24. Bryce
Bryce
I step out of the car I ordered, adjusting my cufflinks and smoothing down my jacket. Tonight I made reservations at what I’m hoping is the most romantic restaurant in DC. Now that the tournament is over, I want to show Hadley how much she means to me.
“She’ll be right out,” Paige says when she opens the door for me. “She’s just finishing up.”
Paige and I make small talk while we wait.
“There she is,” Paige says, nodding toward the hallway.
I completely forget what I was going to say when Hadley walks into the room.
Her dusty-rose dress hugs her curves in a way that makes me forget my own name for a second.
Her hair is down in soft waves that fall over her shoulders, framing her face.
“You look beautiful,” I say, swallowing hard.
I’ve never been more grateful to have gone into a bookstore than I am right now.
“You look handsome, too,” she says, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that nearly matches her dress.
“Well, you two have fun,” Paige says, pushing Hadley toward the door. “Don’t worry about locking up. I’ll do it on my way out.”
“Thanks, Paige,” Hadley says, kissing her friend on the cheek.
“Go,” Paige says, shooing us out of the house. “Enjoy your night.”
The ride to the restaurant is quiet. I’m too busy staring at her to think of anything intelligent to say. Thankfully, she’s content to hold my hand and look out the window. One of the things I love about Hadley is that she doesn’t need to fill every silence. She’s content to just… be.
I never feel like I have to be ‘on’ with her. I can just be myself.
“You really do look amazing,” I say finally. “Thank you for coming to dinner with me.”
She turns in her seat, a soft smile on her face, and squeezes my hand. “I love spending time with you,” she says. “I’m going to miss you when you leave in a few days.” Her eyes become glassy with emotion before she looks down at her hands breaking eye contact.
“I’m going to miss you, too.” More than I have the words to express.
“So, let’s make tonight memorable.” She leans her head on my shoulder, and I inhale the soft scent of her, doing my best to commit it all to memory.
The second we step inside The Alden Room, I know I made the right choice.
The restaurant sits on the top floor of a historic hotel overlooking the Potomac and has a stunning view of the skyline and the setting sun.
Dark wood floors, tables covered in ivory tablecloths, and antique brass chandeliers give the room a romantic feel.
Warm candlelight and soft jazz make the entire restaurant feel intimate and inviting.
Exactly what I was hoping for when I made our reservation.
“Right this way,” the host says, leading us to a table right near floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the river below. He waits for us both to be seated before handing us the menus and sharing the evening specials. He bows—actually bows!—and walks back to the front of the restaurant.
“Wow,” Hadley says softly as she looks out the window. “This is gorgeous.”
“Absolutely stunning,” I say, not taking my eyes off of her. She’s always beautiful, but tonight, she’s breathtaking.
She blushes. “You didn’t even look.”
“I didn’t have to. The most beautiful thing I could see all night is sitting across from me.”
The waiter comes and takes our drink order, leaving behind a basket of bread and a dish of oil and herbs for dipping.
“So,” I say, taking a piece of bread from the basket. “Am I going to survive seeing you in your dress for the gala?”
She grins. “Is it bad that I kind of hope not?”
I chuckle. “I can’t imagine you looking more beautiful than you do right now.”
She glances down at her dress and smiles. “Then yeah, you might want to keep EMS on standby.”
Confidence looks good on her.
Who am I kidding? Everything looks wonderful on her.
“I like to live dangerously,” I say and wink at her.
The waiter returns with our drinks, and takes our order before moving quietly away and leaving us to our conversation.
“The girls seemed to love the dress,” Hadley says, picking the conversation up where it had paused. She smiles. “You know, when Paige first told me about the Wags, I assumed it would be a snooty group of women who were busy trying to one-up each other.”
“And now?” I ask.
“Now it feels like a group of friends that showed up exactly when you needed them.”
When she’d mentioned shopping with Taylor and a few other women, I was nervous. This lifestyle, being married to a hockey player, can be a lot. “They love you,” I say, remembering how excited Taylor had been after their shopping trip. “Not as much as I do, but still…”
She laughs. “So humble.”
I lean forward, reaching for her hand across the table. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what happens now that the tournament is over.”
Her smile falters. “Me too.”
“My contract in Denver is up this time next year. They’ll probably try to resign me this year if they want to keep me, but I’ll put off negotiations so I can explore other options. As an unrestricted free agent, I have more leverage in where I want to play after that.”
She nods. “That makes sense.”
“I know it won’t be easy,” I say. “But I don’t want this to end, Hadley. Meeting you… it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She looks away for a second, and my heart nearly stops. I don’t think I could take it if she doesn’t want to at least give us a chance.
“I feel the same way,” she says finally. “I’m not good at relationships in general, so I can’t guarantee I’ll make a good long-distance girlfriend.”
I squeeze her hand. “I don’t know why you feel like you’re bad at relationships. Maybe you just haven’t been in the right one yet.”
She chuckles, and the sound does funny things to my heart. “Maybe you’re right,” she says.
“So, you’ll give this, us, a chance?” I ask. “I can fly you to some of my games? I’ve gotten kind of attached to seeing you in the stands wearing my jersey.”
She blushes. “I’m sure we can work something out.”
The waiter arrives with our food, and my phone rings.
I glance at it out of habit, and frown when my agent's name flashes across the screen. He knew I was going out tonight and wasn’t to be disturbed unless it was an emergency.
He’s been getting calls left and right for endorsement deals since the tournament ended.
That better not be what he’s calling about now.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, sliding my chair back. “I need to take this. I’ll be right back.” I take my phone and step out into the lobby so I don’t disturb the other diners.
“Bryce, my favorite hockey player,” the agent says when he answers the phone.
“You better not be calling to tell me about some commercial deal,” I say.
He laughs. “Nope, I’ve got news. Are you sitting down?”
My heart drops. “That’s ominous,” I say.
“I don’t think you’ll hate it,” he says, though he doesn’t sound entirely convinced.
“Out with it, already,” I say. “If you ruin this evening for me, I’m sending you the bill for dinner.”
He snorts. “You’ve been traded.”
“What?” I ask, shocked. “I thought you said that wasn’t a possibility. I had a clause.”
He sighs. “You had a clause that would prevent you from being traded to a handful of teams. This one isn’t on the list.”
“But, I just won the Stars and Stripes Tournament,” I say, still trying to process this news.
“Don’t you even want to hear where you’re going?” he asks.
Hadley… I just told her I might be able to get closer to her after this year. I glance through the dining room where she’s watching me, concern evident in the way she’s sitting stiff as a board. Please don’t be the West Coast.
“Where?” I ask, my heart beating a mile a minute.
“You’re being traded to Washington.”
My head drops. “You’re joking?”
He falters. “No. I thought you’d be happy about this, honestly.”
“Washington state is about as far away as I can be from Hadley, and I just got done telling her distance wouldn’t keep us apart.”
He pauses. “Bryce, I don’t think you understand?—”
“I do,” I say, resigned that I have to go back and tell Hadley the news.
“I didn’t mean Washington state, I meant DC. Bryce, you’re being traded to DC.”
My eyes snap to Hadley's, and she nearly drops her fork in surprise. “What did you just say?” I ask quietly.
“Denver traded you to DC. They’re clearing cap space trying to make room for some big center I hear, and DC approached the GM about taking you off their hands. Washington is finally looking to rebuild, and they want you.”
I stare through the dining room windows at the glowing DC skyline, trying to process what he just said.
DC.
Not Washington state.
DC.
Hadley.
“I’ve got to go,” I say, hanging up the phone. As I walk back to the table, I realize I should have asked more questions, but I find I really don’t care right now.
“Everything okay?” Hadley asks, as I approach the table.
“That was my agent,” I say, trying to stay calm. “I’ve been traded.”
Her face falls. “Oh Bryce, I’m so sorry. I know you love your team in Denver.”
A smile breaks out on my face. She’s worried about how I feel about leaving my team. A laugh escapes me before I can stop it. Because somehow, against all odds, everything just changed in the best way. “I love you,” I say, needing her to hear it again.
“I love you, too.” She stands and leans into me, wrapping her arms around me. “Wherever it is, we’ll make it work. I’m not ready to let you go.”
I hug her tight and then pull back just enough to look at her. “We’re going to be okay.”
She offers me a watery smile. “I know.”
“Want to know where I’m going?” I ask, softly.
She shrugs her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter,” she whispers. “Distance doesn’t matter.”
I smile and her brows pull together in confusion. “I got traded to Washington, Hadley.”
Her breath catches. “As in…” she whispers.
I grin and lift her into the air before I can stop myself. “As in, I’m moving here.”
She laughs through her tears, throwing her arms around my neck again.
Slowly, I lower her to her feet and place a gentle kiss on her lips.
Standing here in the middle of this candlelit restaurant, overlooking the DC skyline, with Hadley in my arms…
For the first time in my life, I know I’m exactly where I belong.