by Toni Aleo
“Awesome. I guess you'll be busy snapping photos and getting quotes for social media and your website piece.”
“Yes. I can't wait to see the kids have a good time.” She nudged him. “I heard they're having a charity auction to win a ‘Day with a Kingsnake’ for 25 select fans. And you're the prize?”
Ty chuckled. “Yeah. Anyone who went to a Kingsnakes game in the last year can enter. Last season, Caleb Steele, one of our defensemen, ended up spending the day with a star-struck eighteen-year-old who won. He wasn't the happiest camper.”
“Aww, but I'm sure it made her entire life.”
“She probably has a thousand selfies with him to mark the occasion,” Ty said dryly. “So, are you ready for the family and friends skate? I need to see if Avery and her family are here.”
“I bet she's excited. But Ty, are you sure I should be out there? Technically, I'm working, and I'm not really—”
“—my family? Or my friend?” He paused in the middle of the concourse, sliding his hands around her waist. “We were friendly last night, El. Extremely friendly.”
Ella flushed, remembering the scorching hot sex and the sweet, sexy things he'd whispered.
“El, two years ago, we weren't only lovers, we were best friends. For me, that hasn't changed. And like it or not, you are my family. You belong out there. Besides, Avery's counting on us all skating together, remember?”
“Well, now I can't say no.”
He grinned. “Good. Now let's get a pair of skates on you.”
“Look, I'm skating, Quinn!”
Avery, wearing a little Santa hat, held onto the handles of a balancing aid disguised as a snowman as she glided along the ice.
Holiday music played on the sound system as the players and their families and friends enjoyed the afternoon skate.
“I see,” Ty said, nodding. “Pretty soon you'll be flying around the rink with no help at all.”
Ella snapped a few photos of Avery happily skating beside Ty. They waved as they passed Avery's parents, who hovered near the edge of the rink, watching their daughter.
“Mommy! Daddy! Look at me!”
Ella didn't miss their relieved, happy faces as their daughter whizzed by.
“You're doing great, baby,” Avery's dad called.
“I want to skate backward like you, Quinn,” Avery said, screwing up her face in concentration as she rounded the corner of the rink.
“You'll get there, kiddo. Not today, though. You need practice.”
“I wish Sammy was here,” Avery said, then let out a sigh. “We were gonna learn to skate together.”
“Who's Sammy?” Ella asked.
“She lives next door. She was my best friend.”
“Was?” Ty asked.
“Yeah. She's mad at me. I made friends with a girl named Laurel at summer camp. Laurel came to visit me before I got hurt. We made dance videos and went to the amusement park together and made friendship bracelets. Sammy saw my bracelet from Laurel and got real mad. She said I forgot about her and we couldn't be friends anymore.”
Ella placed her hand on Avery's shoulder. “Sounds like Sammy felt left out because you made a new friend.”
“That's what Mommy said. I don't get to see Laurel much ‘cause she lives far away, but now Sammy won't talk to me. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I love her. She's my best friend.”
“Did you tell Sammy that?” Ty asked.
“No,” Avery said, shaking her head. “I'm afraid.”
Ty slowed to a stop in front of Avery. “Why are you afraid?”
“She was so mad. I know she hates me.”
“She doesn't hate you. She was probably worried that you wanted Laurel for your new best friend. Maybe if you told Sammy exactly what you told us, she'd be your friend again.”
“What if she won't?”
“If you love Sammy, you have to try. Because best friends don't give up on each other, Avery. Not ever. Sometimes you fight, and things can go wrong, and you don't talk for a while. But best friends… they're forever.”
Ella drew in a sharp breath and jerked her head up, her eyes locking with Ty's as his words went straight to her heart. He might be speaking to Avery, but she had no doubt that message was for her.
“I know.” Avery hesitated. “Can you ask her to be my friend again, Quinn?”
“No, it has to come from you.” He tapped his chest. “From your heart.”
“Okay,” Avery said, looking determined. “When I get home, I'll go to her house and tell her.”
“Atta girl.”
Avery rubbed her belly. “Quinn, I'm hungry.”
“The Carnival is going to open up soon, and they have a ton of food outside.” He pulled out a handful of food vouchers. “Give these to your parents. It should be enough to get all of you a good lunch and some snacks.”
“Thanks, Quinn! Are you going outside?”
“Yep,” he said, nodding. “But I'm going to skate with Ella first.”
“Okay,” Avery said, skating over to her parents.
Ty took Ella's hands in his. “That okay with you?”
“Yes. I haven't skated like this with you in a long time.”
“Too long,” he said, his voice husky. “It's nice.”
“What you said to Avery… it sounded like it was for me, too.”
“It was,” he said, running a finger along a stray wave that had escaped her ponytail. “You were always my best friend, Ella. I just hope that you haven't given up on us.”
Ella swallowed and looked up at him, her gaze drawn to the colorful new tattoo that went up the side of his neck—an intricate design of plants, flowers, and vines. There, on one of the leaves, was a ladybug with the name Ella written on the wings in a swirling font.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, reaching out to touch her name. “Why didn't I see this before? Ty, when did you do this?”
“A year ago.”
Overcome with emotion, she let go of his hands and hurried to a corner of the rink.
“Ella,” he said, skating up to her. “Listen—”
“Why would you do that? We weren't even together! What if you'd started seeing someone else? How would you have explained that tattoo?”
Ty brushed his fingers down along her cheek. “You need to listen to me, El. Really listen, okay? I know that I took a few wrong turns, and I got lost along the way, but those roads? They always led me back to you. I understand that life with me comes with some challenges, sweetheart, but I'm working hard at staying clean and being a better person, because I want to give you the life you deserve. The life we deserve together. All I want is a chance at forever with you. It's always been you, Ella. I love you so much. You’re the one.”
Ella blinked back tears as she looked into his dark, serious eyes. The shattered pieces of her broken heart found their place once again, and for the first time in two years, she finally felt whole.
Her future wasn't uncertain anymore. It was standing right in front of her, and all she had to do was reach out and grab it with both hands.
And never let go.
“Ty, I—”
“Hey, Quinn! It's time for the win a ‘Day with a Kingsnake’ auction,” Caleb called as he skated past.
“Damn,” Ty muttered, tilting his head back. “As usual, my timing is total shit. I'm sorry, El, but I have to get over there. We'll talk later, okay?” He brushed his lips against hers. “See you soon.”
“Soon,” Ella echoed, watching him skate away.
Happiness flooded through her as she thought about everything he'd just said, and she smiled to herself as she hurried over to one of the rink's exit doors.
She needed to see this auction for herself.
“Did the auction start yet?” Ella asked Zoe, who stood with Penn near the doors of one of the private banquet rooms.
“Nope,” Zoe said. “You’re just in time.”
Ella glanced over at the makeshift stage where Ty stood. Fans crowded around, calling
his name and waving his jersey.
A burly security guard pushed his way over to the women and hooked a thumb at Ella. “Sorry, girlie. Gotta go. No VIP pass.”
“Vic, she's with us,” Zoe said, waving a hand. “It's fine.”
“Zoe, I don't care if she's the Queen of England. She ain't got no pass, so she's gotta go.”
Penn rolled her eyes. She grabbed a VIP pass and a ticket from a nearby box, then handed them to Ella. “There.”
“She didn't win that ticket,” Vic said, crossing his arms.
“No, but in the event one of the ticket holders can't attend the auction, the staff can redistribute the ticket as they see fit, as long as that person is eighteen or older. And today, I'm staff.” Zoe grinned at the security guard.
Vic sighed, then went to stand along the wall.
“Is that true?” Ella glanced down at the ticket.
“Yep,” Zoe said. “You're fine.”
The auctioneer welcomed the fans, then joked around with Ty for a few minutes before getting things underway.
“Let's open bidding at a hundred dollars,” the auctioneer said.
All 25 fans raised their hands, and he chuckled.
“Okay, two hundred.”
“Once they reach the thousand-dollar mark, you'll see the herd thin,” Zoe whispered. “We could make more money if we let only season ticket holders attend, but we make enough for charity overall with the Carnival, and we wanted it to be fair.”
A few minutes later, the auctioneer hit the one-thousand-dollar mark, and fifteen bidders remained.
“How much money did this make for charity last year?” Ella asked.
“Five grand,” Zoe replied.
Once the auctioneer hit the four-thousand-dollar mark, only two bidders remained—a determined-looking woman in her thirties wearing a Quinn jersey, and a younger man sporting a Kingsnakes t-shirt and hat.
“Do I hear five thousand?” the auctioneer asked.
“Five thousand,” yelled the woman. The younger man shook his head, and the woman in the jersey smiled triumphantly at Ty, who looked amused by the entire scene.
“Five thousand! Going once—”
“Six thousand,” Ella shouted.
The woman turned around, craning her neck to see who had bid against her. Ella lifted her hand, and Ty's eyebrows shot up as their gazes locked.
“Six thousand,” the auctioneer said, nodding. “Do I hear 6.5?”
“Six point five,” the other bidder said, crossing her arms.
“Do I have—”
“Seven,” Ella interrupted.
Ty's mouth dropped open as he stared at her.
“Seven thousand. Do I hear 7.5?”
The other bidder waved a hand dismissively, giving up the fight.
“Seven thousand. Going once, going twice. And the win a ‘Day with a Kingsnake’ prize goes to the little lady in the back. Come on up.”
“Wait! No, that's not what I want,” Ella called. She pushed her way through the curious, now buzzing crowd, and climbed the stairs to the stage.
“Ella, sweetheart, what are you doing?” Ty asked, gently taking her by the elbow.
“What do you mean, that's not what you want?” the auctioneer asked, confused. “Miss—”
Ella took the auctioneer's mic and glanced behind her, her heart hammering in her chest as Vic, the burly security guard, headed for the stage. She was seconds away from getting hauled out of there unless Ty intervened.
She turned back toward Ty and placed her hand on the center of his chest, then took a deep breath. “I don't want a day with you, Ty. Or a week. Not even a year. It's not enough. Because best friends don't give up on each other. Sometimes they fight, and things go wrong, but they don't give up. They're forever. And I know now that forever's the only thing I want with you.”
Ty swallowed as he stared down at her, his eyes never leaving her face. Finally, the corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile, and he reached out and cupped her cheek. “Forever sounds perfect to me, Bug.”
He drew her close for a sweet kiss, and the audience, now realizing what was happening, let loose with whistles and cheers.
Ella wiped the tears from her eyes. “Uh, Ty? I'm going to need to borrow seven grand.”
He grinned. “I think we can work something out.”
“Oh!” She turned toward the audience. “For everyone that participated in the auction today, I'd like to donate my day with Ty to all of you for being such good sports. So, keep your tickets, and you'll all get to spend the day together, hanging out with this amazing man.”
The audience went wild, and Zoe and Penn pumped their fists in the back of the room, grinning from ear to ear.
“You're the one who's amazing,” Ty murmured, brushing his lips against her neck.
Ella's tummy fluttered at the public display of affection. “The really amazing people are outside at the Carnival. What do you say we go hang out with them? I have pictures to take and an article to finish, and I'd love to watch the kids have fun.”
“I'm right behind you. Let's go.”
Ella snapped a ton of photos as Ty played a water pistol game with a few of the kids from the children's hospital. The entire Kingsnakes team, as well as Kingsley, the mascot, spent time posing for photos and playing games with all of the children. They'd even managed to rope John Cohan, the team's quiet, super tough defenseman, into playing Santa Claus for the kids. Co, despite his grumpy, loner reputation, had a great time passing out gifts.
“Get enough photos and quotes for your article?” Ty asked, slinging an arm around her shoulder.
Ella took a bite of a deep-fried cookie. “Yep. Ty, you have to try this, it's amazing.”
“I'll pass, El. Clean eating diet, remember?”
“Please. I just saw you wolf down a hot dog while you talked to Avery and her parents.”
“You saw that, eh?” He leaned over and took a bite of the fried cookie, then raised his eyebrows. “Wow, that is good.”
“Right?”
Ella let out a contented sigh and leaned back against him. Happy laughter and shrieks of joy filled the air as the kids enjoyed the winter wonderland in the middle of the desert.
“I was dreading Christmas before this,” Ella said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “But now? I feel so lucky that I get to spend it with you.” She tilted her head back and smiled up at him.
He leaned down to give her a gentle kiss. “No one is luckier than me right now. I just got the best Christmas present in the world—and that’s you.”
Ella woke early on Christmas morning; her body pressed up against Ty's warm, naked torso. Since reuniting, they'd spent more time in bed than out of it, eagerly making up for lost time.
She'd never felt more relaxed with him than she did lately, especially now that he was open and honest about his feelings. Hearing “I love you” on a daily basis was something she still wasn't used to, but she adored it.
Slipping from beneath the sheets in the still-dark room, she tiptoed into the kitchen and plugged in the tree they'd decorated together last night.
They'd agreed on no gifts this Christmas, both of them deciding that being back together was the best gift they could ever receive. Still, she wanted to do something special for him, so she got to work making pumpkin spice muffins from scratch and popped a dozen pre-made cinnamon rolls into the oven. Then, she got busy making a big holiday breakfast: veggie omelets, bacon, pancakes, sausage, and juice.
Ty emerged from the bedroom just as she finished up, his blue cotton sleep pants riding low on his hips, and his dark hair in disarray. She didn't know how he could be so damned cute and sexy at the same time, but he managed to pull it off.
“Merry Christmas,” Ella said, hugging him.
He gave her a long, lingering, minty-tasting kiss, which made her knees weak.
“Merry Christmas, Bug. What's all this?” He gestured at the table full of food.
“I know we said no gifts, bu
t I wanted to do something special for you.”
“Babe, you spoil me.” He gave her a sleepy smile. “Thank you. I can't wait to try those cinnamon rolls. I guess my diet can withstand one day of splurging.”
Ella laughed. “Don't worry, tomorrow you'll be back to all things healthy.”
After enjoying their Christmas breakfast, Ty pulled the drapes closed and led her over to the couch. “Remember how we used to cuddle under a blanket next to the fireplace and stare at the Christmas tree lights?”
They sat down, and Ella snuggled against him. “Mmm. Yes. I loved that. It was so peaceful.”
“Sorry, I don't have a crackling fireplace.” He leaned over and grabbed the remote, then turned the TV on and found the fireplace channel. “This will have to do.”
“It's perfect, Ty.”
They cuddled together staring at the tree for a long time, stealing kisses here and there.
“Actually, El, I do have a present for you.”
She closed her eyes and sighed happily. “You do? Hmm. Well, I guess I can't be mad at you for being thoughtful.”
He took her hand and slipped something smooth and cool onto her left ring finger. Ella froze as he whispered, “A new ring for a new start.”
She opened her eyes to find a beautiful diamond engagement ring on her finger.
“Oh my God,” Ella whispered, sitting up. “Ty!”
“You'll always be my best friend, El, but I'd really love for you to be my wife. What do you say? Can we try this again?”
Ella threw her arms around his neck, not bothering to brush away the happy tears that flowed down her cheeks. “Yes! Yes, Ty. I'll be your wife.”
He pulled back to look at her, his gaze soft and warm. “I'm going to spend the rest of my life loving you, Ella Wilkinson.”
“No,” she said softly. “You'll spend the rest of your life loving Ella Quinn. And she's going to love you right back.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. I love you so much, Ty,” she said fiercely. “I never stopped loving you.”
“I love you, too, Bug.” He smiled and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Forever and always.”
THE END