Page 99 of Waiting For Fate

I’m pretty sure I’ve entered the stage of our relationship where I want to do nothing but be with her twenty-four-seven. I hate when Monday comes around, and she has to be at work all day and I hate when I have away games and she can’t be there with me. I do, however, love that we’ve spent every night together since the night she told me to take her home. We’ve split the time between my place and hers, but I’d sleep on the grass in the bitter cold as long as I got to have her by my side—and you know, we didn’t freeze to death.

I’ve just landed from our game in Boston and am racing against the clock to make it home to shower and get ready before Shane’s birthday celebration at Taylor’s house tonight. The guys may make jokes about it, but I don’t mind having Leah tell me what we’re doing. It makes me feel like I’ll get to spend the rest of my life hearing her tell me all the parties and plans we’re meant to attend—and knowing we’ll be going together makes it all worth it in my mind.

No more longing for her from across the room.

When I finally reach the house, my heart begins to race when I see Leah’s car parked out front. As soon as I step out of the truck, she runs out of her car to greet me, jumping into my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist.

“I missed you,” she whispers into my neck.

Music to my damn ears.

I inhale as deep as my lungs will allow and kiss her neck. “I missed you too, Dove.” When she finally pulls back, I reach up and kiss her, letting my lips reacquaint themselves with hers.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, after several parting kisses before planting her feet back on the ground.

“I wanted to be here when you got home. I thought we could ride to Taylor and Tucker’s together.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder as we walk up to the house.

“I’d love that. I just gotta shower and get dressed first.” After tossing my keys on the counter I turn to see her cheeks burning red.

“Okay.” Is all she says, but I can almost hear the wheels turning in her brain.

“Care to join me?” I wrap my arms around her from behind and lean in closer, nipping at her ear before she turns to me with sheer enthusiasm in her eyes.

“I don’t need a shower though.”

“But I need you in the shower.”

Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, and she smiles. “Can’t argue with that.”

I stand up and slap her ass, leading her down the hall to the bathroom. “That’s my girl.”

Needless to say, after spending forty-five minutes in the shower with Leah, we’re late to Shane’s birthday gathering. And I do not give a single fuck about it.

Cece is walking around babbling into her Minnie Mouse phone, Poe is bouncing in some contraption on the floor by Ruby, and Hendrix, as always, is right in the middle of the guy’s huddle. Some of the girls are chatting and mixing drinks when we finally make it to the kitchen.

“Catch you later, Dove.” I wink at her as she joins them, and I mosey over to where the guys are sitting around the table playing cards.

“Go-Fish.” Hendrix smirks from his place at the head of the table.

“How’s it going over here?” I nod to Max and fist bump Tucker and Tank.

“Hendrix is wiping the floor with us, as usual,” Tucker grumbles, making Hendrix wag his eyebrows at me.

“At Go-Fish?”

“Don’t even ask dude, he and his mom are wizards or something because they are undefeated at this stupid game,” Tank explains.

“Alright then.” I glance over at Leah, somehow pulling her attention straight to me, and she winks at me.

God, I’m so in love with her.

I smile at the gesture then we both turn our attention back to our surrounding groups.

After singing happy birthday and eating some cupcakes, someone turns the music to a slightly above a background noise level as we sit around the living room talking.

“How’s everything been at the Veterans Center, Tank?” I was sure that questions would make him perk up like a puppy, but instead he lets out a sigh.

“Things are good I guess; we’re just trying to find a couple of more donors so we’re able to keep things running smoothly at both locations. The old building is needing some major maintenance repairs right now and as much as Asher and I have tried to manage on our own, we just have to get some outsourced help at this point. Not to mention needing to be able to keep up with the supplies we need replenished on a regular basis.”

---