35. Nothing wrong with a little wager.
35
"Nothing wrong with a little wager."
Aaron Miles
The love of my life is lying in a hospital bed, a thin tube coming out of her arm, and my heart crumbles into a thousand pieces.
“Aaron?” she asks, trying to sit up straight. “What are you doing here?”
I hurry to her side, caressing her hair. “You’re awake! Thank heavens. How are you feeling?”
She shakes her head, a small smile pulling at her lips. “I’m fine. The nurse says it’s common to faint after giving blood. Especially the first t ime. I hit my head against the table in the back room of the coffee shop, but it’s only a mild concussion.”
“Gosh,” I say, sitting on the edge of the bed and kissing her hand. “You scared me. I was picturing you with about a thousand injuries. I thought I lost you.”
“Oh, Aaron.” Her gaze softens. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, I am. For not telling you how I felt all those years ago. In moments like these, it feels so stupid and silly.”
“It’s okay,” she says, pressing my hand against her cheek. It’s ironic that she’s now the one comforting me when she’s in a hospital bed. “We’re together now.”
I caress her cheek, and a smile illuminates her face. “I’m happy you’re here,” she murmurs.
“I’ll always be here, Martin.” I lean forward to kiss her, but I pause when something catches my eye.
The nurse is waving at me from the other side of the glass door, indicating the number two with her fingers.
“I can’t stay long,” I say, kissing her forehead instead. We called your dad, but he hasn’t seen the missed calls yet. I’m sure he’ll come as soon as he hears. I’ll try him again.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t have to call him. Hopefully, I can get out of here soon.”
“I sure hope so. I’ll wait out there with everyone until you’re discharged, okay?”
Her brows furrow. “Wait, everyo ne? Who’s all here?”
“Adler, Hawthorne, Beaumont, Emma, Hayley, and Beth.”
“Wow, okay,” she exhales, eyes widening. “Really, I’m fine. You can tell them to go home. I don’t want everyone to sit around worrying about me. It’s just a mild concussion.”
“Oh, and um,” I scratch my temple, “they kind of know about us now.”
Her pretty blue eyes widen further. “What? How?”
“I kind of blurted it out.” I wince. “The nurse didn’t want to let me come see you since I’m not family. And I got desperate.”
She squeezes my hand. “I thought you wanted to keep it a secret a while longer.”
I shake my head. “I was scared of the wrong things. You don’t know how deeply I regretted that the minute Beth called. I don’t want you to be my secret, Marissa. I love you, and I’m ready to tell the world, including your dad.”
She laughs. “Well, I like the way you think.” She beckons me with her finger. “This seems like the perfect moment for a kiss. Wouldn’t you say?”
I can’t fight the smile pulling at my lips. “On it.”
I lean forward and caress her cheek before pressing a gentle kiss on her perfect lips. She deepens it, clutching at my T-shirt to bring me closer, but t he nurse knocks on the door again, and we have to break apart. But that’s okay, because from now on, I’ll be able to kiss Marissa anytime and anywhere I want.
Marissa Martin
It takes forever to get the discharge papers in order, but I’m finally free to go. All my scans came back clear, and there’s no permanent damage to my brain or skull. Aaron is still here waiting for me. I was also able to call my dad. He was ready to drop the rest of his meetings for the day to come and see me, but I assured him I’m perfectly fine.
“Ready to go?” Aaron asks, offering his hand as I finish filling out the last of the papers.
“I am.”
He draws me into a hug, and I stay there for a few seconds, enjoying being close to him again.
“I called a cab since I don’t have my car,” he says. “Hawthorne drove me earlier.”
“Where are they now?” I ask as we’re walking out of the hospital building.
“At the bar, but I told them you’d probably be tired and want to go home.”
“Nonsense. We can go.”
He turns his head toward me, an eyebrow quirked. “You know what that means, right?”
I nod, smiling. “Yep. The second we step foot in that bar, we’re going to get roasted.”
He barks out a laugh. “They’ll probably go easy on you, but me? Yeah, definitely.”
“We can always just go home. It’s okay.”
He shoots me a pointed look. “Do you think I’m scared of them? Please. I’m game if you are. It’s high time we rip the band-aid off.”
He opens the cab door for me, and I slide in. “Let’s go to the bar, then.”
I spend the entire drive curled up in Aaron’s arms, and all is right in the world again. My hospital episode vanishes from my mind as if it never happened.
The cab stops at the end of the street, and Aaron pays the driver. As we start walking toward the bar, Aaron casually takes my hand. It’s both weird and perfectly normal to hold hands with my best friend, and boyfriend, as we stroll down Warlington Lane.
“Ready?” he asks as the bar comes into view. The street is quiet and dark, but there’s light streaming from Deacon’s bar.
“I am.” I nod, squeezing his hand.
“Brace for impact,” he says w ith a smirk as he pushes open the door.
We glance around the room, but our friends are nowhere in sight.
“Hey, guys,” Deacon calls from behind the bar. “How are you feeling, Marissa?”
“Hey, Deacon. I’m good, thank you. More fear than harm.”
His blue eyes shine. “Glad to hear that.”
“Are they in the back?” Aaron asks, pointing to the door at the far end of the room.
Deacon wipes down the counter. “You know it. And you guys should prepare yourselves. They’ve been gossiping about the two of you since they got here.”
I chuckle, exchanging a knowing glance with Aaron. “We figured as much.”
We step into the back room, and you’d think we just won the Stanley Cup with the welcome we receive.
Our friends scream and clap, coming over to hug us and slap our backs. Everyone’s here, even Wilcott and Emma’s fiancé, Auston.
“The power couple has arrived,” James booms, shaking Aaron like a tree. “I knew it.”
“We all knew it,” Emma says, shaking her head. It’s true. She and the girls have been onto us for a while.
“So, how long have you been tog ether, then?” Maxime asks, leaning against the air hockey table. “Because the timetable isn’t clear, and we need some clarification.”
I frown in confusion, and Aaron sighs. “Did you guys bet on us?”
Maxime winces, looking at the other guys.
“Oh, come on,” Aaron groans. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Especially you.” He jabs his finger on Maxime’s torso. “After what happened last time, I thought you’d steer clear of secret bets.”
He glances at Hayley, who just shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirks. “It worked out perfectly.”
Everyone laughs.
“So?” Caleb presses, crossing his arms. “How long?”
“Oh, you guys really are serious?” Aaron tugs me to his side. “How much money did you bet?”
The guys share a sheepish glance, but no one dares to speak.
“That much, huh?” Aaron chokes out a laugh, then raises his eyebrows at me. “What do you say?” he asks. “Do we tell them?”
I nod. “Go ahead.” Honestly, I’m kind of interested in seeing who won this bet.
“We only started dating about t en days ago. Right after our high school reunion.”
“Pay up, guys!” Adler says, his hands out.
“Wait.” Emma stands up from Auston’s lap, hands in the air. “When did you start having feelings for one another?”
My jaw drops. “Emma!” I yell.
“What? I heard them talking about it, and I wanted in. Nothing wrong with a little wager.” She winks.
Aaron is having trouble containing his laughter.
“So?” she prods, intensity burning in her blue eyes.
I bite my lip, glancing at Aaron.
“From the moment I first laid eyes on her,” he says, making the butterflies in my belly surge and dance. He kisses my hand, and everyone cheers again.
“Thank you,” Emma says with a little bow. “Now, pay up, gentlemen.” She offers her hand to the guys, and they all begrudgingly get their wallets out.
“I’m happy for you guys,” Hayley says, walking toward us while the guys and Emma settle their bets.
“Thank you,” we both say.
“And Marissa, welcome to the hockey girlfriends club. It was getting a little lonely in there,” she jokes.
A chuckle escapes me. “Glad to be joining you.”
Although, in a way, it feels like I’ve been a member of that club for years. I’ve been supporting Aaron since the first time he strapped on his skates. Literally. I’ve been cheering him on from the stands, going to games with him, enjoying the wins, and helping him move on from the losses. All things considered, it doesn’t feel that different. Except I know it is. Because the look in his eyes is the one I’ve dreamed of seeing for a very long time .