“Thank God.” He holds me even closer and is asleep the next second.
I chuckle. How did I ever think I had to get a galaxy away from this man?
Chapter 26
Ellie
“Come on, Johnny. We need to hurry now.” I tap my foot while my son takes one step after the other down the wooden staircase at a snail’s pace, checking after each step if Michael’s still behind him.
“Mitel, tareful.” He stops mid-motion and ignores me completely. Thank God this will be one of the last times Michael has to descend the stairs in my apartment building. Three months have gone by in a heartbeat. Michael’s parents visited us for Christmas and will be back to help us move next week. It’s hard to say who has fallen in love harder. They with Johnny, or he with them. It doesn’t matter. He has another grandma and a grandpa now in addition to my parents and I couldn’t be happier.
I don’t know what my life was like without Michael’s help anymore. He takes Johnny to daycare and depending on the day drives him to his hockey practice after. Thank God the mini’s training and games aren’t in the Ice Tiger’s arena itself but in a small training arena next to the big building. Michael hasn’t set a foot inside the arena since he lay motionless on the ice in there, but I can see his longing looks sometimes. At least he’s watching hockey on TV again. Together with Johnny of course. Small steps, but important ones.
I still can’t believe that Johnny and I will move into Michael’s house for real next week—not that we have spent a lot of time at our place, but returning the keys will have a finality to it. A good one. It’ll mark a new chapter in our life. One where I won’t have to clean the house anymore. The cleaning lady stays, but we haven’t rehired Sergei. I can take care of the cooking just fine.
“I’m fine, little man. Come on. Go to your mommy so she can strap you in your safety seat,” Michael tells Johnny. My son huffs and tilts his head but does as he’s told and runs to me. He listens to Michael better than he listens to me. My two men have a silent way of communicating with each other that I will never fully understand. I don’t have to. As long as they are happy, I am too.
I strap Johnny in his seat and take the passenger seat.
“Are you excited to meet Nessy’s baby boy, Johnny?” Michael asks as we pull onto the street.
“Tan he p’ay?” Johnny asks.
“No, Johnny, he’s a newborn, but I’m sure you can play with Freddy and Vivi.” I turn around and pat his knee.
“Tool.”
I chuckle. That’s his new favorite word. Everything is “cool” these days.
Fifteen minutes later, we stop in front of Nessy’s house and leave the car. Johnny runs in front of us to the door while I stay close to Michael. The little guy isn’t the only one concerned about the big guy in our life.
With the cold weather, the stiffness in Michael’s knee has reached a new level. Even Danny’s therapy sessions couldn’t prevent that. Michael’s ability to adjust has improved though, and he hasn’t complained once. He’s making the best of every situation. And so am I.
Nessy opens the door before we can ring the bell and slaps his hand over his eyes, pretending to be blinded by light. “Jesus, what kind of color is that?”
“It’s a neon shade of green.” Michael winks and brushes past Nessy with Johnny at his side.
“I hope for your sake you’re color blind. How can you stand to be close to him?” Nessy turns and hugs me.
“At least that way I can make sure he doesn’t throw me off ladders again.” I wink and step inside the house.
Nessy laughs. “Welcome, my friends. It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too. Congratulations again.” I smile.
“Thank you. Let’s go inside and meet the little prince.” He leads the way into the living room.
“Lily.” Johnny lets go of Michael’s hand and races to the couch where Lily is sitting with the baby in her arms. Only Lily’s quick thinking prevents him from crashing right into them when she hands Tyler the precious bundle and drops to her knees to catch Johnny.
“Hey, little man. How have you been?” she asks.
“Tood.” He hugs her close. I shake my head. To be three years old again.
“I’m glad to hear that. Do you want to see little Ryan?” She turns to Tyler, who’s staring at the little bundle in his hands. Poor guy might not have been prepared to hold the little human.
“Yeah.” Johnny stares at the baby for a second, then grabs Lily’s hand and pulls so fast she sways to the front. “Tan we p’ay?”
“Careful, young man.” Tyler grabs Lily’s arm to stabilize her. “I need her in one piece.”
Johnny glares openly at Tyler, then turns to Lily again. “Pease.”
“Yes, I’ll play with you. Let’s go over to Vivi and Freddy.” She heads to the play corner in the big living area with Johnny at her heels.
“Sorry about that.” I walk over to where Tyler is sitting and take a closer look at the baby. He’s precious. And fast asleep in the big man’s arms.
“No problem. I can share.” He chuckles. “How are you?”
“Good. And you’re practicing?” I wink.
“Not really. We want to wait a few years before we have kids.” Tyler caresses the baby’s cheeks when it squirms in his arms. He’ll be a wonderful father one day.
I nod and take another look at the baby. It seems like a lifetime ago since Johnny slept peacefully in the crook of my arm. I turn my head to where our host is standing. “He’s beautiful, Nessy. Where’s Agnes?”
Nessy sighs. “She’s asleep. It wasn’t an easy birth.”
I take Michael’s hand in mine. He hasn’t said anything to Tyler and stares at the tiny bundle in his former captain’s arms. I’m not sure he’s ever been this close to a baby. “Is she okay?”
He nods. “Yeah. Just tired.”
“Understandable. Let’s go say hi to Emilia.” I push Michael in the direction where his former boss and her husband are sitting on the other end of the couch.
“Hi, Ellie.” Emilia stands up and hugs me. “Good to see you again.”
“Good to see you. How are the children?” I ask.
“They’re all fine. Keeping us on our toes. Hi, Michael, how are you doing?” Emilia shakes his hand.
“Much better. Thank you. Actually, I wanted to ask you something—”
“Wow. Wow. Let’s take a second here. I’m sure I can guess what you want. A job? Help? Why do you think you deserve it? When did you ever do something that didn’t benefit yourself? Where were you these past months?” Matt shoots up from his chair.
“Excuse me?” Michael tenses next to me.
Matt doesn’t actually poke him in the chest, but it sure feels that way. Even though I’m only a witness to the spectacle.
“Matt.” Emilia places her hand on her husband’s arm.
Michael rubs his eyes. “I… I’m sorry. I’m not that person anymore.”
“Hard to believe. I ask again. Where were you all those months? You abandoned your team. Even if you couldn’t play hockey anymore, you could have shown your face at the rink.” Matt stares Michael down.
Michael shakes his head. “I wouldn’t have been of any help. I… I wasn’t in a good place. I…. Listen, I know you never liked me, but I’m not that guy anymore. I’m a changed man.”
Matt snorts. “Sure you are. Your clothes tell another story. You sure look like the fancy team diva you were before.” He glares at Michael’s neon shirt and light blue jeans.
Wow, I knew Michael and Matt weren’t exactly best friends, but I had no idea of the hate level between them.
The youngest person in the room chooses that moment to make sure no one has forgotten about him and lets out a loud wail. We all turn to him.
Tyler looks like he’s about to cry.
“Don’t worry, Wolfe. It isn’t your fault. He needs a diaper change.” Nessy walks over to his captain and retrieves his son.
“Are you serious about being a changed man?” Matt steps in front of Michael.
He nods but doesn’t say anything. I wouldn’t know what to say either.
“Time to prove it. Follow me.” Matt places his hand on Michael’s back and pushes him to where Nessy is standing with his newborn son. “Hand over the baby, Ness. We have a volunteer. I’ll supervise.” Matt picks up the wailing bundle and turns back to Michael. “Let’s go. I’ll carry little Ryan to the bathroom, and you’ll change his diaper. Come on. You wouldn’t want to have a wet butt either.” Matt turns to Nessy. “Lead the way, Ness. Ellie, you can come for moral support.”
I follow the little procession open mouthed and pause in the doorway to the bathroom. From there I watch as Matt puts the baby on the changing table and Michael takes his place right next to him while Nessy leans against the bathtub.
“Can you stand without the cane? You’ll need both hands to change the diaper,” Matt asks and Michael nods. My poor man has lost the ability to speak.
“I’m going to talk you through this. Just follow my instructions and you’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.” Michael places the cane against the wall and rolls his shoulders. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Nessy chuckling in silence. A grin spreads over my face. This is priceless. I kind of like Matt.
Matt continues his instruction. “First, we want to remove the clothing, then the messy diaper. Go ahead. That’s the easy part.”
I bend my neck a little to get a better view at how Michael pulls at the clothing while the baby wiggles around like a worm, making it impossible for him to pull Ryan’s arms out of his shirt.
I have a front row seat to the spectacle through the mirror. Sweat breaks out on Michael’s forehead. It doesn’t help that little Ryan’s wails have turned from angry to pitiful. “I’m so sorry, little guy,” my boyfriend says and caresses the baby’s cheek. Tears spring to my eyes. Who would have thought Michael handling a baby would be so wonderful?
It takes ages, but finally the clothes are off the tiny human.
“Not bad for the first time,” Matt chimes in again. Bless him. “Now you want to open the diaper, pull it off him, and clean everything.”
Michael opens the white bundle, something he should be familiar with since he’s already helped Johnny and pulls the thing off the baby.
“Good. Now you clean away the mess. You’re lucky. The diaper isn’t even half full.” Matt observes as Michael cleans the baby and turns his head to Matt for confirmation he’s done.
Matt nods. “Now you want to lift his butt and place the fresh diaper under Ryan. Then close it.”
Michael does as instructed, but just when he lifts the baby’s butt, little Ryan decides it’s time to teach him a final lesson. Baby pee hits Michael right on the chest. I giggle and fail miserably to stifle the sound with my hand.
Matt throws his head back and laughs. “The little guy doesn’t agree with your fashion choices.”
“Pro rule number one, always have a change of clothes on hand.” Nessy abandons his place at the bathtub and pats my boyfriend on the shoulder. “I’ll get one of my old shirts.” He chuckles and brushes past me.
I giggle some more. Weirdly enough, Michael doesn’t seem to care about the mess on his chest. Instead, he closes the diaper and dresses the baby boy again while I shake my head. How did I end up among these crazy guys?
Nessy returns with an Ice Tigers shirt in no time and offers to put the neon one in the washing machine right away.
“Yes, please. Thank you, Nessy,” I say from my place in the doorway while Michael changes. It’s good to see Michael back in team colors again.
“Now you can talk to my wife.” Matt pats Michael on the back and grins from ear to ear while he picks up the baby again.
Emilia looks up from the couch when our little procession enters the room again. “Oh, you changed clothes. Good for you. What was your question?”
“Uh… I wanted to ask how to apply for an internship.”
“An internship?” She raises both eyebrows.
“Yeah. I’d like to try my hand at fashion design.”
She smiles. “I see. Well, I’m sure we could find something for you to do. Though we don’t have neon colors in our collections.” She winks. “Let’s meet for coffee tomorrow. I’m afraid we have to pick up the kids now.” She stands up and joins her husband, who has handed little Ryan back to Nessy and is already waiting by the door. “Bye, Michael. It was good to see you again. And”—she points at his shirt—“welcome back in the Ice Tigers family.”
Epilogue
Michael
Two weeks later
“Are you ready?” Ellie places her hand on my elbow.
Am I ready? Good question. “I don’t know.”
“We don’t have to go inside.”
“I know.” I stare at the big building.
I’ve been in this arena countless times. I could walk the path from the locker room to the rink blindfolded. I know the fastest way from the VIP boxes to the parking lot. I know that the elevator on the left is way slower than the one on the right. I know how to avoid the media on a game day by sneaking around them. And yet it feels like a lifetime ago since the last time I’ve played hockey here.
I shudder. And if I live to see a hundred years, I’ll never forget that day. The pain. The hopelessness. The finality.
Your life can change in the time it takes to blink. You’ll never know when it happens. You’ll never know if it’ll be for the better or for the worse. The only thing certain is, you’ll never know.
“I took it for granted.” I look at my cane. Once I thought it to be the symbol of my downfall. Now it marks a new beginning.
“What do you mean?” Ellie takes my hand in hers and holds on tight, giving me the strength I need to revisit my past life.
I turn to her. “I thought I was invincible. I thought I had all the time in the world…. I didn’t.”
“No one does. If we did, we wouldn’t value the chances we’re given.”
“I’m a lucky bastard.” I bend down to kiss her. Ellie amazes me every single day. I don’t deserve her, but I would be the biggest fool on Earth to ever let her go. Good thing I’ve learned my lesson. I lost my first love. But I’ll never lose the love of my life. Not when it’s in my power.
And I’ll never take her for granted. I’ll never take us for granted.
A relationship isn’t all sunshine and roses. It means sticking with each other through the good and the bad times. It means bracing through the storms together.
Love is a verb; you have to do it. Every day. I’ll give my very best for the rest of our lives to show her how much she means to me. To give back a fraction of what she has offered without expecting anything back in return. I’ll lavish her with my love until she gets sick of it.
“I love you.” My voice is full of the tears waiting to be released behind my eyes.
“I love you too.” She kisses me. Softly. Reassuringly. Telling me without words that I’ll never be alone again. Not that I would want to be.
My lonely nights have come to an end—so has having the whole bed to myself, but you won’t hear me complaining. I’d sleep on the floor for her. And for Johnny, even when he sneaks between us. I’ve fallen for both of them. Hard and fast, without a safety net.
I lean my forehead against hers, which isn’t an easy task with her being so much smaller. I’ll have a round back sooner or later, not that it matters. I’ll happily look like Quasimodo if it means having her at my side.
“There’s something you need to see,” Ellie whispers in the nonexistent space between us.
“Inside?” I open my eyes. Her green ones lock with mine. Then her forehead slides up and down against mine.
“I—”
“Do you trust me?” She puts her hands around my cheeks, and I lose myself in her eyes. Then I nod and take her hand back in mine. I’d follow her to hell and back if she asked me to.
&
nbsp; Ellie guides me to the back entrance, pushes the door open, and pulls me through it before I can so much as blink. I don’t burst into flames, but the funny feeling in my stomach increases a fraction. I’m not alone, I remind myself.
I don’t pay attention to where we’re going. My eyes are fixed on Ellie’s coat. By the time we reach our destination, I’m best friends with the lint on her shoulder and the hair sticking to the fabric on her back. I should pick it off her, but my arms are a hundred times heavier than normal.
When she stops, I nearly crash into her. Momentum is a bitch, but with the help of the cane, I manage not to topple over. Another reminder to be grateful for the thing.
We’re standing in front of one of the offices where coaches review plays in the intermission.
No one’s here. Not yet. We came early to avoid being seen in case I lost it. The last thing I need is to put Ellie in the dubious limelight of the press.
“Are you ready?” she asks.
This time I don’t hesitate. “Always.”
“Close your eyes.”
I do as I’m told while Ellie opens the door with a click and pulls me inside.
“Don’t open your eyes yet.”
“I won’t,” I say while I take another step.
Ellie reaches around me and shuts the door again, letting go of my hand for a second.
Her body moves against mine when she puts one arm around my back and the other over my hand—as if to shield me from what’s about to happen.
“Open your eyes, Michael.”
I blink. Twice. Blinded not only by the light but also by the shiny object in front of me.
I sway. Ellie tightens her hold around me.
“What…?” My tongue refuses to move for the next word.
“Have a close look.”
I shiver and sweat at the same time. It can’t be. It shouldn’t. And yet it is.
“How?” I ask, while my eyes roam the object of my childhood dreams.
“Your team owner is resourceful.”
Fighting against Gravity: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers Sports Romance (An Ice Tigers Hockey Romance Book 3) Page 24