by Brit DeMille
“Mikhail was perfectly placed, though,” another reporter comments.
“He was,” I say. “I felt him there and knew it was right. We needed a goal and it didn’t matter who got it.”
“That’s what good leaders do. That’s why I’m thrilled to leave this team in this guy’s hands,” Chalamet says. “He’s going to be an amazing captain next year!”
The reporters focus on David for a few questions, asking him about his own goal early in the game, and about his retirement plans. Then, out of the blue, a reporter says, “The league has just announced the series MVP. It’s Evan Kazmeirowicz.”
The room erupts with the snap of cameras and the hype of my team, who all cheer and try to reach over to ruffle my hair or slap me on the back.
We finish press and I take a call from Scott, who informs me that Max has offered a huge bonus based on our conversation earlier in the year.
“So, MVP, what’s your off-season look like?”
“Holly and I are heading to Colorado,” I tell him. “Going to kayak and hike. Maybe get into some other trouble.” Images of making love to Holly out in the wild dance through my head.
“I know I was a bit of skeptic earlier this season,” Scott says. “I really am happy for you both. Maybe she is your lucky charm.”
She absolutely is.
As I hang up, my phone buzzes.
Holly: Nice game, Stud. See you out at the car. Tons of press out here, btw.
There’s tons of press inside. I can’t imagine who’s hanging around outside, but it’s good, actually. I have one more thing I need to do in order to make this a perfect end to a perfect season.
The guys and I all wander out to the parking lot, bro-hugging and hand-shaking. Max Terry comes out, and our coaching staff. We all take pictures with the cup before it is whisked off into an armored car to be engraved and then delivered for us to display over the summer.
My white Lambo is parked right where I left it and I’m the first to crane my neck as the door opens. Holly, in a sleek, black dress, steps out of the driver’s seat. As she approaches on very high and very sexy heels, the press catch sight of her and start snapping pictures.
She gives me a sexy smile and I decide now is the time. I drop to one knee in front of press and management and teammates. I pull out the ring I bought months ago.
Holly starts crying immediately, her hand over her mouth and her shoulders shaking.
“Holly Laurent, you have changed my life. I’m a better player, a better teammate, and a better person because of you. I’m a much better man, and I want to keep getting better, but only with you at my side. Will you be my wife?”
“Yes,” she sobs happily. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
I stand up and slip the ring on her finger before kissing her thoroughly. I hear a million camera clicks but it doesn’t bother me a bit. I have my girl in my arms and she just agreed to marry me. Holly extends her hand and examines the ring intently. I watch her eyes fill with fresh tears and it feels like we are walking on air.
Her friend Pam must have been in the passenger side of the vehicle, because she comes from out of nowhere, demanding to see the ring. She deems it “stunning” and gives us both sloppy kisses of congratulation to our cheeks. Georg is next, and it takes a bit of time for Holly and me to make our way to the car and away from the chaos of the parking lot.
We had planned to go out dancing to celebrate, but I think we both feel like there are other, more important things to do.
Our catering server pops open a bottle of champagne as we make eyes at each other over a candlelit dinner in my suite.
We toast to the beginning of forever.
I stare at my future wife and enjoy the show as she blushes for me. I think about all the ways I want to love her. I wonder what’s going through her mind right now.
After our dinner, that was dripping with enough sexual innuendo to make our poor server nearly keel over from embarrassment, I tip her handsomely to go away.
I turn on some music, Keane’s, Somewhere Only We Know plays softly as I pull my fiancée into my arms. We dance as the lights of the Strip shimmer against the panoramic view through the wall of windows.
“I can’t believe how much I love you,” Holly says. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”
“I’m yours,” I remind her. “For as long as you’ll have me.”
I slip the dress off her shoulders and bare her golden skin, kissing her shoulder blades as she tips her head back, her long hair like a dark waterfall down her back. That dress, as pretty as it is, looks better on the floor as I gaze at the long lines of her toned body. Her calves are shapely in those high-heeled shoes, and I lobby for those to be the only thing she leaves on tonight.
I kiss along each bared inch of her skin. I caress the soft skin of her tight ass. I lick and kiss at her sweet pussy through her soaked, silky knickers.
All in all, I worship this woman. So much so, that I ditch her knickers and pick her up, placing her atop the now cleared dining table. I know where I’ll be taking my dessert from tonight—the sweetness between her legs.
“You’re a goddess,” I say, my beard and lips and tongue coated in her juices. She’s boneless from the orgasm I just gave her. I love her this way.
I carry her to my bed and take my time entering her. When I do, I’m looking deeply into her eyes as I fill her up. We are truly one body together. I see a single tear fall from the corner of her eye and onto the pillow.
I make love to this amazing, beautiful woman I never expected to find.
But am so grateful I did.
Twenty-Eight
Holly
“So, guess who is the new team physical therapist for the Crush,” Pam says on the other end of the line.
“Ummmm,” I say, knowing the answer already.
“Me!” she exclaims. “Me! I got the job!”
“I’m so psyched for you. And we get to work together. Kind of.”
“I know, I can’t believe it. I’ve wanted to work in a sports shop forever. I can’t wait to get started.”
“Are things going to be okay…working with Georg?” I ask carefully.
“Meh, I can handle him.”
“No doubt you can, friend.”
“What’s up with you?” she quickly changes topics. “How’s it feel to be engaged now that you’ve had a few weeks to let it all sink in?”
“Great,” I answer. “It’s been really, really great.”
“Okay, Holls, that was a lot of greats, which means something’s on your mind. Fess up, girlie.”
“No, it’s totally perfect. It’s just that Evan and I are about to head out to Colorado for a few weeks. He does some off-season training out there and I want to take him hiking and camping and stuff. But I haven’t been feeling super great the last couple of days.”
“You haven’t been feeling well how?” she asks, suspicious.
“Nauseous, tired. Probably the flu.”
“Or…not the flu? Maybe you’re preggo?”
I open my mouth and then shut it. Then say, “I’m six days late.”
“Yup,” Pam says. “Go get a test.”
“I will. Hey, I’ve got to run. Got things to buy and clothes to pack.”
“Get a test!” she yells. “Go now! Now, I say!”
I laugh and promise I will. She says if I were at her house, she’d let me take one from the stash in her bathroom.
“I’m not sure what level of horrified I am that you have a stash of pregnancy tests in your bathroom at home, Pamela Jenson.”
“Don’t be judgey, it doesn’t suit you at all. That girl from the clinic who roomed with me for a few months left a bunch of tests behind when she bailed. She was weird.”
“God, I love you.” The fact that she will be in Vegas working for the Crush fills me with happiness.
“Love you too, you little slut who gets knocked up by her fiancé. That’s going to be one cute kid.”
I try to imagine what my ki
ds with Evan would look like. My tummy does a little flip at the thought. We can’t be too shocked, either of us. We’ve had unprotected sex more than once...that I can remember. Pam’s right. I need to take a pregnancy test.
After we say goodbye I drive to the nearest pharmacy and buy two tests. Then I head straight home to my apartment to finish up my packing. I pee on the little plastic stick, lay it on the bathroom counter, and get to work.
An hour later I’m packed and ready, expecting Evan to show any moment, when I wander into the bathroom and see the test lying there on the counter.
I realize I never looked at it.
Twenty-Nine
Evan
We’ve been driving for about six hours, and now find ourselves on a really windy road toward the Rocky Mountains.
I’ve rented an amazing villa in the hills which offers us privacy and space to do all of the outdoorsy things that Holly has planned. We’ve been listening to music all the way, and while she’s seemed happy overall, there is definitely something going on with her.
“You okay over there, Champ?” I ask.
“I’m just dandy,” she says, just a little too chipper.
“That’s a weird word, baby. What’s going on? Car sick?”
“You could say that,” she says quietly.
“Oh, sorry. We’ll be to the house in like six minutes.”
She nods, but I can tell there’s something she’s not saying. I let it go, her spirits appearing to lift as soon as she sees the gorgeous home I’ve rented for us. Holly’s so excited she hops out of the SUV before it’s barely come to a complete stop.
I pop open the back end of the new Land Rover, recently purchased for just these sorts of trips, and walk over to Holly where she stands admiring a stunning view of mountains and forest that goes on for days. I wrap my arms around her from behind and rest my chin on the top of her head. “I hope this means you’re feeling a little bit better.”
“I’ll be fine,” she says in a quiet voice.
The sound of a bag thumping to the ground catches our attention as her soft luggage tumbles out of the back of the Rover and onto the ground. A few things spill out of the top, which wasn’t totally zipped all the way and scatter in the gravel.
She scrambles to grab at something, but I get to it first, struggling to comprehend precisely what I’m looking at. It doesn’t take long for me to figure it out, though. I’m not that dumb.
“A pregnancy test.” I say, frowning at the white stick.
I look more closely at it. The little window shows a + with the explanation key displaying the word “pregnant” beside the + symbol.
I look up at Holly.
I look down at that little + some more.
Then back up to find her beautiful face again. She’s biting her lip and there are tears in her eyes.
“Are you? Are we?” I stammer.
She nods. I can’t tell if she’s happy or not.
“When…?”
“Could have been any of the times we did it without a condom,” she says. “We weren’t exactly careful. But I think it was the night after you won the cup.”
“So…just a handful of weeks?”
She nods again. “I think. I’ll need to confirm with a doctor.”
I stare at her for a minute, trying to read her mind. “Are you happy?”
“I’m…shocked. But not unhappy,” she says carefully. “I mean, it’s not the timing I would have picked for us to start a family…this news, our engagement…it’s all really…a lot.”
“Well, that’s certainly a pragmatic approach.” I can see she is worried about what I think about it.
“You’re not exactly showing your hand, either,” she counters. “How do you feel about being pregnant with me? Are you—h-happy?”
I lean in and kiss her sloppily on the mouth. “Are you kidding me? We made a life. We made a baby. And we’re getting married. And we love each other. What’s not to be happy about any of that?”
I scoop her up, the bags in the back of the car ignored for the moment, as I carry my new little family—now the center of my world—over the threshold.
Epilogue
Evan
It’s almost time to head back to Las Vegas, but first we have something very important to do.
“Do I look like a dick?” I ask as I straighten my bow-tie. “Should I have gone for something more casual?”
“It’s your wedding day, dude,” Georg says. “It’s customary to wear a tux.”
“I guess you’re right,” I say, fiddling uselessly with the tie.
There’s a sharp knock on the door that’s quickly followed by Holly’s uncle Troy as he steps into the room. “You ready, Evan?”
“Born ready,” I tell him.
He gives me a once-over. “You look good, son. No nerves?”
He’s totally feeling me out. I get it. He’s like a father to her, more than her own father, really. And he’ll be the one giving her away today. He wants to make sure I’ve really left behind my womanizing ways. My words, not his. He called me the night after my very public proposal, asking me if I was sure, his warning message loud and clear—Do not hurt my Holly-dolly or I will fuck you up.
“None whatsoever. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
He slaps me on the back. “Good man. Time to go.”
We head out to the sprawling deck off that backside of the villa where we’ve been staying most of the summer. It’s like a second home now and I haven’t told Holly, but I’ve made an offer to buy it as a wedding present to her. It will be our special place to come whenever we need to get away from it all. She’ll be able to enjoy the great outdoors to her heart’s desire.
Georg and I head down the aisle. There are about fifty guests, some of our closest friends. My parents are here—not speaking but in the same space, so we’ll call it a win. Holly’s mom is here with her new husband. They’ve been staying with us for about a week, so we’ve had a chance to talk a bit. I was surprised to hear the regret in her voice when she spoke to me about her move overseas, about leaving Holly to fend for herself through college. She mentioned missing cross-country meets and wishing she’d been able to be more involved. She’s followed Holly’s social media feeds since she started at the Crush, even learned to enjoy hockey. I can see she loves her daughter and that makes me happiest of all.
Georg and I line up next to the minister as a string quartet starts playing. The mountain view is amazing. The sky is bright blue. Pam makes her way down to us, looking fantastic in a green dress that flaunts her figure. I side-eye Georg, who’s mouth is practically dragging on the ground. I don’t know what’s going on between those two, but something is for sure.
When Holly steps out of the house in a silky white gown, her hair loose, a flower crown on her head, just the tiniest bump of our baby at her waist, I fall in love with her all over again. There’s a huge lump in my throat, which is insane. I never cry. Ever. But I might just now, because this woman is so beautiful, and she is mine. Troy gives her a kiss on the cheek after he brings her to my side, then takes a seat beside to Holly’s mom.
The minister talks about respect, partnership, and about being fair to each other. He talks about love, and while I try to pay attention, I just can’t stop myself from getting lost in Holly’s features. Her wide, brown eyes with their tiny flecks of green and gold, her perfect lips. The small freckles that dot her nose and cheeks from days in the sun. The way her breasts curve, now swollen as she carries our child.
When it comes to our vows, we decided to keep it simple, focusing on equality, trust, love, and partnership. I go first, practically ready to yell these vows into the mountains around us. I want everyone to hear me make this commitment. When I slip the ring on her finger, my heart feels like it might beat its way out of my chest.
Holly’s gaze has been locked with mine, and it’s only when the ring goes on that her signature blush comes out, a small smile playing on her lips. I wink
at her and the pink deepens further.
She repeats her vows, and a moment later, I’m wearing my own wedding band. At some point I’m kissing her, and I completely forget where we are. People good-naturedly start clearing their throats to remind me. Bastards.
The party goes late into the night, but I made sure to sneak us away at the first opportunity. I need to be alone with my wife. It’s been a week since we’ve had the house totally to ourselves.
As we stand in the bedroom, a high-ceilinged, rustic space that we have enjoyed very much, I take Holly’s face in my hands and kiss her. It’s light, just a sweet promise of love. I bend down, kissing her belly over the white silk of her wedding dress.
I get undressed quickly, watching as she slips the straps of her dress from her shoulders. It pools like silken water around her feet as it meets my more haphazard pile of pants, shirt and jacket. Her strapless bra barely contains her now-bigger breasts. Her hips are slightly wider below that shapely belly. I lick my lips as I stay on my knees, supplicant to her. I kiss her bare skin. The skin of her calves and ankles. The skin between her legs, her thighs. The skin of her belly. My hands trace the swell of her backside as her hips arch toward me. I remove her lace panties with my teeth, a wicked grin on my face as I bury my tongue exactly where I’ve needed it to be for the past week.
She moans, her hands on my shoulders as she loses herself against my lips and tongue. I pleasure her thoroughly, not satisfied until I taste her orgasm.
We move to the bed, where Holly climbs atop me, guiding me inside her as she takes control. She rides me, her hands bracing on my chest as if she’s taking ownership of me. It’s the ultimate turn-on to see her like this, our bodies connected so deeply. Her rhythm is slow and unhurried, and I just enjoy the feeling of her, my hands roaming over her perfect skin wherever I need to touch. She builds herself up again before my thumb finds her clit, putting pressure on that magical little love button I know will push her over the edge.