Chapter Seven
Louis
Pulling up in front of Rosie’s home, Louis didn’t need to wait long. He had barely stopped the car when she rushed out her front door like the building was on fire.
She was beautiful in her wellington boots, her thick raincoat, gloves, and hat.
They looked brand new, bought specially for this adventure.
No doubt they would get wet and muddy since it was drizzling currently and had been raining heavily overnight.
Where they planned to go, there would be a lot of mud.
Grinning, he loved her enthusiasm to spend the day together. Whether it was because of him, or to avoid her parents didn’t matter to him. It was him she was escaping with.
Slipping inside the car, she closed her door and leaned over to kiss him. Their kiss lingered and Louis couldn’t help himself as he went in for a second kiss. She truly took his breath away.
“Good morning,” he chimed, handing her a coffee.
Sighing happily, she took the lid off and blew on the hot liquid. “Good morning.”
“Are we ready for today?”
Stiffening slightly, a frown marred her features. “I think so.”
Kissing her forehead, he tilted her chin so their gazes could meet. “It will be fine. I promise. You will probably watch me fall in a muddy puddle. That should be fun.”
That got him a quiet giggle. “It is just very new for me. I am not used to getting muddy.”
“Well, I will make sure you avoid most of it.”
Smiling, she kissed him gently. “I can always use you as a bridge.”
Barking out a surprised laugh at her comment, it made her laugh again, too. He loved her laugh.
These past few weeks of taking her on dates had been worth every moment. It had been a slow and relaxed process, building her confidence and finding out what she liked. She also found out things about him.
Not only that, but she was also officially part of the team.
His teammates no longer got stressed when she appeared or asked for an interview.
She had taken time to talk to all of them about what they liked, their strengths, and their hobbies.
Most of the team had unique tasks and charities to represent.
For example, Louis now did the car adverts.
It meant he got to test them out, which was always fun.
Everyone was more positive. They were smiling more. It was getting results on the ice as everyone was more focused.
Life was good. Almost perfect.
This past week with her as his girlfriend had been a hard week, but rewarding. Hearing her declare that he was her boyfriend to her parents made him giddy with joy. Knowing she wanted a relationship and was ready for the next step? Heck yes, he was all in!
Her waiting for him to ask her was adorable, and he could not resist. He’d asked her then and there, desperate to make them official.
They had spent little time together, but they made sure to see each other each day even if it was just for coffee. Training had been relentless for him. Rosie had been busy organising sponsors and events as well hosting her parents with their constant parties.
It was exhausting her, so he made sure she got to sit. Or have a nap. Or have lunch. Her welfare became his priority.
Today, all she had to do was give him company. If she needed to nap, then he was more than happy to let her. He had blankets in the backseat ready just in case.
Pulling away from her house, he noticed she was tapping her foot as she sipped her drink. She remained quiet. Louis didn’t want to make her talk if she didn’t want to. Instead, he rested his hand on her leg, offering her comfort.
Rosie was nervous. And she was tired judging by how her eyes were drooping. He felt guilty asking her to spend a day out with him on a rare day she had off. However, she had been keen to join them and see what it was all about.
Her parents were still here. They frustrated him no end because they either had absolutely no clue about how destructive they were to Rosie’s life, and her confidence, or they simply did not care.
In their world, they came first. They were most likely the reason she wanted to be out the house, but he would take it.
It didn’t seem to matter to them that Rosie worked long hours. They expected her to clean up after them. Host parties. Cancel meetings to help them or book the day off at the snap of their fingers.
Every time she tried to defend herself or insert a boundary, they trampled all over it.
No wonder Rosie demanded perfection at work, because her parents demanded it in every aspect of her life.
No wonder she needed to take control when she could, because her parents took over every second of every day.
If taking her out for the day meant she got a break, then Louis would do it. He didn’t even care if that was her main reason for being here, not him, because her rest mattered. He needed to prove he was a safe place for her.
Louis genuinely hadn’t meant to be rude when he first met them, but the pair of them had riled him up. Stopping her from going out? Telling him to leave? Organising a party at Rosie’s home and just turning up? Being snotty at the fact Emerald’s parents had died, and his parents had taken her in?
Yeah, no. It hadn’t sat right with him.
He may not be able to stop their behaviour, but he could make it easier for Rosie.
Not wanting to leave her alone to deal with it while she seemed so vulnerable, he had offered to cook.
It had actually won her father round. They had talked a lot since then.
Hampton had even watched a hockey game and cheered on the team, too.
Her mother was a tougher cookie, but he had a feeling she would be a strong ally when he finally won her round. Winning her parents over meant less stress or pressure on Rosie. He wanted to prove to them that he was here to stay.
For example, Rosie was at a meeting one day that ran late, and Anastasia wanted to go to the spa.
Rosie was supposed to take her, and in a panic, Rosie had called Louis for help.
Thankfully, he wasn’t busy, and if it helped her out, he was more than happy to get in his car and be a chauffeur for a few hours.
Louis took Anastasia and picked her up when she was finished.
He even took her out for dinner so they could talk.
Anastasia was ruthless in her perfection, but she had been very interested to learn about hockey and his part in the team. In turn, she had told him about their company.
Now, it was Rosie’s turn to meet some of Louis’s family. They were chaotic in their own way, but they would be a lot easier to win round. They had both spoken to Rosie over the phone, so she wouldn’t be greeted by complete strangers which also helped.
Pulling up to his drive, he saw the pair of them were already here. One was causing havoc while the other tried to control it, which was about right for them.
Emerald was wearing a blue gilet, a thick jumper, jeans, and wellington boots. Her long blonde hair was tied up and out of the way. Fingerless gloves covered her hands.
Meanwhile, Vince was wearing the biggest coat Louis had ever seen. His cousin hated the cold and wet. A big hat covered his black hair. Big boots covered his feet.
The cars were out. One pink, one blue, and one green. Emerald was packing them up with equipment and other things, while Vince did the checks.
Dumping the waffle boards on the bonnet of her blue car, Emerald then gracefully climbed up so she could move them to the roof and strap them down.
“She made that look so easy!” Rosie exclaimed.
Nodding, Louis responded, “Emerald does gymnastics. I have seen her climb all sorts of things. Including a tree. While carrying a chainsaw.”
Rosie’s jaw dropped. “Surely that is not safe.”
“Not at all.” Louis laughed. “But she is fearless when it comes to being outdoors. Vince told her off for it. Her response was to tell us to move a trampoline under the tree, so if she fell, she would bounce.”
“With a chainsaw somewhere in the mix.”
“Exactly. That sums up Emerald. Naturally, we did not do that and took proper precautions.” Smiling, he then focused on his cousin. “Vince is the quiet one. You think I have a temper? Vince beats it when he needs to. He is the grumpy one that deals with mine and Emerald’s antics but keeps us safe.”
“It’s a surprise he sticks around,” she teased. “Since you alone get up to mischief. And if Emerald is trying to run around on trampolines with a chainsaw, I can imagine it must be a lot.”
“We feed him,” Louis joked. “He loves us. And we value what he has to say. If he says no, and really says it, we listen. He’s the really smart one of the three of us. He speaks multiple languages, knows all sorts of computer codes, and can build a car from scratch.”
A small grin appeared on her lips. “So, what I am hearing is, Vince is the brain. Emerald is the brawn. And you are the beauty.”
“Exactly.” Flicking his hair, he responded, “One of us has to have the looks, and I am proud to carry that burden.”
That made her laugh even more.
Was he offended? Absolutely not. As a hockey player, he had to be smart and quick.
He had to be strong and fast. As the captain, he had to plan and plan well.
But at home, he was happy to let others take over.
This was his break. Yeah, he still did the route planning and decided quickly if they had to change their route, but the other two did far more.
Emerald did the rescues. Vince was the problem solver.
It worked for the other two, too. Emerald was the only female comic book artist in the small company she worked for. She was regularly seen as just the “pretty one” by colleagues. Here, she could throw waffle boards around and climb trees.
Vince was the strong one at work. As a mechanic, he had to lift heavy things regularly. Yes, he fixed the cars for their adventures, but he liked to be outside. He specialised in figuring out how to get a car out of a hole. It gave him a new challenge.