by Ellen Devlin
Chris grinned. “That’s a good idea. I’ll ask around and see what I can come up with. And how irresponsible are you being, anyway? Still just sowing your wild oats amongst the puck bunnies, or are you seeing someone?”
“Shit, Becks, just because you’re settling down with one woman doesn’t mean anyone else needs to.” Micky was grinning too. “Wild oats exist to be sown. That is the way of nature. But, to answer your question, there isn’t anyone in particular. That doesn’t mean I’m lonely, though, if you know what I mean.”
Chris could practically hear Micky’s eyebrows moving up and down with that last comment. “God, Mick, leaving a trail of broken hearts.” This earned another laugh from Micky. “I’ll send you pictures of the house. And I’ll see you at Christmas.”
“I told Mom you would be there. She’s thrilled. And Colleen can’t wait to see you, either. Although I suspect that she’s going to be a little disappointed to hear you’ve got a serious girlfriend.” Micky’s youngest sister was ten years younger than they were and had always had at least a bit of a crush on Chris.
“Is she a senior this year?”
“Yup. It’s looking like she’s going to UConn. They’re offering her a full ride academic scholarship.”
Chris gave a low whistle. “Damn. That’s no joke. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah, she’s too smart for you, anyway. It’s probably a good thing you’re taken.”
Chris laughed again. “Yeah, whatever. Like you’re a prize. Talk to you later, asshole.”
“Fuck off, Becks. Later.”
Chris hung up the phone and sat back, wondering what Paige was going to say when she found out he had bought a house. Even though he had been looking for a little while, the actual purchase was fast and seemed almost impulsive, and he was not normally an impulsive guy. But everything about her made him not want to wait, not want to slow down, but to start a life with her immediately.
He didn’t have any time during the season to worry about moving and buying furniture, anyway, so Micky’s idea of hiring someone to take care of things was a good one. There was no rush for him to move in; he had bought the house outright. With a few exceptions, he hadn’t spent any appreciable amount of money since joining the NHL, preferring to live in apartments or sometimes with roommates. He had purchased the occasional expensive car, taken a few nice trips, and supported his mom, but mostly he had just saved. A career-ending injury could happen at any time, and Chris wanted to make sure he was able to take care of himself without worrying about finances.
And he had always intended to settle down at some point. Chris was a bit of a homebody at heart. Micky was too, when it came right down to it, although his broken engagement had damaged his ability to trust on multiple levels. Possibly permanently. Chris hoped fervently that his best friend would find someone, but in the meantime, Chris would settle for Micky just having some fun in his life.
He broke out of his reverie and called Paige. He was smiling before she even picked up the phone.
“Hey, baby! So, I’ve got some news.”
“Hi, Chris! Really? What’s up?”
“I bought a house.”
There was a pause while Paige tried to process this information.
“Wow. I didn’t even realize you were looking.” She wasn’t sure why this information made her slightly uncomfortable, but it did. “Have you been looking for a long time?”
“No, not terribly long,” Chris replied, with a measure of caution. Paige was definitely not sounding as excited about this as he had hoped. “It’s a good market right now, and it’s a good investment, and the perfect opportunity kind of fell into my lap.”
“Oh! Sure, that makes sense.” Paige tried to adjust her reaction. It wasn’t fair to Chris to put a damper on something this big. “So, where is it? What’s it like? Are you moving soon?”
Chris smiled, glad that she was starting to sound more enthusiastic. “It’s in McLean, and no, I’m not moving any time soon. And it’s four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths…and a pool!”
“Wow!” Now she did sound excited. “That’s really cool! I’ve always thought that would be fun, to be able to go swimming whenever you want.”
Now Chris was grinning. She liked the pool! He silently fist-pumped.
“I closed on it two days ago,” he said. “You wanna see it? I can pick you up and take you there. No game today, so after practice I’m completely free.”
“Okay, that sounds great. I’m really happy for you, Chris.” Paige smiled at his excitement. He sounded thrilled and a little giddy.
***
“This place is amazing, Chris!” Paige was truly impressed. While the house wasn’t enormous, it was beautifully appointed, with updated appliances throughout. The bathrooms and kitchen looked brand new, and there was an abundance of natural light throughout the whole house. And the pool…well, the pool was fabulous, with a large concrete deck area complete with a full array of patio furniture, which had conveyed with the house.
“I’m so glad you like it, Paige.” He had watched her face for her reactions as they walked around, absurdly pleased that she liked it so much.
“So, what are you going to do about furniture?” she asked. “This is way bigger than your apartment.”
“I’m not sure yet.” Chris looked around. “I’m not really good at that part.”
“Your apartment is really nice!”
Chris looked sheepish. “Yeah, well…I went into a furniture store and just bought the rooms they had on display that I liked.” Paige laughed out loud. “I figured if they were good enough to display, they must be okay, you know?” Paige laughed harder.
“Oh, Chris. Well, you do have good taste, because you picked nice rooms for your apartment, and this house is spectacular.” She smiled at him, eyes shining, and his heart melted.
“So, I was thinking…” He paused and then threw caution to the wind. “I was thinking if you like doing interior decorating, maybe you would want to furnish the house for me.”
Paige was startled and said, “What?”
“Um, I mean…I would pay for everything, obviously. I could just give you a credit card and you could buy whatever you think will look nice.”
Paige stared at him. She felt a tightness in her chest that had anxiety written all over it.
“You’re really good at this! Liz said that you picked out almost everything in your apartment and that you love doing this kind of thing…” He was starting to worry this was a misstep on his part.
“I can’t do that, Chris.” She tried to play it off, but there was an obvious tightness in her voice that made it clear there was more going on under the surface.
“Sure you can! I would love it…” Oh, crap. “Unless you don’t want to, Paige. That’s okay too.” Chris took her hand. “I can hire someone.”
“That might be better.” Paige’s face had gone rather blank, and Chris gently pulled her to him.
“Paige.” He tucked her in his arms. “Baby, it’s okay. You don’t have to do this. I thought you would enjoy it, that’s all. I thought you would have fun.”
She pushed back from him and looked him in the eyes. “Chris, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. If things don’t work out between us, you would have an entire house of furniture picked out by your ex. That sounds like a horrible plan. Especially for your next girlfriend.” She tried to smile gently at him, but there was a strain in her eyes.
Chris felt his chest constrict the moment he heard, “If things don’t work out between us…” He pulled her back in for another gentle hug.
“All right, Paige. I see your point.”
He did, really. On the other hand, he had the feeling that if things didn’t work out between them he would simply sell the house, fully furnished. But he definitely wasn’t going to tell her that. Things had already gone downhill in a way he hadn’t expected.
Paige gave him a squeeze and took a step backward. “I’m sorry, Chris. I feel like I just di
sappointed you.”
“No,” Chris responded. “No, it’s all right. I’ll hire someone.” His mouth hitched into a small smile. “But I really do like your style, and I think you have a great eye. Would it be okay to ask your opinion on a few things when the time comes?”
She smiled, and this time it was a more relaxed smile that reached her eyes. “Yes. Of course.” She looked around briefly and added, “It really is a great house, Chris. I’m happy for you!”
Chris tucked his arm around her as they walked to the front door to leave. “I’m happy for me too. And I’m very glad you like it.”
Chapter Eighteen
With Chris and Paige spending so much time together, Liz had taken to doing more travel on the weekends, visiting friends within easy driving distance. This particular weekend in December, Liz was on her way to western North Carolina to visit her friend, Kaitlyn. She was just driving past Richmond when her phone rang.
“Hey, Lizzie. I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I’ve got to bail on this weekend.” She sounded upset.
Liz responded, “Oh, no! What happened?”
Kaitlyn’s voice choked as she said, “We lost one today. Harvey died.”
“Oh, shit.”
Kaitlyn worked as a keeper at a zoo. It was more than just a job to her, and the animals she worked with were incredibly important to her. Harvey was one of her chimps—one of the alpha males, if Liz remembered correctly.
“I’m so, so sorry, Kates. Are you sure you don’t want me to come and keep you company? We could just hang out.”
“No, I really just want to be alone and deal with this. Let’s reschedule for another weekend.”
“If you’re sure, then of course.” She paused, her heart breaking for her friend. “Call or text me if you need to talk, any time, okay?”
“I promise.”
Liz pulled off the highway into the city and made a few phone calls, figuring that she might as well make the best of things and see if she could hook up with some college friends for dinner.
Once her plans were set, she tried to call Paige to let her know, but there was no answer, so she sent her a quick text message:
Liz: Hey, K had to cancel. Having dinner in Richmond with James and Brenda, then heading home. Maybe we can catch a movie this weekend?
***
It was around eleven o’clock that night by the time Liz opened the door of the apartment and walked in with her bags, stopping short as she took in the scene in front of her.
Looking like a deer caught in headlights, Paige was standing by the kitchen table in a cheerleader outfit, complete with pom poms. Chris was slightly behind her with his hands on her hips. He was wearing his hockey jersey.
And, apparently, nothing else.
He looked up, saw Liz, said, “Oh, shit,” and did his best to hide behind his much smaller girlfriend.
Paige shrilled, “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here!” Her eyes were wide with shock.
“I texted…” Liz trailed off, genuinely at a loss for words, but as Chris hid his very red face in his hand, she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
She turned on her heel and said, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” She added, “I’ll call first,” over her shoulder as she went back out the front door.
Just before the latch caught, they heard her burst into laughter.
After a few moments of complete silence between them, Paige cleared her throat and said, in a slightly squeaky voice, “Okay, then. All role-playing at your place only from now on.” She peeked over her shoulder at the still-silent Chris and said in a small voice, “I am so sorry!”
“I…” He paused, not even sure what he was even trying to say. Starting again, he said, “I have no idea how to handle this.”
Paige giggled. And then snorted.
“Are you sure this is funny?” he asked.
Paige took a few steps away from him, looked down at herself, looked over at him, shook her head, and started laughing.
Chris was starting to grin but said, “I don’t know if I can ever look her in the eye again.”
“Oh, Chris, she’s never going to look at you anywhere except your eyes after this.”
He started laughing and just said, “Fuck.”
Chapter Nineteen
School got out for Christmas break, and Paige was able to go to another home game with Liz before she and Chris were going to leave on their trip.
“Are you nervous at all?” Liz asked while Paige was packing.
Paige stopped and thought for a moment.
“Maybe a little. But I trust Chris, and we’re only going to be there a few days. And honestly? This has got to be easier than a trip to my mom’s house, right?”
Liz blanched at that thought. “Oh God. I had not thought of it in those terms. Never mind, pack faster!” She started pushing clothes into the suitcase, making Paige laugh. “Hurry up!”
***
Their first stop in Minnesota was the house of Chris’s best friend.
They were greeted at the front door by a big guy, well over six feet tall, with sandy brown hair and deep blue eyes. Chris and the behemoth greeted each other like brothers, with handshakes and hugs.
Chris started to introduce Paige, saying, “Micky, this is…”
Micky interrupted him. “This is the lovely Paige.” His eyes flashed as he took her hand and bowed, gently kissing her fingers while keeping eye contact, flirting shamelessly. “I have been dying to meet you, Paige. You seem to have turned Becks here quite upside down.”
Chris shook his head and rolled his eyes. “All right, that’s enough of that.” He removed Paige’s hand from Micky’s and held it in his own. “Behave yourself, you idiot.”
Micky held his hand to his chest in mock surprise.
“Moi? Je suis sur mon meilleur comportement.” He turned smoothly to Paige and said, “My apologies, I work in Montreal and sometimes forget to speak English when I return to the US.”
Chris guffawed, “Oh my God, you are so full of shit! Paige, I swear, he has always been an idiot, but this is the first time I’ve seen him put on a ‘pompous ass’ display.”
Micky’s façade finally broke, and he laughed along with Chris. Pulling Paige into a hug, he said, “It is really nice to meet you. Please come in.”
“What did you even say?” Chris asked.
Paige spoke for the first time, answering with a smile, “I’m pretty sure he said that he is on his best behavior.”
This prompted an impressed look from Micky, as well as another burst of laughter from Chris. “Oh, please. You memorized that line specifically for this moment. I know it.”
The returning grin confirmed Chris’s suspicions.
They reached the kitchen, where Micky’s mom and some of his siblings were having coffee and chatting.
“Christopher!” Micky’s mother, who was much closer to Paige’s height, greeted Chris with an enormous hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I have missed you, my extra son.”
Chris picked the smaller woman up to hug her, saying, “It’s so good to see you!”
Swatting him with a dish towel when he set her down, she said, “You don’t write, you don’t call…” And then catching sight of Paige, she stopped and held out her hands in welcome. “Paige. It is so good to meet you. Come in, sit down, and please call me Kathleen. What can I get you to drink? Water? Coffee? Tea?”
One of Micky’s sisters stood up to greet her, saying, “She just met Tommy, Mom. She probably could use a big glass of the mulled wine.” Holding out her hand, she introduced herself. “Hi, Paige, I’m Colleen.”
“Nice to meet you,” Paige responded, taking a seat at the table. “Mulled wine sounds wonderful, thank you. But who is Tommy?”
Colleen laughed, pointing at her older brother. “That’s Tommy. The one Chris calls ‘Micky.’ Hockey players don’t seem to be able to use first names.” She rolled her eyes. “They are big, overgrown kids.”
Chris grinned at Colleen, and said, “Hey, Squiddo!” while giving her a big hug. “Heard you’re heading to UConn next year. Congrats!”
Colleen returned the hug and punched him in the shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re still calling me that! See what I mean about the nicknames, Paige?”
Chris explained, “She was really little when I met her, so she was ‘Squirt’ or sometimes ‘Kiddo.’ Naturally, they merged one day…” Colleen rolled her eyes at him. “…and ‘Squiddo’ was born. And so shall she forever be. You’re doomed, Squid.” He ruffled her hair, and she poked him in the side, hitting a ticklish spot.
After a few more minutes of greeting Micky’s family, Chris put his hand on Paige’s shoulder and said softly, “Baby, we’re going to go into the living room, you okay here?”
“Yes, of course, I’ll be fine.” She squeezed his hand briefly. “Thank you.”
As the two men walked away, Colleen raised her eyebrows at her mother and said in an exaggerated whisper, “‘Baby?’”
Kathleen shushed her, saying to Paige, “Don’t mind her.”
Another sister, a few years older than Colleen, chimed in. “Hi, Paige, I’m Erin. Col is just jealous. She’s always had her eye on Chris.”
“Oh my God, Erin!” Colleen shot a glare at her older sister. “Paige, ignore all of these people. I do not have a thing for Chris.” Betrayed by a blush, she added, “I might have had a bit of a crush on him when I was younger, but oh my God, Erin! I can’t believe you said that.”
Turning to her mother, Colleen added, “And please, when have you ever heard him call anyone ‘Baby?’” Addressing Paige again, she said, “He hasn’t brought a girlfriend over here since college, I think, and I have never heard him call one by a pet name.”