by Kate Meader
Reid’s swallow was audible in the close confines of the car. “You mean, like a friend or something?”
“Bucky, do you love Reid like a friend?”
Their good doggo—and he was as much hers as Reid’s—gave a quick bark and raised his head for a rub. Which he got, of course.
“Bucky adores you, no friend zone for him. These last few weeks, I’ve seen you change and open your heart to this little guy who needed you so badly. There is nothing but slavish devotion from that quarter.”
“I needed him, too.” He reached for her and cupped her cheek. “He wasn’t the only one I needed. The only one I need. Present tense, future, now and always. If we’re talking slavish devotion, I have a serious case of that for my roomie.”
“Reid,” she whispered, as the tears fell freely.
“I love you, Kennedy. I love you so fucking much. And though my natural inclination is to be a total dick and demand that you stay with me and Bucky, I won’t do that. That’s how much I love you. But you have my key—to my apartment, to my heart, to my soul—and I hope that one day you’ll return and use it.”
This guy. She shouldn’t be nervous, not after a declaration as beautiful as that. But she was. Her heart thumped like a wild beast.
“And what if one day is … this day?”
He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again. “Is that something you might consider?”
“While you were doing the work and becoming an awesome dog daddy, team player, and roommate, I was making some changes of my own. Or my heart was doing it for me.”
“Tricky things, hearts.”
“So tricky. I’ve been terrified of standing still because it would force me to think, force me to feel. I’ve been caught up in this pretense of free-spiritedness when really my spirit and my heart have been in a prison, one I made for them. But with you, I can be open. I feel free. I feel seen. You have my heart, Reid. It’s all yours. I’m all yours and I love you so much.”
“Ma couer,” he whispered as his mouth found hers and settled it once and for all. They belonged together, and Kennedy would be going nowhere without Reid and Bucky at her side.
But first she would be heading away from Silver Springs, where a little piece of her heart remained, toward the next adventure, one that required she stop moving for a while.
The lines of Walt Whitman’s “Song of the Open Road” came back to her, more precious to her now that she finally understood.
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money;
I give you myself before preaching and law:
Will you give me yourself?
Will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?
She no longer needed to go around the world to travel the pathways of the heart. She just needed someone to stick with her through it all, as long as they lived.
She had found him at last, and he came with a cute dog. How lucky was she?
Gazing into the eyes of her camerado, she spoke the three little words she had yearned to say for so many years.
“Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
Four months later …
The water rippled and licked the jagged rocks, looking much less treacherous than it had six months ago.
Reid peered down at his dog. “No swimming for you today, Bucky. Kennedy doesn’t want to get wet.” Before she could respond, he pulled her close and kissed her open mouth.
“Hey, you set up an awesome sex joke and then ripped it from under me! What kind of straight man are you?”
“One who would rather kiss his woman than—”
“Get her wet? My attempts at innuendo will not be denied!”
A few feet ahead of them, Bucky trotted along the mix of sand and grass, though his innate survivor skills kept him well back from the rocks fronting the water where he’d almost died that cold day in November.
“You think it’s a good idea to bring him back here?” She squeezed his hand.
“I do. It’s always best to face your fears. And this place is special for all of us.”
“Right, the sopping wet ice clothing is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my days.” A jest, but he knew from the softness in her eyes that she felt it, too. They had each started a new life on this beach.
The Chicago Rebels were headed to Dallas tomorrow to begin their trek to the Stanley Cup Finals. Reid’s play as center had been instrumental in getting them to this point, and a month ago the offer of a three-year contract had come through. He didn’t pretend any kind of coyness about it, just signed that baby on the dotted line as soon as his agent passed it to him in the Rebels HQ conference room.
It was official. He was a Chicago Rebel at last.
Bast was over the moon. They made an effort to meet once a week for dinner, cementing their bond and deepening their friendship. As for Henri, Reid was reframing the relationship on his terms with Bast’s and Kennedy’s help. His father didn’t enjoy being told no but hey, it was good for him to get some pushback. Good for them all.
Kennedy’s business was growing and she was already looking at taking on an assistant. Her first love was her dog clients, so finding someone to help with the other tasks made sense. The Rebels certainly sent plenty of work her way and Reid tried not to get annoyed at how they fawned over him just to get preferential treatment. It would be nice to be popular because he was a good teammate but it was what it was.
His phone buzzed with a text from Edie. You done it yet?
Edie and a few of her Larkvale cronies had formed a weird-ass fan club with embroidered jackets, in direct competition to Theo’s Tarts, a similar fanatical creepfest run by Kershaw’s grandmother. For each home game, he gave Reid’s Rebelles—that’s what they came up with—all his free tickets. At every intermission there were literal granny-offs in the stands!
Kind of strange to have his own fan club. Only Kennedy suspected how much he enjoyed it.
“Who’s that?”
“Edie wondering if we’ll stop by later.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes. “And she texts you? I’ve been replaced as the favorite grandchild!”
“You know that’s not true. Bucky will always be number one in her affections.”
Speaking of being number one … He whistled for Bucky to come back and after a little more encouragement—he had spotted something in the grass that he had to investigate—he came bouncing over, bright-eyed and full of verve.
Reid hunkered down to hug him … then decided he liked the view better from here.
Wrinkling her nose, Kennedy looked down at him. “That’s—wait—what’s happening here?”
He held up the scroll, wrapped with a pink ribbon. “I would think it’s obvious. Tell her, Buck.”
Bucky barked because even he recognized an important, life-changing moment when he saw it.
“Exactly. But just in case you need more—and my insatiable girl always needs more—I’ll tell you. This is it for me, Kennedy Clark. You are it for me. My reason for striving, for living, for loving. You came into my life and stirred things up. I don’t know what I would do without you. Well, I’d probably never talk to anyone or eat ice cream or have sex with another person. I’d be Terminator Reid, the guy with a mission and no one to share the spoils with.”
“Oh, Reid,” she sighed with a sniff.
“I still have a mission. To win a Cup and be the best, but the true mission is you. And to fulfill that mission, I need to be a better person. That’s what you’ve been doing for me all this time, making me worthy of you. Making me whole. So will you do me the honor of joining my team? Our team. Be my wife and be Bucky’s mom, officially.”
She fell down on her knees, cupping his jaw as she did so—just like that first day when she soothed his bruises. She had been comforting him every day since.
“Before you answer, I’m going to need you to read and sign this.” He pulled on
the ribbon and rolled out the single sheet of paper.
She mouthed the words as she read:
Official Adoption Agreement for: Bucky
& Promise to Marry his Human: Reid Durand
I’m Bucky and I’m ready to take on the responsibility of another human. My preference is for one on the shorter side, with blond hair, pink streaks optional. You must have moonlit-silver eyes and a pretty mouth. To be honest, I don’t really care what you look like but my other human has his heart set on a certain type and this is it. You should be fit and flexible because I like to run around in the park and you have to be able to keep up. This is a deal breaker!
It’s okay if you play with other dogs as long as you remember I’m the one you bring home. If you want to spend time on your computer ordering things for other humans because that’s how you pay for my food and toys, then I suppose that’s okay. As long as I get fed. You don’t have to take me to the man with the needles, though. In fact I would prefer you didn’t do that at all and I’m prepared to offer whatever it takes to ensure that won’t happen. Bribes will come in the currency of snuggles and wet noses.
My other human asked me to put this part in: he’s crazy about you and wants to spend the rest of his life …
There was more but I got bored and dozed off.
Sign here and let’s go to the park and play.
Signature: ________________
* * *
“Reid, I can’t believe you did this.”
“Uh, Bucky did.”
“Okay. Bucky. Such a clever boy.” She met his gaze, her silver-gilded eyes wet with emotion. “And—oh my God, a ring as well.”
While she had been reading, he had brought out a box. “It’s Edie’s. She wanted you to have it anyway and she said she’d be fine with you getting something else for an engagement, but I thought, maybe? I had it resized.”
“I love it,” she gasped, removing it from the velvet bed. A pear-shaped sapphire that Edie insisted matched Reid’s eyes (he had rolled those eyes on hearing that), the ring’s vintage setting sparkled in the April sun. Beautiful, but not a patch on the vision before him.
“Let me.” He placed it on the third finger of her left hand, relieved that it fit. She didn’t wear jewelry so he’d had to measure with a piece of string one night while she slept.
“I can’t wait to be your wife, Reid Durand.” She gave Bucky a rub. “You know I’m already your mom, Buck, but it never hurts to make it official.”
“I like it official,” Reid said, knowing he would get her signature on that adoption agreement before they left this beach. He was a bit of a stickler for that kind of thing.
“Love you, Coffee Shop Girl.”
“Love you, Hot Jerk.”
They kissed, sealing the deal on the patch of land that had brought them all together and watched as Bucky chased an imaginary foe through the dew-dotted grass.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Reid, Kennedy, and of course, Bucky. Please leave an honest review on your favorite book platform. I would so appreciate it.
I wrote a bonus epilogue for these two! Exclusive to newsletter subscribers, it’s available only at this special link: Get the DEAR ROOMIE Bonus Epilogue now.
Ready for more Rebels? Goalie Erik “Fish” Jorgenson finally gets his shot at love but first he needs to figure out what he did to offend Casey! Find out in a special holiday novella, REBEL YULE.
Missed one of the Rookie Rebels? Make sure you’re all caught up with Levi, Theo, Gunnar, and Cal. The first book in the series, GOOD GUY is free.
New to the Chicago Rebels world? Meet the original crew! Three estranged sisters inherit their late father’s failing hockey franchise and are forced to confront a man’s world, their family’s demons, and the battle-hardened ice warriors skating into their hearts. Start right now with the free prequel, IN SKATES TROUBLE.
Finally, to stay in touch about new releases, sales, and what I’m working on, sign up for my newsletter or join my reader group, Kate’s Kittens on Facebook.
Song of the Open Road
Walt Whitman
Listen! I will be honest with you,
I do not offer the old smooth prizes
But offer rough new prizes
These are the days that must happen to you:
* * *
You shall not heap up what is called riches,
You shall scatter with lavish hand
All that you earn or achieve.
* * *
However sweet the laid up stores,
However convenient the dwelling,
You shall not remain there.
However sheltered the port,
However calm the waters,
You shall not anchor there.
However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you,
You are permitted to receive it but a little while.
* * *
Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road
Healthy, free, the world before you
The long brown path before you,
Leading wherever you choose.
* * *
Say only to one another:
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money;
I give you myself before preaching and law:
Will you give me yourself?
Will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Kristi Yanta, editor-extraordinaire, who always manages to take my word lump and figure out what I’m trying to do. I couldn’t do this without you.
Thanks also to copyeditor Kim Cannon and Michele Catalano, my cover designer.
To my agent, Nicole Resciniti, thanks for another great year.
Thanks to my ARC readers, favorite bloggers, and especially Kate’s Kittens, who have read every book and cheered on the Rebels. Your support means the world to me.
And finally, Jimmie, thanks for everything.
About the Author
Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary featuring strong heroes and amazing women and men who can match their guys quip for quip.
Also by Kate Meader
Rookie Rebels
GOOD GUY
INSTACRUSH
MAN DOWN
FOREPLAYER
DEAR ROOMIE
REBEL YULE
* * *
Chicago Rebels
IN SKATES TROUBLE
IRRESISTIBLE YOU
SO OVER YOU
UNDONE BY YOU
HOOKED ON YOU
WRAPPED UP IN YOU
* * *
Laws of Attraction
DOWN WITH LOVE
ILLEGALLY YOURS
THEN CAME YOU
* * *
Hot in Chicago
REKINDLE THE FLAME
FLIRTING WITH FIRE
MELTING POINT
PLAYING WITH FIRE
SPARKING THE FIRE
FOREVER IN FIRE
COMING IN HOT
* * *
Tall, Dark, and Texan
EVEN THE SCORE
TAKING THE SCORE
ONE WEEK TO SCORE
* * *
Hot in the Kitchen
FEEL THE HEAT
ALL FIRED UP
HOT AND BOTHERED
* * *
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