Page 17 of Love You Already

Hanging up, I push the door open to check out the place I'll be staying. Inside the house there are white sheets covering all the furniture. We lucked out finding a place fully furnished for me to use these three months. While I would have gladly paid to furnish it, I hate spending money unnecessarily. It's much better this way. A couple of duffle bags of clothing are all I need to make this work.

Pulling the first sheet back, dust flies up all around. I cough while quickly waving a hand to disperse it around. When the haze clears, I'm greeted by a hideous couch. I mean, absolutely horrible. There's no other way to describe the grandma style couch with the ancient orange and yellow pattern across it. Deep wood frames each section of it too, making it look sturdy while also seeming completely uncomfortable.

Ok, maybe I'll need to buy a few things.

I'll need a solid couch for the nights I want to veg out and watch TV. Speaking of which... there's not one in this room. I head off to check out the rest of the house only to find there isn't a single television in the entire place. I'd be surprised if there was even an internet connection, which means I've got a lot to upgrade on the place to make it bearable.

First things first, I need to find Rose. I pull up Sips on my phone and plug the address into my maps app. It shows the building is actually within walking distance if I take a few back roads. I don't mind the workout, so I take off on foot to find the woman that's been tearing me up.

Rose intrigues me like no other woman ever has. She was this mix of soft and hard. A woman who knew exactly what she wanted, yet she submitted to me the moment I took the reins.

On the walk to her bar, I take in the view around me. The town is mostly quiet other than the distant echo of voices and people going about their everyday lives. No loud honking horns. No yelling from people on the sidewalk. It doesn't smell like hot garbage.

I'm starting to see the appeal of life away from the busy streets. There is a calm here that I've never found before. I want to soak it all in, just close my eyes and breathe deeply until all the stress of my life melts away.

What a dream that would be.

My phone leads me right to the front door of Sips. I pause before stepping inside as I try to think of what I'm going to say. Hey, Rose. Remember me? Your husband.

Yeah, that might not be the best. Knowing my Ace, she'll call BS on me, then demand we fix this issue right away.

Several people walk up while I'm going through my mental script. “Excuse us,” one of the guys says. He's got his arm around a girl who is looking at me like she wants to ditch her friend for me.

I give a subtle shake of my head to her as I apologize and step back. They move past me, opening the door and letting out a blast of country music loud enough to give me pause. I don't do large crowds often. Being in the role of professional hockey player sometimes creates chaos when I'm out in public. I don't want my first time seeing Rose again to be overtaken by rowdy patrons in her bar.

Hesitating is not something I do often. If anything, I'm known for my quick decision making. I see it, I like it, I take it.

But Rose isn't something to be taken. She's someone you cherish and woo until they find you worth their time. She's the woman you spend a lifetime searching for.

Somehow, she showed up in Vegas at the same time that I did, and now I'm the lucky son of a bitch who accidentally married her.

I stride into the bar with that single thought in mind. My wife is inside, though she doesn't even know she's taken that title.

Sips sounds like it might be something out of a gentrified bar in the city, but it's nothing like that. Worn wood greets me the second I come inside. The floor, the walls, and an array of tables spaced around the room all match in a deep oak tone. There are a few pool tables to one side and in the midst of it all is a long bar top gleaming all shiny and new. It doesn't bear the mark like the rest of the place.

And of course, it's behind that bar top that I find Rose. She's talking to a woman I recognize from Vegas. Her sister? Yeah, that's it. She mentioned needing to get back to her to head home. Funny how her home and mine have managed to line up.

As I'm weaving through the tables near the door to reach the bar, the energy in the room shifts. It's not because anything in particular happens. It's because Rose's gaze meets mine.

Shock registers for all of a second before she's smiling and coming around the bar. Her sister watches with confusion until I'm spotted. Then she, too, smiles wide and shakes her head.

Before I can ask Rose what's so funny, she's reaching behind my head to pull me down. “Play along,” she mumbles a second before her mouth latches onto mine.

I don't hesitate for one second to do as the lady says. Play along. Abso-fucking-lutely please. Especially when it's to do something as amazing as kissing her.

The sound of the bar fades away as one of her hands slips from behind my head to press against my chest. I let her lose, only to chase her for another kiss. She laughs while relenting to my need.

When we pull apart, I notice there is more than one set of eyes turned our way. Whatever her need for me to play along is about, these people are witnessing it firsthand. They're either in on the ruse or she's trying to fool them. Can't say I mind either way. She could tell me to crawl across the floor to her right now, and I might just do it barring no one recorded the damn thing.

“I need to talk to you,” I tell her once some of my sense returns.

She blinks slowly like she's also searching for her composure. A hand dips between us. I turn to find the sister standing there with a wide smile.

“I'm Bridgett, the sister. We didn't have time to meet before.”

I shake her hand. “Lachlan. And yeah, not really before. Nice to meet you. Can I steal her for a second?”

Bridgett goes to speak, but Rose stops her with a sharp look. They do some kind of freaky sister communication thing, then Bridgett mimes zipping her lips.

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