AllFreeNovel
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“Why are you apologizing?”
Without fully turning, Eli tilts his head my way. “I’m nervous, and it’s making me totally awkward.”
Well, that makes two of us. I just happen to not be the one attempting to operate a motor vehicle.
“Can I confess something?” I ask.
“Please do.”
I lean across the center console and whisper, “I’m nervous too. And awkward is my natural resting state. So … maybe we can just be happily awkward together?”
“Awkward together.” Eli’s grin is fast, and it makes me unreasonably happy to know I put that smile on his face. Warmth rolls over me in a wave, spreading through my chest until even my fingers tingle with it.
But when his gaze drops to my mouth, the warmth gives way to heat. Is it possible I’m not the only one who keeps thinking about the kiss we shared on the ice?
Eli quickly turns back to the wheel, putting the car in reverse this time.
Our conversation slides into something easy and comfortable, Eli asking me about work and about Doris, who’s adjusting but still hasn’t found a home.
“Any cat incidents?” Eli asks, his grin mischievous.
“Not a week goes by.” I pull back my sleeve, revealing the edge of my latest battle wound. A bite this time, the result of trying to administer deworming medicine to a new arrival.
“Ouch.”
Eli winces, then reaches across to brush two fingers across my wrist, just shy of the pink skin. His touch is gentle, yet it sparks something not-so-gentle in me. The kind of urgent yearning for more that makes my skin tingle with restlessness.
When he puts his hand back on the wheel, I ask, “What’s your hockey schedule like this week? Any more games?”
He shoots me a boyish grin. “You want to come to more of my games, Leelee?”
“I didn’t really understand any of the rules, but I liked watching.”
And by watching, I mean watchinghim. Though by the end, I found myself screaming for the Appies right alongside Maggie and the other fans in our section. It was thrilling. Definitely a lot more fun than sitting at home watching Netflix.
I might have even screamed, “You suck!” at a player on the other team who knocked into Eli. Which was much nicer than a lot of things people were yelling. But meaner and louder than how I’ve ever behaved at a public event.
“Any time you want, I’ll get you tickets. Mom goes to most of my home games, usually alone.”
“Really?” I don’t like the idea of Maggie sitting by herself. “Well, then count me in for any upcoming home games.”
Eli doesn’t seem to take in the fact that this means I have absolutely zero social life and just seems happy enough that I want to watch him play. Apparently, he’s got a lot of travel coming up. Two straight weeks on the road with the team playing regular games, some exhibition games, and a lot of fan events, organized by the team owner in an attempt to capitalize on—and monetize, from the sound of it—their social media fame.
“Will we get married before or after you go?” I ask, toying with the ring. Trying to wrap my brain around the question I just asked.
Because this ring means we’re gettingmarried. I let go of the ring in favor of a button on my coat.
Maybe Eli’s struggling to wrap his head around the idea too because his hand knocks into the wiper lever. The blades screech across the dry glass, and he winces as he fumbles to turnthem off. In the process, he flicks on the brights, and someone honks.
“Sorry. I, uh, hadn’t planned that far ahead,” he says, white-knuckling the steering wheel. “But I guess we should get married before?”
“Which means in the next week.”
I swallow, twisting the button until it feels ready to pop off, then letting it spin back. A thousand things flood my mind. Things we need to do. Things we haven’t done. Things I don’t know how to do. Google is about to get a hefty workout as I search everything I need to know in order to plan a wedding. In a week.
“Wow. Can we do it that fast? I guess if we’re just doing a courthouse wedding, it’ll be fine. With the judge or whatever?” My brain starts to spin out, totally unchecked and careening right toward the edge of a cliff. “Unless there’s a waitlist for that or something. I’ve never been to the courthouse, but the building’s pretty. I love that whole area of town. It’s so?—”
“Bailey.”
