Page 29 of Rock Pucking Bottom

"Detroit, Toronto and Vancouver."

Okay. He was right. I didn't hate those teams. Detroit was the closest to the pack, but their team was in a major rebuild for what felt like the tenth year in a row. But it was probably was closer to only three years. Then you got Toronto where my cousin and Logan's mate, Mason Raincloud-Peterson, coached. They loved having a base in Toronto and could easily come back to the pack territory for the full moon. But my mate was here in Vancouver, and she was scared of my pack. Those were all viable, but on face value with no details, I knew where my heart lied.

"Tell me more."

I gave a silent prayer to the Goddess above that the Vancouver deal was at least competitive. I was willing to take less money if that meant staying in town with Emmy.

"Well, the Detroit deal is a six-year deal at three point five million AVV. The Toronto deal is a two-year deal at four million AVV but has some solid bonuses in play. Then you have the Legacy offer of three years at three point eight million, a non-movement clause and some bonuses in play but they will be hard to accomplish."

The Legacy offer seemed fair. Right in the middle of other offers, but the no-trade clause was music to my ears. I didn't want to uproot my life any more than I needed to. Especially since I was on the wrong side of thirty, as I was reminded when I got traded.

"Any chance you can talk to the Legacy to get their offer up a little bit more?"

Emmy's hands stopped moving and leaned into my back. She laid a kiss on my temple.

"Of course. I'll work on getting them up, especially since you have those other offers. I just needed to make sure I knew which ones you wanted to pursue the most. How hard do you want me to push it, and are there any other teams that you want to consider?"

"I want to stay with the Legacy if I can. Their offer isn't terrible. I would love more, but get the deal done."

"You got it, boss." Theo didn't just hang up the phone like I expected. Instead, he stayed on the line just a little bit longer. "When are you coming home?"

That was the real question. I wasn't ready to go back to pack land and canceled my ticket without bothering to reschedule it.

"Not sure."

I held onto my tether to Vancouver and leaned into her presence. It was so calming. I couldn't dare to lose her. I'd already nearly lost myself because of my drinking, and if anything happened to her, I was done for.

"Well, if I need to, I'll email and call you. You just can't go AWOL on me."

That made me feel super guilty. While it was a piss poor excuse, it wouldn't be unbelievable. "I'm sorry, it was the playoffs. I'll be better at picking up my phone."

"You fucking better, Coop. Don't make me chase you again."

I smirked. It's still weird to hear him swear like a hockey player, even though it suited him. It was one of the things that happened when he and Dino figured out their shit.

Everything was coming up just right. I got to stay in Vancouver and with Emmy.

Chapter 25

Emmy

Throughoutthecall,Eoghanvisibly relaxed, but the moment he leaned back and just seemed to inhale my scent, I knew he was okay.

Usually, since he was so tall, he loomed over me. This time he was scrunched down and I took my opportunity to give him a kiss from above. It was rare that I could even do it. I gave him a kiss on the lips. Now I understood why he loved that so much.

Once he set his phone on the table, I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. His thick hands steadied my hips and just held me in place. I looked into his eyes that were hooded and lustful.

"Why don't you know when you're going back home? Up until last week, you couldn't wait to get back there. Now you canceled your flights? What's the deal?"

His hands drifted up my back and pulled me even closer. I wanted to see his eyes, but I couldn't help myself and nestled my head into the crook of his neck that seemed to be made for me.

He sighed deeply, and I hoped he would open up to me. But I wasn't going to push him.

"I don't think I can leave you alone."

I wasn't going to disappear just because he was on the other side of the country. I broke my no dating other people in AA group rule for him. It wasn’t like I was going to cheat on him or break down.

"If it's that, I can go with you."

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