“I’m very nervous about tonight.”
“Breathe and watch me,” she instructed, “It’s all about your posture and the eyes. Relax your shoulders, breathe, and bring your eyebrows down. If you try to ease your expression, then you don’t come off as nervous but rather calm and in charge.”
“Oh, I could use that,” he chuckled, drawing in a deep breath, and looking at her across the center console. “You always look so calm and in control.”
“Plenty of practice in the mirror,” she admitted quietly. “I used to be a nervous wreck when I was younger, always worrying about what people thought of me, how I looked, and so on… I had a counselor give me those tips, which is why you never see me talk much with my hands. It’s a dead giveaway I’m freaking out.”
“Oh really?”
“Yup. When I interview, I usually sit on my hands.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Liam chuckled softly. “Shall we?”
“You bet,” Ashley replied and got out of the truck, walking around the vehicle and to his side. She took his hand like it was nothing – and was in the middle of marveling at how good it felt to hold his hand, how warm it was, and how it just seemed to fit her own, when he leaned over and dropped the softest kiss on her cheek. Startled, she met his eyes and saw his gentle gaze mixed with that devastating smile.
“If I haven’t already said it,” he began quietly. “Thank you for being an amazing person.”
“We’re on this roller coaster together,” she whispered, feeling her heart flutter wildly in her chest. He brought her hand up to his lips, kissed her knuckles, and nodded.
“C’mon…”
Nodding, they walked up to the arena, holding hands, and Ashley wasn’t sure what to expect, but certainly notthis.
“’Bout time you got here!” a man called out arrogantly. “Does this mean I get to be late for practice if the captain is late?”
“No,” Ashley said bluntly, speaking out to shut down any disrespect immediately. She felt guilty like it was her fault they were late and heard Liam’s easy laugh beside her.
“You heard my wife, Acton – she said ‘No,’ and who am I to disobey?” Liam teased and gave her an easy look between them – but there in his eyes was a lingering look of gratitude.First hurdle crossed, now on to the next one,she mused silently,and then the next.
The place was crowded.
There were so many people, smiling and laughing together; children were running around everywhere, and it had an easy feeling to it— almost family-like, and that was not what she had been anticipating. She expected it to be a sport-like event, full of yelling, cheering, and such – but this was more like a company Christmas party. There were tables laden with foil chafing trays, tables full of Wolverine's stuff for everyone to take, and they were handing out T-shirts, stuffed Wolverines, teddy bears, and foam fingers in the bright red and blue that was the teams colors.
Liam was there, by her side, almost the entire evening and taking her advice. She kept seeing him tense up before relaxing his shoulders, drawing in a breath, and then tossing an easy smile her way, almost like it was a silent communication between them. She couldn’t help but smile back. Sometimes, he could put his hand at the base of her spine, resting almost possessively – and if it wasn’t on her lower back, then it was on her hip. They stood together and made small talk with a plethora of people. She met each of the players and listened to the hockey stories they shared.
Her heels hurt her ankles, her calves ached, and she couldn’t wait to get home…, but nothing prepared her for how good it would feel to be here, beside Liam, as his wife. For the first time, she was seeing how he interacted with others around him and marveled at this man she’d agreed to marry.
She was taken aback at her own feelings that were starting to take hold within her – and how unexpected they were. What was going to happen when this whole agreement came to an end? How was she going to pick up the pieces if things continued at this pace?
She couldn’t be falling for him –could she?
8
ASHLEY
Meeting Liam’swary look the next morning, Ashley drew in her breath and steadied her nerves. They were putting her new husband to work right away – and by the same instance, her too.
After the get-together to meet the team, the coach stopped them both and pulled them aside.
“Liam, I need you both for an interview first thing in the morning. It’s a preemptive thing to settle a few rumblings in the hockey community. Be positive, stick with a few of these responses, and most of all – press the team image along with a family atmosphere.”
“What do you mean?” Ashley asked nervously, “We don’t have a family.”
“You two arethefamily,” Coach Starnes chuckled. “And I couldn’t have picked a better couple to foster that image. You’ve got the whole look ‘first lady’ look going,” the coach began, waving his hand in front of her. “He’s got the ‘Good Guy’ look that we want the Wolverines to stand for – so your first job as captain, Liam, is to do this interview… with her.”
“Both of us?”
“Yes. Get out there, smile at each other, hold hands, get all chummy and sweet with each other for the camera and talk about teamwork, family, and hockey –nothing else,” the coach ordered sternly. “Not your past teams, not any prior girlfriends, nothing. Your lives didn’t start until you signed with us. Got it?”
