Page 54 of Put a Rink on It

“I’ll support you, but I’m guessing that wasn’t part of the discussion last time.” His wisdom astounds me. “But it can be now.”

“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “I’ll get her opinion when I next talk to her. Seems like life is throwing all these curveballs lately, and I’m not sure which end is up.”

“You can’t control the puck bounce,” he spouts without hesitation.

“Exactly. But at least in hockey, the objective’s still the same no matter which way the puck bounces. I’m swimming upstream, trying not to sink.”

He’s contemplative for a beat, and I replay this conversation in my head. I don’t mean to lay this all on him—he’s got enough stress on his plate—but he’s the one person who will get it. Not from his experience, but he has this uncanny ability to read me, to understand me on a level no one ever has. It’s eerie and wonderful at the same time. Even though he can’t understand it himself, he’ll put himself in my shoes to help me figure out what to do.

“Come home with me.”

His out of the blue statement raises my head. “Repeat that.”

“Come home with me. Pack a bag for a week or two and stay with me. Keep me company. You can see all my ‘quirks’ in action.”

More ridiculousness—he uses air quotes around quirks.

“You play at home or close to home until your road-trip, and I don’t have any in-person meetings for work. And I want to see your quirks.”

“What’s coming up on your agenda? Family stuff?”

“There’s been talk of wedding stuff, but I wouldn’t be far.”

“What else?” Excitement fills his words and his expression. It feels good I’m the reason for it. Because the more I mull over the idea, the more it thrills me. Especially quitting my job. It feels right and not as scary as it once did.

A thought occurs to potentially mar the situation. “We’d have to drive two cars tonight.”

“Your face implies that’s a no-go.”

“I tolerate driving around town to run errands. What makes you think I want to make an unplanned drive to Connecticut?”

“Because we’ll have time to spend together once it’s over. Think about it, Ships.” He slides to the edge of the cushion. “We could watch Grey’s Anatomy together. In bed. With popcorn or other desserts. We could skate together in person. You could cook me dinner.”

A guffaw tears out of me at his last suggestion. “User,” I grumble.

He moves closer, wrapping his large hands around mine. “You could order us dinner with my credit card. The sky’s the limit. You could order desserts to be delivered late at night. You could wear my clothes, without my knowledge if you’re clever enough.”

“I could watch you in your natural habitat and have an up-front view at the boy aquarium,” I muse, the idea sinking its hooks in me.

“I don’t know what that means, but if it means you and I will be there, count me in. I like it.”

“Kaitlyn probably knows the etymology of the term. You can ask her later.” I pause, a better notion hitting my brain. “If I’m only gone for a couple of weeks and can have anything I want delivered, I won’t need my car,” I hedge, hoping he’ll take the bait. “When we go out together, you’ll drive.” His hands let go of mine, and he takes off down the hall. “Where are you going?”

“To pack your stuff. We should get on the road soon,” comes his muffled reply.

A flurry of emotions takes root inside me, a feeling I haven’t experienced in a long time.

I’m uncertain exactly what it means, but I can’t wait to find out.

Nero pushes open the door of the spare bedroom, the bed as I left it this morning.

“Do you ever have guests over?”

“I haven’t yet. Why?”

“Will it seem odd we don’t share a room when I’m staying with you?”

The idea bounced around my brain for most of the drive, like my mind was trying to reveal something. I’m not sure I’m ready to face the fact we should live in the same room when I visit, but we’ve got to face it at some point. Now’s as good a time as any.