Page 127 of Fear of Love
“Wyatt was sad about it, but I think the honeymoon made up for it.” I didn’t miss the smug undertone in Josie’s voice.
“Oh, I bet it did,” Tasha joked, making all of us laugh.
With playoffs right after their wedding, Wyatt and Josie postponed their honeymoon until it was over. It turned out the present Landon got them on their wedding day were plane tickets back to Queensland. They were able to spend two weeks at the same place they got engaged. Pretty sure the two came back even more in love.
The sound of the front door opening, followed by Evelyn’s voice, had all of us turning. She walked in with Coach Barnum, their hands intertwined. The sight of the cute couple had me smiling. Four months after announcing they were seeing each other, they were still together.
It was adorable how Steven doted on everything Evelyn did. If he wasn’t busy coaching, he was with her. Half the time, wedidn’t see Evelyn without him by her side. Who knew Steven would be such a sweet boyfriend?
“I brought cake,” Evelyn said, which prompted Steven to hold up the tray in his free hand.
“The guys will be thrilled.” Josie grinned, stepping forward to hug the two and take the cake from Steven.
“If you want, the guys are out back.” Tasha gestured over her shoulder. Steven gave a nod before leaning down and kissing Evelyn’s cheek. I watched as she stared after him like a lovestruck puppy as he headed outside.
“You two are adorable,” Mila said from her spot at the bar.
“He’s such a gentleman,” Evelyn gushed.
“The guys would have an aneurysm if they heard you say that,” I said, sipping my wine. I found it comical how scared the guys were of Steven. Yes, he was a strict coach, but he really was a nice guy.
Over the last four months, we learned even more about him. He was married once while he was in the pros, but it ended after he got injured. Aside from hockey, he was an avid golfer, something he and Landon were bonding over. The two went out to play together every other week.
While Mila and Josie talked to Landon’s mom, I pulled Tasha off into the living room.
“Did you get an ETA on Mateo?” I whispered, wanting to make sure no one could hear us, most of all Mila.
“Yeah.” Tasha pulled out her phone. “He said he’s fifteen minutes away.”
“Okay, good. I’m going to go out and make sure everything is all set to go. Tell Josie and Evelyn to somehow get Mila outside,” I said, sharing an excited grin with her.
I slipped out the door, making sure it was shut behind me, before heading for the guys. They were deep in hockey talk when I approached, but the moment they saw me, they fell silent.
“Mateo is fifteen minutes away. Josie, Tasha, and Evelyn are going to get Mila out here in just a few minutes. Is everything set?” I directed most of it toward Bryton. He looked nervous as hell as he gave me a nod.
“Dude, don’t worry she’s going to say yes.” Trevor clapped Bryton’s back. “You two are practically married anyway.”
“I know. I just want it to go perfectly.” The nerves were clear as day in Bryton’s voice.
“Don’t worry, it will.” I sent him an encouraging smile. “Everyone remembers what they’re supposed to do, right?” Everyone nodded, including Steven.
When Bryton started a group chat without Mila and brought up proposing, us girls jumped in, ready to help. He already had the ring and just needed us to help come up with an idea of how to propose. Within minutes, we had a plan and instructions on what everyone was supposed to do.
“Good. Mateo said he’ll text when he’s in the driveway,” I instructed.
Byron nervously reached into his pocket where he had the ring stashed. Knowing he needed a few minutes to hype himself up for what he was about to do, I made my way over to my boyfriend.
“Hi,” I greeted when I came to Landon’s side. He instantly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I pressed up onto my toes as he bent his head, our lips meeting.
Months later and I still couldn’t get enough of him. He was an addiction I was more than happy to have.
“Hey,” he murmured against my lips. You’d think we hadn’t seen each other with the way he held me. It didn't matter that we sat together for forty minutes playing a game, and that we came here together. Every time Landon looked at me, it felt like the very first time.
We were practically glued to each other these days. When neither of us were working, we were together. He pretty much moved into my apartment, and if one of us came home late after work, the other already had dinner started. Having Landon at home waiting for me, I stopped staying at the office so late. My workaholic tendencies got a tiny bit better these last few months.
The fear of Landon leaving was long gone. I wasn’t scared he’d one day up and leave me. Part of that had to do with going to therapy and learning how to trust again. I spent three months knocking down my walls and learning healthy ways to cope with the past and my fear of abandonment.
I started to feel better since going. I was finally moving forward and letting go of my past. After one session two weeks ago, I came home, went over to my dresser, and opened a drawer I avoided for the last six years.
