Chapter 50
HAILEE
“You need to go,” I say after Hayden has climbed on top of me, where I’m still lounging in bed, having watched him get dressed and ready to head out for their final exhibition road game.
I’m not heading out with them this time, and as much as I’m looking forward to getting caught up on everything I’ve let slip since Hayden entered my life, I’m going to miss the hell out of him.
It’s only two nights. It’s ridiculous. He’ll be away for much longer stretches once the regular season starts.
It’s something I’m going to have to get used to.
As much as I might want to find excuses to travel with them every time, it’s just not necessary.
I have more than enough things to attend to.
“I know. I just want another kiss.”
The giggle that erupts from me when he starts pouting would make the old me cringe.
I sound like an excited, love-sick teenage girl, and I’m finding it hard to care.
I’m happy. So freaking happy.
Stretching up, I give him a chaste kiss on his cheek and smile when he frowns at me.
“I’d expect that from my grandma. I want a proper kiss. One that I won’t be able to stop thinking about. One that will have me hard and desperate for you when I’m lonely in bed tonight.”
“You won’t be lonely. You room with Brody.”
He quirks a brow.
“I’ll be lonely.”
“Aw, poor baby,” I tease.
“Can I FaceTime you?” he asks, nudging my nose with his.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll just be working.”
A smile twitches at his lips as something flickers in his eyes, but the second his lips capture mine, I forget all about it.
“Hayden,” I moan when he finally pulls away.
My heart is racing and my temperature soaring.
Maybe he could be just a few minutes late.
“Fuck, I want you all over again,” he mutters, resting his brow against mine. “I always fucking want you.”
The feeling is entirely mutual.
“Go, Hayden. Go be a kick-ass hockey player. I’ll be watching.”
“You got my jersey to wear yet?”
I roll my eyes. “Do you know how serious it is for a girl to wear your number?”
His eyes search mine. “Fully aware, Hails.”
My breath catches. His confidence in me, in us, blows me away.
There is no doubt in Hayden’s mind that we’re it.
I hate that I’m such a cynic and always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Everything this far has been so easy. I always thought relationships took time and effort, but with Hayden, it’s all come naturally. He’s slotted himself into both my life and my thoughts, and he’s found himself more than at home in both. I’m also very content with him staying there.
“You’re mine, baby. I want my name and number across your back, and one day, you’re gonna have my ring on your finger, and that name…it’ll be yours, too.”
Holy shit.
If any other man said something like that to me, I’d knee him in the balls.
I don’t belong to anyone. I am my own person with my own thoughts, wishes, and dreams. But hearing that declaration from Hayden, well, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t do things to me.
It’s crazy to be talking about rings and futures already. Our relationship is still a secret; we’re still sneaking around, hiding it from the world. But it also feels right.
I can see it. All of it. And for the first time in my life, I truly want it.
“You’re something else, Hayden Monroe.”
“The only thing I am is yours, Hailee Caldwell,” he counters before dropping a kiss on my nose and finally pushing himself from my bed.
“I’ll message when we’re there.”
“Okay,” I say, pushing myself up so I can watch him walk toward the door. The sheets fall from around me as I do so, leaving my breasts exposed. “Hayden?”
He spins around, his eyes finding mine for a beat before they drop.
“Goddamn it, Hails,” he groans as I shamelessly arch my back.
“I’ll miss you,” I breathe.
“I’m gonna retire so I never have to leave you,” he mutters, dragging his hand down his face.
I can’t help but laugh.
“I’ll be waiting for you,” I tell him.
“Like that?”
“Maybe,” I tease, biting down on my bottom lip seductively.
“This trip better be fast,” he says, rearranging himself. “See you soon, baby.”
“Not if I see you first,” I call, aware that I’m going to be watching every second of tonight’s game to get my Hayden fix.
I love this soft side of him, but I can’t deny that the force he turns into on the ice turns me on like nothing else.
“I want a photo of you in my jersey,” he shouts a second before the front door slams closed.
I fall back into bed and pull the covers over my naked body, my face nuzzling his pillow so I can pretend he’s still here.
If it wasn’t already abundantly clear, I’ve got it really freaking bad for Hayden Monroe.
I didn’t see it coming, but damn, it’s more than anything I ever could have imagined.
I didn’t linger in bed for long after Hayden left. My to-do list was piling up, and after a few minutes of reminiscing on our time together the previous night, and of course, our early morning activities before he dragged his ass out of bed, I did the same and got ready to leave for work.
As promised, he messaged as soon as they landed, and then a few more times throughout the day. But the clock is now ticking down toward puck drop, and my stomach is in knots knowing that he’ll be trying to focus but struggling to do so.
Every game, he’s got a little better. But that anxiety of not having Rylee there still gets him every time.
I blow out a long breath, wishing that I could be there for him.
My knees bounce nervously, my cell on the coffee table in front of me as I wait to see if he’s going to see my latest message and respond before he goes out there.
But as the minutes tick down, I figure that he’s too busy. Maybe it’s so much easier this time that he doesn’t need me.
A little sadness trickles through me.
Of course I want him to be able to go out there without freaking out. But also, deep down, I like that I get to be a part of his pre-game ritual. It makes me feel important, needed.
I startle when my apartment buzzer goes off, but my cell lights up with a notification for it.
I tap the alert and wait for the call to connect.
“Good evening, Ms. Caldwell. There’s a parcel at your door.”
I frown. I might get regular deliveries, seeing as I spend almost all my time at the arena or travelling, but I don’t think I’m expecting anything.
I take my cell with me just in case Hayden messages.
“What is this?” I whisper to myself as I lift the parcel and take it into my apartment.
As I lower my ass to the couch to open it, my cell starts ringing.
My heart lurches, and knowing exactly who it is, I swipe the screen and let the video connect.
“Hey, are you ready?” I ask when his face appears. “Wait, are you in a closet?”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “And I’m on the clock. I’d have called earlier, but I was waiting.”
“What for?” I ask, confused.
“Do you have your parcel?”
“My…” I glance down at the package in my lap. “Yeah, it’s right here,” I say, holding it up to show him. “Did you order it?”
“Yeah. Open it.”
“O-okay,” I say, propping my cell up against a pillow so Hayden can see. “What is it?”
“Open it and find out.”
I rip the outer bag open, and the second a flash of a very familiar green catches my eye inside, I know exactly what it is.
“Hayden,” I warn, although I doubt he takes it very seriously, considering I’m smiling like an idiot.
“I couldn’t wait any longer. I need it.”
I shake my head and pull the Vipers jersey from the clear bag and shake it out.
Obviously, “Monroe ninety-six" stares back at me.
“Will you put it on for me?” he asks.
Silently, I pull it over my head, covering up the sports bra I was wearing, and let the fabric fall around me. It’s massive and could definitely pass as a dress, but from the way Hayden’s eyes blaze, I don’t think he notices.
“Goddamn, that looks good. Give me a spin, baby.”
I do, and he growls like a wild animal when he gets a full shot of my back.
“I’m so fucking hard right now.”
“You’re about to go and play.”
“Yeah, while my girl is watching, wearing my number.”
“Fuck,” he grunts, shifting uncomfortably in his equipment.
“You’re a nightmare,” I tease.
“You think anyone will notice if I hop on a commercial flight straight after the game so I can crawl into bed with you?”
“Yes, I think a few people will notice. You’ve got plans tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you could get me out of it.”
Absolutely not. You wanna spend your nights in my bed, you gotta toe the line, Monroe.”
“Christ,” he groans. “I really need to go.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “You got a game to win.”
He nods, his eyes holding mine through the screen.
“Yeah. You’ll be watching, right?”
“Every second. Score a goal for me?”
“You got it, baby. Talk to you later.”
“Good luck.”
His lips part as if he’s going to say something else, but he quickly decides against it, and a second later, the call cuts.
A laugh tumbles out of me as I glance down at myself. Pushing to my feet, I walk into my bedroom and stand with my back to my full-length mirror, snap a photo while looking over my shoulder, and send it over to him. It delivers, but he doesn’t open it. Something for him to enjoy later.
With a drink and snacks ready, I settle in to watch my boy out there doing what he does best, but just before they hit the ice, my cell buzzes.
Bea: You watching?
Hailee: Of course.
Bea invited me over to watch with Casey and Freya, but I declined, claiming to be swamped with work. It’s not a lie, I only closed my laptop a few minutes ago, but really, I was scared.
Watching the game with Bea was fun, but she knows everything, and I didn’t need to hide my reactions to Hayden.
It will be different with Casey and Freya.
I’ll be on edge, making sure I don’t raise suspicion.
And if I’m being really honest, I’m still not sure if they genuinely want me around or if they’re doing it out of courtesy to Hayden.
Shaking those thoughts away, I glance at her most recent message.
Bea: They’ve got this in the bag. I can feel it.
Hailee: Are you sure that’s not baby Donnelly kicking your bladder?
Bea: Huh, yeah, that could be it.
Bea: Are you sure you don’t want to join us? We just had more tacos than we’ll ever eat delivered.
Hailee: Thanks for the invite, but I’m going to be working again as soon as the game is finished. Maybe next time?
Bea: Absolutely.
Hailee: Hayden sent me his jersey.
I didn’t intend on sharing that little update, but there’s an excitable teenage girl living inside me that’s buzzing over the fact my boy has given me his jersey.
Bea: Honestly, I’m not sure how he held off so long. I hope you’ve sent him a photo of you wearing it. It drives them WILD.
Hailee: I have, but he hasn’t seen it yet.
Bea: Probably for the best, I’ve been told things get a little too fitted if they see stuff like that before a game
Hailee: The less I know about Donnelly’s private life, the better
Bea: I’m keeping him in check. You owe me a drink.
Hailee: I owe you a lifetime of drinks.
Our messages halt the second our boys start getting announced and shoot out onto the ice.
I watch as Hayden climbs over the boards, pumped and ready for the first shift change.
He might be content with being second line right now, but I see the hunger in his eyes to hear his name announced as part of the starting lineup, to be out there for the first puck drop. It’s gonna happen, I’ve no doubt. It’s just whether it happens with the Vipers, or…
The thought of him getting traded to another team has anxiety twisting up my stomach.
It’s been tough, but I’ve tried not to obsess over it.
There’s always a risk that even the best player can find their life upended all of a sudden.
It’s only ever affected me professionally before, but now…
what would I do if Hayden were traded? I love my job, I love the franchise and everything about the Vipers, but could I stay here while he’s elsewhere?
Thankfully, the man in question hops the boards and takes off across the ice, joining the game for the first time, and I force the thought away. There’s no point worrying about something that might never happen.
Instead, I watch as he and Brody work together to protect Cole and our net. They’re a good partnership, but Hayden is obviously faster, his shots more accurate, and his agility better.
My boy has got a successful future ahead of him, and I desperately want to be behind that bench, watching every second of it.