Epilogue
Tanner
Four months later
I keep my eyes on the off-road path that leads from the trees’ canopy to the head of the lake, waiting in the quiet winter afternoon for Aisling’s car to appear. My knee bounces up and down, navy suit pants stretching tight over my quads, as my fingers clutch the wrapper around the base of the bouquet.
I glance down at the pretty arrangement – the flowers all silver, white, and a soft shade of lilac – and my knee bounces a little harder when I see the label tucked in between the stems.
“Winter Dream”.
As soon as the florist told me the name, I knew that I had to get them for Aisling.
Because Aisling is my dream girl, in every season.
We’ve had just over two weeks away from each other, with Aisling finishing up her second official house-flip and me playing a bunch of away games that were too far for Aisling to get to while she was on the home-stretch of her project. So I’m more than a little excited to finally get her home again and wrapped up in my arms.
There was also something that I’d been meaning to do for Aisling since we first got together this summer, but I had to wait a little longer than I wanted to. I couldn’t do it once I’d started training, let alone when I started actually playing official games, but now I have a decent number of days off over the Christmas to New Year’s stretch so it’s the perfect time to do that thing that I’d been secretly planning in the summer.
The sound of tires crunching over snow makes my head snap straight to the clearing, and then I’m shooting up to my feet, chest swelling as my heart pumps wildly.
I can only just see her through her windshield as she rounds the head of the lake, but even that hint of her through the glass is enough to make the air whoosh out of my lungs.
Mine.
Finally mine.
Aisling and I both decided to head back to our Larch Peak lake house today, so that we could spend a few days as just the two of us before heading over to see my family and then hers for the holidays.
And yeah, I can’t deny it – we turned our drives home into a race. I mean, I was way closer so she didn’t stand a chance, and I also set off way before she did, specifically so that I could get everything perfect for when she arrived. I got dinner prepared and cooked, set some romantic candles on the table, and even managed to wrap up all of her Christmas gifts without fear of her peeking.
My wrapping skills are a little rough around the edges but I tried damn hard to make everything as pretty for her as possible.
I keep hold of the bouquet with one hand and shove the other one through my hair, grinning with untamed relief as her car pulls up next to the porch, right beside mine.
I’m racing down the steps two at a time before she’s even put her car in park, pulling open her door at the same moment that she unleashes her seatbelt.
She practically squeals as she smiles up at me, her eyes all sparkly because she loves it when I wear a suit.
I grin right back at her, holding out my free hand to help her down from the vehicle, and then I’m heaving her up by her little ass, chuckling against her neck as she squeezes her arms around my shoulders.
“Hi,” she squeaks, giggling like crazy as I kiss her cheeks.
“Hi, baby,” I murmur back to her, before leaning down to kiss her lips.
She yelps excitedly as I give her a spank, and then I help her shut the car door and begin walking us up the porch steps.
“For you,” I tell her, handing her the large bouquet.
Her cheeks flush a soft pink and she smiles shyly before taking them, cuddling the flowers against her chest.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice sugary-sweet.
I brush a kiss against her temple, carrying her over the threshold and then locking up behind us.
Because right now, there’s nowhere else that we need to be.
I set her gently down to her feet, both of us kicking off our shoes, before I lead her to the kitchen and I water a vase for her to set her flowers in.
She eyes the foil-topped dessert tray resting in the centre of the table and slides her gaze up to mine, a smug smile playing on her lips.
“I wonder what that could be,” she says teasingly, squealing when I yank her into my arms.
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumble, smiling back at her but still flushing crimson.
She wriggles out of my arms enough to lean over the table, flicking the edge of the foil so that she can take a peek underneath it.
Her eyebrows lift in surprise.
“Wait,” she breathes out, compassion colouring her tone. She raises her eyes back to mine, biting into the beautiful smile on her lips. “That isn’t… that isn’t the cobbler that you order in. That’s…”
I swallow hard and nod my head. My neck is warm as fuck.
“Tanner!” she squeals. “Did you… make us a cobbler? Like, from scratch?”
I tug at the collar of my shirt, eyes searching hers to gauge her reaction.
After a long moment of blushing the hardest I ever have in my whole life I manage to quietly rumble out a, “…Yeah.”
“Oh my God, you’re the sweetest ever!” she exclaims, her eyes alight with happiness. And then I’m grinning right back at her, relieved as hell over her reaction, because I like doing cute stuff for her even though I’m always a little nervous in the build up.
“Your first homemade cobbler,” she whispers, a teasing smile on her beautiful mouth.
But as soon as my eyes flick down to her lips I’m no longer thinking about the homemade cobbler. I’m thinking about how I’ve had two weeks without my girlfriend sleeping in my arms. I’m thinking about the way her hands are gripping my shirt and the way my quad is slipping between her thighs.
I’m thinking about how there are lots of other things that I can do for Aisling to show her how much I love her.
And she’s thinking the same thing too.
She yanks me forward by my tie, I grip firmly at the back of her neck, and then I’m groaning loudly into her mouth as I kiss the goddamn life out of her.
She giggles excitedly as I walk her backward to the couch, my mouth only leaving hers while I get to work on ripping off her shirt. Soon she’s left in nothing but her underwear, kneeling up on the sofa while I tower over her.
“I missed you so much,” I rumble, tugging off my tie as she pushes her body up against me. I toss it to the side and rip open a couple of my shirt buttons, needing the expansion room as my chest begins heaving in anticipation.
Then I’m easing her onto her back and settling down between her thighs, one hand rummaging in my pocket for a condom as she drags her nails through the sides of my hair – freshly faded, just the way she likes it.
“I missed you too. I’ve been watching every game,” she whispers up to me.
My heart feels as though it could fucking burst.
I breathe out a laugh and rumble quietly, “I know, baby. We’ve been FaceTiming after each one of them.”
“But you’ve been so busy,” she counters breathlessly, little palms squeezing my biceps. “I wasn’t sure if you’d, like, remember.”
I press a firm kiss to her lips.
“Of course I remember. You’re the highlight of every game.”
Her gorgeous smile turns into a full-on grin and she laughs with nervous excitement as we both shuck my pants down my quads. I grab the condom, roll it on, and then I’m pushing myself inside of her, massaging the nape of her neck as she arches back and moans.
“I needed this so much,” she whispers, her arms wrapped tight around my broad shoulders.
I grunt and thrust deeper, too turned on to speak.
I roll my hips between her thighs, harder and faster until she’s whimpering, and then I shove my suit jacket off my back, my biceps too swollen to be contained any longer.
“I love you,” I rasp, as I grip a hold of her hips, pumping her quick and rough so that I can get her over the finish line.
She smothers another whimper in my neck, clutching me as tight as she can as she finishes.
The second that she’s done I push her thighs backwards, thrusting deeper.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” I rumble, grunting breathlessly against the curve of her neck.
I hold her protectively against my chest, hips jerking roughly as I finish, and then I’m hunching down to kiss her mouth, murmuring how much I love her.
We eat our homemade dinner and dessert – my first attempt at making Aisling a cobbler from scratch earning me a crazy sexy make-out session at the table – and then we move back to the couch, unable to take our hands off of each other.
And that target sheet from the summer, from when I took Aisling to the range? The sheet that I shot three times to make the perfect shape of a love heart?
Yeah, Aisling retrieved it for us, and it’s now in pride of place on our living room wall.
I have the most thoughtful girlfriend in the world.
Aisling’s palms lovingly squeeze my biceps and I pull back to cup her face in my hands.
“I’ve got something to show you,” I tell her, grinning down at her as she starts to giggle.
“No! No presents until Christmas!” she squeals, her little dimples twinkling up at me as I tickle her into the cushions.
“This one has to be before Christmas, baby,” I say, smirking as she wiggles around.
She bites her perfect white teeth into her lower lip, smiling up at me curiously as I tower over her.
“Okay,” she whispers, eyes sparkling as I pull us into a sitting position.
I spread my quads wide as Aisling settles herself on top of me, her beautiful smile enough to make me almost forget what I was about to show her.
I swallow hard, suddenly nervous about what she’ll think – but I quickly drop my eyes to my shirt, bringing up my shaking hands to begin unbuttoning it.
“Let me,” she says, those gorgeous eyes burning into mine.
I glance down at her, still cautious, but then I nod and drop my hands down to caress her soft thighs. I massage her gently as her fingers work their way down the buttons.
I grunt quietly when she finishes unbuttoning it, and she tentatively begins pushing the cotton off of my shoulders.
Breathing hard, I take her wrists, and I keep my eyes on hers as I kiss her knuckles. Then I settle her hands in my lap, taking over so that she can have the full effect.
She bites into her little smile, eyes wild as she watches me.
“What did you do?” she whispers, giggling when I can’t resist giving her another kiss.
I swipe my tongue over my bottom lip, shucking the shirt down my biceps as I watch her reaction. I’m so nervous that my chest is pumping like crazy, but I try not to blush too hard as I finally toss the shirt to the side of the couch.
My shaking hands encase her hips and I wait for her to see it.
Her eyes find it immediately and then they’re straight back up to mine.
In the next moment her arms are wrapped like a vise around my neck, as she squeals and reaches up to cover my face in kisses.
I grunt, squeezing her thighs, and I kiss her back, trying to gauge her reaction.
“You like it?” I ask her gruffly, hoping to God that she does.
Tears cascade down her cheeks as she strokes her palms up my jaw.
I clear my throat, overcome by her sudden show of emotion. “Ash, baby, you’re crying.”
“Happy tears,” she whispers up to me.
“Happy tears or not – don’t want you crying over me.”
She reaches up to kiss me again and I hunch down to meet her in the middle, practically growling in relief as her hands caress gently down my forearms.
After a moment she pulls back and I watch her in wonder as she holds her arm out next to mine.
Her little love-heart freckle that I love so much sits tiny and perfect, just below her elbow.
And now, in the same place on mine, is a small dark piece of script – the only tattoo that I’ll ever need.
Her name.
Aisling .
She drops her forehead to my chest for a moment, her shoulders shaking as she tries to compose herself.
The heat pumping out of my chest is enough to make us both get a little lightheaded, so I leash a hand through her hair, tugging her head back so that I can look at her.
“You got a tattoo for me,” she whispers, holding still as I brush the tears off her pink cheeks.
“Yeah,” I murmur, laughing quietly when she gives me her little smile. “So we match.”
She shakes her head, tears still falling even as she giggles, and she strokes her fingers reverently beneath the tattoo wrap banded over the ink.
“I love it,” she whispers.
“I love you,” I whisper back to her.
“I was… always so scared of wearing my heart on my sleeve,” she says, eyes wide and sparkling as they look up into mine. My own eyes sting with tears but I blink them back, my hands wrapped tight around her waist as I hold her preciously against me. “Tanner, I love you so much,” she whispers. “I’m so grateful that you never gave up on me.”
I nudge my forehead against hers and clutch her tighter.
“I would’ve waited for you forever,” I tell her, and she suddenly giggles, snuggling up closer to me.
“And now everyone knows that you’re mine,” she teases, biting into her smile as I grin back at her.
“Hell yeah,” I breathe out, loving that she’s branded on me forever.
“So is that why you got my name instead of a heart?” she asks, her voice happy as she strokes my forearm. Looking at her name on my skin. A name I’ll be in love with forever. “So that everyone knows that you belong to me?”
I smirk down at her, gently brushing my thumb over her dimple.
Prettiest girl.
“That’s one reason,” I murmur.
“So what’s the other?”
I cup her beautiful face in my palms, leaning down so that I can kiss her. Moving my lips gently over hers. Another way of telling her that I love her.
I nudge her little nose with the tip of mine, holding her closer as she smiles up at me.
“Because you are my heart, Aisling,” I murmur, laughing gently as we kiss. “And now I’ll always have my heart on my sleeve, too.”