Page 171 of Game Changer
Kip sat on the bed beside him. “And you think you found it again...because ofme?”
“Yeah. I do. I hated myself for feeling so miserable because I had achieved my dreams and I have all this success and money and I live in this great city, but... I mean, nine seasons of coming home from road trips to no one. Of summers with no boyfriend to travel with, and no family to visit. Nine seasons of not having a date to team functions, or to the NHL Awards. Of not having someone I love in the crowd at games. It was weighing on me.”
Kip’s heart broke a little. He hated thinking about Scott during those years.
“I wish we had met nine years ago,” he said with a sad smile.
Scott laughed softly. “Yeah, well... I probably wouldn’t have been ready, back then.”
“If you want to play twenty more seasons,” Kip said, “I’ll greet you at home after every road trip. I’ll be in the crowd at as many games as I can get to. And I’ll be your date for anything you want to bring me to.”
Scott smiled. “And the traveling in the summers?”
“As long as I can help pay for it.”
Scott rolled his eyes. “You know,youcould work on your stubbornness about letting me pay for things.”
Kip kissed him. “I know. I’ll try to relax about it. I promise. I’ve agreed to live with you, haven’t I? That’s progress!”
Scott kissed his nose. “It is. Now go meet your friends.”
“Okay. Go win the Stanley Cup.”
“Deal.”
* * *
“So,” Maria said, as soon as their server had delivered their micheladas, “what should we talk about? Oh! I know! How about we talk about how yourboyfriendis playing in theStanley Cup finalstonight!”
Kip shook his head, but he couldn’t keep himself from grinning. “I guess that’s interesting,” he said mildly.
“It’s going good with him, right? You’re still totally in love with each other? You can’t screw this up, Kip!”
“It’s going good! We are totally in love. I won’t screw it up. Again.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed a tortilla chip at him menacingly. “You’d better not. I’m living vicariously through you.”
“Oh god. Don’t say that.”
Kip glanced at his phone. Elena had texted twenty minutes ago to say she’d be a little late. He had no choice but to sit there and face the onslaught of Maria’s questions.
“What’s his house like? Is it enormous? Does it have, like, twelve bathrooms?”
“It’s a penthouse, and it hasthreebathrooms.”
She groaned. “You’re so lucky. When are you moving in?”
“Well, now, I guess. I mean, I still have a couple of boxes of random things at my parents’ house to move over, but I live with Scott full-time now.”
She shook her head, looking bewildered. “You sayScottand I can’t believe you mean...” She glanced around, and whispered, “ScottHunter. Like, you just call him Scott, as if he’s a normal person!”
“Heisa normal person. He just happens to be very good at playing hockey.”
“And he just happens to be a gorgeous babe.”
“Yes. That too.”
“Is he a good kisser? Just tell me that he’s a good kisser.”
