As she continued to tap away, she heard talking outside the apartment and moved quick to shut the laptop down and scurry off to bed, trying to make herself appear as naturally asleep as possible. She knew it would take him a few minutes to get inside and get settled, and she hoped that would give her enough time to appear asleep.
~*~
Noting the lights were all off when he finally did get back from Gabi’s, Ryan was disappointed to see that Emma’s door was closed as well. Nudging the door open a bit with one of the crutches, he peered in and saw that she appeared to be sleeping so he sighed soft and headed back to the kitchen to take his pain pill.
Sleeping in her room was not going to be comfortable – there was no two ways around it. Her mattress was old, and since she was positioned on the side he would normally take on his own bed, he wouldn’t even be able to properly face her thanks to his knee. Nonetheless, he made the effort to get into sleep clothes, detouring briefly into the bathroom before heading to Emma’s room for the night.
With the dim moonlight coming in through her windows, Ryan could see that her laptop was sticking out a bit, and not wanting to hit it on his way by, he moved it back further on the desk. When he felt how warm the laptop was, he realized that he’d been duped – she likely wasn’t asleep at all and had likely climbed into bed just before he came in. Again, he sighed but still maneuvered further into the room until he could climb onto the far side of the bed.
He was surprised that despite her attempts at ‘sleeping’ that she still reached out her hand immediately to lay it over his heart. Grabbing her hand with one of his own, Ryan brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently and telling her softly, “We need to stop keeping secrets from each other, babe. I wish you’d told me about our picture being all over the web, or how that would get you in trouble at work.”
Despite her best efforts, Emma couldn’t prevent the involuntary flinch at his words and Ryan could only manage a sad smile at her response.
“I’m not going to push you though,” Ryan continued in the same soft tone, kissing her knuckles once more. “But I’m not going anywhere, either.”
He thought he felt a gentle squeeze of his hand in response, but he couldn’t be sure.
Chapter 20 - Relationships
Luke had let himself in again – Emma could tell by the delightful smells filtering into her bedroom from the kitchen area. Bacon for sure, and she couldn’t be sure of what else. Pulling her hand away from Ryan’s with quiet care, she gave him a brief look before heading towards the door. It seemed like they were going to need to have a conversation at some point, but she’d rather not open that can of worms with Luke still around.
Pausing only long enough to put her contacts in, Emma headed out to the kitchen and was surprised to discover they had an extra visitor as well – one of the canine variety. She saw Luke turn towards her and grin while she was getting down on her hands and knees to pet the dog. “And who is this handsome fellow?” She asked as the dog rolled over for belly rubs.
“You already know my name, dearie. But the ball of fluff goes by Ourson. And if you want to be his new best friend...” Luke paused and tilted his head towards the plate of bacon beside the stove.
Chuckling soft, Emma grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate, breaking it into smaller pieces and holding it up in the air for Ourson. “Who’s a good boy? You are! Oh, yes you are!” She got Ourson to practically dance for the bits of bacon and had a sincere smile on her face when she finally settled down at the table. “So, what are you going to do with handsome here when you’re at practice?”
Luke turned around and immediately started batting his eyelashes in Emma’s direction, causing her to roll her eyes even as she continued to grin. “I was hoping my darling cousin and his better half would be willing to watch Sir Fluff while I am at the rink.”
“His better half?” Emma questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Did I use the expression wrong?” Luke furrowed his brow as he brought several plates to the table – one with cinnamon rolls, another with the bacon, and the last with a variety of eggs. “Girlfriend, yes? Thought that was ‘better half’.”
Emma raised her eyebrow again but didn’t answer, instead choosing to break up another piece of bacon and toss it to the dog perched at her feet. After spending a few minutes loading up her plate for her own consumption, she asked him, “Ourson need any walking or anything special?”
Luke gazed at her for a long moment before filling his own plate and soon answering, “Maybe a walk, but he’s already been on a run with me this morning, and will get another one this evening. He’ll let you know if he needs to use the bathroom.” Emma nodded then dug into her food, content to eat and occasionally sneak a bite to Ourson and not encourage any further conversation into her ‘relationship’. But Luke wasn’t done yet, and as she was about to dig into the scrambled eggs, he added softly, “Listen. I want to apologize again for bringing my Aunt and Uncle over unannounced. That wasn’t fair to you.”
“It’s fine.” Emma said shortly, looking up long enough to give him a look that all but dared him to challenge her on that statement.
Sighing, Luke nodded and stood, leaning down to pet Ourson before turning back to Emma. “I’ll come retrieve him this evening. You two…three…have a good day.” Without another word, he exited through the hallway door, Ourson’s eyes following him until he was out of sight.
“Guess it’s just you and me, pup.” Emma murmured as she slid Ourson another hunk of bacon.
“And me as well.”
~*~
Emma gazed in his direction, but wouldn’t completely meet his eyes. “Your cousin outdid himself this morning. Me thinks he was trying to butter us up to watch cutie pie.” And again she leaned down to pet Ourson, just as he’d watch her do since he’d gotten up some minutes before.
“And he meant his apology. He still feels horribly about making you uncomfortable. Just like I feel horrible about going to Gabi’s last night and leaving you here. I should have woken you up to see if you wanted to go. I didn't want to make you feel like you were obligated to come to make me happy.” Ryan told her softly as he masterfully maneuvered into the room on the crutches, all too much practice making him a pro on them. At least he’d be free of them within the week, per the Doctor, and potentially the brace at the same time.
“It’s not a big deal.” Emma started softly before Ryan growled at her in interruption.
“The hell it isn’t. You were upset, you responded by shutting me out. And I had to find out about the pictures and that you got in trouble at work because of me from a third party? That’s not a good foundation for a relationship, babe.” Ryan stared at her across the table, not the least bit surprised when her instinctive reaction was to try and move away. He reached across the table, grabbing her hand before she could get too far. “Talk to me. Please. If you’d like me down on my knees begging again, then dammit, that’s what I’ll do.”
Emma gazed down at his hand then up at him, face full of confusion and perhaps even sadness – Ryan was still trying to learn to read her emotions. “When did we become a relationship? I’m not objecting to a relationship; I’m just not understanding when things changed.”
Tilting his head thoughtfully, Ryan finally told her softly, “I’m not sure we ever formally went about it. I guess I’ve been looking at you as mine since that kiss.” He paused and dragged his thumb along the backside of her hand. “Maybe that wasn’t fair of me, to put those types of expectations on you.” His voice got softer, shyer. “Would you want to be my girlfriend?”
Biting a bit on her lower lip, Ryan could see the turmoil in Emma’s eyes, and he wondered why this was causing so much strife – but this time he would at least get an answer to that question. “I have never had a boyfriend before. So, I might need some guidance on expectations myself.”
Tugging on her hand until she was close enough for her to sit on his good leg, Ryan wrapped an arm around her wa
ist and rested his forehead against her shoulder, his voice just as soft. “I’m not all that experienced myself. So maybe we stumble through this together? I just know that when you’re by my side, things feel right.”
Nodding her head a bit, Emma admitted, “I don’t sleep well when you’re not here.”
Managing a smile at her words, Ryan gently chastised her, “You also don’t sleep well when you scurry into bed right before I get home.”
Blinking, Emma pulled back from Ryan a bit to gaze down at him with eyes filled with curiosity. “How…”
Leaning over to kiss her knuckles once more, Ryan told her softly, “First, your laptop was still warm. Second, you reached out for me as soon as I was within arm’s length. And lastly, you flinched when I told you that I knew about the work shit.” He paused then tilted his face upwards so he was looking at her once more. “Want to tell me what happened there?” As Emma once again gazed down into his eyes, Ryan could see that she was fighting herself hard – this much talking about what went on in her life was not something she was comfortable with. Softer still, he told her, “It’s important, babe. The foundation of a good relationship is communication, honesty, and trust. If this is gonna work, you need to trust that I’m not going to hurt you.”
Even with his words, Ryan could still see the doubt, the hesitation in her eyes. Finally, after several long moments, she began to speak softly, almost too soft to be heard. “When I was given this assignment, the only real rule was that I was not to ‘fraternize’ with the players. So, we for sure weren’t supposed to become friends, let alone a couple.” Emma paused again and gave him a small smile. “But I realized that night that I cared about you a lot more than I was supposed to. When you so astutely pointed out that I was jealous of a couple of high-schoolers.” Leaning down a bit so that her forehead was against his, she continued. “Kissing you though? So worth it. Especially the look on your face after the fact.”
By this point she was laughing soft and Ryan couldn’t resist sliding his hand along her ribs to tickle her, joining in her laughter when she started to squirm and giggle harder. “I’m never going to live down my dazed and confused face, am I?”
“No, perhaps not.” Emma answered between giggles. “But, work wise. I was told to not be so public about my private life. I argued that you’re not an active player and that these restrictions wouldn’t be in place if I was male instead of female.” Again, she paused, and then asked, “You guys don’t have any rules in place like that, right?”
Ryan’s eyes widened a bit at her words, thinking at first she was asking if he could date male reporters, until he realized she was actually talking about him being able to fraternize, period. “I don’t believe we’re supposed to date team employees without specifically discussing it with the GM, but beyond that, no, anyone is fair game. Which is a good thing for Luke, or he’d be out of a job right now.”
Emma nodded then groaned soft. “That reminds me. Back to your room tonight. Quieter in there. I don’t like hearing every move he makes.”
At that, Ourson barked at their feet, and they both laughed.
“Or every sound he makes, either!”
Chapter 21 - Hat Tricks and High Sticks
“Now spread your legs apart a little more. Hand higher on the shaft. Oh yeah. You’ve got it now.”
Emma turned back to face Ryan with a hand on her hip, eyes rolling at him. “I have played putt-putt before, thank you.”
Ryan smirked at her and nudged her aside with his hip – something he wouldn’t have had the mobility to do a few weeks prior, just after the surgery. “That may be the case, but based on the number of shots it took you to get the last ball in, your form needs work. Hey!” Just as he’d been about to take his shot, she’d nudged him back, sending his ball nowhere near where he’d been aiming it. “I see, having to resort to cheating to win, is that how it is?”
Grinning, but still rolling her eyes at him, Emma retorted, “This is supposed to be a date, y’know? The chivalrous thing to do would be to let your girlfriend win. Or at least not take so much delight in beating her.”
Blushing sheepishly, Ryan still couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Say that again, I like hearing you say that.”
Emma eyed him curiously. “What part? That this is supposed to be a date?”
Shaking his head, Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulder, swinging her around so they were face to face again. His voice lower and deeper than normal, he answered, “No, the part where you said you’re my girlfriend.”
This time it was Emma blushing and she ducked her eyes a bit before giving him a shy smile, murmuring soft, “I’m your girlfriend. Just yours, Ryan Perrault.”
Ryan made a low growling noise and leaned down to kiss her, whispering against her lips, “I’m not ever going to get tired of you saying that.” Seeing that Emma was still blushing quite a bit and that they were now holding up the groups behind them, he continued softly, “If I’m going to be chivalrous, we need to get going. I’m pretty sure they have a time limit per hole.”
Punching him with almost no force in the stomach, Emma pulled back with a smile, her cheeks still flushed. “You’re an ass.” As she positioned herself to line up her next shot, Ryan resisted the urge to poke at her club or otherwise distract her, but she still managed to hit the ball well off the intended target.
Losing to her might be more of a challenge than he thought!
~*~
It was this moment that Emma had been working so hard for since moving to Missouri. Maybe not when she first got here, but since she’d become the Blizzard’s beat reporter, everything was about this night. This was the first ‘official’ game at the new arena, the home opener against the team from Springfield, Missouri – the Springfield Rangers. The team whose proximity to Blue Springs would undoubtedly make them the Blizzard’s fiercest rivals.
And while the community had largely embraced their new hockey team, and the stands were generally filled with the Blizzard’s blue and gray colors, Emma could also see some of the Rangers greens and browns as well. Still, this joint was hopping tonight. The entertainment crew had the fans bouncing on their feet in anticipation of the home team’s arrival onto the ice – and as Emma understood it, Luke, as the newly elected captain, would be the one leading them out.
Even Emma found herself a bit excited to see this season start, to see if between Luke and the recently arrived goalie from the team the next tier up would be able to carry this team. As the clock hanging from the big screen continued to count down numbers, the arena went pitch black and smoke started filling in at the ice-level. She could see that the Rangers had come onto the ice, could hear the crowd booing lustfully at them, but still she kept her eyes trained on the Blizzard’s entrance. Just moments after the arena had gone dark, a single spotlight illuminated the area, and Emma realized she could just barely make out Luke rocking back and forth, waiting for the command to lead his team.
“Ladies and Gentleman. Let’s make some noise for your Bluuuuuue Sprrrrrrings Blizzzzzzzzzzzzzard!”
At those words, Luke skated onto the ice, arms thrust up into the air like he was trying to pump up the crowd even more. He was a natural leader, Emma realized – something she never would have picked up about him in their first encounters, when she’d been too busy noticing how much of an ass he could be. He still had his moments where she wanted to wring his neck, but she’d grown to appreciate this man-child, his pampered dog and the way he smoothly moved through a kitchen.
But even as Emma watched all the pomp and circumstance she couldn’t help but be reminded that this should have been a moment that the cousins Perrault were sharing together. Yes, Gabi and Devin were somewhere in the stands, and Ryan could have perhaps shown up as well, but Emma understood his desire to stay home. She knew all too well what it was to lose the one thing that your life revolved around, and having to pick up the pieces and move onward. Still, she hoped that he’d soon join her as the season progressed and h
is knee continued to heal. Watching these games just wasn’t the same without him by her side.
“Would you please rise to your feet and remove your hats as the Blue Springs High School Chorus sings our national anthem?”
With her hand at her heart, just as her grandfather had taught her when she was a little girl, Emma found her eyes drifting away from the flag and the singers and instead watching the players on the ice. Both teams fidgeted she noticed. Luke had his stick in front of him with his helmet balanced on top of it and his head tilted down, but still he rocked back and forth on his skates. Beside him, Trent stood staring straight ahead, with his hand over his heart. Further behind them, the Blizzard’s new goalie had put his helmet on top of his goal and while his eyes were on the flag, he too was skating side to side, something Ryan had referred to as “cleaning the crease.”
Just Another Season Page 13
