrick?”
Passing over the file, she flips it open, and her eyes go even wider.
“You’re sure about this?” she asks. I’m not the first player to date a staff member… but soon, I won’t be a player anymore. I’ll be her peer.
“One hundred and ten percent.”
Jacky nods. “Alright, then. I’ll get it formalized. You two should be good to go.” She pauses. “You deserve someone who makes you happy. Someone who makes you smile like you have been.”
“She’s pretty fantastic,” I agree. “All I want to do is love her. She’s finally ready to love me back.”
“I wish you a lifetime of happiness,” she says, tucking the file into a pile on her desk. “Consider your relationship declared. No fooling around in the training facility, please.”
A smirk curves my lips. “We’ll do our best.”
My errand done, I head down to the dressing room, where the guys are changing out of their kits. All chatter stops when I limp into the room.
“What?” I ask. “Is there something on my face?”
“Oh, Cap,” Jenkins says, in a falsetto. “I love you, Cap.”
I glare at the kid. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“No, I love you more,” Sinclair says, in a high-pitched voice.
Lewis wraps his arms around his shoulders and pretends to make out with himself.
“The fuck is going on here?” My voice comes out as a roar, and Gonzo flinches.
“Shut up, it’s cute,” Logan says.
My glare narrows on him. “What are you talking about?”
“You and Amelia,” Logan says, with a shrug. “You guys ready to finally stop hiding it?”
“What are you talking about?” It sounds hollow. We haven’t discussed telling everyone, only that we wouldn’t need to keep it a secret.
“Come on, McKittrick,” Easton says. “You two have snuck around this place for months.”
My mouth drops open. “What?”
“You’re always smiling at her,” Henry says. “You watch her and smile, and when anyone looks at you, you scowl to cover it. You’re totally obvious, bud.”
“I’ve seen her leaving our building, like, seven different times,” MacGregor adds. “Doesn’t make much sense for her to be over when she lives just next door.”
“And her backpack is always inside your front door.” Logan shakes his head. “You really make her hide whenever we come over?”
My face heats. “I—we—”
“You can tell us,” Larsson says. “You don’t have to hide it.”
“Yes,” Amelia’s voice says from behind me. “We’re together. And if you say another fucking word about it, the next time you’re on my table, you’ll cry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Larsson says seriously.
She steps up beside me, sliding her hand into mine. “You took too long,” she teases, before she kisses me.
The dressing room erupts into cheers and shouts.
“All right, all right, settle down,” Coach calls, and we break apart.
Amelia’s face is flushed, a smile stretching her face.
“Larsson, you’re a healthy scratch tonight,” he adds.
The Swede opens his mouth to argue.
“Son, you need to get to the hospital,” Coach says. “Vanessa’s water just broke. Jacky’s called an ambulance, and it’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Larsson’s face goes white. “We’re having a baby?”
“Yeah, man,” Henry says, slapping his back. “You’re having a baby.”
And then the dressing room erupts into cheers again.