As was having her come home with him.
“I am so full of food,” Blake proclaimed, falling onto his couch once they got back. “I can’t believe I can be this full just from tiny finger foods.” Except he could believe it. Blake had eaten a lot of tiny finger foods. “Will you come to pity me?” he asked, giving Thea a grin. Blake didn’t think Thea was the pity sort of girl. He was sure she would at least come cuddle on the couch with him.
“You did it to yourself, you know,” Thea teased, as she kicked off her shoes. It confirmed what Blake had thought. So did the fact that she walked over, curling up beside him on the couch. She rested her head against Blake’s shoulder, tilting her chin so she could look up at him while she splayed one hand across his chest.
“I had a really good time tonight,” she said. “It’s a shame Nilssy’s retiring. Evie said they’re hoping to stay in the area, so I guess you’ll still see some of him.” Blake liked how Thea had picked up on the Howlers’ nicknames for each other, using them at least sometimes in place of people’s proper names. It made her feel more a part of that side of his life. It wasn’t something Blake had known he wanted, but Thea taking an interest felt good.
“I like seeing Remy and Doe together,” she added, more softly. “I’m really glad that they’re happy .”
“Yeah, and me,” Blake nodded. “Honestly, I kind of feel like I should’ve seen it coming. I don’t even know when they got to know each other so well.” He could hear the slight tone of guilt in his voice. Blake was very glad that Doe was happy with Remy. It didn’t make him feel any better about being kind of a shitty boyfriend to her.
His hand stroked over Thea’s leg, stopping when he reached the sticker on her knee. Her jeans were covering it but Blake knew it was there. It made his heart skip a beat to know that his name was on her skin just like how his own soulmark was of Thea’s name.
“I didn’t see it either,” Thea admitted. He knew her well enough to see her expression was slightly troubled. “I think I was just so wrapped up in trying not to have feelings for you. It made me selfish.” She sucked on her lower lip, in that gesture Blake recognized so well as a signal that she was thinking hard.
She drummed over his pec, her fingers so slight in comparison to Blake’s own athletic bulk. “Doe and I talked about it,” she said. “She said they really got close at the chalet. Remember when we came back and they’d decorated the whole place for Christmas?”
“I remember,” Blake nodded. He had thought of that when he’d realized that the ‘Blake’ who was Doe’s soulmate might be Remy. “I just didn’t... think about it?” If it made Thea selfish, it definitely made Blake selfish, too. Still, things had worked out for Remy and Doe. Things had definitely also worked out for Blake and Thea.
He leaned in to press a kiss against Thea’s neck, enjoying how warm she felt. Blake liked that he could just do this now, that she wanted him to. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think Remy and Doe noticed us spending time together either,” he offered with a small grin. He could hardly blame them for that.
Thea laughed, the hand on his chest pushing ineffectually. “You’re right,” she agreed. “If Doe had noticed, I think she would have told me. She had no idea I was feeling so guilty about liking you as much as I did.”
She paused then, like she was considering something. Blake was about to ask what when Thea turned more towards him, her hand brushing softly across his jaw. “Blake,” she said, teeth scraping over her lip. Blake loved the way she said his name, how focused and intense she was.
“I don’t just like you,” Thea said, making Blake raise an eyebrow at her. “I know we’ve only been dating for a week but -” Thea shrugged, giving him a slight smirk. “That doesn’t matter. I don’t need to wait any longer to be sure.” Her smile softened, and her hand cupped Blake’s cheek. “I love you,” she whispered.
The way she said it made Blake’s stomach swoop, even if he kind of had figured what was coming. It still felt great to hear Thea say it . “It has only been a week,” Blake agreed. “It seems kind of rushed.” His tone definitely gave away how much he was just teasing her.
In one swift move, Blake pinned Thea against the couch, smashing his lips against hers in a heated kiss. When he pulled back - leaving them both breathless - Blake smiled. “I love you, too, Thea,” he told her, so very sure of his words. “And I’m going to love you in another week. And a week after that. And all the weeks yet to come.”
“ All the weeks,” Thea marveled, her eyes going wide but her smile even wider. Blake got it. Even knowing they were soulmates, it was a lot to take in. They might be together forever . “I like the sound of that, Blake Ashbury.” She arched up, capturing Blake’s lips in another heated kiss.
Her fingers darted under Blake’s top, warm against his skin. Blake parted his lips, Thea’s tongue sliding between them and sweeping into his mouth. She moaned. Blake could’ve sworn he felt the sound in every nerve-ending.
“Are you too full of food?” Thea asked, pulling Blake’s top as high up his body as she could without pushing him off her.
It made Blake laugh. There was no way he was ever going to be too full of food to do this with Thea. His own hands slid lower down her body, pulling Thea against him hard. He rocked forward, mouth returning to Thea’s neck so Blake could pepper a line of kisses there.
“I am never going to be too full of food for this,” he promised. “If you maybe wanted to help me undress, I’d be totally cool with that,” Blake added with a grin. “I’ll even help you.” His hands moved down to the hem of Thea’s shirt as he returned to kiss her neck again.
Thea giggled under him. It just made this so much better. Blake loved that they had this, that they could be as slow or as fast as they wanted. Weeks that would turn into months, and months that would turn into years. Yet, just then? All of Blake’s focus was on right then and the way Thea moaned when he ground against her again.
“It’s definitely going to be fun,” Ashley informed the four of them as they approached the queue at the amusement park. “Unless you’re afraid of heights. Connor promised me that neither of you is.”
Ashley had insisted on organizing a double date. Now that they were there, Blake did wonder if it was mostly an excuse she’d made up to hear Connor scream like a little girl. Of course, he hadn’t said as much. Blake had no interest in discouraging Ashley. It amused Blake a lot to see how much they chirped each other.
His own relationship with Thea wasn’t as... teasing. There was definitely playfulness. Blake liked to think that Thea wouldn’t bring him to an amusement park just to hear him scream. No. She’d want to compete over who’d scream the least.
“We’re not afraid of heights,” Blake promised, giving Thea’s hand a squeeze. He knew it was true for her, too. They’d taken a ski lift together and neither had expressed any fear of being high up.
“I love amusement parks,” Thea gushed, squeezing Blake’s hand right back. “Especially if they have terrible animatronics. They’re so awesome. I used to want to sit and watch them for hours . I didn’t even care about the rides.”
She looked up at Blake, giving him a smile before she turned to reassure Ashley and Connor. “I won’t make you two sit and watch them with me,” she promised. Blake noticed she didn’t include him in her promise. He felt very okay with that. No doubt Thea would be able to tell him a lot of interesting facts about how animatronics were made and animated.
“Ashley brought me to an amusement park for one of our first dates,” Connor piped up. “You have to make Blake win you a bear, Thea, it’s a tradition.”
“I am really very sure that if anyone is going to win someone a bear it’ll be Thea winning me one,” Blake commented. Thea was very competitive. He was certain that if he tried to win her a bear it would just lead to her winning herself a bear. And winning him a bear. And maybe winning bears for some random children. That, too, Blake was very okay with.
Thea laughed. The sound delight
ed Blake, as much now as it had the very first time she’d laughed over his terrible chat-up line. “He’s right,” Thea admitted. “I don’t think I could stand by and watch Blake win anything but hockey without at least trying to compete.”
She turned to Ashley, her face lighting up as she smiled. “Do you love watching Connor play?” she asked. “I thought I enjoyed the matches before, but now that I’m personally invested -” She shot a smirk over her shoulder at Blake. “It’s just another level.”
It made Blake laugh, the idea that his gameplay was now somehow Thea ’s competition, too. He was glad she wasn’t a betting woman. It inspired him to play even harder, wanting to show her just how good he was.
“I mean, I had never seen a match before so... sure?” Ashley offered. She shrugged. “Honestly, I’m only now confident that I know the rules. I’m still not sure I can list all the different types of penalties.”
Thea, Blake knew, did know all the different types of penalties. Mostly he knew this because watching hockey at home with Thea was a bit like watching it with any of his actual teammates. When Thea committed, she really committed. Not that Blake could complain. He absolutely loved that about her.
“We’re all like Thea’s fantasy hockey league,” he told Ashley with a grin. “Connor’s lucky she hasn’t commented on his gameplay yet.” Today , Blake added in his head. Thea had definitely tried before. It was hilarious.
“My gameplay is great,” Connor insisted. “Anyone would pick me for a fantasy league over you, Ashy.” In a great show of maturity, he stuck his tongue out at Thea. “Anyone who wasn’t biased anyway.”
Thea grinned, the corners of her mouth twitching like she was holding back a laugh. “Happy to be biased,” she said, squeezing Blake’s hand. “Besides, I don’t think pointing out that you missed two assists yesterday would be very good manners on a double date.” Blake knew from her tone she was teasing. Thea might not care much about what was ‘proper’, but she wouldn’t deliberately hurt anyone who couldn’t take her feedback in their stride.
Ashley laughed, shaking her head. “Also, we had an agreement,” she pointed out. “No talk of hockey on the double date!” It was a rule that Thea had already kind of broken. Blake wasn’t going to point that out. Instead, he just gave a nod.
“Rules are rules,” he agreed, winking at Connor. Turning to Thea, Blake leaned down to press a kiss against her cheek. “I’m okay with you being biased,” he promised. Not that Blake imagined she had questioned it.
“Ooh, our turn’s come!” Ashley announced excitedly as the cart arrived for the ride. “Come on all, let’s see Connor give his best shot at not screaming like a little girl.”
That made Blake burst into laughter. He shook his head. It was going to be a pretty great day. Especially because later on, Thea was definitely going to win him a bear.
Epilogue
Thea was very pleased with herself. She hadn’t needed to ask either Doe or Blake for help picking out Remy’s birthday present. He and Doe had been together for six months now. Thea had gotten to know him a lot better than she’d managed when he’d only been the newest of the Madison Howlers. Doe helped a lot. Remy seemed to open up around her in a way Thea rarely saw him do otherwise.
It was obvious they were very good together. Their relationship had flourished, just like Thea’s had with Blake. She and Doe still occasionally joked about how unlikely it was that they not only had the same name but had soulmates who almost did. It was a strange coincidence. One Thea was tremendously grateful for. She couldn’t imagine a better life than the one she was building with Blake. Knowing that Doe was just as happy with Remy was the icing on the cake.
Speaking of, Doe had asked Thea and Blake if they’d mind collecting the birthday cake from Remy’s favorite local bakery. O course, they’d agreed.
“I’ll let you carry it,” Thea teased. She held open the car door to let Blake reach into the back seat for the precious box. “Your balance is a little better than mine.” Blake was a professional hockey player, his balance was impeccable. Even six months’ hadn’t softened any of Thea’s competitive edge.
She led the way up the big drive, and round to the backyard. As they turned the corner, Thea’s breath caught. She’d been in Remy’s garden before, but it had never looked like this .
“You’ve turned it into a wonderland!” Thea marveled. She spotted Doe holding a stepladder while Remy climbed to adjust one of the multicolored lanterns. “When did you find the time to do all this?”
Finishing what he was doing, Remy clambered down. He draped an arm around Doe’s shoulders. The two of them were more reserved about public displays of affection than some of the other Howlers couples. It made Thea feel good to know they’d still touch one another like this around her and Blake.
“Doe did most of it,” Remy said, pressing a kiss to the top of Doe’s head. “I came back from training and everything was done, except for hanging things.”
“It looks really good, Doe,” Blake complimented. “Where do you want the cake?” he asked lifting the box a bit to show it to Doe. She moved out from under Remy’s arm and towards the neatly set up table.
“Here, I’ve made a space for it,” Doe said, showing Blake where to put it. “Thanks for picking it up. It’s been such a busy day with all the decorating and everything.” She hardly needed to thank them. It hadn’t been a hardship. Besides, Thea was sure that most people would’ve taken about three days to get the place looking the way Doe had.
“Least we can do. Quite literally, since it looks like you’ve got all the decorating done?” Blake commented, looking around.
“Everything’s pretty much ready,” Remy agreed. “I haven’t fired up the grill. I’ll do that once people arrive.” He glanced quickly between Blake and Thea, flushing slightly as he added, “More people.”
Thea laughed. “It’s okay,” she assured. “We know we’re here super early and no one else will turn up for at least half an hour.” They’d been prepared for that and hadn’t minded. It made sense that Doe didn’t want the cake arriving after the rest of the guests were already there.
“It’s nice, just the four of us,” Thea said, moving over so she could slide her hand into Blake’s. Even after six months, she wasn’t tired of the thrill it gave her to be able to touch him so casually. It still gave her butterflies how warm and strong his fingers were as they laced through hers.
“How else are you two celebrating?” she asked. She hoped they had something planned for just the two of them, as well as a party for all their friends.
The blush on Doe’s face made Thea laugh. Doe just rolled her eyes. “ Aside from that,” she said, making both Blake and Remy snort. “We’re taking a pottery class,” Doe told them, before giving Blake a look. “You’re not allowed to mock Remy for it, because it was my idea. We haven’t yet seen how bad of a bowl he can make.” The last bit was definitely said a little bit teasingly.
“Oh, so he’s allowed to mock me after we’ve seen how bad I am?” Remy asked. He didn’t sound annoyed, just fond. It made Thea’s heart feel almost too full. Despite the unorthodox way both their relationships had started, the four of them had ended up fitting together in a way Thea definitely couldn’t have anticipated.
After a little more teasing, Remy excused himself to check on the food, muttering something about marinades. Blake offered to help, leaving Thea and Doe on their own.
Looking around the garden, Thea marveled again at how good it looked. “You must have spent a lot of time here,” Thea said, narrowing her eyes at her best friend. “Did he give you a key?” She wagged her eyebrows in their most suggestive manner.
“Technically we’re outside, I could’ve just come around the back,” Doe defended. Then her face lit up with a wide smile. “But yes, he did also give me a key. Not just for decorating. At least I don’t think it’s just for decorating.” Having seen the way Remy looked at Doe, Thea was sure it really wasn’t just for decorating.
“I’m not moving out or anything, though,” Doe rushed in to add.
It was such a very Doe thing to think about. She sounded more concerned about Thea than she was about herself. Thea rushed across the garden and hugged her tight. “I’m so happy for you,” she said, genuinely. It might mean seeing Doe a little less if she spent more time at Remy’s. It was a sacrifice Thea was willing to make. Besides, she spent a lot of her time at Blake’s these days.
“I’m glad you’re not moving out,” Thea teased. “I still love living with you.” She did, and if - when - they both made the move to settle down more permanently, it would be bittersweet. “Can you believe just a year ago we were both single?” Thea asked, with a dramatic sigh. “Never in a million lifetimes would I have predicted this.”
Doe laughed at Thea’s dramatics, just as she’d known her friend would. “Never would you have predicted that I’d date your soulmate before you do?” Doe teased. Then her smile turned a lot more genuine. “It’s worked out well for us. Maybe especially because I dated Blake first,” she joked.
It only made Thea’s smile even wider. Knowing that Doe could joke about it, that she hadn’t been hurt when Blake had wanted to date Thea more than he’d wanted to date her, was still something Thea treasured. “That’s right,” she joked back. “You screened him for me so that I’d know he was a good guy.”
Thea definitely thought it had helped that she hadn’t known Blake could be her soulmate. Neither of them had needed to deal with all the expectations that came with that knowledge, not until after they’d been sure they had chemistry.
“We’ve both done pretty well over meeting real-life professional athletes,” Thea teased. She certainly hadn’t known it would turn out like this.
Best Shot (Madison Howlers Book 2) Page 19
