Delayed Call

by Toni Aleo

  Looking in the mirror as her hair was being touched up along with her makeup, Brie felt her stomach all tied up in knots. She was worried about seeing Vaughn that night. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but something wasn’t sitting right. She had been so confident about them. But after that phone call, she was worried. She knew things would be weird; she had professed her love for him, and he didn’t accept it. It wasn’t going to be smooth sailing, but she believed in them. Especially after he fought for them against Elli.

  At that moment, she knew he loved her, but it blew her away that he didn’t know. Or that he did, and he wouldn’t acknowledge it. Either way, she worried that he was on the run. That he was on his way out because he couldn’t handle what he was feeling. The thing was, she didn’t know how to keep him. How to convince him to just ride it out, that it would work because they were right. Damn it, they were so fucking right.

  Closing her eyes, she fought back the tears as she pulled in a breath through her nose and blew it out. When she opened her eyes, the hairdresser nodded. “All done.”

  “Thanks.”

  Glancing in the mirror, she looked good, she guessed, but she felt like ass. While Vaughn hadn’t slept, neither had she. She was up just as he was, wishing he would sleep instead of worry himself the way he had. She wanted to ease his worry like he had so many times for her, but she didn’t know how. How did you make someone feel better about not loving you? Was that even possible? She wasn’t sure, but then, she felt like she wasn’t sure about anything.

  All she did know was that she loved him. A lot. And she sure as hell didn’t want this to end.

  At all.

  When Russell stopped beside her, handing her the interview list, she took it as he asked, “How’s your brother doing?”

  She looked up, smiling. “Really good, thank you for asking.”

  “I’m glad. We’re glad to have you back full time again.”

  “I am too.”

  He smacked his hands together. “Ready to get out there?”

  “Yeah,” she said, looking down to check the names, and she was disappointed when she didn’t see Vaughn’s. Standing, she followed Russell down the tunnel just as the puck dropped and the Assassins started to play the Sharks. Oh, San Jose. She didn’t have fond memories of that place. But in a way, San Jose would always be the place where she realized Vaughn was someone important. Someone she couldn’t live without—though, she’d tried to.

  When her eyes fell on Vaughn as he drove hard to the net, trying to score, she couldn’t help but smile. Their love story wasn’t perfect by a long shot. It wasn’t even complete, but it was by far her favorite story. She wasn’t sure if it would end or if they would get their happily ever after. But one thing was for sure, she would love him until her dying day. She just hoped she heard him say he loved her before that day came.

  She watched as Vaughn skated back to the bench, and his eyes met hers. Heat rushed through her body, but he didn’t smile. He didn’t even wink. He just sat down, and her shoulders fell. She might need to prepare herself for the worst, but that would have to be later because she had a job to do. A job he had fought for her to keep. So there was that. But was it for nothing?

  The uneasiness had her guts in knots, and she just wanted the game to be over so she could get out of there. She knew she wasn’t very cheerful through her bench interviews or even her intermission ones. But then, she doubted anyone cared since the Assassins had come out with a two-to-zero victory, Jensen getting his third shutout since coming to the Assassins. Which was great for him, even though she hated life at the moment.

  Brie tried to put a smile on her face as she climbed up onto her box, ready for her interview with Jensen. But it wasn’t working. It was as if her smile was broken, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Vaughn. About what was going to happen once she got to his place. She wasn’t sure how she’d gone from being so fucking sure of them to being a scared little girl, but she was definitely the latter, unsure what that meant. But damn it, she was a confident girl. She believed in them, and she loved him.

  Wasn’t that enough?

  Hadn’t they had enough bad shit happen?

  Couldn’t they just be happy?

  Man, why did life have to be a dick so often?

  As she shook her head, she saw Jensen out of the corner of her eye, standing by the corner. But he had his helmet on as he came toward her. “What’s up with the helmet?”

  “I’m ugly,” he mumbled and she snorted.

  “I don’t think people think that.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Okay,” she sang, shaking her head and taking in the fact that he was wearing his jacket with his hood up. “Weirdo.”

  “What is he wearing?” Russell called out, and everyone looked at Jensen like he had lost his mind.

  “I have no clue,” she said, and Jensen waved them off.

  “Let’s get this over with.”

  Russell looked to Brie, and she shrugged as he rolled his eyes. “I’ll be quick. I don’t want to be here either.”

  “’Cause Jo is an idiot?”

  She smiled ruefully. “He’s…he’s something, but I love him.”

  “Yeah?”

  She looked over at him and nodded, though he looked away. “Yeah.”

  When he didn’t answer, she glanced back to Russell as he started to count her down. She looked into the camera and decided she would be quick about this. Neither of them wanted to be there.

  When Russell pointed to Brie, she plastered on a grin as she said, “Hello, Brie Soledad back with Jensen Monroe.” But when she turned to talk to him, he was pulling off his jacket along with the helmet, and looking back at her was not Jensen, but Vaughn.

  And on his chest in big, bold black letters was “I love Brie Soledad.”

  Her eyes widened, and her heart jumped into her throat as she looked from his chest to his face, her jaw falling open. “Vaughn?”

  “Brie,” he exhaled. “I ruin your interviews the best, and I figured I needed to ruin this one to tell you I am the biggest coward on the face of this planet.”

  “Vaughn?” she gasped once more, but he only shook his head, taking a step to her. “What are you doing?”

  “Let me get this out,” he begged, his eyes pleading. “Not only did I handle everything that happened yesterday completely wrong, I went to the tattoo shop today to get your name tattooed on my chest, and I chickened out.”

  She was stunned. “What? Really?”

  “I know, this is Sharpie, I’m a crybaby. But that’s not the point. A while back, my best friend reminded me that you can’t be a coward and be in love at the same time. You have to choose one or the other. I’ve chewed on that statement the whole time I’ve been with you, but it never really meant anything until the moment you told me you loved me.”

  As he came closer to her, she felt like a cat on crack, shaking as he took her hands in his and held her gaze. “I don’t want to be a coward, Brie. I want to be the man you deserve. I want to be a man that Nathan would be proud of. I want you to look at me and be proud to be mine. I want to make you laugh. I want…I want it all. Because no one makes me feel what you make me feel. A love that is true and pure. There is no one like us, and I don’t ever want to lose that.”

  “I don’t either,” she whispered, lacing her fingers with his.

  “My therapist says I play best on the delayed call. With my back against the wall and I have to score with that extra man advantage. You’re my advantage, my partner, and together we can score.”

  “Wow, that was really hockey-ish,” she muttered as the tears gathered in her eyes. He grinned big with so much love in his eyes. Just like that, happiness hit her hard, like a runaway train, as she held his gaze. “You’re lucky I know what you’re talking about.”

  “I am. But just in case… Brianna Soledad, I fucking love you,” he said, loud and proud. “That was a five-thousand-dollar I love you, and let me tell you, I know
it was worth it. But just in case, let’s make it ten thousand dollars because I won’t ever love anyone the way I fucking love you.”

  Her tears spilled over her, rolling down her cheeks as she took his face in her hands, pulling him to her. “I fucking love you too.”

  He gathered her in his arms, and their mouths met in the kiss she had been craving since the moment he had left that morning. As his grip on her tightened and their tongues met, she knew things were just getting started for them, and she never wanted it to end. The giddiness, the possibilities they had, it was all just so overwhelming and miraculous.

  Pulling back, he brushed his lips over hers as he asked, “I wonder if I’ll be fined for your cuss words?”

  “Probably not.”

  “So we’ll both be out some money.”

  She nodded. “Worth it.”

  “Completely.” His eyes were full of the love she always had known was there. “I was an idiot.”

  “You were.”

  “Forgive me?”

  “Always. I love you.”

  “I love you.”

  They grinned against each other’s lips, and she snickered, “Can we discuss the Sharpie on your chest? Who drew that?”

  “No. And Jensen.”

  She started to giggle. “Did you really chicken out?”

  “I told you we aren’t talking about it.”

  “But you’re the legend!”

  Smothering her with a kiss, he leaned her back off the box, holding her as he kissed her and she clung to him, her lips curving against his. He pulled back, looking down into her face with his beautiful brown eyes sparkling. Her breath caught as he said, “You’re damn right, I’m the legend.”

  “My legend.”

  “Only yours.”

  “My legend who is scared of needles.”

  “Shut it, woman.”

  Snorting with laughter, she pressed her nose to his. “I love you, JoHo.”

  His eyes went bright as he kissed her lips. “I love you too, my big pain in the ass.”

  “That’s fifteen grand.”

  “Jesus, this is the most expensive grand gesture ever!”

  “If only you weren’t a hoodlum.”

  “I’d be so boring.”

  “Dreadful,” she agreed, moving her nose along his. “But I’d still love you.”

  “Good, because I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I know, I’ll break your kneecaps if you try.”

  “And you say I’m the hoodlum,” he whispered right as her lips curved into an unbreakable smile. His lips pressed into hers, his arms came around her, and her heart exploded in her chest. As he lifted her off the box, Brie wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her away, despite Russell’s protest. She wasn’t sure where they were going or what he was about to do to her, but she didn’t care.

  She was with the one she was made to love.

  Her legend.

  Vaughn Fucking Johansson.

  “Well…”

  Staring at the counter in her bathroom as she sat on the toilet, she wasn’t exactly sure how this had happened. It seemed like only yesterday that she had gotten Vaughn Johansson fined for cussing during his interview with her. And after that was the whirlwind of their romance. She had fallen into bed with Vaughn without really thinking it through, which led to two more rounds of sex before he broke her heart and then got her back. Fast forward to the moment she told him she loved him after he fought for her job with the Assassins, followed by him not telling her he loved her back. He then dressed up as his best friend and wrote on his chest with Sharpie that he did love her. And now, she found herself sitting on the toilet.

  So yeah, she guessed she did know how she got there. That all seemed like centuries ago, but it had really only been three months. Three months of complete and utter bliss with the man she loved more than life itself. They had moved in to her apartment together. Tricksie had a doggie bed fit for a queen, and Jensen was happy across the hall, except when they were too loud, as he said, not that they believed him. Rodney’s heart was working perfectly, he hadn’t had any episodes, and everyone was really positive. He was in heaven at NateWay, and rumor had it he had a little romance with Phyllis that Marl wasn’t very happy about.

  Things were going great. Perfect, even. But as she sat on the toilet staring at the counter, she wasn’t exactly sure how Vaughn would take the news.

  When the door opened suddenly, her eyes widened as Vaughn said, “Hey, come here for… What are you doing?”

  Her lips parted as he looked down at the counter and then back to her. Holding up her hands, she waved them awkwardly and said, “Surprise.”

  “What?”

  Standing up, she picked up the pregnancy test and handed it to him. “Remember that one time you said you had crazy strong sperm? Guess you were right.”

  Glancing down at the test that read pregnant, he then looked back up to her. “So you’re pregnant?”

  “No, I bought this off a crack whore on the side of the road yesterday.”

  He gave her a dry look. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Really.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So you’re pregnant.”

  “I think that’s what those words mean.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, apparently. It’s the fourth one.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Pregnant?”

  “Yup, me. We did it.”

  He shook his head, bringing his gaze up to hers. Though, she couldn’t really read him. “I told you we should have done it in the butt.”

  Her eyes widened as she smacked him, laughing. “Vaughn!”

  “I’m kidding, asshole. Come here,” he hollered before taking her in his arms and smothering her with a kiss that had her flying to another world. Picking her up, he then set her on the counter and picked the test back up, holding it between them as he gazed down at the little window that read their future. “Wow.”

  “Yeah. You’re not mad, are you?”

  “Fuck no, why would I be mad?”

  “It took you forever to sleep in a bed with me.”

  “I do it all the time now.”

  “And a whole day to figure out you loved me.”

  “Hey, and I know it to be true now.” She shot him a deadpan look, and he shrugged.

  “This is big.”

  “It is. But, babe, this is awesome. A baby. With you. Wow.”

  “Yeah. Our baby.”

  A little grin curved his lips as he shook his head. “Do we have to get married now?”

  She shot him a disbelieving look. “Please tell me that’s not how you’re asking.”

  “Oh, that didn’t work? I have to do more?”

  She glared. “I’m going to beat you.”

  He snorted as he shook his head, looking back down at the test. “No, I’m not asking.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “Oh, you don’t want me to?’

  “No, I do, but in your time.”

  “I thought you didn’t like my timing.”

  “It sucks sometimes. But just ’cause we’re knocked up doesn’t mean we have to get married.”

  “This is true.”

  “I thought so.”

  “But this is better,” he said, holding up the stick to her, his eyes bright. “I’m obviously a beast.”

  She scoffed. “Or I missed a pill.”

  “Or my sperm beat your pill up and got it done because we are—”

  “If you say legendary, I will make it so you can’t have any more kids,” she warned, and he shot her a playful glare.

  “That’s rude. I gotta play tomorrow. Game five, round one! I’ll win it for you and our baby.”

  Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  He looked up, his lips still tilted. “More than okay. I’m happy. I want this. With only you.”

&n
bsp; Her heart exploded as she leaned her face to his, kissing his lips. “Me too.” Parting, she grinned. “Maybe we can get matching tattoos of the baby’s name.”

  “I’ll go find a Sharpie,” he said, walking out of the bathroom. She laughed as she jumped off the counter to follow him.

  “But it’s better if it’s—” Her words dropped off when she entered the living room. The room was full of gold balloons and hundreds of white roses, with Tricksie and Vaughn standing in the middle of the room. Her mouth was gaping open as she looked around, taking in all he had done before she looked to Vaughn. “Whoa.”

  “Yeah,” he laughed as he came to her, taking her hand in his. “While you were napping and finding out about our child, Jensen helped me bring everything in.”

  “What is this?”

  The side of his mouth quirked up as he met her gaze. “I’m proposing.”

  “No way!”

  “Yeah, I had it planned for a while.”

  “You trying to one-up me?”

  “A baby kind of one-ups a marriage proposal.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, but now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You want to.”

  “Yeah. I do.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know, both of us surprising the other. We’re getting good at this.”

  “We are,” she gasped, her heart pounding as she met his gaze. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, so…” He sucked in a deep breath before shrugging his shoulders. “I think I always knew you were the one.” Her breath caught, her free hand coming to her stomach as she held his hand. “The moment I met you, I knew you were special. I knew you were going to keep me on edge and drive me wild. I didn’t know I would fall in love with you, though. I didn’t know that you would change me—completely. That one look in your eyes could brighten my day and make my heart skip a beat a thousand times a day.”

  “Oh, Vaughn.”

  He laughed as his eyes filled with tears. “The more I learned about you, the more I knew that when you finally loved, you loved with a fierceness because you hadn’t been loved enough. The thing is, Soledad, I want to love you enough and then some. Sorry, I’m shaking. I tried to act cool about the baby, but I think I’m having a panic attack,” he said, holding his chest as she sputtered with laughter. She wrapped her arm around his middle while his arms came around her, his nose nuzzling in her hair. “I just wanted to propose.”