8. Colt - Sweet Seventeen: 14 years ago: winter

I ran on autopilot through practice because my mind was so focused on the surprise we had planned for tonight. As soon as Coach blew his whistle three times to dismiss us, I practically ran off the ice to undress and shower.

While Coach rattled on about what we needed to work on, I packed up my hockey bag in record time, then hightailed it to the other side of the rink to catch the tail end of her practice.

Dumping my bag on the ground, I leaned on the railing and spotted her immediately.

Her smile was always so reserved and mechanical out there, almost like she was a royal in another life and she was too proper to fully exhibit her emotions. When she was with me, I always took it as a challenge to make her smile so big her face cracked. I secretly loved that her carefree smile reserved for me– well, for us, because Kappy and JP always got her laughing too.

She nodded at her coach, then skated off, her posture perfect. Her brown hair was parted at the side and smoothed into a low, tight bun. Wearing a stretchy top that could pass as a sports bra and off-black tights with little black shorts over top, her small muscles looked so powerful as she set up and then launched into another triple jump. Landing like a stealthy cat, she held the check-out before gliding back to the boards.

I loved watching her skate alone, but I knew she desperately wanted a partner. Her last partner, Dmitry, left after last season because he wanted to skate for Russia. That was his loss. He wasn’t going to find a better partner than Mer– I should know, I’d been her real-life partner for about two years now.

As soon as the buzzer went off, she grabbed her sweater and water from the boards and glided off the ice.

Skipping down the steps, I bolted for the zam door so I could reach her in the hallway before she entered her locker room.

Rounding the door, I caught her right on time and pulled her into the alcove of an empty locker room and immediately dipped to kiss her like we’d done hundreds of times. As soon as our lips touched, a jolt shot straight from my heart to my groin.

Pulling back, her eyes lit up when they landed on me and I felt like the luckiest bastard alive.

“I didn’t know you were still here,” she said with a bright smile, still breathing hard from her practice.

“Course I am,” I grinned, planting my hands on the cinderblock on either side of her head. “Hurry up and get your skates off, but bring ‘em with you, alright? We have a surprise for you.” I wagged my eyebrows.

“A surprise?” she questioned, biting her lip to hide her smile. “What kind of surprise?” She held the sides of the sherpa-lined plaid jacket I stole from JP. I had my team winter coat and a hoodie already tucked in my truck for her to use because she always wore “cute” jackets that didn’t keep the cold out for shit.

“Can’t tell you. Hurry it up, yeah?” I gave her a booty squeeze and a wink.

With a little grin on her face, she ducked under my arm and pulled open her locker room door.

__________

As I drove us over to the secret spot, she sat in the shot-gun seat of my truck and vented about school. Mer couldn’t wait to be done with high school and then she claimed she was never opening another book again unless it was a romance novel. I just laughed because she barely went to school as it was– she went for a couple hours a day for her main subjects, then took her elective courses online.

Apparently she was now failing biology class because she refused to participate in the pig dissection and her group members “threw her under the bus.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” I said with a laugh, mentally picturing her scrunching her nose and refusing to get too close to the pig. “I wish I could’ve been in your group. I would’ve helped you.” And I wished for the millionth time that I went to public school with her instead of my private all-guys school. I guess it wouldn’t have helped much anyway, seeing as I was a grade above her because she had a late birthday.

“Ugh I wish you could’ve too,” she pouted.

“You brought your homework with you?” I’d been helping her with math and science– my favorite subjects– all year.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I don’t wanna think about it ‘til Sunday though.”

Turning down a bumpy dirty road, I snuck a glance at Mer and her face scrunched in question, making me laugh.

When I finally pulled my truck up to the frozen lake, Kappy and JP already had the bonfire going strong. We stole a construction light from JP’s dad’s garage and it was plugged into JP’s truck, illuminating Kappy and JP while they shoveled off a section of the lake big enough for us to have a fun pond hockey game.

A minute later, another car came up next to us– Piper, her partner Patrick, and a freestyle girl named Ali who recently started skating at Centre Ice, all unloaded out of the car.

“Colt?” Mer looked at me in question. “What’s going on?”

Grinning, I said, “Happy Sweet Seventeen, Bennett.” Leaning over the center console, I gave her a quick kiss and then planted a hockey beanie on her head. “Let’s go.”

She sat there blinking at me, then slowly turned to see the bonfire set up and the frozen lake stretched out before us. “This is… for me?”

“Of course it is, you didn’t think we’d forget your birthday, did you?” I grinned. I felt bad last year because we were away on a tournament. Her birthday, December 17th, usually fell on the last weekend before Christmas, so we almost always had a hockey tournament. Because of hockey, I wasn’t sure how many times I’d be able to be with her on her actual birthday, so I wanted to make sure this year was unforgettable.

The next couple hours were full of us playing pond hockey, doing over the top cellies, and enjoying the hell out of outside with the boombox blasting top hits.

Kappy and Patrick– who was actually pretty decent with a stick and puck– ganged up on Piper. Every time she touched the puck, one of them would gently shove her in the snowbank.

“You assholes!” she shrieked, while the rest of us struggled not to laugh at her expense.

“You’re okay, P,” Patrick said, hauling her up out of the snow and planting her back on her blades.

Patrick and Piper were complete opposites– he had an easy-going disposition while Piper loved dramatics, so I could see how the two of them worked well together as partners, but I had a feeling Patrick was getting revenge tonight for all the times she got her way at the rink.

Off by the net, JP and Ali were whispering to each other. JP had given his team jacket to Ali, leaving him only in a hoodie, so he had to be freezing. Every once in a while, Ali would throw her head back laughing at something he said, which shocked me. The dude was so quiet that I didn’t think he had it in him to charm a girl, but it looked like Ali really liked him.

“JP and Ali?” I whispered to Mer.

She bit her lip. “Maybe. She’s a couple years younger though, don’t let him corrupt her.”

My face cracked. “Only two years. And JP’s a saint, babe.”

“Ha!” she burst out, coming to a stop in front of me. She arched an eyebrow. “I could use many words to describe the three of you, and ‘saint’ would not be one of them.”

“What? That hurts.” I skated toward her.

She skated backwards, escaping me. “You’re troublemakers.”

I pushed harder and grabbed her up in my arms, making her laugh. “What does that make you? Because you love getting into trouble with me.” I dropped a kiss on her lips.

She wrapped her arm around my neck and sighed. “I do. It’s so bad, but I really do.”

“That’s my girl.” I winked at her and dropped her back on her blades.

At one point, everyone started abandoning the game to go warm up by the bonfire leaving only me and Mer skating under the stars.

The song Somewhere Only We Know by Keane lightly played while she pulled into a layback under the stars and snow, holding my beanie so it wouldn't fly away.

Her spinning in the make-shift spotlight with the snow-covered pine trees as a backdrop was the most beautiful scene I’d ever taken in. I was filled with awe. I was filled with love. My angel.

She stopped spinning and gave me a lazy smile before looking up into the sky and throwing her arms wide.

“I love this,” she announced.

I love you.

Woah, wait . I shook my head out. Did my brain just go there?

I stood there in shock as the snow floated down between us.

I loved her.

I really fucking loved her.

I was pretty sure no one else had ever felt this kind of connection. This kind of love. I’d been feeling it for a while now, I just never really called it what it was until right then.

I almost laughed to myself because I was so fucking happy.

This was probably why my mom warned me against dating. She was afraid I’d fall hard and lose focus on hockey. She thought Mer was a distraction, but that just wasn’t true. Mer motivated me to focus even more on hockey. Sure, I loved the game, but now I wanted to make it my career so we could have the good life together.

The way my parents looked at each other and laughed when I talked about Mer, they thought I was talking about fleeting teenage feelings. They just didn’t understand.

I loved her.

Wow, I thought that would scare me, but I just felt a bubble of happiness fucking bursting inside of me.

And I suddenly needed to tell her, but I had to keep it cool. I couldn’t just blurt it out at her. This would be our only first time hearing it, I was sure of it. I’d never say it to another girl, and I’d do my best so she never heard it from another guy.

I couldn’t mess this up.

Grabbing a puck with my stick, I did a couple tricks as I got closer to her. She immediately picked up a stick and tried to get the puck away from me and I couldn’t help but crack a grin. She could probably kick my ass at skating, especially when it came to edge work, but damn, she was such a beginner when it came to a stick and puck.

“I have something to tell you,” I said softly.

“Yeah? What is it?” She swiped with her stick and almost took out my shin.

“Jeez babe.” I laughed.

“Sorry!” She came closer again. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold and her warm breath hung in the air.

“I was just gonna say–”

She gasped as the puck went sailing across the ice, away from me. Shock registered on her face.

“I got it!” she burst out. “I got it from you!”

My eyebrows raised in surprise and a chuckle popped out of me. “You did.”

She dropped her stick and threw her hands in the air. “I won!”

“Okay, chill.” I laughed. “Act like you’ve been there before, babe.”

“But I haven’t! This is the best day!” she shouted up at the sky. “I beat you! I will never forget this.” She let out an evil laugh. She was possibly more competitive than I was.

“Oh my God, it’s getting to your head,” I said, but I couldn't stop from grinning like a crazy person. I loved her. Damn. “Let’s go again, c’mon.”

“Nope. I have to go out on a high!” She started skating away.

“No, let’s go,” I argued, skating around to block her path.

She angled around me. “Guys! I got the puck from ‘The Conman.’ I am the best in the world!”

The group cheered her on.

“Atta girl, Mer!” JP called out.

“Colt’s losin’ his touch!” Kap added.

“You little brat.” I grinned while grabbing her up.

She giggled against my chest. “Okay, what were you gonna say?”

“I was gonna say–”

“I love this song, turn it up!” someone yelled, interrupting me.

She laughed at my frustration as Coldplay’s Yellow blasted through the boombox.

“Mmm I do love this song.” She glided away from me and started doing lazy little spins around me, feeling the music.

“I love you,” I whispered.

She stopped skating. Her mouth dropped slightly open as she regarded me.

I glided closer to her and held her face with my gloved hands. “I love you,” I repeated. “You’ve got my whole fucking heart, Meredith Bennett. Every piece of me loves every piece of you.” I could barely feel my lips, but I sealed those words with a kiss.

When I pulled back, her eyes were still closed. Snowflakes clung to her dark eyelashes. “I love you, too.” She blinked open her sky eyes. “So much. So fucking much,” she said with a laugh.

My girl barely ever swore, so I knew she was serious. Grinning so hard my face hurt, I lifted her and spun us around, making both of us laugh.

JP eventually called us off the ice, saying it was too dangerous to keep skating this late. After that, we all sat around the bonfire making s’mores and drinking the hot chocolate I brought in a huge thermos.

The group was all laughing about how Hans almost killed Kappy last week because Kap stole the zam to go on a little joy ride, but then he got it stuck in the middle of the ice.

“It’s not as simple as it looks, guys,” he argued, making everyone crack up.

“I bet I could do it,” Piper announced.

Kap’s eyebrows drew together. “And I bet you couldn’t.”

“Guess we should see next week,” Piper said with a shrug. “What’s the wager?”

I took in the faces around the fire. We were a little family, and I appreciated every one of them. But I loved the girl sitting between my legs, leaning back on my chest.

“One day, I’ll be in the NHL, and you’ll be in the Olympics,” I whispered, kissing her temple.

She craned her neck to look up at me and smiled wistfully. “And then what?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” I pulled the blanket higher and snuggled closer to her.

She shrugged. “Sometimes I can’t wait for skating to be over so I can start my life.”

I held her jaw. “My life started when I met you.”

Grinning, she turned and swatted at my chest. I fell back on the snow in exaggeration, and she laid on top of me. “That was such a line, Colt.”

The group laughed at something, but we were in our own little world together.

“But did you like it?” I wagged my eyebrows at her.

That cute upside-down smile of hers slid on her face. “Yes.”

“Good.” I leaned up to kiss her before falling back down on the snow. “She wants to know about after,” I mused, making her giggle. “How about in the after,” I locked eyes with her and traced her delicate jaw, “I give you a big ring.”

“Really?” She grinned. “How big are we talking?”

“Big,” I announced.

“What else?”

“We’ll get a big house, one like that old one.” I pointed across the lake at a large wooden cabin lined with Christmas lights.

“I do like that one. It needs a bigger porch though.” She bit her lip. “What else?”

I cocked an eyebrow. “And then we’ll make babies.” I squeezed her side. “Simple.”

“Those better not be big .” She laughed lightly against me, then looked pensive. “Babies? Plural?”

I shrugged. “If you want.”

She shook her head and laughed at me like I was crazy.

“You don’t want all that?” I asked in mock-shock. I was trying to keep it cool, but anxiety spiked in my chest that she didn’t see a future with me. Somewhere along the way, all my goals and dreams for the future became intertwined with her.

“No, I do,” she said, leaning her chin on my chest.

My anxiety eased and I hugged her tighter. “Good, because it’s all I think about.”

“You’re not serious?” she deadpanned.

“I am.”

She traced under my eye with her gloved finger. I closed my eyes, loving her touch. “Sometimes when you say this stuff, I'm afraid I take it seriously and you’re just joking. Like in actuality, you’ll go to juniors and have a bunch of girlfriends in different cities, and you’ll break my heart and make me cry for a hundred years.” She sighed dramatically.

I could totally tell she added the last part to mask her vulnerability with humor.

Her eyes searched mine. “How do I know you’re being serious?” she whispered.

“I promise I will never ever make you cry,” I vowed while rolling us around so I was on top. I kissed her before putting my forehead to hers. “Hundred bucks, baby.”

“Okay, okay, back it up!” Kappy yelled at us from across the fire.

“Relax, grandpa,” Piper chided him.

“No! I ignored it when they were laying there, but now they’re literally rolling around in the snow. Let’s keep it PG, y’all. Don’t make me an uncle before 25 please.”

“Hate to say he’s right, but he has a point,” Piper said.

“Thank you! I’m not old enough to be an uncle.”

“Not about you,” she snapped at him. “Mer needs to make it to the Olympics first.”

Mer cracked up laughing, and I couldn’t help but crack a grin.

“I love you, Meredith Bennett,” I whispered to her.

She had my whole heart. I’d never feel this way about anyone else, I was sure of it. What we had was rare and real, and I wasn’t letting it go. I wasn’t letting her go. We just had to accomplish our dreams and then we’d have our after.

“I love you, Colt Conover,” she whispered back.