by Amber Lynn
“I was just thinking that with how fast we’ve gone from friends to friends with benefits to boyfriend and girlfriend, I’m halfway expected a marriage proposal by the time you come over for family dinner this weekend.”
The look of consideration that spread across Jason’s face wasn’t what Hope expected in response. The guy wasn’t legally divorced yet, so he had other things he needed to worry about.
“I was joking. My dad would kill you if you proposed to me the first time you met him.”
“Then I better not run out and buy a ring.”
“No,” Hope said, shaking her head.
Her hands were still stretched above her head. She knew they had to talk about what happened at the bar, but her mind was focused on trying to get him to touch her. To let him know what she was thinking, she kicked out her right foot to bring it behind his and tried to pull him forward.
Hope needed to spend days in the gym to build up the leg strength to make the move physically possible. Jason’s legs didn’t even pretend to buckle from the pressure she added and his body remained four or five inches away from her.
“You’re being naughty, Hope.” Jason licked his lips, but did nothing to help her with her desire to move on to something a little more fun. “I know you heard parts of the conversation. At least her parts, since she refused to keep her voice down. Neither of her children are mine, so she doesn’t have any hold over me.”
“Children?”
Jason nodded. The smile on his face turned down a few watts.
“She claims she’s pregnant. Erik’s taking some time off from their relationship to play the field, which doesn’t surprise me because according to her, he isn’t the father of the bun in the oven.”
“She’s pregnant?”
Hope didn’t get the best look at anything below the chest, but she didn’t remember seeing any evidence of a baby bump. She’d never served a pregnant woman in the bar before. In fact, she couldn’t remember ever seeing anyone who showed in the bar. If she’d known Kate was pregnant, she would’ve probably instituted her right to refuse to serve drinks, even for someone who basically said she was a money-grubbing whore.
“Who knows what to believe coming out of her mouth. I got the sense she was just looking for someone to pay for her extravagant lifestyle, and since I was the first schmuck, as you put it, to ever buy into her, she came looking for me.”
“And you told her to get lost, as Ollie summarized for me.”
Jason’s eyes squinted at the mention of the other man’s name. It made Hope want to laugh, but she kept it to herself. There was no reason for him to be jealous of anyone in the bar, but it was kind of cute that he was.
“She claimed she wasn’t done trying, but I made it clear that I wasn’t interested.”
The idea of future run-ins wasn’t exactly soothing, but they were easier to stomach than Jason leaving with Kate. Hope never got around to frisking him for room keys, but she believed him as far as his interest level went. He hadn’t even looked at Kate while they were talking.
“Then let’s move on to something more pleasant to talk about. Have you gone to the store yet, or do we need to go down to my place to get me some food? It’s after three o’clock and I’m not sure I trust delivery this late.”
Jason’s full smile returned to his face as he leaned down to kiss Hope’s forehead. It wasn’t exactly the spot she was looking for his lips to touch, but she appreciated the warmth that spread from it.
“There’s at least five pizza places I can think of that are still open for delivery, some of which even provide things like pasta and salads in case you’re tired of pizza.”
Hope scrunched her forehead as she tried to decide if Italian sounded appetizing. Jason probably still had leftover pizza boxes in his fridge from their last pizza party. Maybe an alfredo would be okay, but red sauce wasn’t appealing to her stomach.
“There’s also a twenty-four-seven café that I’ve had deliver around this time before. I figured we could get a little something to eat, and then cuddle up for a short nap. You’ve got to head to work and I’ve got to be at the rink relatively early so I can make sure your ticket is all taken care of and that I’ll actually be in the game.”
The assumption on Hope’s part had been that they’d be stuck sitting around talking about Kate all night, but Jason seemed as reluctant as she was to really get into anything. If he thought there was nothing to talk about, that was good by her. Whether he had honestly considered her statement about expecting a marriage proposal or not, they were still just starting out and Hope didn’t fool herself into thinking he was that close to asking her to marry him. She liked to think she was smart enough that she’d say no to a spontaneous proposal like that.
“The sleeping part of that suggestion is almost tempting enough to forgo my stomach’s need for nourishment. Almost. If you can find someone to bring me some chicken alfredo, I’ll eat it.”
“Chicken alfredo it is,” Jason replied as he leaned down to deliver the kiss Hope had been waiting for.
There was nothing Hope could compare his kisses to, which on one side of the equation was sad, but at the same time, she had a little hope that she’d never have to experience the touch of someone else’s lips. Counting the sloppy prom kiss seemed silly when she knew what they were supposed to feel like. There was no toe curling involved when Bobby Hansen acted like a fish out of water spasming on her mouth.
Jason released his hold on her and pulled out his phone. He seemed to have the restaurant on speed dial as he quickly placed the call and ordered them both chicken alfredo with extra breadsticks.
“Why is it that you don’t reek of Scotch?” Hope asked when he got off the phone.
Smiling, Jason led her over to the couch and sat down, letting her curl into him with his arm bringing her snug to him. She’d given him a full bottle, and at the end of the night that bottle had been empty.
“I had a shot and then shared the wealth. Your friend Ollie got the most of it.”
Hope flexed her jaw, making what was sure to be an ugly face, as she thought about how she’d missed the libations being passed around. She couldn’t keep an eye on Jason the whole time she was working, but she’d thought she’d done a pretty good job of catching his interactions with others. After spotting his unease towards how guys interacted with her, Hope figured it was in their best interest that she be able to intervene in case Jason decided they were staring too long in her direction.
“You do know there has never been anything between me and anyone at the bar, right?” She had said as much before, but Jason could use some reassuring.
“Even Carl? That man’s eyes about popped out of his skull when he saw us kissing. Not to mention I got the feeling he was giving me the stink eye all night.”
It was hard to picture Carl giving anyone the stink eye. He was nice to even the people they ended up kicking out of the bar for being disruptive.
“He asked me out once, like two years ago. I said no and we moved on.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, but it is a moot point now. Moving on to something we should both find more interesting, what do I need to know to impress your dad? I’ve obviously started off on the wrong foot with your mom, so I need a win with at least one of your parents.”
That was not a topic that was going to be as interesting as Jason wanted it to be. It was better than wallowing in the jealousy tickling both of them, but Hope was already prepared for a disastrous night. She sighed and tried to burrow into Jason even more.
“With my mom there, I highly doubt things will work out how we hope. She’ll probably drive the conversation, and I’m sure you can guess the key topics she’ll focus in on. Your marriage slash divorce, your superstar status and the fact that you’re built like a god.”
“I think the term superstar may be a little generous. I’m known, since I’ve been playing professionally for six years, but I’ve only been to one All-Star Game.”
�
�And because of your ex-wife not being shy about airing dirty laundry, you’ve gone through a divorce thousands, probably even tens of thousands, of people have commented about online. You’re known in the hockey world and outside of it, which is more than can be said for any of the members of my family.”
It was sad that the only way Hope could think of Jason winning anyone to his side would be to pop the question. She wasn’t about to bring it up again, but her mom’s big issue was that Jason only wanted a fling and would throw Hope aside once something better came along. Proposing didn’t change his ability to still do that, but it did make it look like there was some commitment coming from him.
“I guess you have some points there, but I didn’t set out to become famous. I’ve always loved playing hockey, and I’m lucky enough to be somewhat good at it.”
“I would definitely try to focus on that. We can’t really do anything to dull down your looks, since Mom’s already seen you.”
Hope leaned forward so she could look at her beau. Shaking her head, she had to stick by her original assessment. Maybe if he got a black eye in the game before the dinner it would help, but she didn’t want to suggest he purposefully went out looking for a fight. They already seemed to come natural enough to him.
“I can wear a paper bag over my head with holes cut out for my eyes, nose and mouth.”
Jason laughed and Hope had to join him as his words created a funny picture in her head. It was scary how easy it was to just sit and be with him. They hadn’t gone on an official date, which Hope had always been under the impression she didn’t have time for. She still felt like planning something like going to the movies wouldn’t fit into her schedule.
Thankfully, Jason was smart enough to know sitting around and eating pizza or pasta did. It may not be what normal people think of when it comes to dating, but having your first boyfriend at twenty-three wasn’t exactly normal.
“I will not be seen with someone wearing a paper bag. I hear that is totally fashion faux pas.”
Smiling wider at the accent she added to her last sentence to make her sound more important, Jason leaned down and kissed her forehead. Hope thought keeping him from smiling would help with the whole too good-looking to be true issue. She’d seen him brooding, though, and unless she could get him to freeze frame with the expression he had during a fight, there was no chance his looks weren’t going to be part of the conversation.
The only thing they had going for them was that he had indeed signed the divorce papers and it was only a matter of time that he would have the paperwork to prove he was on the market. That didn’t help them out with her parents in the short-term, but eventually they’d spend more time with him and learn he wasn’t the guy the internet made him out to be.
Chapter Seventeen
“Come on, dude. You can’t show up looking like you were mauled by a bear and not tell us who the girl is.”
Kyle was starting to get on Jason’s nerves. The third period was past the halfway point and the only time his teammate had shut up about the hickey was when one of them was on the ice without the other. It didn’t help that they were playing his old team and once they heard about it, everyone started ribbing him.
Erik had been the only one to keep his mouth shut. Undoubtedly because he thought he had an idea of where it came from. Kate being in town made a little more sense, and it also made her story seem like an even bigger pile of crap. The two of them had probably travelled for the game together and Kate got bored when Erik ran out to have a beer with the guys.
Jason hadn’t been paying attention to the schedule, so he’d failed to realize Hope’s first game was going to be against a team he hated. He would’ve preferred being up in the stands with her than down listening to the taunts from both sides of the ice.
Every time Jason came off the ice, he looked to where Hope sat six rows back from the bench. She always smiled when she saw him looking, and from what he could tell, she was having a good time. He wished there was someone she knew sitting next to her, though, so she wasn’t alone.
“If you quit ragging on me, maybe I’ll introduce you to her.”
They were sitting next to each other on the bench when Jason was kind enough to throw the guy a bone. He thought he’d be able to hold out until they got to the locker room, but he wanted a few shifts on the ice where at least one person wasn’t pestering him.
“So there really is a woman? The bets have been landing on the side of the bear.”
Jason rolled his eyes as he got up for a shift change. He’d had nineteen minutes of ice time already, so he was on track for his highest minutes played in a game for the season. His statistician in the stand was likely to notice, and hopefully, she felt like giving him some kind of reward for it.
“I’ve never let, nor do I ever plan on letting, a bear suck on my neck.”
Kenny coming in for a change broke up the conversation. Jason was happy for the momentary reprieve as he stepped on the ice. Erik had control of the puck and was leading his team towards the Nashville net.
Hustling to intercept, Jason was able to launch Erik into the boards. Erik saw it coming, so he braced for the impact and only hit hard enough to leave a temporary red mark. Jason would’ve preferred a bruise, but he was busy trying to play the puck and pass it to one of his teammates.
With time running down in the game, Jason decided to get a little something off his chest. Part of him wanted to see if Erik would throw his gloves off, but that would make it seem like he cared the other man had stolen his wife.
“I don’t know whether you and Kate are still together, but make sure she goes home with you when you leave.”
The pair were skating towards the other end of the ice where the action had moved. Erik was towards the end of his shift, but he couldn’t get off with his team in the defensive zone. Jason stopped just inside the blue line as Erik continued in the zone to try to disrupt a pass.
“That was the plan. I know she went out looking for you last night, but she came back to our hotel room. She gets a little flaky sometimes, but she always comes back.”
“Lucky you,” Jason said sarcastically as the puck came towards him.
Just before it got to him, he wound up and slapped it towards the net. Two players were screening the goaltender, so he couldn’t get a good read on it and missed the puck flying over his left shoulder.
“Woo,” Jason screamed as his teammates formed a circle around him to pat him on his helmet.
His team was already up by two goals, so it was only rubbing salt in the wounds. That didn’t make the goal any less sweet for Jason. He led the team towards the bench and held out his fist to fist bump the guys as he went through the line.
His eyes were on Hope as he caught her jumping up and down. It was hard to hear any specific screams with the whole arena shaking, but he imagined he could make her out above the rest of the ruckus.
Jason let his adrenaline calm down some as he took his spot on the bench. There were still three minutes left, but he was ready to call it a game. He probably had two more shifts before he could head to the showers. He’d already decided he would sit through the required interviews, then grab his stuff so he could meet Hope.
She’d taken a ride share to the game since he had to be at the arena well before doors open. He’d told her what the usual postgame festivities entailed and where she should go to wait for him so they could ride home together. Jason had tried to give her his spare key so she could wait in the car if she wanted, but she’d opted to just wait in the arena for him.
“So who’s the girl?”
Jason ignored Kyle. He’d thought he’d given him enough to keep quiet and wait for the introduction he’d promised, but the man didn’t know when to quit.
There were no surprises the rest of the game, other than Jason getting called out for the third star. With the crowd thinning out, he could hear Hope yelling at him as she made her way to the area above the tunnel back to the locker room. Jason high
-fived some of the kids hanging out to catch a glimpse of the players while he waited for her to get closer.
“I hate to tell you this, but that was your best game of the season.”
Kids stood in the way of their conversation, so Hope still had to raise her voice. She’d managed to find herself a small jersey that looked to have his number on it. He suspected they sold them in the arena, but he’d never been to the store to say for certain that was where she got it.
“I guess that means you’re going to have to quit both your jobs and became my groupie.”
“In your dreams,” Hope said, smiling and rolling her eyes. “Hurry up and get changed so I can fill you in on how impressed I was with your performance tonight.”
If the kids weren’t around, Jason had a nice response lined up for the statement. Since it wasn’t kid-friendly, he went ahead and bit his tongue.
“Give me fifteen minutes, tops.”
Jason blew her a kiss before retreating back to the locker room. Having scored, the media types were interested in asking how it felt. It also didn’t go unnoticed that he’d shared a couple words with Erik. As always, it was nobody’s business what was said on the ice, so Jason deflected and got through the interview as fast as he could.
Without the crowd in front of him, he was quick to change. Eventually, he was going to need to jump in a shower, but he thought it might be nice to have Hope help him make sure he got all the sweat washed away. Picturing exactly how that interaction would go down didn’t make getting dressed any easier, but he managed.
“I hear she’s cute, but not your usual type.”
Jason was in such a good mood that he continued his quest to ignore Kyle. Both Mickey and Zac had to have seen Jason and Hope talking as his teammates skated out to wave at the crowd as the second and first stars. It was annoying to think they had him pegged with a specific type.
They only had Kate to base their assumptions on, and if they were doing that, they were idiots. Any type he had was the exact opposite of Kate.
