Chapter 29
Sven
twenty-nine
. . .
Brad calls me at the indecent hour of eight o’clock in the morning again. I have half a mind to decline the call. I don’t want anything to ruin the heaven of Vanessa in my bed.
With lead in my stomach, I answer. There are only two reasons he’s calling me: the Grizzlies want to trade me, or I’ve fucked up once again.
“What the fuck did you do, bud?” Brad snaps.
Fishing my sweats off the floor, I step into them and tiptoe across the room so I don’t wake Vanessa. She murmurs in her sleep, but doesn’t wake.
“What do you mean?”
“Management called me to discuss your contract,” he snaps.
Lead sits heavy in my belly. “They want to get rid of me?”
Brad snorts. “Fuck no. They want to extend you.”
I slip on the stairs. “What?”
“They low-balled you. I think we can get more?—”
“Whatever they want, I’ll take it,” I tell him.
“What? Fuck that. We’ll counter.”
“I want to stay in Boston,” I say firmly. “Whatever money or term they offer—I want it.”
“We can always negotiate,” Brad pushes.
“Is there a good term?”
“Five years, no trade.”
Closing my eyes, I let out a shaky exhale. “Take it. I want it.”
“Bud, this could be your last big contract. You don’t want to push for seven?”
“I’m good with five more years. The no trade clause is more important.”
“You’d be worth so much more on the open market,” he warns.
“This is what I want. I want to stay. Hell, I’d do it for the league minimum salary.”
I can hear his wince. “You can’t say shit like that.”
“Why? Because it’s true?”
He sighs. “Because one day, someone is going to take you at your word.”
“But I mean it. I would.”
Hockey is incredibly important to me. It’s all I ever wanted, everything I wanted to do since I was so young, when I didn’t even know the difference between dreams and reality.
Dreams change. People evolve. What I wanted five years ago is not what I am searching for now.
I’m not searching anymore. I’ve found her.
There’s a creak on the stairs and I turn to see a sleepy Vanessa making her way down. She’s wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of fuzzy socks, her legs bare. Her blonde hair is an adorable mess.
“Good morning,” I say, turning on the coffee pot. If we’re up, might as well take advantage of it. “Did I wake you?”
She shakes her head. “I woke up and you were gone.”
Crossing the room, she makes her way to where I’m standing, immediately folding her arms around my waist and snuggling into me.
“I’ll be here. I’ll always be here.”
She gives me a sleepy smile. “Okay.” She brushes her lips against mine in a brief kiss. “What did Brad want?”
“How did you know it was Brad?”
Vanessa cracks a grin. “Who else calls at this indecent hour?”
Smoothing my hand over her hair, I hold her close. “They want to extend me.”
Immediately, she pulls back to look at me. “They do?”
I nod.
“Of course they do! You’re awesome!” She squeezes me around the middle. “Oh, I’m so happy for you!”
“They still have to work out some details and I have to go into the office to sign the paperwork, but looks like I’ll be sticking around for at least five more years.” I swallow. “After that…”
“After that, we’ll take it as it comes,” she says. “Together.”
“You’re still in this with me?”
She nods. “You and me—we’re the future. We’re going to do this. That doesn’t mean I’m unsure about my feelings. It just means one step at a time.”
With a lump in my throat, I nod. “And you’ll tell me if anything changes?”
Vanessa cups my cheek with her palm. “Absolutely.”
There’s a caw from the other room, and I sigh. “Rupert’s awake.”
“She’s going to be so upset with you,” she chides. “You didn’t immediately tell her.”
“Rupert’s a bird,” I remind her.
“Don’t tell her that,” Vanessa laughs. “C’mon, let’s go get her.”
She’s only been at my place for a few wake-ups, but already she knows the routine, taking off Rupert’s cover and opening the bird’s cage. To my surprise, Rupert immediately flocks to her instead of to me.
“Hey, big girl,” Vanessa says, stroking her feathers. “How was your night?”
“Good girl,” Rupert caws. She nuzzles into Vanessa. “Rupert, good girl.”
I think I finally understand what people mean when they say their heart gets ten times bigger. There’s a warmth in my chest, a fuzzy pressure that takes my breath away and makes my heart beat faster.
Vanessa and Rupert are the two most important parts of my life, outside of hockey, and now… now I get to have all three. It’s something I couldn’t fathom even a few weeks ago, much less four years ago when I first saw her again.
Rupert launches off of Vanessa’s arm and comes to stand on my shoulder. She butts her head against mine. “Good girl,” my parrot says.
Vanessa comes to stand beside me, tucking her head under my chin. I hug her close.
This is what people mean when they say they’ve found their home. If I absolutely had to, I’d give up hockey if it meant I could spend the rest of my life with them.
I’ve found my home.