AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I run my fingers through her hair and frown. “Me either.”
Our first preseason game is next week, and after missing a couple of practices for this trip, I’m going to be stuck at the rink all day, every day, until then. The thought of being away from Ava for so long is nearly painful.
Living on the road is not easy, and yeah, it’s what I’ve always wanted, but this part of the job is the hardest. In a perfect world, Ava would come with me wherever I went. But I would never ask that of her. I couldn’t.
“Do you ever think about where we would be if I was never drafted?”
She pulls back and places a hand on my chest to balance herself upright. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, baby. I’m just thinking. As soon as we get back . . .”
“You’ll be gone again?” she finishes for me. “I know. But you’re doing what you love. That’s enough for me. I didn’t go into our relationship thinking you’d be glued to my side all the time, Oakley.”
“We also didn’t know I would be playing in Seattle.”
Her brows scrunch. “Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s just been a mix of the off-season and being here that makes me miss when I didn’t have to prepare for a time where I had to be away from you. It’s only my second season, and I’m dreading leaving.”
She nods, eyes soft. Her fingers brush back the hair flopping on my forehead. “You’ll be home sometimes too. It’s not like you’re on the road for the entire season. We’ll make the best of what we get. Just like we did last year.”
“If I could give you every minute of every one of my days, I would. I hope you know that,” I breathe, resting my forehead against hers.
This sentimental side of myself is one I never saw coming. But now that I’ve broken through that wall, there’s no way I could ever rebuild it. Plus, Ava loves it. That in itself is well worth dealing with my teammates chirping at me for my cheeseball side every chance they get.
“I know. And I love you for that.”
“Just for that?” I ask, one eyebrow lifted.
She rolls her eyes and lies back on my chest. I drop my hand to her side and start drawing lazy circles on her skin.
“Are you searching for compliments, Oakley Hutton?”
“From you? Always.”
Her laugh is a shot of pure serotonin. “Keep rubbing my side like that and I’ll tell you as many compliments as your heart desires.”
“Before or after you fall asleep?”
“Mm, after?”
I kiss the top of her head and pull her tighter. “That’s what I thought. I’ll be waiting for my compliments tomorrow morning.”
She hums something incoherent under her breath before falling silent. I lie beside her, awake and staring at the curve of her shoulder until the day catches up to me, and I drift off after her.
I’m half-asleep when I promise myself that I am going to do everything in my power to spend as many nights with this woman in my arms as I can.
Forever.
