“You’ve seen Zeus jump up whenever he sees us hugging.”
I nodded, and he continued.
“Travis thought it’d be cute for him to join in on our hugs, so he trained him to jump up whenever he sees us hugging.” He smiled and added, “He’s decided he wanted in this time. It means he’s adopted you.”
I grinned, and my cheeks heated. The sentiment was sweet, but as much as I loved it here, I had to remind myself that this fairytale had an end date. Both my visa and my agreement with Jacques would come to an end.
I’d have to leave.
The thought broke my heart.
Linc continued, unaware of the direction my thoughts had turned. “I wasn’t expecting for one hundred pounds of muscle to launch himself at us. I lost my footing.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, reaching up to touch the back of his head. I ran my fingers through his silky-soft hair, and he smiled gently.
“Thanks to you, I don’t have an egg on the back of my head.”
“Hey, I’m just glad I didn’t knee you in the nuts.”
He winced. “Yeah, me too.”
I gestured over my shoulder with my thumb, pointing the way to the bedrooms. “I might go have a shower. All this talent is hard work.”
I stepped back, immediately missing the feel of his arms around me but insanely grateful that Zeus didn’t decide to join in again. I forced myself to walk away from Linc. I bit my tongue, holding in the invitation for him to join me in the shower.
I was going to need an ice-cold one.
twenty-four
Jacques
“Go,baby!”Carinashouted,her voice echoing through the rink.
Hux and I were playing around, trying to score on each other as a cooldown after our latest skating session. I was soaking with sweat, and my muscles had an ache that spoke of a good workout. We were working on speed, but it wasn’t done in isolation. Gym sessions as well as skills training were a must, but we’d refine all those things under the supervision of our coaches come preseason training. For now, our goal was to build up our stamina again so that we didn’t puke too much during our first few sessions back.
I snatched the puck off him, our sticks clacking together as I shot off on a breakaway. The ozone scent that permeated the cold air in the rink filled my lungs as I powered forward, my skates cutting tracks into the ice. I didn’t risk looking back—I didn’t need to. I could hear Hux. He was gaining on me. Fast.
I shot off the puck, aiming for the net. Without a goalie to defend it, it sailed inside, and the buzzer went off.
A whistle pierced the air, and I shot my gaze over to the walkway around the rink. Carina stood there, bundled up in a toque and scarf with the heaviest jacket Travis owned. Bracketing her were Travis and Rusty. I grinned and sprayed an arc of ice at them as I came to a stop a couple of feet short of the plexiglass they were standing behind. It was enough to sail over the barrier and rain down on them. Carina wouldn’t have even felt it through all her clothes, but she was the only one to react, tugging the jacket tighter around her and shivering.
I blew them a kiss, and Trav batted his eyes and held his hands to his heart. I barked out a laugh, my chest warm as I floated. I’d been happy before Carina joined us, but now it was like we were complete. It was so much more than I’d expected. Life was perfect. I didn’t want a single thing to change.
“Lucky break,” Hux muttered playfully as he finished skating a lap and stopped next to me. He looked at the digital clock mounted on the wall and added, “I need to wrap it up for today. I have a call with a certain silver fox and hottie I want to be home to take.”
“Do they have everything sorted for the move?” I asked. They were only a week away from leaving.
“They do.” His smile matched what I imagined mine looked like when I thought of my girl and guys—soft and utterly content. “The boxes they’re bringing over were shipped off a couple of weeks ago, so they only have their luggage with them now. Roe’s sold off everything, and his house is empty. He’s just waiting for the buyers to close on it. He and Cara are staying with his daughter so they can all spend time together before they leave.”
I held out my hand for a fist bump, and when his knuckles met mine, I said, “I’m happy for you, Hux. After everything that went down with Minns, I’m glad you found your happy.”
He cast his gaze to the three people gathered there and nudged me with his elbow. “Aw, thanks, Dad.”
Before I could react, he was off, skating toward the edge of the ice.
“Get over here, you young whippersnapper,” I shouted, laughing at him.
“Come and get me,” he teased. “Hey, Mom, did you see how I let Dad score? Had to make him look good in front of you.”
