28. Ryan
28
RYAN
Nica had a single suitcase stashed in the corner of the bedroom. I realized quickly that she was toting her toiletry bag back and forth to the bathroom.
“Is this what camping out looks like?” I asked while she rummaged in her case. We’d washed up from the first round of the night and had decided on takeout for dinner.
She stepped into yoga pants and brushed her hair away from her forehead. “Yeah. I know it’s a little bulky, but I’ve tried to keep it neat.”
I huffed a laugh and gestured for her to follow me into the closet. Pointing at one of the twin bureaus, I said, “That one is empty. Use it. Fill it. Or move your stuff into the guestroom if you want privacy. Come on.”
We walked into the bathroom, and I pulled out the drawers on the right side of the sink. “Empty. Yours. Go nuts.”
Nica sucked on her lip. Her brows knitted. “Thank you.”
“But?”
She sighed and leaned on the counter beside me. “I’ll start looking for an apartment in Seacrest. And I’ll go back to Hartford for now. It’s been so helpful being local to start the job. But I’ll figure it out. I can keep a few things here, but I don’t want you to feel like we started, uh, dating?—”
She made a face to tell me that dating meant fucking . I arched a brow, and she went on.
“Anyway, I don’t want you to feel like I’m just barging into your life like that. Which, ha, I realize is exactly what I’ve done. But we can walk it back a little.”
I caught her fingers as they tapped the countertop. “You realize, of course, that I’m the one who’s nervous about moving too fast.”
“Nope, that would definitely be me.”
A little laugh rumbled in my chest. “Exactly. We have some weird shit in common. Imposter syndrome isn’t the greatest thing to bond over, but it can be useful. Because if this is this , then we can be here to remind each other that it’s real. To remind each other not to overthink things. And to tell each other the truth about what is and isn’t too much.”
Her eyes were brighter than usual. She bit her lips into a line and nodded. “I like that part. All of this feels like a dream. I expect any moment to wake up in my apartment. It’ll be the morning after Audrey’s wedding, and life will be normal. I’ll have a day of posting, hustling, and forgetting about the guy I met the night before.
“But I keep waking up here . With a job with the Commodores, no more obligations to Bruce, and… and the guy I met that night. You. You, looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you might already love me,” she whispered.
“Hmm.”
“Point is, the way you remind me of all that stuff is helping me believe this little fairytale is real. For now, at least. And that’s all that has to be true.”
I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. That sweet lavender scent hit my nose. “We’re way past that morning in September, Trouble. I have almost three months of spreadsheet data to prove it.”
Her body vibrated with a laugh.
“And my point is, this house wasn’t built for one person. There are empty spaces that can be yours if you want them. I don’t care if you get an apartment or not. You should if you want to. If you don’t, or if you want to take your time, then there is a place for you here.”
I tilted her chin up so I could look into her eyes. “This is this. And you are not at all too much. I want you to take up space in my life—if you want.”
“I want.” She swallowed hard and nodded. “I really want.”
My lips dusted hers, but I pulled back to meet her gaze again. “Like you might already love me.”
Her eyes glittered. “Like I might.”
Before I could kiss her again, the doorbell rang. “That’ll be Henrik. I’ll be right back.”
But Nica’s brows went up. “Can I come, too? I want to see him. He’s so cute. I kind of wished he was here while you were gone, even though I don’t know how to take care of a dog.”
“Well, if you stay, you can learn.”
“That’s a good excuse,” she said with a laugh as she beat me to the stairs. “Henrik! Welcome home!”
She unpacked her stuff. She let me fill the Tesla with more clothes than just a week’s worth and drive it back from Hartford. She learned how to feed and walk Henrik. She stopped trying to fit into corners and just let us fit together. She even let me rent her a car after a week or so of taking the bus. I promised I wouldn’t offer more, but I think we both knew that was bullshit.
It was fast. It was dizzying. But dammit. It was good.
The team holiday party rolled around in a blink. I struggled to keep the drool in my mouth at the sight of Nica in her gown. She went to the salon with Stella and Audrey that morning, so her hair was done in a way that kept her from sighing about how short it was.
“You’re a vision,” I said as I spun her around in the foyer.
“You’re sure I shouldn’t have gone with long hair?”
I laughed. “You look like Nica. No filters. No alter-ego. I’m very damn sure.”
She walked in on my arm. For the first time, Nica’s steps didn’t lag. She didn’t once try to fade into the background. Quite the opposite. Tanya and Ana beamed when they saw her. I glanced down to see her grin light up, too.
Nica didn’t lag behind, but my brain did. It wasn’t until that moment that I fully felt the thing we’d been saying for weeks.
We were together. This was this . Not just in the house. Not just in the bedroom. Everyone knew it. My teammates and their partners all expected to see her with me. Gene and Ana. Yuri and Tanya. Ethan and Stella. Dustin and Jazzlynne. Quinn and Audrey.
Ryan and Nica.
Nica glanced up when I squeezed her arm closer to me. “You good, Goalie?”
My ears were warm, but I grinned down at her. Abruptly, I swooped in and kissed her cheek. “Great, Trouble. I’ll go get you a champagne.”
The women aww’ed. I shook my head and strode away. When I glanced back, I saw Nica smiling after me. She wiggled her fingers and turned her attention to Ana.
Max was at the bar. He rolled his eyes as I approached. “You fuckin’ traitor.”
“Me?”
“Hell yeah, you. You were supposed to be my fellow miserably single bastard.”
I laughed. “Sorry to let you down.”
We clinked beers, and he said, “Ah, I ain’t mad at you, Sieve. You two look good together.”
“Thanks, buddy. I’ll talk to you in a minute.” I lifted the champagne off the bar and took it to Nica.
The night blurred away with food, talk, and even a little dancing. Nica assured me that I danced. I let her drag me to the floor for two slow tunes, but I flat refused to participate in Ethan’s holiday flash mob. She stayed on the floor, though, so I got to laugh at her red face while she tried to keep up. When the song ended, I whooped in applause, and she flew to me. Her grin would not quit.
“Oh, my gosh. This is the best night,” she said as she gazed up at me. “Thank you, Goalie. This is magical.”
“And you fit right in.”
Her lips puckered. “What do you know? Seems like I do.”
Quinn walked up. He was off crutches and looking much more himself these days. He arched one eyebrow at Nica. “My dear Nica. It has been too long. Apparently, I have missed quite a lot, no?”
She beamed and let him kiss her hand. I tried hard not to mind while she said, “You have. I deleted the profile and work for the team now. And, of course, Ryan and I are…”
Her arms slipped around me in a hug. I caught eyes with Quinn, who grinned. “Somehow, none of this made the team meeting agendas, but Audrey has kept me informed. C’est tiguidou! This is excellent. I am so happy for you both.”
We all clinked glasses in a toast. Quinn and I traded a nod. “Happy Christmas, you two. Molls.”
“French.”
Nica hummed as he strolled away. “Yeah, he’s a fox for sure.”
I opened my mouth to complain, but she crooked a finger to have me bend to her. “But you’re my goalie, Goalie. And I’m looking forward to watching you fuck my mouth in that tuxedo later.”
A growl rumbled in my throat. “Only after I devour that pussy. I might even let you watch that, too.”
It was a long night. We didn’t get out of the party until one, so we didn’t sleep until nearly sunrise. But it didn’t matter. We spent half of Christmas Eve in bed. The other half, Nica insisted on prepping food for the next day. I’d suggested going out to dinner, but she had other ideas.
Christmas Day, I let her take the lead. We went to the practice rink to skate with Vinny, who couldn’t stop thanking me for letting him join. Henrik had the time of his life with so many people sliding pucks for him to chase. After that, Nica went back to his house to exchange gifts. I’d invited him to dinner, but he had friends he spent the day with. Nica promised she’d not be long even though I told her to take her time.
I took a quick detour to The Pub to drop off a holiday tip for Tony and the wait staff, then headed home to shower. I pulled up to the house thinking about the afternoon. Looking forward to snuggling with my girl in front of the tree and a fire. Picturing the necklace I’d bought her and wondering if she’d like it. If I’d chosen the right thing.
So I nearly had a heart attack when I found someone sitting on the stoop. My jaw unhinged. Henrik sniffed the air and ran toward her. She squealed and knelt down. “Henny! My sweet boy, how are you?”
My jaw clenched. “He’s not yours, Amanda. You left him, if you recall.”
“Oh, but he’s still my little pookie, aren’t you baby?” She cooed at the dog. Then, she stood up and strolled toward me. “Hey, honey. How have you been?”
Her arms slid around my neck at the same time tires rolled to a stop behind us. A car door opened and closed. I had to suppress a smirk when Henrik bolted to greet Nica, but that was short-lived in the face of this awkward moment.
“What’s going on?” Nica asked softly.