Madison smiled at him as he took care of her and kissed her again. “I’m so happy that I waited, Hunter.”
He smiled. “I am too, baby. I’m going to be your first and your last.”
She blushed. “Are you staking your claim?”
“Hell yeah I am! No one else is allowed near this body.”
Madison laughed as she curled into his body. “I’m ok with that.”
They fell asleep soon after and were awoken by his cell phone ring. He reached over and grabbed it off the nightstand. “Sorry, lost track of time. I’m heading out now.”
Madison opened her eyes and looked at him. “You need to leave?”
“Yeah, I will be back on Sunday.” He leaned over and kissed her again. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Be safe on the drive.”
“Of course, I will call you tonight after practice.”
She nodded as she got up and slid her clothes back on. “I was wondering something.”
“What’s that?” he asked as he grabbed his wallet.
“Can I come to a game this weekend?”
Hunter lit up. “Of course, you can. My parents will have our suite open Friday night. I’m sure Alicia will come and you can ride with her. I will make sure there are a couple of passes at will call for you.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you,” Hunter said as he leaned down and kissed her again. “I need to run but I will talk to you later.”
She nodded as she walked him to the door. He leaned down and kissed her as he ran down the stairs and out the front door. Madison closed her door and started to cry. She walked over to the coffee table and grabbed her phone.
She dialed Jessie’s number as she sat on the balcony. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Maddy! Why do you sound so sad?”
“My emotions are all over the place right now,” Madison explained.
“Why, what happened?”
“We had sex.”
“Oh my God, how was it?”
“It was beautiful. He was so gentle with me and made sure I was with him the entire time.”
“That’s great. That’s how your first time should be. Oh Maddy, I’m so happy for you but why are you crying?”
“He had to run out and I feel like I was left in the lurch.”
She heard Jessie sigh. “Maddy, you know what he does for a living. He’s always going to be running out the door. Are you ok with that?”
“I have to be. I love him and he told me that he loves me.”
“It’s almost the off season. You will be ok.”
“There are trade rumors,” Madison stated as she looked over at the ocean.
“For Hunter or Carter?”
“Hunter, his agent told him that certain teams are calling and want to talk to him after the playoffs are over.”
“I’m sure whatever happens, you will work through it.”
Madison jumped when she heard a cough next to her. She looked across the way and noticed Mike. “Mike, you scared the crap out of me!”
“Who’s Mike?” Jessie asked.
“My neighbor. Let me call you back, Jessie.” She hung up the phone and looked back at Mike.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“How long have you been eavesdropping?”
Mike took a sip of his beer and looked at her. “Since you walked onto the balcony and made your phone call.”
Madison turned deep red. “Oh my God! You heard everything.”
Mike nodded. “I’m sorry. I was going to say hi but you were on the phone.”
“I’m going to die of embarrassment.”
“Please don’t be embarrassed. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”
Madison got up and headed towards her sliding door.
“Please don’t run away.” Mike pleaded as he got up and walked over to the railing.
Madison turned to look at him. “You must love to have learned that your new neighbor lost her virginity and afraid that her boyfriend will be traded away now.”
He blushed at her boldness. “I’m sorry that I overheard that. I’m actually a good listener if you wanted to talk.”
Madison shook her head. “No, I think you heard enough for today. See you around.”
She disappeared into her apartment and sank onto the couch. Her phone started to ring. She looked at the caller ID. “Hey Alicia.”
“Can I come over? I want to help you unpack and then take you to the boutique.”
“Sure, I need to talk to you anyways.”
“I’m on my way.”
Madison headed into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. She looked out her window and noticed that Mike was still sitting on his balcony. She leaned against the wall as she spied on her new neighbor. He placed his head in his hands and abruptly stood up and went inside of his apartment.
Madison jumped when she heard the knock on her door. She opened it to find Alicia standing there with a bottle of wine. “I brought you reinforcements!”
She laughed. “We just have to find the glasses.”
“You start digging and in the meantime, tell me what’s going on,” Alicia said as she grabbed a box labeled kitchen and started to organize the cabinets.
“I had sex.”
Alicia dropped the box onto the counter and flipped around. “Oh my God! How was it?”
Madison blushed and smiled. “It was wonderful. I’m really happy that I waited and it was with Hunter.”
“Did he treat you right? Because I swear to God, I will kill him if he wasn’t gentle with you.”
She laughed. “He was wonderful, Alicia. The only problem was he had to leave so fast that I feel a little out of sorts.”
“Of course you do!” Alicia exclaimed as she walked over to Madison and hugged her. “You gave him something that was precious and you didn’t get a chance to experience the afterglow.”
Madison couldn’t help but laugh at her. “I really do love you, Alicia. I knew when I signed up for this relationship that he wasn’t going to be around during the season. But, I guess it’s finally sinking in.”
Alicia hugged her again. “Do me a favor. Don’t mention anything to your brother. He may hurt Hunter.”
“I agree. Hey, I found the glasses.” They continued to unpack and finished setting up the kitchen. “This place looks great. Thanks Alicia.”
“We will do the living room when we get back. Let’s go look at dresses.”
“Let me go change and clean up.” She ran into her bedroom and grabbed a clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She quickly pulled her hair into a clip and grabbed her purse.
Alicia opened the front door and came face to face with Mike. “Wow, you are gorgeous!”
Mike didn’t say anything as he looked at Madison. “Mike, I would like you to meet my very outspoken future sister in law, Alicia.”
He shook her hand. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Alicia and thank you for the compliment.”
“I’m not lying, you have killer brown eyes. You must work out, a lot.”
Madison almost died. “Alicia, get a grip.”
Mike laughed. “No, please continue. My girlfriend just dumped me and blogged our entire sex life online last night. This is the boost I needed.”
Madison looked at him. “That sucks. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged. “That’s what you get for dating someone who is out for revenge. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Alicia jumped in. “Now, which site was this on? I’m curious to hear about the sex stuff.”
Madison hit her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go shop before you embarrass me anymore.”
Alicia laughed as she walked down the stairs and out the front door. Madison looked back at Mike. “I’m really sorry about her.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I think she’s funny. Is that Sinclair’s fiancée?”
Madison nodded. “I’m her ma
id of honor. We are going dress shopping.”
“I just stopped over to say I’m sorry about earlier. I know how it feels when people hear things that they have no business in knowing. I just wanted to apologize.”
“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to overact, just a very emotional today.”
Mike nodded. “My offer stands, if you want to talk. I’m a balcony away.”
She waved as she ran out into the parking lot to find Alicia. As they headed into town, Alicia’s phone rang. “Hey sweetie, I’m with your sister.”
Madison loved Bluetooth. “Hey Carter.”
“Hey guys. Are you going shopping?”
“We just started to head out. We got her kitchen unpacked.”
“That’s great. The team just got here so we are starting practice shortly. Hunter says hi, Maddy.”
She smiled. “I say hi back.”
“Alright ladies have fun. Madison, just remember we are paying for this so get a dress that you are in love with, ok?”
“Thanks Carter.”
He hung up after telling Alicia that he loved her. “Now, tell me about this Mike guy.”
Madison laughed. “He’s a nice guy. He introduced himself last night and had an awkward encounter this afternoon.”
“What awkward encounter?”
“He overheard me on the phone with Jessie.”
Madison pulled into the wedding store’s parking lot. “Oh Lord, did you mention that you lost your virginity this morning?”
Madison nodded and buried her head into hands. “Yep, he overheard the entire conversation. That was great way to welcome him into my life, huh?”
Alicia couldn’t stop laughing. “That’s horrible.”
Madison looked at her as they walked into the shop. “You are unbelievable.”
“I’m sorry, please forgive me. I don’t mean to laugh this much.” Alicia held up her hands in surrender.
She walked over to the counter and hugged a young brunette. She was beautiful and made Madison feel inadequate. Her long brown hair came down her back and her large brown eyes shined. She was dressed to the nine’s.
“Madison, this is Amber. She’s owns the boutique and will help us select your dress.
“It’s nice to meet you, Madison.” Amber shook her hand and smiled at her. “Let me measure you and we will start having some fun.”
Alicia piped in. “Can I show her my dress?”
“Of course, I will place it in the dressing room,” Amber said as they followed her down the hall and into a large fitting area. There were mirrors everywhere. Madison frowned and put her arms around her chest.
Alicia looked at her. “You are beautiful, Madison. Why are you tensing up on me?”
“You know I have issues with my appearance.”
Alicia chuckled. “Which is just absurd, Madison. Have some champagne, it will relax you.”
Madison grabbed the glass from her hand and took a sip. Amber returned to the room and position Madison on the center stage. She started to take her measurements.
Alicia sat behind her. “Carter and I made all the arrangements with the town so we can have the wedding on the beach at our house. We are keeping it small, just family and friends.”
“I should probably see your dress first so I know what will go with it.”
Alicia agreed. “Amber, can we do that?”
“Of course, I’m all done with Madison. Let’s get you changed. Just watch the pins as we slip it on.”
Alicia followed her into the changing room. Madison looked around the small boutique. There were dresses everywhere. She turned back around as Alicia entered the room and stood on the center platform. Madison smiled from ear to ear. “Carter is going to fall in love with you all over again.”
The satin white dress was strapless. It had beads embroidered around the top which accented her bust line. The skirt was free flowing, not puffy, not tight but perfect for a beach wedding. The fabric ended around her ankle where beads accented the bottom.
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“It’s beautiful. I think it’s perfect for your wedding. Wow.”
She smiled as she twirled around in the mirror. “Ok, let’s find you something to go along with it.”
Amber escorted her back into the changing room as Madison went into the store to look at dresses. She found a silky light blue strapless dress. It was decorated with light beading that matched Alicia’s dress. The blue would be perfect with the ocean and sand as their backdrop.
She reached for the dress and held it up against her body. It came down to her knees. She jumped when she heard someone behind her. “You would be stunning in that.”
She quickly turned around and spotted Mike. “Are you stalking me?”
He laughed in that devilish way. “No.”
They were interrupted when Amber returned with Alicia. Her face beamed. “Hey, it’s your sexy neighbor.”
Madison blushed again as Amber stepped in. “Oh no. He’s not sexy. He never will be and if you keep saying stuff like that, it will only feed his ego.”
Madison and Alicia looked at each other in confusion. “Do you know each other?”
Amber laughed as she looked at Mike. “I told you that we don’t look like brother and sister. I’m convinced Mom slept with the milk man for him.”
Mike laughed and turned his attention back to Maddy. “Yes, she’s my little sister, my annoying little sister.”
Amber chuckled. “Don’t embarrass me in front of my clients. How do you know each other?”
Mike smiled. “She moved into the empty apartment next to me.”
“Well, that’s better than your last neighbor.”
Mike nodded. “Agreed.”
Madison held up the dress for Amber and Alicia. They both smiled. “I love it, Maddy. Grab that one and let’s look for one more.”
Amber found a beige dress with a similar pattern. It was longer than the blue dress but both were stunning. Madison followed Amber into the fitting room. She took off her shirt and shorts and placed them on the empty shelves.
“You can say no if you are uncomfortable but would you mind removing your bra so we can see the dress as it was meant to be seen?”
Madison groaned as she stood there and looked in the mirror. She was already uncomfortable in just her bra and panties. She took a deep breath. “Sure, anything for Alicia.”
Amber turned around to grab the blue dress off the hanger. She smiled as she turned around and slipped the dress into place. She zippered up the back and looked around her into the mirror. “It’s stunning, Madison.”
She nodded. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She released her hair from the clip as it fell around her face. The color was beautiful against her skin tone. The empire waist was cut perfectly underneath her chest with a line of beads. “I love it. Let’s see if Alicia does too.”
She walked into the main room as Alicia turned and gasped. “I love it, that’s the dress.”
“I do love it, Alicia. It’s beautiful.”
“You are beautiful in it. Amber, I want a total of three dresses. I will email you the other girl’s measurements but this is the dress.”
Amber nodded. “Not a problem. We will schedule a fitting in the next couple of weeks for all of you and then a final fitting a week before the wedding.”
Madison turned around as the back door opened and Mike walked in. He stared at her. He tensed and said, “I need to run. Amber, the pipe is fixed.”
He disappeared out the front door. Alicia turned towards Amber. “Is he always like that?”
“No, that was new. He’s one of the most confident guys I know. I think Madison got his attention in this dress.”
Madison blushed. “What? Not me.”
Alicia laughed. “Maddy doesn’t have self confidence. She doesn’t believe that her muscular, hot hockey player boyfriend actually loves her.”
Amber looked at her. “Who are you dating?”
“Hunter Longo
.”
Amber started to fan herself. “Wow, he’s hot.”
Madison laughed. “Can I get out of this dress now?”
Amber led her back into the fitting room and removed the dress. As Madison got dressed, Amber continued to talk. “No wonder my brother was nervous around you. His favorite hockey player is Longo. He’s afraid he will get his ass kicked.”
Madison smirked. “I’m sure that’s not it.”
“You really don’t know how beautiful you are, do you? Well, it’s none of my business. I’m just the dress designer but believe me when I say it. You are truly beautiful.”
She smiled. “Thank you.” Madison left the fitting room and headed back to Alicia. “Let’s finish unpacking my apartment.”
“Great. We will stop and grab a pizza. I’m starving,” Alicia said.
Madison looked at her. “You feel ok? You are eating a lot lately.”
She gasped. “Are you calling me fat?”
“No! I’m just making an observation.”
Alicia looked at Amber. “Thank you for all your help today. I will be in touch with all the details.”
“Thank you!” She waved as she went back behind the counter.
Madison followed Alicia to her car. “I’m sorry, Alicia. I wasn’t calling you fat.” She got into the car and reached for the seat belt.
Alicia sighed and started the car. “I know you weren’t. You can’t tell your brother but I think I’m pregnant.”
Madison gasped. “What!”
“Yeah, I’m a couple weeks late. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I don’t want to tell him until I know for sure.”
She nodded. “I won’t say anything. Wow, I’m going to be an aunt.”
Alicia smiled. “And you will be the best aunt in the world. This child is going to love you.”
Madison started to cry. It was at that moment that she finally felt as if she was part of a family. “You and Carter will be incredible parents.”
Alicia wiped her eyes. “No crying yet. We don’t know for sure.”
She nodded as Alicia pulled onto the street and headed towards the pizzeria.
CHAPTER FOUR
A few hours later, Madison and Alicia collapsed onto her living room furniture and took a break. The apartment was organized, cleaned and unboxed.
Ice Dreams Part 2 Page 3