Page 119 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
Chase leaned upwards for a kiss, and Auston gave it without hesitation, melting them together.
“I love you too,” Chase whispered. “See how much fun this can be? You have so much to give…the kids are gonna love you, and you’re gonna love teaching them to love hockey like we do.”
Auston bumped their foreheads together. “This is what my future looks like, huh?”
Chase hummed. “Yeah. Does it look good?”
Auston opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It was almost pain that flashed across his face, but it was sweet in a way, his open gaze swallowing Chase up.
He leaned forwards, burying his face in Chase’s neck, hold tightening. “I think…I think this is everything I ever wanted.”
Chase shut his eyes, letting that wash over him.
There were many things he wanted in life. He wanted to become a great player. Be a great teammate. He wanted to win the cup. He wanted to have kids. He wanted to be part of a loving family. Wanted to be loyal and kind to his friends.
Most of all, at that moment, he wanted Auston to be happy. To look at his life, at Chase, and think—Yeah. That was exactly what I wanted.
He wanted to make sure that Auston felt all the love Chase had spilling out of him, a torrent he never wanted to stop.
***
To say Chase was nervous about officially meeting Auston’s family would be an understatement. Auston had to pull over fifteen minutes from the house so Chase could concentrate on reeling his scent in—he didn’t want to arrive at his in-laws like a fucking anxiety bomb going off.
Turned out he didn’t have much to worry about, although for one unexpected reason.
Jasmine loved him.
“This one breathes fire,” Jasmine stated, pointing at a doll with its face painted red.
“Oh, is that why her face is red?” Chase asked. They were sitting on the porch, surrounded by the toys Jasmine had decided to display for Chase like some surprisingly macabre museum.
“No, that’s blood. Her face got ripped off. Do you know the word for ripping skin off?” she asked, bouncing in front of him, black hair flopping around her.
“Um…”
“Skinning.”
“Wow. That’s what happened to her?”
“Yep!” She moved on before he could ask questions. “This one is made of poop!”
“Oh, yeah. I was wondering what that smell was! I thought that was you!”
Jasmine proceeded to cackle as if that were the funniest thing she’d ever heard. She stumbled forwards, hanging from Chase’s neck and almost snapping it in half.
“Oof.”
“Mimi, don’t break Chase,” a female voice said from behind them.
“I’mnot,” Jasmine shouted, but she straightened up and stopped choking him.
“Come on, it’s bathtime.”
Chase turned to see Monir, Ariana’s partner, standing there. She had dark brown skin and big round eyes behind thick glasses, a half-moon piercing dangling from her nose. She had been the only one he hadn’t met through video call, although he’d heard plenty about Ariana’s mate.
Jasmine did not like the bath ideaat all, but Chase managed to convince her, making jokes about smelling poopy and how it was all over his hands now, how he had to shower too.
Jasmine acquiesced eventually, dragged upstairs by her mom while Ariana watched them, shaking her head.
