Goal Line (Madison Howlers #4)

by Camellia Tate

  It meant such a lot to her to know that Devon really didn’t care if Annie didn’t finish. Maybe she would! In which case, they’d have a miniature greenhouse to decide what to do with. But if they didn’t, then Annie was secure in the knowledge that there’d be no judgment when she moved on to something else.

  “And you won’t finish it for me?” she pressed. Really, she knew that Devon wouldn’t. It was important to her to tell him that she didn’t want that. Much like he hadn’t liked it when Annie had unraveled his knitting, it would upset Annie - at least a little - if Devon picked up the pieces of her project where she’d left of.

  Devon frowned at that. “No. Annie, I am not going to finish the greenhouse for you,” he told her seriously. “It’s yours. You want to finish it? You finish it. You don’t? That’s also cool.” The way he said it sounded so simple. And yet no one had ever bothered to tell Annie that before.

  Having autonomy over what she did was... it was really nice, actually.

  “Are you smiling on the inside?” Devon asked squinting slightly at Annie.

  That made her smile on the outside, a grin so big Annie felt like Devon could have seen it from halfway across the length of a skating rink. “I love it,” she said, feeling the excited tingle in her fingers of a new project. The greenhouse really was adorable! Annie could hardly wait to dig into the box and figure out how it all worked.

  “This is the exciting bit,” she informed Devon seriously. “Well, the second-most exciting bit. After you, and the fact that you bought it for me.” It made her feel special. Devon had gone out of his way to find Annie something to do while she was at his house.

  She kissed him again, letting the box fall into her lap so she could rest a hand on Devon’s chest. “I love you, too,” she added. “Maybe more than a little greenhouse.”

  “Well, I hope you don’t finish it, then,” Devon decided. “I don’t dare to imagine how good it’ll look if you do.” The way his tone sounded so serious, like it was truly a competition between him and the greenhouse, made Annie laugh. That, in turn, earned her a grin from Devon. He leaned in to kiss her again.

  Devon nudged Annie’s shoulder. “Go on, I know you want to build it.” Whether she would feel like finishing it or not, Annie didn’t know yet but... it didn’t matter. It was okay not to finish something.

  Annie gave a happy little sigh. This was wonderful. She had the warmth of Devon all along one side, and a film to watch, and a greenhouse to build. She opened the box, pouring all the little plants and the glass walls and the tube of glue into her lap. At some point, Annie felt like she might need to take it to a table. For right now, there were enough big pieces that she could get started.

  “Thank you, Devon,” she said, realizing that she hadn’t. “Not just for the greenhouse.” Devon made her feel good about herself, even about the things that some people would see as flaws, in a way that no one else ever had. “Thanks for being an amazing boyfriend.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he answered. That, too, made Annie laugh. There was no dismissal, no underplaying her compliment. He just accepted it. Maybe someone else might see it as arrogant. Annie just saw it as honest. It was who Devon was and how he was.

  And she loved him exactly like that.

  Epilogue

  GETTING A KITTEN wasn’t a surprise.

  Devon thought that said a lot about the progress of his and Annie’s relationship. They’d been together for almost two years! She had moved in with him soon after their first anniversary.

  Their house was scattered with half-finished projects. Before Annie, if someone had told Devon that would be the case, he would’ve felt anxious. The idea of not finishing things was not something Devon enjoyed. But he had found out that he didn’t at all mind if Annie didn’t finish things.

  She was always so happy when she started projects. Devon would put up with a million unfinished things if it meant he got to see her so happy.

  They worked well together. Despite their differences, they clicked perfectly. Which was why this kitten was not a surprise. Annie knew Devon well enough to know that he wanted something like this to be a planned decision.

  So they had made a plan. They had picked animal toys and bedding and even a variety of foods that the adoption center had recommended. Today, they were going to pick up their kitten.

  Once they chose one.

  “Yes, I am very excited, but Annie, we can’t take them all,” Devon told Annie, intentionally not looking at her or the three kittens surrounding her. If Devon did, he would probably cave and let her have them all. And that definitely hadn’t been part of the plan.

  Even though he couldn’t see it, Devon was sure that Annie pouted. They’d come back to the same adoption center they’d volunteered at on their second date. Obviously, these weren’t the same kittens. They were just as loveable. The one currently attempting to claim ownership of Devon’s shoe was a particular favorite.

  “But they’re so cute,” Annie argued. Devon could tell by her tone that she wasn’t seriously suggesting they adopt all of them. It had, after all, been Annie who’d pointed out that they definitely did not have time to look after a whole litter.

  Annie was almost finished with college. Neither of them were quite sure what she would end up doing, but she still liked Spanish, which Devon felt was a good sign.

  “How do we choose?” Annie asked, sounding genuinely baffled.

  Devon gave a small sigh, feeling like that might be a question that led to them having three kittens. He went to sit down next to Annie, reaching out to offer his hand to one of the kittens who sniffed it with some suspicion.

  “I guess we have to let the kitten choose us?” Devon offered.

  They were all so adorable that Devon really wasn’t sure how they’d choose. But maybe the kitten could choose them. Devon almost held his breath as he watched them. It did take a bit of time. Finally, the kittens started wandering off, losing interest in these new people who had come to see them.

  All but one.

  It was a black little thing, with a white spot right across its face. “Do you think it looks a bit like a hockey mask?” Devon asked, unsure if he was just highly tuned to seeing hockey everywhere.

  Annie laughed. “How did I not think of that?” she asked, giving Devon’s shoulder a playful nudge. “Of course we should adopt whichever kitten is the most hockey-related.” She held out her hand, letting the black kitten brush his chin across one of her fingers. Devon was sure he heard her breath catch as she ‘awwwed’ over its cuteness.

  “I guess I can sort of see it,” she decided after a moment. “But we’re not calling it Goalie. Or Howler.” As the kitten wobbled over to investigate Devon’s hand, he cupped his fingers around it.

  Annie’s fingers brushed Devon’s. Even after all this time, the contact was still electrifying. “We could call him Puck,” Annie suggested.

  Devon had been about to suggest something like ‘Sawchuk’ or ‘Moog’. They were some of Devon’s favorite goalies. But Annie’s suggestion made his eyes widen. Puck was such a great name for a kitten! It took Devon a moment to figure out the right words to tell Annie that.

  Not to mention, she was picking a hockey name for their kitten knowing how much it’d mean to Devon.

  “I love it,” he announced. “Puck is a perfect name for him.” Reaching out, Devon picked the little kitten up. It felt tiny in his massive hands. Devon held it close to his chest, looking up at Annie with a smile. “Do you think he’s the one?”

  Annie’s grin was so warm that Devon swore he could feel it melting his heart. “He looks like a Puck, cradled in your hand like that,” she said. “And if he gets mischievous, it’s definitely going to be up to you to catch him. I’d probably trip over.”

  She crawled closer, one hand settling on Devon’s knee while she peered down at the contented kitten curled up in Devon’s palm. The familiar scent of her shampoo wafted up from her dark curls, and it occurred to Devon just how far they�
�d come. He’d never been with any of the other Antonias for long enough to recognize the scent of their shower products.

  “Yes,” Annie decided, with determination in her voice. “I think he’s the one.” She glanced back at the other kittens, all falling over one another. “They’ll still go to good homes,” she said, almost a question in her voice.

  “They sure will,” Devon nodded confidently, pulling out his phone. “I’m going to send pictures of them to everyone in the team.” There was absolutely no doubt in Devon’s mind that his teammates, at least some of them, would struggle to resist the cuteness of the kittens.

  He tapped out a message quickly, mostly along the lines of ‘Annie’s already named ours ‘Puck’ so you can’t have that name’ and ‘look at how sad they are without a home’.

  Putting his phone away, Devon gave Annie a grin. “We’re going to make great pet-parents,” he informed her.

  Puck purred against his chest, exactly as if he agreed with Devon’s assessment. Annie’s eyes were shining. “You are so sweet,” she exclaimed. “This is the best anniversary present ever!”

  She tickled Puck’s head, pressing in against Devon’s side so that he could feel the comfortable warmth of her body. Devon breathed her in, savoring this moment of calm. Adopting a kitten was going to add a little bit of chaos to their lives, at least for a while. With Annie at his side, Devon had no doubt they could manage it.

  “Shall we take him home?” Annie asked. “I want to show him around.” It struck Devon then just how confident Annie sounded. She was excited and happy like she always was when she started a new project. And there was no anxiety in her voice to indicate that she was worried she might not follow through.

  Devon found himself looking forward to seeing her show Puck around. “Yeah,” Devon nodded. “I’ll go do the paperwork and you can put him in the carrier and then... we’ll have a cat!”

  It was a small start to their family. One that pleased Devon so much. He and Annie were a family and now Puck would be a part of it.

  When they stood up, Devon reached to pull Annie in, careful not to crush Puck between them. “I love you,” he told her, pressing his lips against Annie’s.

  The kiss was brief. Even so, Devon felt like it might be one of the most romantic moments of his life. He’d found his soulmate, and here Annie was, bringing a cat into their lives and their home. Devon had never been happier. There had been challenges, but they’d come together to overcome them.

  “I love you, too, Devon,” Annie replied when she pulled away. She could hardly keep still. Devon knew it was a sign of her excitement. He’d have to make sure to get the paperwork done quickly.

  And then, they were going to go home and enjoy the rewards of all their efforts.

  Other books in the Madison Howlers Series

  Game Plan

  Sometimes, knowing the name of your soulmate is more trouble than it’s worth. That’s how Connor Lewis feels when photographs of his soulmark get published.

  The hockey fans go crazy. Every Ashley in the Madison area is wild to convince Connor that she’s the one. All Connor wants to do is focus on his game.

  Ashley Walton isn’t looking for a soulmate. She wants a relationship based on something real.

  That makes her perfect for what Connor has planned. He asks if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend, on the understanding that it’s just until the media frenzy dies down.

  They expect it to be a few months, at most. Ashley’s really more interested in learning from the Howlers’ PR team than she is in Connor.

  At least at first.

  Everything about their ‘relationship’ is a show staged for the press. Except, Connor spends every waking moment with Ashley on the brain. Finding out she wants to move miles away for her dream job hits him like a body-slam into the boards.

  The closer they get, the more Connor is willing to risk to keep Ashley at his side. Falling in love wasn’t in their game plan, so Connor takes matters into his own hands...

  Best Shot

  Finding your soulmate is supposed to be easy! Especially when everyone carries their soulmate’s name written on their skin.

  Best friends Thea and Doe would never fall out over a man. Doe’s soulmark reads ‘Blake’ and Thea’s is ‘Frederick’, so the possibility has never crossed their minds.

  Enter Blake Ashbury. Thea is first to meet the gorgeous hockey player. As soon as she finds out his name, she gives playing matchmaker her best shot. She should be over the moon to introduce Doe to her soulmate. It doesn’t matter that Thea is the one who loves Blake’s jokes, or that his touch feels like fire and electricity. Blake isn’t meant to be with her, so Thea will back off.

  At least, that’s the plan.

  Blake never expected meeting his soulmate to be so complicated. Doe is sweet. She’s everything Blake thought he wanted in a girlfriend. He can’t understand why it’s Thea who makes his pulse race!

  Thea and Blake aren't meant to be together, so why is it so hard to keep the chemistry between them down? The longer they spend together, the harder it becomes to remember that they need to keep their distance!

  Empty Net

  A tiny portion of the population have empty space where the name of their soulmark should be.

  Ryan Newell believes that hockey is his one true love. Knowing he doesn’t have a soulmate, he gives his heart to the Madison Howlers. It’s only his body that he gives away freely.

  A little too freely. A scandalous picture lands him in hot water with the team’s PR. To fix his rep, they send him off to fundraise for a local charity.

  That’s where he meets Naomi Stone. Being blind since birth, Naomi has never seen the name that’s written on her skin. All she knows is that Ryan makes her pulse race and her skin tingle in ways she’s never felt before.

  As things heat up between them, Ryan starts to feel like he’s in over his head. Having a girlfriend isn’t something you can train for. Knowing that he can’t be Naomi’s soulmate is a thought that Ryan can’t escape.

  Finding love is hard enough without knowing you are no one’s destiny.

  Final Score

  Finding a soulmate is different for everyone. Lev and I met at the side of the road and became friends over a common language. Then I had to tell him that I couldn't see him anymore.

  Maria Rawlins is the best friend anyone could ask for.

  Funny. Passionate. Twice shy.

  Under her insistence that she doesn’t need a man is a yearning for the kind of meant-to-be connection that her mom and sister have both found. She wants a Russian soulmate who loves life as much as she does.

  A man who’ll make time to be with her, who’ll see her as his equal.

  She doesn’t notice Lev settling into the empty space in her heart. Not until there’s no way to stop it.

  A Russian-import NHL athlete, Lev Popov is...

  Talented. Sexy. Wounded.

  This devil-may-care extrovert could have any woman in Madison, but his heart is locked behind a wall built by his ex. Yet brick by brick, Maria is breaking it down.

  Falling for his best friend is not what Lev wants. His heart races for Maria - and at the thought that loving her might mean losing her.

  True love might be rare. True friendship can be rarer.