he responded. “Sweetheart, neither of us is ever
going to ‘settle’ for anything, especially down. But yes,
I’ve more than okay with this arrangement. I’m thrilled
that you let me be a part of your life.” He stood, pulling her
to her feet and kissing her fully on the lips with her body pressed
to his. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, Valerie,”
he whispered against her lips. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.
I have to climb in the shower, or I’ll make us both late to
work.”
* * *
With giddy excitement, Valerie
sat outside the rink, awaiting Tyler’s return. She wasn’t
the biggest hockey fan, but in her opinion, he’d looked amazing
on the ice, and she would have thought he was a professional player
already. Like, NHL worthy. She nibbled her thumbnail, wishing he
would come out already and not leave her hanging so long. Supposedly,
he was supposed to talk to the coach, get his feedback, and then
leave.
That had been almost forty
minutes ago, when he’d skated by the side of the hockey rink
and given her a kiss. Now, she couldn’t imagine what was going
on inside and only hoped that, maybe, they were signing some papers
and setting him up with a locker.
Starting to lose her confidence
in this decision, she worried at strands of her hair that blew around
in the breeze, defiantly escaping the braid down her back. Maybe she
shouldn’t have pushed Tyler so hard. After all, maybe he’d
given up on this as a career goal long ago and his heart wasn’t
in it anymore. For all she knew, this whole day was causing him pain.
But he’d looked so
confident out there on the ice, and the glimpses she had of his face
showed her pure, unadulterated joy. Of course, there was always the
chance they wouldn’t take him, but with the talent he showed,
that seemed like an extremely remote possibility, even though this
seemed to be taking forever.
And second guessing herself
had always gotten Valerie in trouble.
She sucked in a deep breath as
Tyler finally emerged from the door to the locker rooms and held that
breath as he walked toward her, a deep scowl on his face. Her heart
sank. What the hell could have happened? This was perfect, and it was
supposed to work out.
She stood, ready to offer comfort
as he approached, but instead, he dropped his bag on the ground and
pulled her into a bear hug, swinging her around and chuckling in her
ear. “I had you going for a second, didn’t I?” he
asked, setting her down and kissing her forehead, both cheeks, and
finally, her lips.
She giggled. “You, sir, are
an ass. You had me thinking it was the end of the world.”
He scoffed. “With the
measly money their offering, it just might be.” A worried
expression furrowed his brow as he stared down at her. “I’m
serious, you know. This isn’t the ideal job for most people.
There’s a lot of overnight travel involved, and it pays shit
money. I’d still be racing to get us the money we need to have
a good time.”
Valerie waved her hand and made a
face, letting him know it was no big deal. “The nights apart
are going to be harder than the money. Trust me, I’ve lived
with much less in my life.”
Tyler watched her eyes grow
bright, and he could feel her pride in him and her happiness for him.
He’d accomplished his dream. Maybe he wasn’t in the NHL,
but that could still happen. He was young and healthy, and he could
very well end up with a long, satisfying sports career. The truth
was, he just wanted to play hockey, and even if the money sucked, he
was now a professional hockey player.
And it was all because of
Valerie. She was so supportive, he didn’t even know how to
react to her.
“ That could be a problem
for me, too. Maybe you could come along on some of the trips? We
could travel together, and that way, after a game, I can enjoy the
beautiful woman of my dreams in my bed.”
That sounded like heaven to
Valerie. She gave him her most winning smile. “And maybe you
can have that woman twice if
going to ‘settle’ for anything, especially down. But yes,
I’ve more than okay with this arrangement. I’m thrilled
that you let me be a part of your life.” He stood, pulling her
to her feet and kissing her fully on the lips with her body pressed
to his. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, Valerie,”
he whispered against her lips. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.
I have to climb in the shower, or I’ll make us both late to
work.”
* * *
With giddy excitement, Valerie
sat outside the rink, awaiting Tyler’s return. She wasn’t
the biggest hockey fan, but in her opinion, he’d looked amazing
on the ice, and she would have thought he was a professional player
already. Like, NHL worthy. She nibbled her thumbnail, wishing he
would come out already and not leave her hanging so long. Supposedly,
he was supposed to talk to the coach, get his feedback, and then
leave.
That had been almost forty
minutes ago, when he’d skated by the side of the hockey rink
and given her a kiss. Now, she couldn’t imagine what was going
on inside and only hoped that, maybe, they were signing some papers
and setting him up with a locker.
Starting to lose her confidence
in this decision, she worried at strands of her hair that blew around
in the breeze, defiantly escaping the braid down her back. Maybe she
shouldn’t have pushed Tyler so hard. After all, maybe he’d
given up on this as a career goal long ago and his heart wasn’t
in it anymore. For all she knew, this whole day was causing him pain.
But he’d looked so
confident out there on the ice, and the glimpses she had of his face
showed her pure, unadulterated joy. Of course, there was always the
chance they wouldn’t take him, but with the talent he showed,
that seemed like an extremely remote possibility, even though this
seemed to be taking forever.
And second guessing herself
had always gotten Valerie in trouble.
She sucked in a deep breath as
Tyler finally emerged from the door to the locker rooms and held that
breath as he walked toward her, a deep scowl on his face. Her heart
sank. What the hell could have happened? This was perfect, and it was
supposed to work out.
She stood, ready to offer comfort
as he approached, but instead, he dropped his bag on the ground and
pulled her into a bear hug, swinging her around and chuckling in her
ear. “I had you going for a second, didn’t I?” he
asked, setting her down and kissing her forehead, both cheeks, and
finally, her lips.
She giggled. “You, sir, are
an ass. You had me thinking it was the end of the world.”
He scoffed. “With the
measly money their offering, it just might be.” A worried
expression furrowed his brow as he stared down at her. “I’m
serious, you know. This isn’t the ideal job for most people.
There’s a lot of overnight travel involved, and it pays shit
money. I’d still be racing to get us the money we need to have
a good time.”
Valerie waved her hand and made a
face, letting him know it was no big deal. “The nights apart
are going to be harder than the money. Trust me, I’ve lived
with much less in my life.”
Tyler watched her eyes grow
bright, and he could feel her pride in him and her happiness for him.
He’d accomplished his dream. Maybe he wasn’t in the NHL,
but that could still happen. He was young and healthy, and he could
very well end up with a long, satisfying sports career. The truth
was, he just wanted to play hockey, and even if the money sucked, he
was now a professional hockey player.
And it was all because of
Valerie. She was so supportive, he didn’t even know how to
react to her.
“ That could be a problem
for me, too. Maybe you could come along on some of the trips? We
could travel together, and that way, after a game, I can enjoy the
beautiful woman of my dreams in my bed.”
That sounded like heaven to
Valerie. She gave him her most winning smile. “And maybe you
can have that woman twice if
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