Chapter 52 Ryan #3
Her body tensed beneath me, trembling as she cried out, her fingernails digging into my shoulders as the waves of pleasure ripped through her. The sight of her–flushed, undone, breathtaking–burned itself into me.
As her breathing slowed, I pressed a kiss against her damp temple, my forehead resting against hers. “That,” I murmured, smiling against her skin, “was just the beginning.”
Later, as we lay tangled together in bed, Harper rested her head against my chest, her fingers drawing lazy circles on my skin. I reached out, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as she gave me a dazed, satisfied smile.
“Wow,” she breathed, her voice soft and a little hoarse. “I don’t think I’ve ever come that many times in one day before.”
I couldn’t help but grin at her, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. “We’re just getting started, baby.”
She kissed me back, her lips slow and teasing, but after a moment, she pulled back slightly, her cheeks flushed. “Ryan, I think I need a break… and maybe some ice if we plan on doing that again.”
I burst out laughing, the sound filling the room as I pulled her closer. “Ice, huh? I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is,” she said with a chuckle, her head resting against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.
“I never want to leave this spot,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair. “I’d be happy staying like this forever.”
She tilted her face up to look at me, her eyes soft and shining. “Forever sounds good,” she whispered.
I brushed a thumb along her cheek, letting the quiet settle over us for a moment before I spoke. “Harper, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
She shifted, sitting up slightly and propping herself on her elbow to look at me. “What’s on your mind?”
I sat up, leaning against the headboard as I reached for her hand, threading my fingers through hers.
“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” I started, squeezing her hand gently.
“And I realized something–I want this coaching job. I love it. I love the team, the players, the impact we’re making. But…”
“But?” she echoed, her voice small.
“I can’t be away from you and Connor,” I said, my voice firm. “There’s no way. I thought I could balance it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that being away from you two just isn’t an option.”
Her lips parted as if she was about to say something, but I held up a hand to stop her. “Wait–just let me finish.”
She nodded, biting her bottom lip.
“I talked to Jeff about it,” I continued. “I told him I want to stay on as part of the coaching staff, but not if it means being away from you and Connor all the time. I told him I needed to find a way to make it work–and that’s when I got an idea.”
Harper’s eyes widened, her curiosity evident.
“Shane,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips. “He bought a multiplex about forty minutes out of town as an investment, and they’re building a brand-new arena there. I talked to him about the possibility of making that arena the home ice for the team.”
Her jaw dropped slightly. “Ryan…”
“He was all for it,” I said quickly. “And when I brought it up to Jeff, he said he’d have to make some arrangements, but he thinks it’s a great idea. He said if it would keep me on the coaching staff, he’d do whatever he could to make it happen.”
Harper shook her head slightly, her voice soft but firm. “Ryan, I need you to hear me. If this is what you want–if moving the team isn’t possible–you have to know I would support you. I don’t want to hold you back, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to choose.”
“I know you’d support me,” I said, my voice lowering as I looked into her eyes. “But the thought of being away from you two? I can’t deal with that. I don’t want to spend months away, missing Connor’s life, missing you. This is the only way I’m staying with the team, Harper.”
Harper’s hand tightened around mine. “You're serious?”
“Completely,” I said. “This would mean the team could train and play here. I’d still have to travel for tournaments and such, but I’d be home. With you. With Connor. If it’s what you want, Harper. If you’re okay with me doing this job.”
Her lips trembled, and she blinked back tears. “Ryan, you… you did all this for us?”
“For you,” I said, leaning in to kiss her gently. “For Connor. For us. But I need to know if this works for you. I won’t do it unless you’re on board.”
She let out a watery laugh, throwing her arms around my neck. “Of course I’m on board. I can’t believe you did all this. I love you, Ryan.”
“I love you too,” I murmured.
As I held Harper close, her arms wrapped around me, I felt a sense of peace settle over me–something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The decision I’d made wasn’t easy, and the thought of uprooting the team, shifting everything for the chance to stay here with her, wasn’t something I took lightly.
But when I imagined life without her, without Connor, it was impossible to ignore how deeply I’d come to need them.
I thought about everything I’d left behind in the NHL–my career, the dream of what could’ve been. The truth was, I’d already found something better. I’d found this. I’d found her. And I knew, now, more than ever, that there was nothing more important than being part of their world.
It hadn’t been an easy road to get here, though.
Both of us had our demons to face–Harper with her painful past, and me with the ghosts of my NHL career that still lingered in my head.
But somehow, we’d both fought through our own shit and found our way to each other.
I wasn’t sure when I stopped thinking I had to carry all that baggage with me, but I was sure as hell glad I had.
I kissed the top of Harper’s head, feeling her heartbeat against my chest. This wasn’t just for the team or the game.
This was for us. And for the first time, I could finally see the future clearly.
A future where our past didn’t dictate our happiness, where we could both stand tall, side by side, with the scars that shaped us.
Maybe, all that struggle had been worth it to get us to this point.
I was where I was meant to be.