Page 94 of Grumpy Pucking Orc
“If I hire a coach and a team trainer, you both are going to sign twenty-year contracts.”
“One year,” I countered.
“Five.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
I glanced at Ugwyll, who gave me a slight nod. “We will sign three-year contracts, but the trainer and the coach need to start within the next thirty days, and if we are ever without an experienced hockey coach or a trainer, our contract is void.”
Escellates threw another pen and let out a string of curses. Then he stood. “Fine. Deal. Now get out so I can add up how much money I made last night.”
“I’ll do it.” I strode inside and made the announcement the moment Jordan opened her door. “I’ll stay here. I’ll keep playing hockey and will live here in the human world.”
“But what about your family? What about your job back home?” she argued.
I cut her off with a wave of my hand. “Now my career is hockey. I have signed a three-year contract with the Tusks and I’m staying. Yes, I will miss my family and my home, but the human world is beautiful and amazing. I will be happy here, especially with you.”
“Ozar…are you sure?”
“I have never been surer.” I took a deep breath, knowing that I needed to give her more. “Ugwyll and I talked with Escellates Johnson this morning. We told him that if he didn’t bring on a coach, and a trainer, that we would leave the team.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “Did he call your bluff?”
“It was no bluff. We intended to leave and find another job if he refused, but he didn’t.” I couldn’t help my smug smile. “Escellates Johnson agreed to our terms. Our new trainer starts in two weeks, and we will have a coach within a month.”
“But will hockey give you a satisfying career?” she asked with a frown.
“It will. I like the challenge of hockey. What I don’t like is not having the support the team needs to improve. I don’t want us to be fools. And if the other players”—like Eng—“refuse to be serious about our team, then we will recruit new ones for next year.”
“So, you’ll be happy?”
“Yes.” I hesitated a second, then dug the ring box out of my pocket. It might be a mistake not to lay on the ground first, but I wanted to propose standing up this time. “I want you to be my bride, Jordan. I want you to be my life partner. You are my mate, the only woman for me. If you are not ready to make this decision, then I will wait. If you do not want to be my bride, then I will still stay here in the human world and play hockey. But I hope you will say yes.”
“Oh, Ozar.” She gave a watery laugh and swiped a hand across her eyes. “I love you, but I can’t let you sacrifice your home and your family for me.”
“There is no sacrifice,” I insisted. “I love you. The time I spent traveling with the team made me realize that I was being stubborn and clinging to old ideas. Maybe when we are older, we can visit my homeland, but I am ready and excited to call this place my home now.”
Her smile widened. “I love you. I want to be your mate, your wife, your life partner, the mother of your children. I’m happy that you’ve got a great solution for a career in hockey. But I don’t want you to never see your friends andfamily, your home and your clan ever again. I don’t want our children to grow up not knowing what it is to be an orc. I want them to meet your father, to eat the food you grew up eating, listening to the music and the festivals and being immersed in their orc culture. I don’t want us to raise our children to be just humans, but as humansandorcs.”
“I choose you over all those things.” I did, but I couldn’t deny how much my heart ached at the thought that my orclets might never see the home I loved.
“Ozar, that’s not fair to you or our children, and to be honest, I want to know your home as well. That’s why I’ve decided to bring on a partner to my practice. My breakfast meeting this morning was with a colleague of mine who I’ve known for years. He’s getting ready to welcome his first child into the world and wants more flexibility in his business practice, just as I do. We’re going to combine our businesses, bring on an additional dentist, and make the time for ourselves and our families outside of our careers. Once we’re established, I’m going to start shifting my workload so I can take time off each year. When the hockey season ends, we can go to your home and visit, maybe even stay there until you need to be back in the late summer. At first, we might only be able to take a few weeks off, but I eventually want us to live among your clan for two or three months each year, especially after we have kids.”
“You are speaking the truth?” My English faltered, and I could barely contain my joy at her words.
“Truth.” She extended her left hand. “Now put that ring on my finger and take me upstairs to our bed where we can roll naked in all those furs and celebrate our engagement.”
Chapter 42
Jordan
Asmall black ball of fur streaked across the living room, jumping onto the back of the couch and diving behind a cushion. All that showed was a twitching black tail.
If a cat could have rolled her eyes, that’s what Judy was doing. We’d brought Coal over whenever Ozar spent the night, and she still little more than tolerated him in her house, but that was okay. Secretly, I think she liked the little cat but was too proud to admit such a weakness. I wasn’t so proud. I’d grown to love Coal and was happy he and Ozar were moving in.
Actually, I was more than happy that Ozar was moving in. It had taken a couple of months and lots of long discussions about important things like separate hampers for our laundry, how often towels should be changed, how much additional milk needed to be delivered weekly, and which direction the toilet paper should roll. Once we’d compromised on the major issue of where we would make our home and how often we would visit Ozar’s clan, everything fell into place.
