Something Real (Atlanta Outlaws)

by Aja Cole

  Whitney just started a live video. Watch it before it ends!

  Clicking on it, the video window opens and hearts fly across it from people loving it and commenting.

  At first, I don't see anything but the sky and I put the volume on low so I can hear what she's saying.

  "...know I like doing fun stuff, but I hadn't done this yet. Say hello to my friends!" She pans the camera around and I see two other people in skydiving suits, hooking their gear around them. Looking closer, I see that one of them is Shayla and I don't recognize the other woman. I drink her in like the world's thirstiest man, watching her laugh and wave at the camera. "Calli is still putting on her suit, but we're about to jump out of a plane y'all! Wish us luck! " Whitney switches the camera to front view and blows a kiss at it, waving and ending the live.

  Skydiving is one of those things that Shayla said she was too scared to do. She said the risk seemed like a big deal and she just knew she'd have bad luck and something would happen.

  I told her I'd never been, and we could go together.

  It's a little bittersweet that she's doing it without me, but I'm also proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone even more.

  I wish it was with me, but I want her to have a good life and do what makes her happy whether I'm in it or not.

  And that's when it hits me like I've just been slammed into the boards of the rink by the biggest motherfucker on the other team.

  I am the scared one now.

  This whole time, I've been encouraging Shayla to just go for it...to not worry about what comes next as long as she wants to do it.

  And what am I doing right now? Completely killing what we have because I'm scared that she's going to find someone else without me around.

  When I started playing hockey, it was so hard that I begged my mom to let me quit. It was exhausting, the other boys on the team were bigger and faster and I didn't think I was good enough to keep playing.

  And she let me.

  But she told me that if I wasn't going to do hockey, I was going to ballet with my sisters because that was the only other thing open.

  Naturally, I went back to hockey.

  And here I am now and I can't imagine my life without it.

  That's how I feel about her.

  I can't make a decision because I can't see myself doing anything if it doesn't have her doing it with me.

  Even if that means she's doing it from miles away...I can't be the idiot who gives up a woman who makes me feel the way she does just because I don't even want to try.

  I can see Trent talking to two of the owners and the GM through the clear glass, waiting for me so we can drive down to the holes.

  Now that I know I want her...I also know that I want more than just recognition and a clear path to the cup.

  I want a team that feels like family, and when I think of family...I think of the Outlaws. I think of Shayla. I think of the memories I've made in my house in such a short time and my mom making breakfast for all of us in my kitchen and my dad following her instructions like they're still married. I think of the guys playing air hockey in my game room, laughing and ribbing each other.

  So, maybe we're a baby team. Maybe we still have to prove ourselves...but there hasn't been a single day that I haven't felt like they don't have my back.

  That's a hell of a lot more valuable than any spot on the hall of fame.

  Dialing on my phone and walking towards the exits, I leave a voicemail since he doesn't pick up.

  "Trent, I'm going to take Harris's offer to extend my contract. Tell Toronto that I appreciate the offer, but I'm staying here."

  I know they'd just try to talk me out of it if I went there, and I don't have time for that right now.

  I need to figure out how I'm gonna get my woman back.

  I just hope she gives me a chance to tell her everything because I acted like a right ass that night at the pool.

  I know we called a sort of truce when I went over so she could take the test, but I'm not naive enough to think that means that she's going to just take me back easily.

  I made her cry, and I'll never forget the look on her face when she realized that I had made up my mind.

  Hopping in my truck, I dial the guys and put everyone on the same line.

  I'm gonna need all the help I can get.

  30

  Shayla

  “Girl, I’m exhausted. You have to be ready to go home." I moan, watching Whitney try on yet another dress.

  "Listen, it's hard to find things that just click with my tats okay? I have to think carefully." She tells me, but I catch her glancing at her watch.

  "Your husband hasn't called wanting you back home yet?"

  "He can want whatever. I am enjoying the day with my favorite woman." She smiles, and I sigh reluctantly, settling in as she goes back to try on another one. I think it's the last one she took back with her, at least.

  We got a manicure and pedicure.

  We went to a salon and got our hair done (after I made sure they actually had someone that could do black hair.)

  And now, as if we haven't been out long enough today, we've been shopping. I grabbed a few things, but otherwise, nothing really called to me. Just when I thought we were going home though, Whitney popped into another store...and then another.

  I don't want to threaten her with bodily harm, but I just might have to.

  I'm leaving for California in the morning and I just want to get home and make sure that I've got everything covered.

  I saw from my google alerts that Dylan is staying in Atlanta.

  That surprised me, but I guess he felt like it was the right decision for him.

  We still haven't talked and despite everyone wanted to know what's happened with us, he's been keeping quiet. I've had a few instances of people contacting me wanting the story, but I just hang up the phone. Paparazzi here isn't as bad or invasive as I'm sure it is in other places, so no one has accosted me at my home or camped out at work. New articles pop up about him all the time though, speculations and photos of him out with friends...but no women, yet.

  None in any suggestive manners, at least.

  I can't stop myself from keeping updated on what's going on with him.

  It brings me a little comfort because I refuse to ask our mutual friends and I've even talked to his sisters a few times since then since we've been talking about re-doing their site, but they don't bring him up thankfully.

  "Okay, I'm ready to go!" Whitney comes out of the fitting room, hanging the dresses she made me sit through on the rack, and I narrow my eyes.

  "You're not even getting any of them?"

  "Nope!" She slings an arm around my shoulders after I stand. "Come on friend, let's get you home so you can get some rest in."

  "Oh, now you care about me getting rest."

  "Hey, you're going to be gone for six months, can I not spend some time with you?"

  "You already have a plane ticket booked for next month, so don't play that card with me." I purse my lips, pushing her with my hip. "But it has been a nice day."

  I slide into Whitney's sleek little Mercedes, buckling my seat belt. The things we did get are already in the trunk, and I rest my head back against the seat, sleepy.

  "You can't go to sleep!" She whacks my thigh and I startle, shocked.

  "Why not?"

  "Because." She doesn't say more than that, just starts the car and makes turns to get onto the expressway. "You can sleep when you're dead."

  "Is it really sleep if you never wake up?" I muse.

  Instead of answering, Whit rolls her eyes and turns up the music. I just smile and go back to resting my eyes, only opening them again when the car stops and I realize we're already at my house.

  Damn, time flies.

  I grab my things from the trunk and head up the porch stairs, but Whitney calls my name before I can put my key in the door.

  "Did I forget something?"

  She comes up and hugs me impulsivel
y. I hug her back tightly, and we stand like that for a few seconds.

  "Love you girl, see you next month."

  "Love you too." I pat her back softly and she lets me go, pulling back and giving me an intense look.

  "Call me later and let me know how it goes, okay?"

  I'm thinking that she's talking about my flight so I tell her I will, and she goes back to her car, pulling out of my driveaway and waving out the window. Shaking my head, I go back to my door, turning the key in the lock and pushing it open. Since I have my bags, I go in back first, and when I turn around in my entryway and shut the door behind me, I drop my bags by the wall and decide to just get them later.

  I need a nap before I finish packing, and I still need to pin curl my hair before I even get near my bed.

  Pin-curl, nap, dinner, pack, sleep.

  Toeing off my sandals, I don't notice there's anything on the floor until I step on something soft.

  "What is this?" I finally pay attention to my surroundings and that soft thing I'm stepping on is a rose petal, and there's a trail of them down my hallway with small gift bags spaced out on them.

  Part of me is saying to run in case my reality show is going to turn into a horror film, but another part is very, very curious. One of my favorite songs is playing, My Song by H.E.R.

  When I hear you name

  Put a smile up on my face

  It don't matter the time or the place

  You make it all better now

  I walk to the first bag, picking it up. I decide not to open any of them until I find out what's at the end of the trail of petals, so I pick up each bag and by the time I get to the end destination - my bedroom; my hands are full.

  Everything that you've told me

  I thank you every day for

  All the things you wanted me to be

  "You were supposed to open them as you went." The deep, amused voice comes from behind me and I still, not even moving when I can feel him standing right behind me.

  "I like to open all my gifts at once."

  "Good strategy." He presses himself against my back and I close my eyes, almost scared to think about what it means that he's here. The feel of him against mine is as soothing as it is electrifying. "Let me help you with these." He starts taking things from my hands, setting them on the bed until they're all there.

  "Can I open them?"

  "Yeah, they're for you, marshmallow." He winks, "Why does your cousin call you that, by the way?"

  "When I was younger, we'd play this game where we'd see how many we could fit in our mouths at one time and I always won."

  "That's cute," He sits on the bed, and he has this sparkling look in his eyes. I don't know how else to describe it, but he just looks...happy. He holds out one of the smaller bags, "Open it."

  So, one by one, I go through and open each gift bag until all the gifts are laid out on the bed.

  "So, tell me what they mean."

  He takes my hand and tugs me closer, pulling me so I'm kind of standing between his legs and half sitting on one of his massive thighs.

  "These," he points at a pair of lamps, "are connected to wifi and they'll light up every time the other person touches it, no matter how far away."

  "These," he picks up the cassettes, "Are some songs I put together, ones we found together or ones that made me think of you. And you can use the cassette player that I picked up too."

  "That," he points to three jars with little colored papers in them, "is so that every day you're gone, you can pick a paper out of the jar of something I think about you. I admit I had some help writing all of them, but all the thoughts are mine."

  I can’t stop the tears from rolling down my face if I tried, but he's not finished yet.

  Then there are small trinkets and gifts that he got me just because he listened to me when I’d mention little things I needed to get. It’s…so damn thoughtful.

  He turns me to face him totally, swiping his thumbs over my cheeks and wiping the tears away. Green eyes smoldering, he holds my gaze.

  "I'm sorry that I wasn't even willing to give this a chance. I was still hung up on things that had nothing to do with you, and that was unfair. I'm working through them with someone, but it's still in progress. I'm sorry for the way I handled everything, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that we're in this together. I know I can't just expect you to forgive me, but I--,"

  I don't even let him finish before I take his face in my hands and kiss him deeply, scrambling into his lap at the same time as his arms come around me in a tight embrace.

  "I forgive you." I murmur in between kisses. "I just want this. I want you."

  "I want you too." He buries his face in my neck, inhaling. "God, I've missed you."

  "I've missed you too." He falls back on the bed with me on top of him and our legs tangle together. "I really want to have sex with you right now, but I have a lot to do tonight..."

  "How about I help, we get things done in half the time, and then I'll fuck you to sleep and," he brushes my hair behind my ear, then makes me shiver when he traces my ear with his fingertip, his lips curling into a devilish smile, "I'll wake you up with my head between your legs and make love to you before I drop you off at the airport."

  I almost come on the spot just at the thought.

  "Well, I guess we better get to it, then!" I roll off of him quickly and he laughs, following me.

  There's plenty of time for us to talk about everything else.

  For now, packing is the only thing standing between me and one gorgeous column of man and we can't have that!

  ***

  Dylan made good on his word.

  He helped me get the rest of my things together and he's worn me out. I'm practically slurring my words, I'm so tired. It’s also a small miracle that my hair didn't completely sweat out.

  I mustered up enough energy to wrap it at least, and now I'm laying on Dylan's chest, and we can't keep our hands off each other.

  I missed him as much as he says he missed me.

  "So what made you decide to stay?" I trace circles on his taut abs, my fingers dipping into the ridges.

  "I've got everything I need right here." He says quietly, and it feels so sincere that I don't even ask anything else.

  "You're still wearing the ring," He comments, his hand caressing my back in a way that's going to send me right into sleep.

  "You're still wearing yours too." I yawn.

  "Never took it off."

  "Me neither." He pauses. "How do you feel about a long engagement?"

  I lift up on my arm so I can see his face clearly.

  "Really?"

  "I've never been more certain about anything." He says seriously, his face earnest. "Before, I would've said that marriage wasn't for me, but now I get it. It's a promise that you'll keep choosing each other no matter what. That you're committed to the good and bad, and I want all of that with you. Every day that I have left."

  "I better not wake up and this was a sleep-deprived dream." I press a soft kiss to his lips, stroking his face. "Don't play with me, Dylan."

  "Woman, does anything I've done tonight seem like I'm fucking with you?"

  "Well, you did literally fuck me." I stick out my tongue and he touches his to mine, quickly, making me laugh.

  "I remember. And I fucked you good too." He gets that look in his eye and I squeeze my legs together, catching my breath. "Go to sleep before I give you an encore."

  I decide not to chance saying anything else because I know he'll make good on that threat.

  I need my rest for the next round, and falling asleep in his arms is the best going away present that I could’ve imagined.

  Epilogue

  "It is my pleasure to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Javier Santiago!" The officiant says, and Callista and Javier kiss again amid everyone's cheering and clapping before turning to all of us.

  They leave together down the aisle, with the wedding party following after the
m to take their photos while everyone else gets settled in the reception area.

  Calli is a beautiful bride, and Javier seems like the perfect match for her. He's super funny and good-looking, and every time I've seen him look at her, it's like she lights up his whole world.

  I couldn't be happier for my friend.

  This vineyard is beautiful and all-inclusive, and it's one of the ones Dylan and I put on the list for when we start planning things in earnest, but we still have a lot of time.

  It's only been a year since we worked things out, and we decided that we would wait another before taking the plunge.

  We just want to make sure that we're doing this right, and not getting wrapped up in how fast things seemed to move when we met.

  There's not a doubt in my mind that he's all mine, regardless of a piece of paper. I make sure that there's none in his either.

  I totally forgot to call Whitney and let her know how that night had gone, so she was blowing up my phone the next day. I assured her that everything was good and thanked her for keeping me out of the house until Dylan could get things set up. He'd also made dinner and cleaned my house, which pretty much cemented in my mind that the man was a catch.

  But I already knew that.

  He made good on starting my day with a little more than breakfast, and I was pretty much on cloud nine the entire flight.

  When I got to California and was unpacking my things, I found a black box with a small bow on it that I hadn't put in my bag. Imagine my surprise when I opened it and it was a dick! Like, the most realistic feeling dildo I've ever encountered in my life aside from the fact that it wasn't warm.

  And it looked suspiciously familiar.

  It even had balls!

  Dialing Dylan's number, I could barely contain my laughter.

  "Baby, did you lose something?"

  "My heart when you stole it." He quipped and it was so damn corny but so damn sweet.

  "What about something a little more...x-rated." I picked up the dildo, still surprised at how squishy but firm it felt. I'd never had one because I kind of hated them on principle. When I wanted dick, I preferred a flesh and blood ones…but even just touching that one made me reconsider my opinion.