Page 108 of Doc Defence

“What?” She looked up at him quizzically.

“I love you.” He grinned broadly. He wasn’t going to get sick of saying that to her.

Hel stared at him for a beat, then leaned forward and stood up on her tiptoes. “Right back at you, big guy.”

His arm circled her waist, and he pulled her flush against his body. “We could skip the pub,” he said hopefully.

“We’re not skipping the pub. This is your night. They’re all here to see you.” Hel placed a chaste kiss on his lips and pulled back, staring into his eyes. “I will never get sick of that.”

“Me either.” He leaned forward in an attempt to deepen the kiss, but Hel slipped out of his grip, skipping backwards.

“Come back here,” he growled.

Hel evaded him, and she subtly indicated to a mum with two young kids who was frowning at them.

Frost’s eyes swung to them, and he nodded. Taking hold of her hand, he lifted it to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.

For a moment, he wondered what his kids with Hel would look like. There was no doubt in his mind, she was his person. The one he would spend the rest of his life with and wanted a family with.

He didn’t say anything, not wanting to scare Hel off by moving at a million kilometres an hour when they had only been together for an hour. Which he had to admit, so far, was the best hour of his life.

Now he stood in Australia, holding hands with the woman he loved, he couldn’t work out why it seemed like such a difficult decision to make.

Hockey had been his whole life, and coaching the Vultures was the same. He needed balance. And now, with the Wombats, hockey would be part of his life, not his whole life.

Hel tugged on his hand to get him moving again. “Do you have a hire car?”

“Nope,” he replied.

He had literally got in a taxi with a backpack and headed straight for the cinema. The rest of his things were being shipped over.

“Shit,” Frost swore.

His backpack. Where the hell had he put it? He was so flustered when he arrived, waiting to see Hel he couldn’t remember. It probably would have been better in hindsight to phone her and discuss him coming to Australia and ask if she wanted the same as him. But every time he got close to dialling her number, he couldn’t do it. Paralysed with fear that she would tell him not to come.

For some reason, it seemed easier to uproot his whole life rather than make a simple phone call.

“What’s shit?” Hel enquired.

“I left my bag somewhere, and I have no recollection of where!”

“Do you need clothes?” Hel wiggled her eyebrows and giggled.

“Nope.” He dragged her toward the door, then stopped and swore again. “Shit, but I do need my wallet as I’m paying for dinner at the pub. Right, I went to the staff room to hide while you guys all arrived.”

“Maybe you left it there?” Hel suggested.

Frost’s eyes lit up. “That’s it. I must have done. Hang on a minute.” He bounded off to the payment desk. “Hi, Jack. Did I leave my bag?”

“You did, mate.” Jack, who worked in the cinema, nodded, then asked, “You found the cleaning cupboard alright?”

Frost felt a blush rising up his cheeks as he muttered, “Yes, thanks.”

He glanced across at Hel, who was barely containing her laughter.

“I’ll grab your bag, mate,” Jack said and walked away.

Hel leaned into Frost, murmuring, “Did you scout out somewhere we could make out before you came into the cinema?”

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