Epilogue The Shining
Beck
Six Months Later
Practice is over, and my body is loose and tired in a good way.
I tie my shoes and then check the time. One thirty.
Plenty of time to meet Forest for my two o’clock appointment.
The place is only a fifteen-minute drive from the Cougars’ Boulder headquarters, where I’ve been spending a lot of time this season.
Since August—when Zack Walcott took a trade to a team who wants to make him their starter—I’ve more or less become a Cougar. I have a new one-way contract, which makes my status as Coach Powers’s number-two goalie less precarious.
Tending goal for another of our winning playoffs games in the fourth round didn’t hurt either. We didn’t win the Cup, but we got damn close. I feel good about our chances this season, too.
I pull on my coat against the winter chill and grab my wet towel off the bench.
Before I walk out, I take a quick glance around the room in a moment of silent appreciation.
This is my life now. It’s demanding as hell, but I feel a lot of gratitude for all the new people in my life. Working hard for them is worth it.
“Want to grab lunch?” Volkov asks me as we both toss our towels into the laundry bin by the exit. “Still thinking about that sandwich place you found. The menu is super weird, but I can’t argue with that pastrami.”
“Isn’t it great?” He’s not wrong about the menu—all the sandwiches are named after horror films. The Shining, for example, is rare roast beef, camembert, and pickled onions.
Plus horseradish, with a creeping heat that sneaks up on you while you eat it.
Just like the film. “I could really go for a Soylent Green right now, if I had the time. But I’m meeting my boyfriend first.”
He frowns. “What’s in the Soylent Green?”
“Grilled zucchini, goat cheese, and pesto.”
“Where you off to?” Stoney asks, gripping my shoulder.
“Going to look at an apartment. But Volkov wants a lunch date.”
“Ooh! Looking at anywhere good? Lotta guys live at Red Rocks. You know that development? Nice place. Plenty of room. Plus, there’s usually good leftovers in Newgate’s fridge.”
“You mooch,” Newgate grumbles. “Last night I went home and found this dude sitting at my place at the table. He thinks he can just show up with a good bottle of red and invite himself to dinner.”
“Works every time.” Stoney shrugs. “His husband thinks I’m funny.”
“Funny looking,” whispers another player, and there’s laughter in the corridor as we trudge toward the parking lot.
“I’m not ready for Red Rocks, sadly,” I point out.
“That’s way too much house for me.” Translation: too much money and commitment.
My position on the team isn’t secure enough for me to sign a lease on a three-bedroom rowhouse.
I need at least a solid year of NHL play under my belt before that would start to make sense.
“Then find a place with a hot tub.” Stoney squeezes my shoulder. “Nobody has one of those yet. We could have parties.”
“If you find a place and need furniture, I have a guy,” DiCosta says.
“Let ’im find the apartment first,” Kapski says, cuffing him on the arm. “I hear it’s a tight market out there.”
“You’re not wrong.” I peel off from the pack. “Better see this place before someone snaps it up.”
“Go get it, rookie!” Kapski says.
I give him an awkward salute and head toward my Jeep. There’s an extra spring in my step because Forest is meeting me. I asked him to time the driving distance from his place in Erie to this place on the east side of Boulder.
My life is awesome but it’s also a logistical nightmare. I live in Loveland but effectively work in Boulder now. That’s a forty-two minute drive. And Forest’s place is also a forty-minute drive from Loveland.
So I’ve been spending a lot of time behind the wheel of my Jeep—but all for good reasons. The Cougars are starting me in the net once a week, and my performance has been almost as rock solid as my relationship with Forest.
For all these reasons, I’d like to rent something more convenient. The distance from Forest to this new apartment on the edge of Boulder should be like twenty minutes. If I move, I’d be closer to both Forest’s place and the Cougars. My two favorite places in the world.
I warm up the Jeep and text Forest.
Beck
On my way. Lunch after this?
Forest
You know it. Mexican food or horror movie sandwiches?
We’ll make it a game time decision.
Forest
“Units in this development are going FAST!” shouts Jean, the agent who’s showing Beck around. “I signed three leases today!”
I resist the urge to cover my ears. Jean is a tiny human, reaching only to my collar bone. But what she lacks in stature, she makes up for in volume.
“I’ll bear that in mind,” Beck says, taking a step back, trying to save his hearing. “Give me a minute to look around.”
“Absolutely! Take twenty of them, actually! That’s when my next showing is. My calendar is stacked with interested couples!”
Beck winces, but I can’t tell if it’s because of Jean, or because of the apartment. On the one hand, it’s roomy, and I like the open-plan layout. But I saw the price, and it costs a mint, probably because it’s brand new and sparkling.
Literally sparkling, in the case of the white marble countertop. In fact, everything is white. The walls, the surfaces, the sofa and the throw pillows. It’s blinding.
Beck heads into the spacious bedroom, and I follow him. “What do you think?”
I hesitate. I don’t like it, but it’s not my decision. “It’s very attractive in… a clinical sort of way.”
He turns to give me a sideways glance. “Yeah, especially if you’ve ever dreamed of living on the international space station.”
I snicker. “There’s a view of the mountains,” I say, still trying to be supportive. But even the landscaping has the barren feel of new construction.
“The price, though,” he grumbles. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.” I sigh. “It’s a little steamy for this end of Boulder. Maybe you’d rather live closer to the rink.”
“Would I?” He bites his lip. “This place is closer to you. You do realize that matters, right? I drive to Erie a lot.”
“Yeah, you do, and I’m grateful. It’s just that this place is a little… soulless.”
“Whatever. I’m never home.” But then he shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe I’m not ready to pull the trigger. It almost feels like a jinx. Like—if I sign an expensive lease, I’ll get sent back to Loveland.”
“You won’t,” I say, and it’s not just loyalty talking. Beck’s future with the Cougars is bright.
“But Rigsy doesn’t care that I’m month to month. He told me to take my time.”
“Careful!” Jean yells from the next room. “Units are going fast!”
We both ignore her. I step into Beck’s personal space and wrap my arms around him. “What does your gut say?”
He rests his head on my shoulder. “My gut wants lunch. And my gut says this place isn’t the one. Even if the commute is pretty great.”
“Fifteen minutes to the practice facility?”
He hugs me a little tighter. “And nineteen minutes to you and Charlie.”
My heart skips a beat. The last six months have been the best of my life. I’d forgotten what companionship feels like, but that’s what we have together. Even when our schedules don’t align, we’re still there for each other in all the ways that count.
Which is why I take a deep breath. “I have another idea.”
“Hmm?” He releases me. “About apartments? Or lunch?”
“Neither. What if you moved to Erie?”
Beck’s blue eyes widen. “Wait. What are you suggesting?”
“Move in with me.” I lean in and kiss him on the jaw.
He freezes. “Really? You mean that?”
“Do I say things I don’t mean? This is not a drill. You’d have a better commute, free rent. We could try it out.”
He steps back and stares at me, and the look I see on his face isn’t the one I was hoping for. “Forest, I don’t think it can work like that.”
My heart drops. “Why not?”
“You want to try it.” His blue eyes look sad. “But I’m like a dog at the pound who wants a forever home. I can’t be casual about moving in with you. I can’t just try it out.”
Oh, shit. I’ve really fucked up now. “Honey, no.” I caress his jaw. “You’re not the experiment. I already know I love you. When I said try it out, I meant the house. The commute. Not the relationship.”
“Oh,” he says, and looks away.
“…Because you’re a keeper, and I’d like to keep you close to me. I wouldn’t ask you to move in if I thought it wouldn’t work between us.”
He takes a deep breath. “In that case, I accept. I like your house. I love you. And you’re shaving a lot of drive time off my week.”
I step closer and pull him against my chest. “The booty calls will be a lot more frequent.”
He kisses me on the jaw. “Do you want to sleep on this idea? Maybe you need to think it through. It’s a big change.”
“For you?”
His gaze snaps back to mine. “Well, no. Easy as rolling off a log. But all I’d have to do is pack up my snow-globe collection and take down my posters. I don’t have a mortgage or a kid to take care of.”
I put a hand on the center of his chest. “This isn’t the first time I had this thought. I promise you that I’ve already had a chance to overthink it.”
He grins. “Aw, you sexy beast.”
“So I don’t need to sleep on it. All I need to sleep on is you.” Then I grab the front of his jacket and kiss him. I make it a good one.
“Gentlemen?” Jean the loud realtor strides into the room, and we break our kiss. “Ooh! Does this mean good news?”
“It does, but not for you,” Beck says, stepping back. “This isn’t the right place to call home, but thank you for your time.”
She frowns. “Are you sure? Because if you change your mind…”
“I won’t ever change my mind,” I say.
Beck throws me a hot smile over his shoulder, and I already know I made the right decision.
The End