Page 72 of From Ice to Home
Leaning down, I touch my mouth to Hannah’s ear, the scent of lilies hitting my senses. “It reminds me of that night in Vegas. When I saw you in the restaurant, I couldn’t believe it.” My eyes drop to the dress hugging her frame, the soft white dress feeling familiar and surreal. “And you’re wearing your wedding dress.”
She looks up at me, her cheeks flushing as she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “It was either this or jeans…my stuff’s still in Durham.”
“I won’t mind if you wear that dress every day,” I say, brushing my fingers against the bare skin of her back, my touch sending a visible shiver through her. The memory of slipping a ring on her finger, of calling her my wife and kissing her as such, crashes over me in full force. “You look absolutely beautiful in it.”
She turns in my arms, placing her hands on my chest as she gently tugs at the collar of my dress shirt. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Walker.”
The look in her eyes, the dip in her voice…I can’t help but groan. “Are you sure we need to be here,” I say, teasing.
Maybe only half teasing.
We won a spot in the final and still the best thing that could happen to me tonight is being able to go home with Hannah. And knowing that she’ll be sleeping in my arms and I get to wake up to her tomorrow morning.
She smiles, standing on her tiptoes and pressing a light kiss against my lips. “Yes, this is your big night. You’re going to the finals.”
“I know, but with you in my arms it’s hard to remember that.”
I lean down, needing another kiss, almost as much as I need air to breathe. I linger a bit longer, a war ensuing inside of me. The need to give in to my desires, to pull Hannah off to the side and kiss her the way I want to kiss her. But I can’t. Not here, not now, not when we decided to take things slow for now.
“I didn’t think you’d meet up with us tonight!” Declan calls, cutting through the moment and thankfully making the choice a bit easier. Looking over her head, Declan’s smile widens as he looks at both me and Hannah. His left eye is swollen and already darkening to an ugly shade of blue from another fight he got into during the third period.
“I thought you’d be skipping out on celebrations now that you’re old and married.”
Across the space, I spot Lindgren and EJ raising their glasses, grinning like they know exactly where my mind is.
“Old?” I ask, frowning as we head their way. The cocktail tables are tall and sleek, the small soft lights casting a glow on empty glasses and untouched plates. EJ is already nursing a glass of soda, his younger sister, Avah, right next to him.
“This coming from the guy who shot so wide, the goalie didn’t even flinch? How’s the eye? Not seeing too clearly, huh?”
“My aim was a bit off.” Declan grimaces, touching his swollen eye and wincing. “Plus, I’m not exactly paid to score. Don’t say I never do my part for the team.”
“You’re an idiot,” EJ tosses at him. “That last fight wasn’t necessary.”
“It’s always necessary,” Declan says, tossing back the drink in his hand and gesturing to the waiter for another. “And don’t act like you’ve never gotten into a fight that wasn’t necessary.”
His words may come out light, but there’s an edge to them. An edge we all know very well. It’s not always the case, but usually when he starts drinking scotch, it’s a good indication of where the night is headed.
Megan walks up to him, before draping a possessive arm around Declan’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss that lasts way too long. It’s deliberate and definitely a statement to anyone watching.
“I need the restroom,” Avah says, rolling her eyes before looking over at Hannah with an apologetic look as she walks off. Hannah follows her with her gaze, sighing softly before shifting closer to me.
I lean down as soon as Avah is gone. “Everything alright?”
“I think so.” She shakes her head before turning back to me. “Nothing to worry about. I’ll talk to her in a bit.”
EJ shifts away from where Megan is still busy trying to getDeclan’s full attention. She’s looking up at him like he hung the moon, while he looks…bored.
“You and Avah hit things off?” EJ asks Hannah, his eyes filled with a strange sense of hope. “Don’t tell her I said this, but I think she could use a friend here.”
Hannah smiles. “Well, then that makes two of us. Thanks for telling her to look out for me. I really like Avah, I think we’ll get along.”
EJ’s exhales, visibly relieved. “That’s great. She comes to most of the games and events, and rarely goes out with people from work. I don’t know, sometimes I think moving here from Sweden has been harder on her than she lets on.”
Hannah tilts her head slightly, looking over to where Avah is now talking to Nikolai. “It’s a big change, I’m sure it’s been hard for her.”
Avah usually mingles with the team whenever EJ’s involved. But other than that, I don’t know much about her. Hannah looks very interested in getting to know her better and I’m happy that she’s finding a place to fit in.
“It would be great to see more of her,” Hannah says, then looks up at me. “Actually, I thought we should invite the team over some time. I think it would be great to get to know everyone a bit better.”
