Page 84 of Coast to Coast

Damn, that went so much better than I expected.

I had just finished packing when an airline ticket itinerary and a ticket to tonight’s game arrived in my e-mail inbox. The timing was tight, but I should just be able to make it there by puck drop.

Me: I’m on my way. Don’t tell anyone.

Mariana:

And no, I didn’t read on the plane. But I did splurge on WiFi once more and send some bullshit texts to Tom about the fall weather in Boston. His responses were one to two words tops.

He was miserable, not even pretending anymore.

When I landed in Florida, Monica had already added my name to Tom’s hotel room, and I dropped my bags off in the room, took a quick shower, and changed for the game. I took a quick look around the hotel room, my heart clenching at the thought of Tom spending the last few weeks in these lifeless rooms by himself. After tonight, they were back in Denver for the last stretch until we had planned to meet him in Vancouver, and I wasn’t leaving until the last possible moment to go get Crew.

I missed the puck drop. But Monica sat me behind the glass near their bench, and he spotted me just as he got off the ice afterhis first shift. He flipped his helmet, blinked twice, and fucking beamed at me.

“Are you for real?” he shouted, and I nodded. My smile plastered painfully on my face. He then flipped his helmet back on and focused on the game.

One by one, the guys recognized me and smacked the glass in front of me to say hello. The Blizzards were up two to nothing at the end of the first period. I usually wouldn’t hear from Tom during a game, but he must have snuck his cell phone out between periods.

Tom: Hey, I need to get you a key to the hotel room.

Me: Already done…Monica.

Tom: Damn, she’s efficient. How’d you get here?

Me: Crew outed us. I was useless there. I needed to be here. Okay by you?

Tom: Yeah, baby.

Tom: Fuck, yeah.

Me: Put your phone away and play the damn game.

The Blizzards ended up winning the game, bolstered by a goal by Tom and a shutout by Alex. Tom mouthed for me to meet him at the hotel, and I found an Uber outside the rink. I arrived ahead of him and waited patiently for him to finish up his post-game conditioning and shower.

I jumped up from the bed, where I had been trying to distract myself with my Kindle, when I heard the beep signaling hisarrival as he unlocked the door with his keycard. He dropped his bag, letting the door shut behind him, and slammed into me, sweeping me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around him, and his lips crushed mine in a bruising kiss.

“Fuck! I needed this,” he said, tearing his mouth from mine. “When do you have to be back?”

“I’ll fly out to bring Crew to Vancouver, but I’m staying with you until then.”

Tom buried his face in my neck and let out a huge sigh. “I can’t believe you came all the way here for me.”

It was then that I realized that everything he’d done the last year had been for his son. No one was watching out for him. He was no one’s priority. Even his personal assistant was more loyal to Kelsey and Sam, and I could say this as her best friend.

“I decided something on the flight here and while I waited for you,” I said, sucking his bottom lip into my mouth and capturing his mouth for another searing kiss.

“I’m quitting as your nanny.”

His eyes met mine, and a brief shock of fear struck him. “You can’t quit,” he sputtered.

“Oh, I’ll travel anywhere with that little boy. But I’ll be doing it as your girlfriend.”

“Is that right?” He asked, his voice gruff, eyes wide and watery.

“Yes. It wasn’t a long flight, but it was enough time for me to gain a bit of clarity. You see, at some point, some NHL hockey player shared one of my TikTok videos, and it went viral. I’m officially a creator. And while I’m not making a ton of money, I’ve had some interest in my original work. That’s the long-winded way of me saying I don’t need your damn job.

“I also realized that while you employ me, we’re not going to be able to see this thing through properly. So, while I’m quitting, I’m also throwing myself at your mercy with the hopes that you’dbe willing to feed me and shelter me until I figure out how to carry my own weight. What do you think of that?”

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