Page 79 of Power Forward

I take his hand in mine. His skin is warm and familiar. I run my fingers over the calluses, memorizing how each one feels scraping against my skin.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He smiles. “Did everything go okay with Roberta?”

“Yeah, it did. I spoke to her about possibly changing or adjusting my medication so I can…” I wave my hand in front of my lap. “You know, get it up.”

“You know it doesn’t bother me.”

“But it bothers me, Jax. I realized this morning during the session that I’m a lot stronger than I give myself credit for, and I do deserve good things in life, and those good things include getting hard and coming all over your chest.”

He grins so widely his eyes crinkle at the corners. “You do deserve good things, Cas. You deserve all the good things, and I can’t wait to contribute to that.”

He leans in and kisses me. My free hand finds its way to the back of his head, sifting through the strands. He traces the seam of my lips with his tongue, and I open willingly, groaning at the taste of him. We’ve kissed thousands of times since we met, but this one feels different. It feels like a thousand I love yous. It feels like I can’t breathe without you. It feels like a turning point for better things to come.

It feels like the start of forever.

The sound of Zara clearing her throat causes us to pause mid-lip lock. She’s wearing a wide, toothy grin when I reluctantly pull away from Jackson’s mouth.

“I hate to interrupt, but I’m gonna go. Do you need anything?” she asks, looking pleased as hell.

“No, I’m all good. Thanks, Zara,” I say with a half smile.

“Anytime. And Jackson?” She turns to my man. “I’m so happy to finally meet you! Make sure you look after this one, okay? His phone is almost done transferring everything, and lunch is in the fridge for whenever you guys want it.”

“You got it, and thank you.” He clears his throat. “For taking care of him when I couldn’t. Not just today, but before… You know. Thank you for being there for him.”

Recognition dawns on Zara’s face, and her eyes fill with tears. We don’t talk about thebefore, choosing to keep focused on the future. She wets her lips and nods, her voice soft when she speaks again. “I’d do it all again in a heartbeat for him. We might not be married anymore, but he’s still important to me.” She turns her gaze onto me while still addressing Jackson. “He’s one of my best friends, and I’d be lost without him.”

I give her a grateful smile, and she gives us both a hug before she leaves.

Jackson kicks off his shoes and crawls into bed next to me. I take my glasses off, placing them on the bedside table. We lie down, and I curl into him, my head on his chest, his arm wrapped around my shoulders, his fingers lazily drawing a heart against my back.

“Did you mean it about getting a place in Chicago?” he asks quietly.

I tilt my head up to look at him, resting my chin on his firm pec. “Yeah, I was going to look today to see what was available.”

“Move in with us.”

My eyes widen, his words completely unexpected. “What?”

“Move in with us. The kids love having you around. I love having you around. There’s a room upstairs you can convert into an office. I want everything you said in your voice message. Waking up next to you, falling asleep in your arms. I want lazy Sundays with you. I want to come home from a game, knowing you’re at home waiting with the kids.”

“Only if you’re sure…”

“One hundred percent. And I’m going to speak with our trainer to see if there’s anything we can buy to help combat the winters too. Like heating pads or something. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“That sounds great.” I smooth my hand over his chest. “I also asked Roberta if we can move our sessions to a video call.”

“Did she agree?”

“Yeah, she did.” I settle my head back on his chest, but then a thought hits me. I sit up quickly, ignoring the pinch in my hip as panic sets root in my chest. “Wait, you have a game tomorrow. Don’t tell me you got yourself scratched for me?”

“I have a plane on standby to take us back to Chicago early tomorrow morning. It’s going to be a rush, but I had to come and see you.”

“And where are the kids?”

“With my mom.”

I’m unable to do or say anything. I can’t believe he dropped everything and came for me. Put his career on theline. And his health because, holy shit, this is going to impact his performance on the ice.

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