Page 78 of Coach Sully
He keeps an eye on his watch as the second hand moves around the clock face. “A couple.”
“Oh, yeah?” I didn’t peg him for the type of guy to have resolutions, though it makes sense. He’s the type to make a plan and do it; when he wants something, he goes for it. His first game is coming up, so I’m sure that’s been heavily weighing on him. “Wanna share any of them?”
Looking up from his watch, he smiles. “Happy New Year.” His giant hands cup my face, and he tilts his head to kiss me. Endorphins flood my brain, and it’s as if I’m floating. As soon as his tongue glides over my lips, I open up to him. A small whimper escapes my throat. Blindly, I set my stemmed glass on the coffee table and pause for a moment to straddle his lap.
“Happy New Year,” I say against his lips, returning to our kiss.
His hands drop to my waist, then down to my ass where he hauls me tighter against him.
“Want to know my resolution?”
We’re doing thisnow? I take a deep breath and retreat from his lips. “Um. Sure,” I say with a small laugh.
“Moving you in with me.”
I gaze at him while the words register in my brain. “Moving in? As in, moving in? Like where I move in with you?” That might be the most absurd string of words I’ve ever stitched together, but he caught me off guard.
He chuckles. “Are you surprised?”
My mouth opens and closes. “Is this because of the baby?” What am I saying,of courseit’s because of the baby!
“It makes that part more convenient… but it’s mostly because I want to move in together.” He waits for me to say something. I forget to speak. “Shit, am I reading this wrong?”
“No!” I shout. “I just wanna make sure it’s really what you want. Make sure it’s not some emotional thing.”
He laughs. “Of course it’s an emotional thing!”
“You know what I mean, I want to make sure you’re not suggesting we do this impulsively. It’s a big step.”
Sully nods. He tucks me to his chest, and I wrap my arms around his neck while he skims his fingers up and down my back. “I’m ready to take the big steps with you.”
“Okay.” I smile, rest my elbows on his shoulders, and press my forehead to his. “How do you picture this going?”
“I’d love to have you move in with me. You don’t have to get rid of your house if it makes you feel better. Or if you’re dead set on staying where you’re at, I’ll sell my place.”
“You just built it.”
He shrugs. He fucking shrugs like it’s no big deal that he dropped close to a million on a new lot and build. Let’s be real, my place is not big enough for a man his size. He’d be contorting himself to rinse the shampoo out of his hair in the shower. There would be weekly chiropractor appointments and concussion checks because he’d hit his head on everything. “No way. You said you’d teach me how to skate. You at least have to wait until you make good on your promise.”
He smiles and wraps both arms all the way around my back. “I’ll teach both of you to skate.”
He squeezes my sides, and I laugh into his chest. “You really want me to move in? You don’t think it’s too fast?”
“It’s probably a little faster than normal, but this baby will be here before we know it. You should be comfortable in the house before Bo arrives. It’s going to be a big change, so the more time you can spend there, the smoother that transition will be. You need time to nest.”
My heart clenches every time he uses the name Bo. I want us to live together. I want to raise a child with him, under one roof. I want tobewith him. I want the forever he’s offering me. Sully can tell them he’s no longer comfortable filming at his home. Webarely have any shots of him there anyway since he spends the majority of his time at the arena…
“Fuck. Okay. Let’s do it.”
Hunching over the bench, I tighten my laces and tape up a new stick. It feels good to be at the arena again, but going back to pretending Kendra and I are simply colleagues fucking sucks. It was way too easy getting used to being a normal couple. I’m counting down the days for this show to be behind us.
Before the team arrives, I warm up by skating a few laps and hitting pucks into the net. It feels good. When I’m alone out here, it reminds me of the old days when I played with the Lakes. I miss the boys and the camaraderie of being a player, but damn, being a coach is equally great in a different way. I get to watch the players improve and come together as a team. It’s more challenging, and there’s more pressure to make sure everyone is where they should be. It’s so rewarding.
The closer we get to our first game, the higher those stakes seem. I can’t fuck this up. Between balancing the show in exchange for keeping our sponsor and making sure the team is performing at the necessary level… it’s a lot. Oh, and let’s not forget, Kendra and I have a baby on the way. Someday, we will look back on this and laugh. Unfortunately, that day is not today.
“No cameras today, Coach?”
When I look up, Timber Healy is skating out to the ice.