Amelia
SIXTY-THREE
JUNE, TWO SEASONS AGO
“Here’s hoping apartment thirteen is the lucky one.” Emmy squints at the modern building. The white exterior and navy blue doors give me more hope than any of the other units we toured. “Maybe?”
“This place has windows. We’re off to a better start,” I say.
I take an optimistic breath and hold the door open for her. We’re greeted by an air-conditioned lobby with bright lights. The man behind the concierge desk smiles our way, and we veer in his direction.
“How can I help you?” he asks, and his eyes go wide. “Holy shit. You’re Emerson Hartwell and Amelia Green.”
“Hi.” I smile, and he knocks over a jar of pens. “I have a tour scheduled for one of the units in the building.”
“A tour. In our building. Right. Yes. Give me just a second.” He glances at the planner in front of him. “Here it is. You’re going to be looking at our Lakeside option. It’s a very popular setup for some of the athletes who live in the complex.”
“There are other athletes here?” I perk up. “That’s exciting.”
“Baseball, football, and basketball players. Privacy is of the utmost importance at Cliffside Heights, and we enforce a strong no solicitation policy.” He taps the sign propped on the desk that warns of criminal charges for loiterers.
“Between the luxurious finishes in the apartment, the spacious ceilings, and the renowned amenities, our residents report high satisfaction rates with their accommodations.”
“Any mold in the building, Roger?” Emmy asks, looking at his name tag.
“No ma’am.” Roger shakes his head. His ears turn pink. “Not a speck.”
“Good.” She smiles. “Can you point us toward the unit Amelia is interested in?”
We’re directed to a pair of elevators where we ride up to the twenty-first floor with soft jazz music.
“The last building didn’t have an elevator,” I say when the doors open. “Imagine climbing up twelve flights of stairs when you’re drunk.”
“I’d stay outside until I sobered up or a nice man offered to carry me.” Emmy falls in step beside me. “It looks like there are only four units on the floor. You wouldn’t have dozens of people passing your door.”
“It’s at the top of my budget, but I’m hoping it would afford me the most privacy. That comes at a cost these days.”
I gasp when we walk into the model unit because it’s perfect.
New and clean and spacious with updated appliances and a terrace, we take our time looking around. The four bedrooms and three bathrooms might be too much for a person living on their own, but it’s hard to argue with towel warmers and the pot filler faucet over the stove.
“Maybe I’m looking at everything with rose-tinted glasses, but I can’t find a single flaw in here.
” I run my hand over the quartz countertop in the kitchen.
The island in the middle boasts enough room for eight guests to gather comfortably, and I imagine inviting my future coaching staff over for dinner.
Lainey and Sienna too. “Bring me back to reality.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Amelia, but I think you’re going to have to take it.
” Emmy gapes at the walk-in pantry. “Putting aside how nice the apartment is, it’s also in the perfect location.
You’re fifteen minutes from me out in the suburbs.
Eight minutes from the arena. How do you beat that? ”
“It’s only forty-five minutes from DC,” I add. The thought of Grant being so close makes me squirm. We could see each other every night. “Very convenient.”
“Do you go to the city a lot?”
“No, but I like the museums.” I scramble to come up with an answer, letting out a silent sigh of relief when she nods in agreement. “There’s plenty to do.”
“I love DC. Not because that’s where I fell for with Maverick.” She grins. “There are other reasons, but that city changed my life. I’m grateful for it.”
It’s changing my life too.
I loved Denver. It’s where I got my start in the NHL. It’s where I figured out the spot I want to carve out for myself in this league, but I can tell the Mid-Atlantic is going to be special. Like the sky is the limit for all that I can accomplish.
And I get to do it with Grant by my side.
“This is the place,” I murmur. “This is going to be my home.”
“Hell yeah.” Emmy stands next to me. “I’m so proud of you, by the way.”
“For what? Making a large real estate purchase?”
“Yes, but also no. I know how hard it is to uproot your entire life for a dream. The uncertainty is scary, but taking a risk is worth it when you could get everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“That means a lot, Em.” I rest my head on her shoulder. “Thank you for the encouragement. And for coming with me so I didn’t have to encounter all the asbestos on my own. I promise I’ll stick to the professional roles when the season starts, but for now, thank you for being my friend.”
“Always. Badass women need to stick together.” She puts her arm around me. “What do you say we sweet talk Roger into fast tracking your application so you can move into this place as soon as possible? An autograph should do the trick.”
“That might be teetering toward bribery, but I like it,” I say. “Come on. Let’s go spend some of my hard-earned money.”
Later that night, I sit next to Grant on the couch in one of his T-shirts. I fix the socks that come up over my ankles and curl up at his side, a book in hand.
“Hi.” I tilt my chin to look up at him. “Mind if I join you?”
“Gladly.” He grins at me. “This is the best part of my day.”
“Me too.” I position myself so I’m leaning against him. A sigh escapes me, and I relax. “I got an email that my application for that apartment is already approved. I can move in next weekend.”
“That’s awesome news!” He kisses the top of my head. “Plenty of time to get settled before the season. I can’t wait to see it in person.”
“We might have to wait a while before you visit. The security guard recognized me, which means he’ll definitely recognize you.”
“Exactly why I reordered that reusable facial hair. I won’t be Grant. I’ll be Brant, the tech mogul with a mustache who is in charge of a start-up and lives off his dad’s money.” Grant smirks. “No one will know it’s me.”
“Brant?” I burst out laughing. “Are you going to wear a polo with your company logo stitched on the chest to really sell it?”
“Yup. I’ll buy a domain name tomorrow.” He touches my cheek. “Does it make you uncomfortable that the security guard knows who you are?”
“No, but it reminds me that I need to be careful. That we need to be careful. One dumb move, and the media will know everything about our relationship.”
“We’ll keep our hangouts to my place for now. No big deal.”
“I wish…” I trail off and bite my bottom lip. “I wish there was a place for us to exist where no one knew our names. Where we could live a normal life without the fear of photos being taken of us.”
“Sorry, baby. That’s not going to happen. Everyone with a shred of sports knowledge is always going to know who you are.” Grant hums. “Speaking of, what does the schedule look like for the league’s newest head coach? When does work amp up for you?”
“Darcy and I have a meeting scheduled after the Fourth of July to talk about the coaching staff and who we want to hire. There are a few candidates I’ve been watching, and I’d love if we could set up interviews.”
“Darcy. That’s the owner of the Sea Crabs, right?”
“Yup. I think she might be the most powerful person in the world. A billionaire with a PhD from Harvard who owns a sports team? Absurd. After our meeting, we’ll move to player introductions, getting together with the board and some of our minority owners, and prepping for training camp.
There are still months to go before everything is officially underway, but we’re getting there. It’s surreal.”
“Surreal, but deserved. A long time coming.” His thigh presses against mine. Every piece of him fits perfectly with every part of me. “It’s going to be fun to see you on the ice four times this year.”
“Is that the only place you’re going to see me?” I tease. “The preseason starts, and I won’t hear from you until June?”
“More like you’re not going to be able to get rid of me.” His phone buzzes on the coffee table. The screen lights up, and text messages roll in. “Ignore that.”
“Someone is very demanding of your attention, Everett.”
“It’s Ethan. He asked me to go to a club, and when I said no, he told me I was losing my edge.” Grant’s chuckle is soft. “Joke is on him. I’m not going anywhere when you’re next to me.”
He drapes an arm around my shoulders and kisses my forehead. I can’t stop the smile that practically bursts free when he sighs into my hair.
Heaven.
This has to be what heaven feels like.
Warm and light and easy.
The place I want to return to time and time again.
“Really? Not even for the world’s greatest party?”
“Nope. I’ve never been a big partier or someone who likes to go out until early in the morning. I’m realizing that stuff never made me happy. I went along with it because I was waiting for something better to come along.”
“And did it?”
“Not just better. Something out of my wildest dreams. It’s this.” He gestures down at me. “Sitting on the couch? Existing in the same space as you? Why would I want to be anywhere else?”
A coil tightens around my lungs when I look at his bright eyes and wide smile.
It’s a shot of dopamine, a smooth hit of serotonin from one of my favorite things. Easily recognizable and definable as being so far past the hard-to-name feelings for him.
This is a certainty, an absolute that’s threaded itself into my soul and wedged its way into the deepest depths of my being.
It starts as a whisper, a phantom touch as Grant pulls me in his lap and kisses me.
Both hands are on my cheeks, and his mouth is a tattoo on my skin.
Each press of his lips is a new mark, an indentation forever imprinted.
It builds, turning into a frantic rush of adrenaline.
I’m at the top of a roller coaster and cresting over the downward slope of a hill, the world pulled out from under my feet.
I’m falling for him.
Wholly, completely, and without a chance to stop it.
I can only hope he’s there to catch me before I hit the ground.