Chapter 13
CARTER
After our game against the New York Warriors—which we lost in a shootout, three to four—I change quickly and duck out early so I have time to meet Sarah.
At first, I wished she was at the game, but after the way I played, maybe it’s better she wasn’t.
I let our public relations people know before puck drop that I wouldn’t be available for any interviews after, but I shouldn’t have even bothered.
Nobody will ask, based on my performance.
I did the bare minimum, playing distracted, my brain already hours ahead, thinking about seeing Sarah again. Which would concern me if it was a pattern, but it was just one game. I’ll lock in and get myself sorted in Boston this weekend.
Miles gave me a pointed look on my way out, yelling after me to tell his sister hi, and that got a reaction from the rest of the guys. They’ll understand even more once they see the engagement news.
I book a driver to use for the night, and he picks me up outside Madison Square Garden.
The plan is to head to a private club where we know we’ll be seen by at least a few important people in hockey.
Maybe it won’t matter, but if we can create a digital footprint of our engagement, get a few mentions in the news, it’s only going to help build our story.
Still, it feels weird to be going out without Theo, especially outside of Atlanta.
Then again, if he were coming along, I’d still be waiting for him.
Despite the loss, he had a killer game tonight, scoring a goal and an assist in the second period, then a second goal in the third.
Two goals in one night is great for any player, but it’s rare for a defenseman.
He’s the guy everyone will want to interview tonight.
The driver has the address of the Bainbridge Studio, where I’m picking Sarah up, so I sit back and will myself to relax.
I’m excited to see her, but also nervous to see her. After our conversation yesterday when I freaked out over Emerson, I’m not sure how things will feel between us. I was obviously jealous, but she admitted having similar feelings about Shelby, so where does that leave us?
I don’t think either of us would deny our chemistry, but when does chemistry turn into something more? And will we know when it does if we’re so focused on pretending?
I lift my hand to my inside coat pocket and press against it, feeling the hard ridges of the ring box.
Sarah has a ring—one Anna gave her. But she didn’t seem all that impressed with the design. Plus, if we’re aiming to make this seem real, a purchased ring carries a lot more weight.
“Almost there, sir,” my driver says.
“Thanks,” I say, then I text Sarah a quick heads-up.
She’s just stepping out of the building when we pull up to the curb, and the sight of her stops my breath.
She looks stunning, giving new meaning to the phrase little black dress.
The one she’s wearing is hugging her curves in all the right places.
Her hair is down, and she isn’t wearing her glasses.
As I climb out of the car, she takes the coat draped over her arm and wraps it around her shoulders, slipping her arms through the sleeves.
It hangs past her knees, but that still feels like a lot of leg exposed in this cold, and I’m struck with a sudden urge to wrap her up in my arms just to make sure she doesn’t freeze.
“Hey,” I say as soon as I’m standing in front of her. I take in her warm gaze, and something inside me settles. “You look amazing.”
She leans forward and presses a kiss to my cheek, and I lift a hand to the curve of her waist, closing my eyes as I breathe her in.
“Thanks,” she says as she pulls back. “You too.”
I take a step toward the car and hold out a hand. “Ready?”
I help her into the SUV, then jog around to the other side to get in myself. She’s buckled her seatbelt by the time I’m in my seat, her hands clutching a tiny gold bag like her life depends on it.
“Sorry about the game,” she says, and I wave away her concern.
“Don’t worry about it. We can’t win them all.”
“How did you play?”
“Terrible,” I say. “But Theo had a great night, and he was due for one.”
Sarah studies me for a second. “I maybe shouldn’t ask this question, but I’m guessing people compare the two of you a lot. Is one of you…” She hesitates. “Actually, I don’t think I can ask you that.”
I smile. “Is one of us better than the other?”
She grimaces. “That is what I was going to ask, but then I thought better of it.”
“Don’t worry about asking. You’re right. People do compare, but our stats are surprisingly similar. He scores more than I do, but I have more points overall because I get more assists.”
“I read an article that talked about your near telepathic connection on the ice,” she says.
It’s not quite the same as watching me play, but I do like that she’s looking me up. “So you’re reading about me now?”
She shoots me a playful look. “Don’t let it go to your head. You googled me first.”
“And look at us now,” I say.
She laughs. “I don’t think I would have predicted where we are now in a million years.”
“I might have,” I say, watching her eyes widen, “but maybe not exactly like this.”
She holds my gaze for a long moment, a question behind her eyes. I don’t want to freak her out, but it’s never been hard for me to imagine us in a relationship—not since the first day I met her.
A moment later, Sarah’s phone buzzes, and she breaks eye contact, looking down to slip it out of her purse.
I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if the circumstances were different.
If I were meeting her after a game just because I like her.
Then again, I’m still not sure she would have agreed to go out with me, so maybe it’s a moot point.
Would she have chosen me just because? Chosen me for me? It sucks that I’ll never actually know.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
She nods. “Just Emerson.” She turns her phone to show me a photo of a family standing in a theater, a little girl at the center of the group dressed like a tree. “That’s Jeremy’s niece. Tonight was her school play. And this guy on the end is Emerson.”
“Looks like a nice guy,” I say, the embarrassment over my stupidly jealous reaction triggered all over again.
“He really is. He studied interior design at SCAD. He’s still in Savannah, working for a firm there. But he agreed to help me with your place, so you’ll get to see his brilliance firsthand.”
“Just as long as I’m paying for his brilliance.”
“You will be,” she says. “He’ll give us a deal. But I’ll be sure to keep track of everything.” She puts away her phone, then looks out the window. “So where are we headed?”
“There’s a place called the Lexington over in Midtown,” I say.
“Near the Garden, where a lot of the Warriors players are frequently seen. Also the guy who hosts the biggest hockey podcast in the country is known to hang out there after games. He was at the game tonight, so I’m banking on him being there.
If he sees us, he’ll definitely mention it on his show. ”
“That’s great,” she says. “Exactly what we need.”
“It’s mostly just a sports bar,” I say, “but a little more upscale. And smaller. I didn’t want to take you somewhere with a big, noisy crowd.”
She lifts her eyes to meet mine. “Thank you,” she says. “Thanks for thinking of that.”
“No problem.”
She opens her bag one more time. “I guess I should go ahead and put this on.” She pulls out Anna’s ring.
“Actually,” I say, pausing to reach for the one in my pocket. I glance forward to our driver, a sudden swell of nerves making me sweat. I’m wearing too many layers for this kind of conversation. “Hey, can we get a little privacy?”
The driver nods, then a screen raises between us and the front of the SUV.
I have no idea how soundproof it is, but I drop my voice to a whisper anyway, just in case it isn’t.
“I know we agreed Anna’s ring would be fine, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would look better if I went ahead and purchased one, so…
” I hold up the ring, hand trembling the slightest bit. “I got you this one.”
Sarah stares, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. “You bought a ring?” she asks, her voice hushed.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I made a guess. I hope it’s okay.” I hold it toward her. “May I?”
She gives me her left hand, and I slowly slide it onto her ring finger. The moment feels a little too real, and I force myself to remember we’re only pretending.
She extends her arm in front of her, tilting her hand this way and that. Her voice is breathy when she says, “Ohhhh, wow. It’s so beautiful.”
A tiny pulse of victory pushes through my chest. Real or not, I really wanted her to like it. I’m glad that she does.
“How did you know what size to get?” she asks. “It feels perfect.”
“Do you remember when I slid Anna’s ring onto my pinky and almost got it stuck?”
She nods, biting her lip in a way I’m beginning to recognize as a sign that she’s feeling particularly emotional.
“I used that as a gauge. Are you sure you like it? I won’t be offended if you’d rather wear the other one.”
“No, this one is so much better,” she says. “I really love it.”
“Well, you should. You have to wear it for a year.”
Something flashes behind her eyes, but there’s no time to ask what she’s thinking because the privacy screen slides down as the SUV eases to a stop.
Outside, a security guard stands in front of a sleek black building with a minimal, low-profile entrance.
“Just let me know when to come back for you,” our driver says. “I’ll be close by all night.”
Once we’re both on the sidewalk, Sarah pauses under a streetlamp.
“Here,” she says, pulling her phone out of her bag.
“Let’s take a picture with the ring. I’m supposed to post something tonight.
” She holds up her phone. “Actually, you’re the one with the long arms. If we’re doing a selfie, you should take it. ”