Thirty-Three

THIRTY-THREE

FELTON

One year later—Christmas

The phone ringing wakes me and I nearly roll off the bed. Thankfully, even if I did, it's on a low platform, so I probably wouldn't have broken anything had I rolled off. Coach would have had my head if I came back from break with a broken limb. Especially when I said I fell off the bed.

It wouldn't even be sexy time that caused it!

I answer without looking, and there's a moment when I reflect on how good that feels. This is a new number and only a select few people have it. Ren has my old phone. I'm not sure if I still get calls or not. I'm not even sure if it's still in service.

The only people who have this number are Ren, the new agent that he set me up with, my therapist, my lawyer, Coach and team management, and a handful of friends. That's it. My contacts list is very short. There's a lot of comfort in that.

"Hello?"

"Still asleep?" Ren asks.

I grin. His voice makes everything inside me light up. And that's just his voice.

Laying back in bed, I close my eyes and sigh. "You didn't tell me I needed to get up," I tease. Ren still tells me what to do. What to think. How to breathe. Between him and my therapist, I've never felt so… new.

He chuckles. "Time to get up. Shower thoroughly."

I grin. That means it's sexy time later. Something special. "Okay." I get up and head into the bathroom, chucking off my underwear as I go.

"Keep me on the phone. I miss you."

He's got some stupid hockey thing, which is totally unfair because it's Christmas Eve. It kept him overnight and I know he'll be back late, but I hate that he's not here.

I'm kind of bummed that his parents and brother aren't here either.

I prop the phone just inside the shower but out of reach of the water. We talk about what he's been doing at the stupid event that took him away, but I don't stay upset because I love to listen to him talk. His quiet, smooth voice with just a hint of an accent.

When I'm clean and get out, Ren tells me to brush my teeth and comb my hair. I do. Then I put lotion on at his instruction.

"Closet," he directs, and I obediently head for our closet. "See the black bag on the floor?" It doesn't take me long to spot it and say so. "Put on what's inside. They're clean—I washed them first."

It's a pair of underwear. The kind I usually wear to bed. I slip them on and then the socks. They're kind of dressy, which seems a weird choice.

"There's a garment bag to your left. Do you see it?"

Now that I'm looking, it's out of place. Why hadn't I noticed it until now? How long has it been here? "Yes."

"Put on what's inside."

I'm not surprised to find a suit, but there's a relaxed vibe to it. Not like the uptight ones I wear to games that meet dress code. Ren then tells me to put on the shoes in the shoe box below the bag. They're cute loafers that I'm not sure go with the suit, but I slip into them.

"Grab a water from the fridge and head to your car. Lock up the house on your way out."

No detail escapes my Ren. Although I'm curious that he didn't tell me to get something to eat, too. When I get into my car, there's a sticky note with an address on my steering wheel.

"Type it into the GPS," Ren says without me mentioning it.

"Is this a scavenger hunt for Christmas?" I ask. Maybe he's making a new tradition.

"Not quite."

Turning on the car, I type it in. "Thirty-nine minutes," I tell him when the phone switches to Bluetooth and I set it into the carjack to charge while I drive.

"Drive. Have your water gone by the time you get to the destination."

We talk while I drive, and I sip my water every few minutes. We never seem to run out of things to talk about. It doesn't have to be anything important or big. Sometimes we talk about things like our ideal weather outside or what we like best about beets. (For the record, I hate eating beets, but I like that they're a natural dye.)

As I drive and Ren mentions Imry, I find I'm smiling. This last year has been probably the biggest of my life. The best of my life, too. I've made so many changes that Ren's told me to and… they've been perfect. My new agent that he lined up and Imry vetted has me working toward a path that I think I'm going to enjoy after hockey. I have a financial counselor and investments.

I haven't seen or spoken to my father again. Nor anyone else in my family. No one. Not a cousin or an aunt. I spend hours every week talking to my therapist, and I've learned a lot about the abuse my father put me through. It's been hard coming to terms with it, and I've struggled.

But every single day, Ren is right here. He knows what I need before I do. I love him. But maybe more surprisingly, he loves me.

"I'm pulling in," I say and take the last sip of my water, emptying the bottle. "Water is gone."

"Good. There's a spot at the front."

I'm not sure where I am. It's filled with cars though, and the building looks cool. All decorated with lights and holiday fun.

"Parked."

"Do you see a woman at the door?"

I nod. She's kind of dressed like Mrs. Claus, though quite young. "Yep."

"Felton, listen to me. I love you. And I can't wait to see you. I'm going to hang up now and you're going to put your phone on silent and keep it in your pocket. Then you're going to tell the lady your name and she's going to take care of the rest."

"The rest of what?"

"No questions today, love. Just do what I tell you."

"Okay. Love you too. Hurry home."

"I'll see you soon."

The call ends and I switch my phone to silent before stuffing it in my pocket. I step outside. Unsurprisingly, the air is fucking cold and biting, so I quickly lock my door and rush to the woman.

"Hi. I'm Felton Badcock," I say in greeting.

She grins and opens the door behind her. "Wonderful. Come in."

The inside is decorated with hundreds of string lights and there are glittering snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. The floor is covered with the same snow stuff Ren used to decorate his room last Christmas morning. The kind that we were finding in random places months later.

"Wait here, Mr. Badcock," the lady tells me and I'm facing two enormous doors—also decorated. They're festive without being all about Christmas.

I'm left there for several minutes until she returns. "Are you ready?" she asks.

I shrug. "Sure." I'm not sure what she's asking if I'm ready for, so how should I know if I'm ready?

She pushes open the doors and I'm staring into a winter wonderland. I'm greeted by white flowers and white trees covered in white lights. There are snowflakes and candles hanging from the ceiling, glittering magically. Plus white flowers and plants everywhere, but more than anything, there's fake snow covering everything.

The room is filled with people who are sitting in rows of pews. There's nothing religious or even spiritual about the room except the pews. Everyone is in white. As I stare, I recognize faces—our hockey team. My friends from other teams. My breath catches when I spot Ren's parents and brother in the front.

Then I can't breathe when I spy Ren at the end of the aisle I'm facing down.

He gestures with his head slightly, telling me to come to him. At first, I'm motionless. Unable to truly process what I'm seeing. What is this? But he told me to come to him, so I do. Slowly because I'm afraid that I'm going to fall on my face in front of everyone.

There are smiles everywhere. Everyone's watching me. Happily.

Finally, I'm standing in front of Ren and he takes my hands. "Take a breath, Fel," he murmurs. I suck in air. "How about we get married today?"

I inhale sharply again. I imagined that, right?

His smile climbs. He leans in. "I'm not asking," he says as he pulls my face to his. Tears sting my eyes. "I'm telling you. You're marrying me today. And this summer, we'll have a traditional Chinese wedding with my family. But right now, you're going to become my husband in exactly seven minutes."

"Seven minutes?" I whisper.

He chuckles. "I'm feeling rather impatient."

I'm not sure how long the actual ceremony lasts, but it's definitely quick. I don't hear it because I'm too busy staring at Ren. He didn't have a hockey thing. He was planning a wedding. For me. On Christmas.

His mouth is on mine as he kisses me in front of everyone. I try not to get emotional. Honestly, I do. But when he pulls back and murmurs, "I hope this helps to put all the sad Christmases behind you, Felton," I nearly sob.

I nod wildly. "Yes. What Christmases?"

Ren grins. "I love you," he whispers. "Every single year, I'm going to give you the best Christmas."

"How are you going to top this one?"

His smile is mischievous. "I have plans, qīn ài de. But for now, we're going to have a hockey-filled honeymoon for the next four or more months. Then we're going to China to celebrate with my family with our traditions. And then we're going to spend the rest of the summer"—he leans in and whispers in my ear—"pretending we're procreating."

My cheeks heat immediately.

"I love you," I choke out through hiccups. The emotion is thick in my voice, even if I've somehow staved off the tears. "So much."

"I know," he says, pressing his forehead to mine. "Let's go celebrate. I have plans for later too." He winks, and I flush again. "I hope you washed like I told you to."

"Oh, my god," I glance around. Please tell me no one heard him!

Ren takes my hand—my husband takes my hand!—and we turn to the room filled with happy, smiling faces.

This is the first day of forever. For the first time in my life, I'm excited for tomorrow and everything ahead. I know that every decision I make—even if it's Ren making them—it's the right decision for me! It doesn't matter if someone else approves or if they're disappointed. It's right for me. And that's what matters most.