Chapter 26
Sarah
I’m sitting in a conference room together with a group of players, and I must say, this is a rather odd situation.
I got an email yesterday with some guys asking to have a business meeting with me.
They didn’t specify what kind of meeting, just that they wanted to meet with me to discuss business, leading to the current situation where I’m seated across from Noah, Liam, Aaron and Caleb.
I’ve concluded that this somehow has to do with their captain.
Why else would they want to meet with me?
“Thank you for meeting with us, Sarah,” Noah starts, seemingly the most serious I’ve ever seen him.
“As you know, we’re like a family here at the Coyotes, and we would like to include you permanently in this family.”
I wrinkle my nose in confusion.
Permanent part of the family?
What is he getting on?
Aaron shakes his head at Noah.
“What the moron here is trying to say is that we would like to offer you a job,” he says, making my head spin with questions.
Luckily, Aaron answer a few of them straight away.
The guys in front of me want me to continue handling their social media, even after my internship concludes. Most of them share about 50% of their “work” on social media, with me chiming in for the remaining 50%.
I enjoy working on personal accounts; they offer a little more flexibility to tailor profiles to each person’s personality and character.
They’ve even talked to Henry about letting me work from the arena, still sharing my office with Samantha, and staying part of their family, as they call it.
Their actions touch me.
I want nothing more than to keep doing the work I do here, but I also know the team’s organization is under strict regulations that require continual hiring.
The team accounts require more rigorous, professional handling, which I hope they hire someone to handle full-time—ideally, a graphic designer.
“Does Alexander have anything to do with this?”
Even though I don’t think he would interfere in my professional career, I want to be certain that he’s not involved in this.
Right now, there is no guarantee that I’ll be able to land a job in Chicago after my internship, which potentially would be a bummer.
If I were to land a job elsewhere, we would have to do long-distance. I probably wouldn’t be able to visit my dad as often as I like, either.
“No, he doesn’t know about this; he would probably kick our asses if he knew we were spending time with his girl, without him knowing,” Noah chuckles.
Aaron pushes an envelope towards me.
“Consider our offer and give us your answer when you’re ready.”
He explains the process, and it’s clear they’ve really thought this through.
We say our goodbyes, and I open up their envelope. When I see their suggested salary, I nearly fall out of my chair.
They can’t be serious.
This is way too much money.
Then I remember how much these guys make, and sharing ⒈／⒋ of my salary between them probably doesn’t hurt their income.
I’m ecstatic about this possibility; it will let me stay on the team and continue doing what I love most.
I decide to look for Alexander, hoping I’ll catch him before their practice begins.
I reach the players’ area and spot him right away.
He’s working out, a determined scowl on his face as he pushes his body to its limits.
I lean against the nearest wall, enjoying the show. Sweat is running down his body, his t-shirt tight against his chest.
“Daddy does look good working out. I understand the drool,” Noah chuckles besides me.
I check myself, find no drool, and he hollers with laughter.
Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if I did drool.
My man is sexy as sin.
“You really need to stop calling him that,” I say, shaking my head at him.
Ever since Noah first called Alexander “daddy”, he seems determined to keep up the nickname.
When Alexander spots us, he straightens and comes over, which Noah takes as his cue to leave.
“Hey, angel,” he leans down, kissing me, keeping it light as a lot of his teammates are hanging around.
No need to give them a show.
“Hey, yourself,” I look him over again, making him smirk at me. He knows how much I like him all sweaty.
I love all kinds of looks on him.
Hockey gear. Post-game. Workout. Naked. You name it.
“You got a minute?” I ask him, wanting to talk to him privately about the job offer.
He gets the wrong idea, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
“Not that kind of minute, you perv,” I hit him lightly in the chest before he takes my hand and leads me to a small meeting room.
When we get inside, he drags me to him, kissing me properly this time.
I breathe him in, dragging my hands under his shirt, feeling his muscles.
He grabs my ass, his tongue twisting with mine.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this. And I actually need to talk to you about something,” I tell him.
We’re usually good at keeping our hands off each other at the arena. Not going into private rooms usually works just fine.
Alexander sits back on the table, his hands resting around me.
“Okay, tell me, baby.”
I describe the job offer the guys gave me. How they’ve already talked to Henry, drawn up an offer and contract for me to revise, and how they want me to become a permanent part of their family here at the rink.
Alexander kisses me again, hard and passionately.
“That’s perfect, baby. If you want to, of course.”
I exhale. I knew deep down he would be happy. Alexander would probably hire me himself to keep me close, but he also knows I would never want that.
Independence is essential to me, and he respects it.
I’ve been thinking about the time after the internship, worried I might not have a job close by.
This opportunity lessens my worries, knowing I’ll be able to stay on the team.
“Yeah, I’d love to stay here,” I murmur against his lips, rubbing my nose lightly across his.
Alexander tightens his hold on me and gazes into my eyes.
“Then, I have something I’d like to discuss with you as well,” he says.
I wait for him to continue, curiosity gnawing in my mind.
“Would you like to move in with me?”
I practically live at his place already.
I’ve considered it home for quite some time. Each time I visit my dorm, the space feels like an old chapter in my life.
Ever since we got together, I’ve slept at his place.
The changes happened gradually, and I love how Alexander has slowly turned his home into our home.
It started with the code to his elevator and my own parking spot in the garage.
Sometimes, I would get back from work, and he’d unpack my latest bags from my dorm, putting away my clothes in his walk-in closet.
Eventually, half of it was filled with my stuff.
Same in the bathroom.
My romance books were suddenly filling up the bookcase in his office.
When I spotted my painting of the lilies in the living room, I shed a few tears.
He had snatched it up and put it in his jacket on one of our many trips to get my stuff.
He said he had plenty of practice, bringing my books with him since the first time we went there, early on in our relationship.
“Yeah, I’d love that,” I tell him.