Page 114 of Mine

“Thank you!” I yelled, still reeling from our conversation and the fact that nothing was in my way anymore.

This had changed everything. I wanted Romeo and Hunter so badly, a part of me was ready to run downstairs and find them and the other part was screaming at me to let this fizzle out. I had dodged a bullet. Why put myself at more risk?

My head hurt and I went back to my office to take the Tylenol I should have taken when I had eaten. I threw myself into work, scheduling and editing content. My head started to hurt again when I realized I had been at the computer for almost two hours, and I was about to miss the guys out on the ice.

Grabbing a few more Tylenol for later, I grabbed my camera, phone, an extra battery for my camera and a power bank for my phone. The hallway was buzzing with activity, excitement was in the air at the possibility of us going to the playoffs. I passed the hallway that led to the locker room, keeping my attention forward.

As I exited the hallway to the rink, I took a deep breath and felt the excitement of the game as fans sat down. The buzz in the air made me feel alive and tear up a little. I wouldn’t have to give this up, that thought alone made me want to cry as pure elation coursed through me.

“You ok, Florida?”

I looked behind me to see Coach Trevino.

“Yeah, I’m ok,” I said with a big smile. “Just soaking in the excitement.”

“It’s an amazing feeling,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Good luck, today,” I said, before stepping out on the ice.

I slowly made my way to the edge of the rink that would give me the best shots. While I waited for the guys, I took a few pictures of fans for our socials. One pic was of a cute little girl who had a jersey with Hunter's number on it. She was adorable and I wondered for a moment what our future would look like. Kids? Just us? Dogs or cats?

The little girl waved at me as I threw her a few Yeti friendship bracelets I had started carrying around. She yelled excitedly as her mom said thanks. I looked around to see the guys starting to skate out already. I took pictures as I walked back to my spot, kneeling, steading my elbow, taking more pictures. Ro skated out with Hunter right next to him. They were serious when Hunter said something to him, leaning forward to hit his helmet with his own. Ro nodded at whatever he had said, bumping heads with him and skating off. Hunter looked around the rink before his eyes landed on me. I expected him to skate around the rink, not skate straight towards me.

“We've been expecting a phone call,” he said, stopping too close to me.

“I’m sorry, a lot has happened,” I said, feeling eyes on us.

He nodded, “I’m sorry if you've felt overwhelmed, we didn’t think about how you would feel with everything that has been going on. I don’t want to give you time away from us, but if that's what you need, we will respect that, but I’d rather have you with us. We want to be wherever you are and that is home to us.”

Home.My heart clenched at the idea of making a home with them, but I wanted it.

“You know where to find us. Ro is staying with me for a few days,” he said, leaning down, tapping his forehead against my own.

It felt intimate.

“No rush, we will wait however long we need to.” Ro skated next to Hunter. “I’ll score some goals for you, Mamacita.”

He tapped his helmet against my forehead too, lingering a second longer than Hunter. A distant aww made my cheeks grow red from the attention as they skated away. I should have been worried that someone would speculate something, but I found I could care less.

The team won four to two and they were so close to nabbing that wild card. I took too many videos and photos, mostly of Hunter and Ro. I posted some of the best on social media while I walked to my office, ready to sit for a minute. I opened the door to my office to find three bags on my desk. “Open me first” was written on the far left one. I opened the bag to see a small card and keys fall out.

Please don’t go home. Here is a room at a hotel for a few nights. Rest, relax and unwind. Here are the keys to the Jeep. If you need anything, call us. - R&H

P.S. Open the bag in the middle.

I picked up the card with the Four Seasons logo on it with the room number. My lip trembled at their thoughtfulness. I picked up the bag in the middle that was a lot heavier. I opened it and all my favorite snacks were in it with a note on the top.

Hi, it's us again. Just in case you are feeling snacky when you're there, here are some snacks you've gotten us hooked on. We miss you already. - R&H

P.S. The last bag is the best one.

A tear slid down my cheek as I grabbed the last bag. I opened it to see a frame with a photo in it. It was a photo I took when we were dancing at the club a month ago. I’m in the middle smiling, Ro is laughing and Hunter is looking at us with a big smile.

We don’t make sense without you. We want a thousand more pictures of us together, an entire album filled with memories of our life, with this one right at the beginning.

We love you, Valencia. - R&H

I held the photo to my chest as I cried for a moment. It wasn’t sad tears, but tears that cleansed my soul. Hunter and Ro were everything I had ever wanted and more. I needed to let go of my past and move forward. They loved me and I wasn’t about to let my fear dictate what I did with my future. I didn’t know what would happen tomorrow but as long as I had them I knew we could get through anything.

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