Page 79 of Dirty Play

By the time everyone leaves, it’s after eleven, and we’re both exhausted. Being over a month out from surgery has made a huge difference in how I’m feeling. I’m not as weak and tired as I was those first couple of weeks. I was cleared to start working out, so hopefully, I can start getting some of my strength back.

“Are you ready for bed?” Gwen asks from the kitchen, grabbing us each a glass of water.

“I am. I’m worn out,” I tell her as I grab my phone and walk over to make sure the door is locked.

“It was a busy day. Luckily, we have one more day before I go back to work. We can spend all day sleeping.”

Walking over to her, I take both waters and set them down so I can wrap my arms around her.

“If we’re spending all of tomorrow in bed, I can promise you we won’t be sleeping,” I growl, my teeth nipping her ear.

Turning her face, she presses a long, slow kiss to my mouth, her tongue tangling with mine.

“Pinky promise?” she asks in a whisper.

“Pinky promise.”

I used to get sad when I thought about pinky promises because they remind me of Veronica and my broken promise to her. But every time Gwen says it to me, I can’t help but feel happy that we’re continuing this tradition.

While Gwen grabs the waters again, I turn off the lights. We use the city lights, visible through the windows, to navigate through the living room into my—our bedroom. Gwen grabs one of my t-shirts and lies in bed looking out the window at the city below.

“Your view is crazy,” she whispers.

“It’s our view, Tink,” I reply with a smile as I slip off my shirt and pants, leaving me in a pair of boxer briefs as I slide into bed next to her.

“That’s crazy to say… isn’t it? I’ve never lived with anyone before, not someone I was dating. You’re my first.”

“What’s crazy is how right it feels. How normal. I think the only thing crazier is how long it took us to get here,” I tell her, holding my arm out for her to slide in.

Once she’s nestled up beside me, our breathing aligns, and her fingers start tracing the patterns of my tattoos.

“Have I ever told you the story about why pinky promises are so important?” I ask quietly.

“No, but I’d love to hear it,” she says, looking up at me with curiosity.

So, with her head on my chest and my arms around her, I tell her the story of Veronica and her pinky promises, and I feel another piece fall into place.

It’s been years of running, never letting anyone get close enough to care about me, let alone hurt me. But this has shaken me. I never expected Gwen to be the one to knock me on my ass, coming out of left field with a dirty play while I was too far gone, too distracted to stop her from getting through my defenses.

Finding her put all my fucked up, broken pieces back together—her strength and her love holding them all in place. She’s helped me be strong, helped me have the hard conversations I’ve always avoided, and she’s helped me remember both the good times and the bad.

She gives me strength, and I am her home.

Epilogue

Gwen

Two Years Later

I’ll never get over hockey nights. The lights, the music, the energy—they make for a perfect night of watching hockey. Especially when my man is playing. It’s been two years since we finally stopped pretending like we weren’t more, and they’ve easily been the best two years of my life. But tonight?

Tonight, I get to watch my husband on the ice for game seven of the Stanley Cup finals.

To say I’m a proud wife would be a gross understatement.

Cade and I have been through a lot in the short time we’ve been together, but we’ve made every moment count. Today is no different, as we have a surprise up our sleeves, but that’s for after they bring home the cup. I like to think we are packing in as much excitement and as many experiences as quickly as we can to make up for the time we both know we wasted, pretending there was nothing between us.

After Cade and I moved in together, right after we came home from his parents, it was only six months until we were engaged. It was easily one of my favorite days, with my favorite people, ending in forever with my favorite man.

---