Page 65 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
Verity gave her a hug, whispering something, and then Mercy ran upstairs. The snow was coming down hard now and the windows rattled a bit. Yep, we were in for it.
“Would you like to take a bath and go to bed?” I told her. “If not, we could always watch the post-game or a movie?”
“I missed some big fútbol games. Do you have any we could watch?” Her eyes flickered at the window. “That’s a lot of snow. I need to go to the greenhouse tomorrow.”
“No one expects you to do anything in a blizzard.” It was probably her first.
She frowned. “But do they?”
“They don’t. Hey, I have a couple of games we could put on. Do you need a snack?” I suggested. While I was full from dinner, I could eat a crunchy snack. We had a lot of chips now.
She nodded. “Can I make hot cocoa and popcorn? That’s what my Mama and I always had. We always watched games together. Dare would often join in. Sometimes, Mumsy or Harry, depending on who was playing. During games, there would be no talk of anything bad. Even if we were mad, the games were always a safe space.”
“That sounds amazing. I think we have what we need.” I grabbed the remote and pulled up the fútbol games we had as options. Sure, popcorn worked.
Verity’s eyes focused on the gas fireplace. “Can we use that?”
“We can even move the couch closer and tilt the TV.” Given the weather, that plan sounded nice–hot cocoa and a fútbol game in front of the fire.
Verity went to the kitchen, and I moved the couch and coffee table and repositioned the TV. I got out a few soft blankets and switched off most of the lights in the living room, leaving on that one strand of fairy lights. The air filled with the smell of chocolate and popcorn.
“Now that’s cozy.” Verity put another mug on the table. “Let me grab the popcorn.”
I sat down on the couch and texted Grif that I was proud of him. Verity switched off the kitchen light, then joined me with a bowl of popcorn. I pulled a blanket over us and took a sip of hot chocolate.
“This is delicious,” I told her as chocolate exploded over my tongue. Jonas’ good bourbon would go well in this.
She beamed and snuggled into me. “Thanks.”
This. I wanted so much more of this, and I’d have it too because there would be many nights when the guys were away, and here we were without them–or waiting for them.
“So, which game should we watch?” I asked, grabbing the remote. Not that it mattered. Because I had her.
Chapter Nineteen
Grif
“The Étoiles have a little feast set up. Get changed and join us,” Kylee, our PR person, told us when we returned to the visitor’s locker room after our win.
The Canadian teams often organized a meal or a night out for the opposing team. It was a nice little tradition with the understanding that everyone would be civil, even if it was a rough game.What happens on the ice stays on the ice.
At least in Canada.
Coach Atkins talked to us, then we hit the bikes and ice baths. Being away from AJ ached. I’d sleep with Dean and Jonas tonight. Which was fine because most everyone assumed the bite on my neck was from Jonas.
Jonas, Dean, and I showered and got dressed. My phone was full of texts. I hadn’t had time to see more than Verity and AJ telling me I’d played a great game.Later.
As we walked into the room in the arena where the food was set out, we found the team leaving, a few with boxes in hand.
Well, in the corner of the room, Coach yelled at Dimitri for having an off night. Dimitri’s broad shoulders sunk as his head bowed in remorse, dark hair falling in his face.
“We’re leaving already?” My stomach growled at the smells as I spied a buffet.
“The storm’s coming early andfast. Toronto wants to postpone tomorrow’s game. Storm’s already hitting New York hard. If we leave right now, wemightmake it back to New York before they close the airport,” Elias told me. “If we wait any longer, we might get stuck. Might get turned away as it is. Grab a box. Food’s good.”
“Oh, thanks.” I’d rather not get snowed in and be kept away from AJ and Verity.
We grabbed our food, thanked our hosts who wished us safe travels, and piled onto the bus. I shoved food in my face, watching the snow come down, finishing my food right as we got to the plane. We rushed onto the plane and took off faster than we ever had, as the pilot apologized for what could be a rough flight.
