7. Nick
Nick
Ican see it in her face the second she pulls out of her sister’s arms. I’ve done too much, gone too far.
She only asked me to support her and root for her here. She never asked me to drag our whole families and a good chunk of the local hockey team out to fill up her personal cheering section.
But it’s too late to rectify my mistake, and we’re in too public a place to hash it out.
Instead, I’m a bundle of nerves as I take my seat in the front row.
Flanked by Shiloh and Marcus on one side, and my sister on the other, I whoop and holler and whistle as loud as I can when Rosemary takes the stage.
Her trademark kitten ears take the form of a lavender hoodie she’s thrown on, but when she throws it back and replaces it with a set of cat-ear-shaped headphones, Lainey leans over and pokes me dead in the ribs.
“Ow,” I snap. “What was that for?”
“That was for not telling me you were freaking dating Rosemary ‘Morrigan’ O’Donnell. All you said was that you got me tickets and you could get me in for a meet and greet.”
“It was a surprise,” I say back, rolling my eyes. “And it was kind of a meet and greet. We haven’t had a chance to really talk to her since they swept her backstage to get her ready for prelims.”
Lainey scoffs. “Says the man making lovesick puppy dog eyes at her this whole time.”
“It’s been a week,” I say, softly. “She asked me to show up for her, but I think maybe I took it a little too far.”
“Oh, you mean with your big, scary hockey player intimidation stunt?” She snorts. “I mean, it’s a little caveman of you, but some women are into that kind of thing.”
“You think?”
She shakes her head at me. “You’re hopeless. Maybe she’ll dump you and date me instead.”
I laugh and give her shoulder a playful shove as we direct our eyes back to the stage, where streams of silver-blue light roam over equipment, players and personnel. Rosemary stretches, shakes, and expels a breath before she takes a seat and the contest begins.
The first match lasts fifteen minutes. More or less.
I don’t know, because all I’m aware of is her intensity.
Her clicks. Her rapid fire, split-second decisions that make the difference between whether she’s on the offense or the defense.
The crowd around me roars, surges, groans like they would at any professional sporting event.
Their passion bleeds into the air, electrifying it with a tension so thick it only breaks when Rosemary’s risky and aggressive push into enemy territory spells total disaster for her opponent.
Then we’re all on our feet. All screaming her name.
And when her arm is raised in victory, proclaiming that she’ll move onto the semi-finals, it’s me her eyes seek out in the crowd.
It’s me she inclines her head toward.
So when I rush over to meet her backstage, I pull her into a darkened corner and press my mouth to hers.
“You were amazing, Ro. You’re invincible.”
Her hands find mine and her smile is shaky. “Well, I’ve got semis and the finals to get through yet. But I haven’t had a chance to thank you.”
“For what? For that dust up with your ex? That was nothing.”
“No. For being here for me. For bringing a crowd to cheer for me.” Her eyes shine in the overhead light, but a tear coasts down her cheek.
Confusion has me frowning at her. She’s grateful, but she’s crying. She’s smiling, but it’s tremulous.
“You asked me for support. This is how I knew how to show it. Bringing your family, your number one fan—I mean Lainey, for the record, but I’ll give her a good run for her money—and my teammates, too?
That’s just me trying to show you that you’ve got a community beyond the usernames. You’re not alone, kitten.”
Her gaze searches mine, and what I see shining in them fills my heart to bursting. Love, pride, belonging. It’s all there, in her eyes, and I know my instincts were right. This wildcat was meant to be mine.
“And, if you’re willing to make this thing between us real, I’ll make sure you’ll never be.”
I hold out the black velvet collar, shake the tiny little silver bell so it rings out between us.
“Oh, Nick. It’s beautiful.” She chokes out a small laugh and runs a finger over the soft, slim ribbon.
Then, closing her fingers around mine, she brings it to her neck.
The sight of it against her pale skin already fills me with want.
“But I can’t accept it if you’re planning on leaving.
I’m just getting settled here in Soltero Beach, and I don’t want to go back East so soon. ”
“I’m not leaving. Not anytime soon. I was planning on it.
Before I met you, Ro, I was going to ride out my contract and make an end-of-career plan with another agent.
But you made me realize that the past is the past, and I shouldn’t go crawling back to a bad situation where I was unhappy because maybe, I can find happiness elsewhere.
Maybe I can create a future here, with you, with this team. ”
She grips the collar between her fingers, presses it right against her chest. “Do you mean that? You’d stay?”
“What we have isn’t something I’ve been able to find easily. Relationships are few and far between for me.” I swipe the wet from her cheeks and gather her close. “But even though I’ve only known you a short time, you’ve left a mark on me. Literally.”
She laughs and runs a hand down my thigh in apology. “I promise to me more gentle next time.”
“If you don’t, I think the guys are going to start asking a lot of questions when the season starts up.”
This time, her laugh is loud. Her smile is bright. And that thing in the center of my chest? It expands so wide, I let the words tumble out of me.
“I know it’s fast. I know it’s too soon. But I don’t even care. I want to live the way you do. Open, honest, and unapologetic. I love you, Rosemary, and I want you to be my perfect little kitten for as long as you’ll have me.”
She doesn’t miss a beat as she lunges into my arms. I hold her close, hook her legs around my waist, and devour her kiss with one of my own. When we come up for air, she slides down my body and smoothes a hand over my shirt.
“You should know that nothing this week was fake for me. I’m every bit as weird and wild and random as you’ve seen me.
And I got used to hiding parts of myself depending on who I’m talking to, but I never had to do that with you.
” She lifts her head and nuzzles her cheek to my chest. “You just let me be me, and you gave me the space and sense of safety I’ve been craving for so long.
I didn’t know it until today, but I love you, too, Nick. ”
The words wash over me like a balm, a salve my spirit needed. So when she dangles my collar, and presents me with her back, I fasten it for her. Then she turns to face me, and my breath catches at the sight of that bell resting in the hollow of her throat.
Then, she tucks her hand into mine, and together we walk into the silver-blue light. With every step she takes, I hear that tinny rattle ring out, and I already know that one day—someday in the future—I’m going to swap it out for a ring.
But until then, this will do.