18. Courtney

COURTNEY

The past twomonths have been like a whirlwind. Zack had his surgery and was able to start PT almost immediately after. He"s been kicking ass working hard to get back to his fully healthy self. The Fusion made the playoffs and are still on the chase for the Cup. Today is the first day he"s going to practice with the team. He"ll be wearing a red jersey, which means he"s no-contact by the other guys, but at least it"s a step in the right direction.

I keep checking my phone whenever I have a second while at work, hoping he"ll text me to let me know how practice goes. He was ready and nervous for it, all at the same time, this morning. It was extremely cute seeing him with those mixed emotions. Like a little boy again.

With him recovering and needing help so much, Jax and I have been staying at his place more than we have at my apartment. I love the nights I get to be in Zack"s arms, but I also struggle with it being too soon for us to be moving in with him for good.

Zack

Hey, sweetheart. Hope your day is going good. Practice was great! It felt good to be back out there with the guys. No pain after getting off the ice either, so I think I"m back!

Courtney

That"s the best news! I"m so proud of the work you"ve put in. You deserve it.

Zack

Can I have you as a reward tonight?

Courtney

Yes

Zack

I"m going to have you moaning my name so much. Fuck, I"m already hard thinking about it.

Courtney

You"re incorrigible.

Zack

Only about you. Gotta go, love you.

Courtney

Love you too. See you after work.

Zack

I"ll take care of dinner.

I tuck my phone back in my pocket and pick up the toddler at my feet asking to be picked up. He"s a sweet little thing who loves to be rocked, so I appease him by swaying with him for a few minutes. He lays his sweet little head on my shoulder as we move back and forth. I can feel his breathing slow down as he relaxes into my hold.

"He"s out," my coworker Melanie says as she looks over at us.

"I figured so. His mom said he"s been cutting some new teeth, and it"s been messing with his sleep. Poor guy probably isn"t feeling the best."

I slowly get up, hoping I don"t wake him with my movements. I"m somehow able to transfer him to one of the nap cots without waking him up. I cover him with one of our small blankets and hope his little nap helps him feel better.

"Mom, Mom, Mom."Jax is brimming with excitement when I get to Zack"s house. He"s been picking him up from school for me so he doesn"t have to stay so late in the after-school care program.

"What, buddy?" I ask as I set my stuff down. He"s jumping up and down he"s so excited.

"School has a LEGO club starting. Can I do it, please, please, please?"

"That sounds like fun. Did they send anything home on it?" I ask, and he thrusts a piece of paper into my hands.

I laugh at how excited he is. I take the paper and read it over. It"s after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for six weeks, starting next week. "I can get you signed up for it tonight. It sounds like it will be a good time," I tell him, and he wraps me in a big hug.

"Thank you, Mommy," he says. "Zack also said I can start learning to skate in a few weeks!"

"He did, huh?" I look over at him, my eyebrow popped in a questioning manner.

"New flyers were posted at the rink today with the next set of lessons. Registration is open now, so if it works out with your schedule, he can get started."

"Did it say when they are?" I ask. Jax runs off, leaving Zack and I alone in the kitchen. He quickly closes the distance between us and pulls me into his arms.

"There were multiple options. Weekday evenings and a couple of weekend options, as well."

"I don"t know if I could do a weeknight option, so I"ll have to check out the weekend ones. I still can"t believe you"ve convinced him to try ice-skating." I lean in and kiss him.

"What can I say? I"m a convincing guy." He smirks. "Now, if only I can convince his mom to do something…" He doesn"t finish the sentence, leaving me wondering what he wants to convince me to do now.

We"re interrupted when both the boys come running into the kitchen. "When is dinner?" Sawyer asks. "I"m starving."

Zack looks behind him at the timer on the oven. "Food should be on the table in less than fifteen minutes. The timer has just over ten, so not much longer," he tells both boys.

They take off, leaving the two of us alone yet again. "What do you think you need to convince me of?" I ask, not wanting to miss out on what he"s thinking.

Zack cups my cheeks with his hands, the way they cradle me and make me feel secure and protected is still surreal to me. "Move in with me. Let"s stop this back-and-forth craziness. You"re here most nights anyway, so why keep paying for your apartment and all the utilities? You could put that money into savings."

"You"re really ready for that step?" I ask.

"I am, are you? I know you worked your ass off to provide a safe place for you and Jax, and I don"t want to take that away from you, but the way I see things, I don"t want to be away from you more than I have to, and this just feels natural. You coming home from work, the boys running around together when Sawyer is here, family dinner, movie nights. Maybe one day we add another one or two," he says.

"You want more kids?" I ask, shocked at that. I"d never broached the topic with him as I didn"t think it was something he was interested in. I"ve always been on the fence about wanting more kids.

"With the right person, yes."

"And I"m the right person?" I smile up at him.

"The only person." He presses a kiss to my lips, and we only break apart when the timer on the stove goes off.

"I love you," I tell him before we pull apart. He goes to the oven and pulls out the food while I pull out the plates and silverware to set the table. I grab the side dishes he"s made and help get everything to the table. "Boys, dinner is ready," I call out loud so they can hear me where they"re playing video games in the den.

I soak in the time as we all sit around the table for dinner. This has become normal over the past couple of months, and I can see what Zack was talking about. How could I give this up? As scary as it is, I know that this is the next natural step in our relationship. There"s no sense in fighting it.

With the boys tucked into bed and the kitchen cleaned up from dinner, I can finally relax and feel good about going to bed. I find Zack packing his suitcase for the road trip. The team is headed out tomorrow for the next set of games. He won"t be playing but will be going to support his teammates and to keep practicing with the team.

"Hi, beautiful," he greets as I enter the bedroom. I close the door behind me and watch as his eyes flare with desire.

"Hi," I greet. "You all packed?"

"For the most part. Just need to toss in a few things in the morning." He closes the distance between where he stands by the bed and where I"m still standing by the bedroom door.

He reaches out and grabs my wrists, pulling both of my hands up and over my head. He holds both wrists in one of his hands and pins them to the wall. My breaths are coming fast as I anticipate his next move. "Should I tease you all night?" He smirks as his lips come to my neck. He tortures me in the best way possible, teasing his lips along all the sensitive spots he knows drives me nuts. The scruff that has grown out on his cheeks with them being in the playoffs is like my kryptonite lately. Just one rub of that against any of the tender spots on my body, and I"m ready for more.

"No, I can"t take the teasing that long," I tell him as I attempt to rub my body against his for some much-needed friction.

"How quiet can you be?" he asks, pressing another kiss to my neck.

"That depends. What are you going to do to me?" I volley back.

"Make you delirious with pleasure," he tells me.

He drops to his knees, and I worry that he"ll hurt his knee, but he doesn"t even flinch. He pops the button of my jeans, then lowers the zipper. The pink lace on my panties is exposed, and he leans forward, pressing his lips to the spot just above where my panties sit. He slips his fingers inside the waistband of my jeans and tugs them down, leaving my panties in place. He brings the jeans down to my feet, then helps me step out of each leg. They get tossed out of the way once I"ve done so.

Zack rubs his thumb along my seam. The friction from the thin layer of cotton between us drives me crazy. "I need more," I moan as he teases me.

"Like this?" He looks up at me as he slips a finger under the fabric, pulling my panties to the side and exposing my center to him. His thumb brushes over my clit, and my hips involuntarily move forward, seeking more from him.

"Yes, but more," I tell him.

"Greedy girl." He chuckles before latching his lips around my clit. I slide my fingers into his hair, holding him to me as he devours me.

Zack pulls back, quickly tugging my panties off my body and out of his way. He lifts my left leg and places it over his shoulder, opening me up to him even more. He dives right back in, his fingers sinking into me as his mouth latches back onto my clit. It doesn"t take much for him to have me sailing over the cliff and calling out his name. I cover my mouth as best as I can to muffle the sounds. Thankfully, the boys" rooms aren"t down this hall, so we have some distance that will help buffer the sounds.

"That was number one for tonight." He smirks up at me after pulling back.

"Number one?" I ask. "Just how many do you think you can give me tonight?"

"Don"t challenge me, woman." He stands and takes me with him, tossing me over his shoulder before depositing me on the bed. He pushes my legs apart and settles between them as he hovers over my half-naked body. "I"ll have you coming all night if you let me."

We both strip, not wanting any clothing in our way. I lose track of the number of positions we end up in before we"re both so exhausted and satisfied. I eventually pull myself out of bed and go clean up in the bathroom, then pull on some panties and a T-shirt to fall asleep in. Once we"re both back in bed, Zack pulls me into his arms, and I"m in my absolute favorite place once again. "The answer to your question is yes," I say into the quiet room.

"I knew I could convince you," he confidently says.

"Is that what tonight was all about?" I laugh.

"Maybe." He smiles and kisses the top of my head. "We can move all of your stuff here when I"m back. I"m sure I can convince Ryan to help with his truck if I promise a nice steak dinner after we"re done."

"Probably."

"Love you," he tells me.

"Love you," I tell him just as I drift off to sleep.