Hold Me Forever (A Hockey Romance)

by Layla Hagen

  Tyler laughed. "I bet she did. When I told her what I planned, she immediately started making plans of her own and wanted to know exactly where it was taking place and at what time."

  "Sounds like Emma," I murmured.

  He looked me straight in the eyes, curling a strand of my hair between his fingers. "I want to build a life with you, Kendra."

  "I want it too," I admitted. And then I acknowledged something else. "I've been having these vivid dreams lately. You're always in them.” I shook my head. “That sounded dirty. It's not how I meant it."

  "What kind of dreams?" he asked.

  "About the future. And I never used to have them before." There were a lot of snowflakes now, and some were getting on my tongue every time I spoke. The wind intensified too. I looked up at the sky, then back at Tyler. “I think we’re in for a storm.”

  “Looks like it.”

  “So... does the rest of your plan to make me swoon today include being outdoors?”

  “Actually, yes, but I’m adaptable.” He touched my jaw again, looking at me intently. “And I can think of a thing or two to do indoors too.”

  I grinned. “So can I.”

  Epilogue

  Kendra

  Three months later

  I woke up with a yawn and then immediately smiled. I was lying on one side in Tyler's huge bed. He was spooning me, holding an arm around my waist. I felt utterly happy and blissful and safe in a way I never thought was possible.

  I tried not to move my body as I lifted my head, looking for the digital clock that was near the dresser. Oh crap. It was already nine o'clock. We were supposed to be at Declan’s new house in forty minutes to help him unpack.

  I turned around, deciding on the best way to wake up my man. To my astonishment, his eyes were already open but hazy with sleep.

  "Morning,” I whispered.

  He blinked lazily, and I leaned in, kissing his shoulder and his biceps.

  "Morning," he said.

  "How did you sleep?" I asked him. I liked doing that every morning.

  "Like a rock, but you woke me up at some point. You were talking in your sleep."

  "Oh? What did I say?"

  “Sang my praises. Said I was absolutely amazing.”

  I laughed but didn’t contradict him because I could totally see that happening. “Sounds plausible.”

  “Damn, I’m good. I was bluffing.”

  I shimmied against him, flashing him a smile. He asked me how I slept every morning when we woke up together. We spent almost every evening together, sometimes at his condo, but mostly in my brand-new house. I’d moved in two months ago at the end of January, and I absolutely loved every corner of it.

  “So, what did you dream about?”

  I lay back on the pillow, looking at him and feeling suddenly shy. "I dreamed that we had a little girl."

  Tyler brought a hand to the side of my neck, brushing his thumb along my jawline. "I'd love that. I hope she'll be just like you."

  I shimmied against the cotton sheets, feeling warm all over. "It was just a dream, though."

  "Kendra, we can make it a reality whenever you're ready."

  "Wait... so you feel ready?"

  "Yes I am. It’s crazy, but I feel like we can do anything we want together."

  Tilting closer, he kissed my neck, moving his hand lower on my shoulder. "I love you."

  "You're making me melt. Just thought you should know."

  He kissed my shoulder again. This time I also felt the tip of his tongue. I shuddered all over.

  Tyler groaned. "Why do we have to go out today?"

  "Because we promised to help Declan unpack," I pointed out. “Remember the family motto? ‘Don't outsource anything you can do well and that can count as a family activity.’”

  "We need to rethink it. How about this? ‘Don’t outsource anything unless it buys you time to spend in bed with the woman you love.’"

  My stomach cartwheeled. How could he be so swoonworthy without even trying?

  I tipped my head to the side in mock thought. “Hmmm... but then we’d duck out of basically every activity.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “No, I like your motto as it is.”

  “I’ll talk to Tate. He’s got as good a reason as I do to adapt it.”

  I giggled. “Come on. Let's get out of bed, or we'll be late."

  He pressed his fingers deeper into my skin. I knew what that possessive grip meant. He wasn't ready to let go without a fight, but I knew just how to disarm him. I went straight to his Adam's apple, kissing it lightly, moving up and down his neck. It was his sweet spot.

  He instantly relaxed his grip on me, groaning, and I saw my chance to escape. I practically leaped out of bed.

  He burst out laughing, pushing himself up on an elbow. "You're tricky this morning."

  "Hey, I'm resourceful, and I knew if I didn't get us out, we'd just stay in bed for half the morning."

  "That's completely true."

  I walked to the bathroom, and he was right behind me. We brushed our teeth at the two sinks. I loved the ease and familiarity between us.

  The second I was done, I reached for the shower, but Tyler pulled me toward him.

  "I demand a morning kiss before the shower as payback for tricking me."

  "Oh, I deserve that very, very cruel punishment.”

  Grinning, he leaned in to me, speaking against my lips. “Not gonna fight me on it? Say we’ll be late?”

  “I can make time for a kiss. But only one." I used a teasing tone, knowing he wouldn’t resist the challenge.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Despite my best intentions, we arrived late at Declan’s house in the Gold Coast neighborhood. I’d seen it in pictures and also been here a couple times while it was under renovation. It was honestly breathtaking. Originally built in the early 1900s, Declan had renovated a lot, but it was worth it. The walnut entry staircase led up to a balcony slash porch made entirely of walnut as well. The windows on either side of the door had stained glass so one couldn’t see inside from the street.

  The inside was even more impressive. There was a huge open space encompassing the entrance, living room, dining room, and kitchen. I especially loved the mahogany staircase leading to the upper level.

  Everyone else was already here. Tate and Lexi were on the right side of the gorgeous living room, next to the gray couch. Tate was taking out books from a box, and Lexi was arranging them on floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves that had a ladder attached to them.

  “Where’s Paisley?” Tyler asked.

  “She decided to spend the day with our parents. Mom bribed her with pancakes,” Tate explained.

  Travis and Luke were setting up the TV on the wall opposite the couch. Declan himself was sorting cutlery at the granite counter. The kitchen was amazing, like the rest of the furniture. The cabinets were black and looked incredibly sleek.

  “What should we do?” I asked him.

  “Tyler can start setting up the lamps. You can put the glasses in the red box in the cabinets.”

  “Right away.” I moved carefully because the hardwood floor was littered with boxes and bubble wrap.

  "Remind me again, is this supposed to be a housewarming party?" Travis asked while he and Luke seemed to be on a break.

  Declan nodded. "Housewarming slash unpacking party. First comes unpacking, and then I’ll order food and drinks for everyone."

  Luke burst out laughing. "So typical of you. Work first, fun later.”

  "Hey, we volunteered, remember?" Tyler asked.

  "Actually, no, I don't. But it could be that I just heard the part with drinks and completely ignored the part where we had to work," Luke said.

  “Thanks for showing up,” Declan said.

  "No problem."

  Travis came to the kitchen island, taking a screwdriver out of the toolbox. Glancing out the window above the sink, he pointed at the guest house. It was obviously a much later addition, b
ecause it looked nothing like the original house.

  "How long is your neighbor’s contract?" Travis asked.

  “One year left to go,” Declan replied in a clipped tone.

  “How is he?” Travis asked.

  “She,” he practically growled.

  I glanced at Tyler, who bit back a smile. “How is she?”

  “A damn nightmare. I’ve been sleeping here the past three nights. She listens to music late in the night, and—” He stopped abruptly without even finishing his sentence.

  I put the last glass in the cabinet, turning around.

  “And what?” I nudged, feeling like he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

  “And nothing.”

  Travis patted his shoulder. "I bet she’ll move out in three months. You're a terrible roommate. You know how we know? We grew up with you," he said.

  Declan cocked a brow. "She’s not my roommate. Just lives in the guest house on my property."

  "I feel sorry for her." Travis feigned a shudder, glancing out the window again. “Is that her? She’s smoking hot. And she’s coming this way.”

  "Behave!" Declan said with a meaningful glance at all his brothers.

  Travis held his hands up. "Sure, don't worry on my behalf."

  Luke looked up from the box he was unpacking. "You can worry for me. I don't plan to behave at all. Where’s the fun in that?"

  “Stay here,” Declan said, heading to the front door. He opened it one second before the doorbell rang.

  “Wow, she’s beautiful,” Lexi exclaimed.

  A gorgeous blonde stood in front of the door. She looked like a supermodel, wearing dark blue jeans and heels that made her legs look endless below a thick black sweater with a V-cut that fit her perfectly. She was shivering too, but that was to be expected. It was a sunny spring day, but it was still cold.

  She was holding a piece of paper in her right hand, dangling it in front of Declan.

  “Declan Maxwell, are you serious?”

  “I told you to turn down the music.”

  “It’s how I unwind, okay? You should try it sometime. Might take that stick out of your ass.”

  At my side, Tyler made a strange choking sound. He was trying to repress laughter. I elbowed him lightly.

  Luke grinned. Travis looked like he was about to explode with guffaws.

  “Boys, behave,” I whispered.

  Luke rubbed his palms together. “No chance. This is gold. Gold.”

  I was the only one who made an effort to pretend like I was minding my own business as Declan headed back to us, dusting off a cabinet before putting in plates. I hopped on the counter, propping my knees wide apart as I reached into the upper shelf. Seconds later, Tyler was by my side, planting his hands firmly on my outer thighs.

  “Babe, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” he asked.

  “Not at all. I want to be useful.” In a lower octave, I added, “And pretend I didn’t eavesdrop on the entire conversation.”

  Luke walked up to Declan.

  "She's hot. I wouldn't know how to handle a hot neighbor," Luke said.

  "Well, I'm going to tell you how you'll handle mine," Declan replied with a growl. "You're not allowed to flirt with my tenant under any circumstances."

  "I thought she was a neighbor," Tyler teased.

  Declan trained his eyes on him. "Semantics don't matter."

  Travis chuckled, looking at Tyler and then at me.

  “Careful there, Declan. You sound like you’re marking your territory,” Travis said.

  Declan didn’t say anything, which, of course, everyone took as confirmation.

  Well, well! This is an interesting turn of events.

  Tyler and I exchanged a glance, but we didn’t say anything.

  Travis shook his head but didn’t add anything else as we all went back to work in earnest.

  Travis had predicted she’d move out in three months, but I had a hunch things were going to unfold in a completely different way.

  Dear Reader,

  This is the end of Tyler and Kendra’s story. Declan’s story is available for pre-order HERE.

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