Page 87 of Coast to Coast

“Hey,” I said. “You’re not by yourself in this. You’ve got me. And guess what? I know more than a little bit about Boston. I’ll be with you.”

And that’s one of the best parts of being a hockey WAG. We made our family where we went. Mariana and Alex? Family. She had supported me when I showed up here in Colorado, not knowing anything about hockey and full-on pretending to be Tom’s girlfriend instead of his nanny. While I knew this wasn’t her first choice for her future, she and Alex had discussed this possibility, and he would never have accepted this option without her buy-in.

She nodded, wiped her face, and pulled a bottle of champagne from the fridge.

“I thought we might have a reason to celebrate. Want some?” She smiled at me.

“Absolutely,” I smiled back at her. “And thank you, thank you both.”

EPILOGUE 2

TOM

Moving to Boston in March had put more than a bit of pressure on Callie. She and Mariana had grown closer as they managed all the moving details across the country.

Yes, we still had Monica to help, but with Callie’s friendship, she worked to draw the line between their personal and professional relationships.

The Bears made the playoffs; it turned out that their goalie’s lower-body injury had been season-ending. So, the package deal with Alex and me was key to getting the deal done and the only way the team would make it into the postseason.

I caught Callie’s eyes during warm-ups. We were at home for game seven, and the WAGs were in the stands in their playoff jackets. My last name was embroidered across Callie’s back if that didn’t tug at my heartstrings.

She and Mariana embraced and posed for a selfie while the kids bounced excitedly in their seats.

God, I loved that woman.

Did I want to win this game and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals? Fuck yes. But if our season ended tonight, I knew I had more to look forward to than any man on the winning team.

I smiled, remembering earlier this afternoon when she’d dropped me off outside the Garden.

“Tell Daddy what we talked about earlier, Crew,” she said, encouraging him to say something they practiced.

“Kick ass!” he said as Callie gasped, giving Crew the exact reaction he’d been going for. Since his baby brother was born, he liked to push limits and loved swearing. I liked to blame it on Sam whenever possible.

“No, that’s not what we planned, bud. That’s not a word we’re supposed to use. Remember?” she asked.

He shook his head, a wicked grin on his face. Crew had started speaking a ton more, but he’d become less malleable. If he didn’t feel like performing, he wouldn’t. While he refused to do what she asked, I knew my wingman wouldn’t let me down with what I had planned after the game.

I pulled my family in for a hug, Callie straightening my tie, her gaze heated. I’d dress up in a monkey suit every damn day to get that reaction from her.

“I love you,” I whispered in her ear.

“Love you, too,” she said. “Go do some main character shit, okay?”

“Fuck, yeah.”

“Yeah, Dada! Love you!” Crew shouted. It was music to my ears, even though I missed when he mispronounced his Ls. I’d been warned that one day Dada would morph into Daddy and then one day Dad. That thought broke my heart just a little.

I checked my phone once more before I locked it up for the game and found a YouTube video from Callie. She had sent me one of my favorite songs from the night she performed in Colorado. Taylor Swift’s “Lover”had somehow become part of our love language. I might have had a private performance or two.

In response, I sent her a video of Old Dominion’s “One Man Band.” I had become a lot more vocal about what I wanted for the future, for our future.

We both were building our future and in the off-season, I would be ready to support Callie as she did her main character shit. Since we’d moved back to Boston, her songwriting and interest in her music had exploded. While I loved when she performed, she’d found a niche to create and have a life with us.

After we were abruptly traded, Alex and I kept in contact with our former teammates from the Blizzards. Damon had been hit hard, though. With Kayleigh’s disappearance and our trade, he’d been caught in an interview showing more emotion than I had expected.

I winced, recalling him answering a foolish question from a reporter asking how he felt about the trade.

“How do youthinkI feel? I had dinner plans with my two best friends, and they’re gone. Not even time to say goodbye.”

---