Chapter 8

Oliver

I have to go.

I may miss my flight as it is.

But she’s just so fucking beautiful. Awake and smiling or asleep and comfortable like she is now, she’s breathtakingly gorgeous and I don’t want to have to stop looking at her. Once she fell asleep last night, I stayed awake as long as humanly possible so I could run my fingers through her hair and watch her breathe against me. Sleep against me.

It felt wonderful.

But our time has come to an end and I have to get to Chicago.

Not wanting to be the cause of broken hearts or mixed feelings, I quietly slide out of bed and into my regular clothes. I don’t even brush my teeth. I’ll do it at the airport. I don’t want to wake her. Before I grab my bags and head out, I grab a pen and the small notebook from the hotel room desk and scribble a note for her so she doesn’t feel like I carelessly walked out on her.

I would never do that.

I couldn’t do that.

But waking her to say goodbye might crush me and I’m already grieving the loss of what she feels like in my arms as it is.

Leaving my note on my pillow for her, I take one last look at my beautiful bride and then quietly open the door and slip out. Once in the car I think back on all the fun we had together yesterday and the passionate lust-filled night we had last night.

Leaving Scarlett this morning to fly to Chicago is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long time. I knew if I didn’t leave before she woke up, I would never want to say goodbye. Having her fall asleep in my arms after the best four rounds of sex I have ever experienced in my life was a fucking dream. Her softness, her warmth, the way she smiled at me after every orgasm, like she’s always known I would show up in her life and show her how she deserves to be loved, made me feel like I had a purpose. And for the first time since I can remember, she had me wondering what life outside of hockey could look like.

What life with her could look like.

Hopefully, she’ll forgive me for my chicken scratch of a note I left for her. She has my phone number so she does have the ability to text me, though I haven’t heard anything from her yet today. I should be glad for that, I suppose, but then what if I hurt her by not saying goodbye? What if she woke up and saw she was alone and went right back to feeling like she did on her wedding day?

Fuck.

Nothing was supposed to happen between us. We were two adults spending a fun evening together. That was the deal.

So why do I feel this overwhelming sense of loss?

“What’s the matter with you?” my sister asks me from the other end of the couch.

“What? What do you mean what’s wrong with me?”

“You’re not your regular self.”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “You just seem…down.”

Milo pipes in from the kitchen. “Probably because he knows we’re going to kick their asses tomorrow night.”

“Keep talking, Landric.” I smirk and send a reassuring wink to Charlee who shakes her head at the banter her husband and I have had all day. Trying to change the subject, I gesture to her growing baby bump.

“So how are you feeling? We haven’t talked much about your pregnancy.”

She nearly gets teary eyed talking about it. “I’m feeling great most days and I’ll admit, it’s nice to work from home. Milo just lets me bum around in his sweatpants and of course my favorite sweatshirt, so I’m always comfortable.”

I pretend to gag at the sight of the extremely purple Wile E. Coyote sweatshirt Charlee is wearing. Milo has owned that thing for way too long, except honestly, it looks cute on my pregnant sister. And for just a split second, an immense feeling jealousy washes over me.

She found the love of her life in the most unexpected way and now she’s about to start a family. I met Scarlett in the most unexpected way, yet here I am alone and missing her.

“What about you?” she asks after we laugh over Milo’s ridiculous taste in clothing.

“What about me?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. Tell me something new about you. Is there a special someone in your life? You don’t talk about your dating life much?”

“Uh, pot calling kettle, Sis. I seem to recall you living with this asshat for several months before you ever told me what was going on in your life.”

She blushes, her hand smoothing down her stomach. “Okay, okay. I’ve apologized for that about a billion times. I’m just asking because I want to see you happy. That’s all.”

I nod, taking a deep breath and realizing maybe I just need to get it out in the open.

“There’s a girl.”

Charlee sits up, a fresh excitement in her eyes. “Yes! I knew it! Tell me everything.”

“There isn’t a ton I can tell you, honestly.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“New Orleans.” I cringe when I give her my answer.

Charlee’s brows rise. “Oh. Sooo, you mean you just met her? Or is she like, you know, someone you meet up with whenever you’re in town.”

“She’s not a booty call, Charlee.”

She raises her hands in defense. “Just asking.”

“I did just meet her yesterday. Spent the entire day and all night with her and I know this sounds crazy as fuck but…”

“You like her.”

I nod slowly, my eyes finally meeting Charlee’s. “Yeah. I really liked her.”

“Liked?” She frowns. “Why liked? You can’t work out a long-distance thing?”

“With my schedule? That would be insane. But ironically…or maybe not, I don’t know, she’s actually from L.A.”

“Wait, what?” Charlee moves to the edge of her seat. “Oli, that’s not that far from Anaheim! What the fuck?”

“I know but—”

“No buts. Is she married?”

I almost laugh. “No.”

“Kids?”

“Nope.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Milo asks, coming around the coffee table and plopping down next to his wife.

“Hell, I don’t know.” I drag my hand through my hair. “No, that’s a lie. I do know. It’s not that she’s married because she’s not. But she was just left at the altar a couple of weeks ago. Like, when I met her yesterday, she was literally wearing her wedding dress.”

Charlee eyes me curiously. “Uh, why?”

“Oh, we went to the big Once Upon a Halloween Night party together last night and she wanted to go as a jilted bride and trash her dress.”

“Oooh, I’ve always wanted to do that.”

Milo turns to Charlee. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry,” she laughs. “I mean I always thought it was a cool idea and if I had had a dress from Jared—thank God we never married—I would’ve wanted to do something like that.” She wraps a loving hand around Milo’s arm. “Don’t worry babe. You’re stuck with me.”

“So yeah, anyway, we’ve known each other for twenty-four hours. I certainly wasn’t going to profess my love for her and ask her to commit to a relationship when she hasn’t had enough time to grieve the relationship she just got out of.”

Charlee cocks her head. “Did she tell you she was still grieving this other relationship?”

“No. But she did cry a little while we were laying in the cemetery.”

“What?” She shakes her head, confusion etched on her face. “Why were you—”

“Don’t ask. Long story. And it was a beautiful moment.”

“Okay well, what I’m trying to say is, you don’t get to choose how long she needs between relationships. That’s for her to decide. For all you know you’re the perfect one for her because this other guy clearly wasn’t and if that’s the case, why wait another minute? You’re not children being forced to wait, you know. When it’s right, it’s right.”

“Okay, well, it’s a little late now. She’s there and I’m here.”

“Dude, if you want her enough, you’ll figure out a way,” Milo says, wrapping an arm around my sister. Of all the hockey players I know who could’ve been a great partner for my sister, I really am glad she found Milo Landric. He’s a great guy with a solid head on his shoulders. There’s never a doubt that he’s head over heels in love with her, and that’s what Charlee deserves. Especially after the hell she’s been through. “It’s never too late. Make it special. Do something unique for her that shows you how much you like her.”

Charlee narrows her eyes and turns to her husband. “Is that what you did for me?”

“Uh, yeah. Of course.”

She folds her arms over her pregnant stomach. “Like what?”

“I read to you, Goldilocks. And we uh, you know, we did yoga.”

He winks at her, and she cracks up laughing. “Alright, I guess I can give you that.”

“Also, I beat the hell out of your asshole ex on the ice. Best game I ever played.”

“Even after winning the Cup?” she asks him.

He kisses her sweetly. “Absofuckinlutely. The fucker got what he deserved.”

Conversations Scarlett and I had yesterday start spinning through my head. Of her hopes and dreams and all the things that drew me to her.

Can I really do this?

Can I pull it off?

Will she go for it?

It would be amazing to see her again.

To take her on a proper date.

To spend time together in our own homes and familiar places.

Hmm…what if…

“So, you don’t think it’s creepy for two people to possibly fall in love in one day?”

Milo shrugs. “Fuck a day. Falling in love only takes a moment.”

Charlee turns and looks at Milo with a loving smile. “My moment was the night you carried me to your room and read to me.”

Milo nods. “My moment was the day I opened my penthouse door and saw you on the other side of it.”

Charlee’s shoulders fall and she starts to cry. “Milo! You can’t say things like that to a hormonal pregnant woman!”

“Sorry babe,” he says pulling her against him. “But I speak the truth.”

Smiling at them both, I lay a hand on Charlee’s knee. “Hey thanks for the advice, guys. I think you may have sparked an idea.”

“That’s what we’re here for man,” Milo says. “Let us know if we can be of any help. The guys and I are getting pretty good at grand gestures when it comes to the ladies.”