The Puck Drop by Jaqueline Snowe

EPILOGUE

Eight Months later

Michael

The middle of summer always sent an energy through me that meant get ready. Not just for school to start but also for practices to get more intense, for workouts to be more regimented, and to start mentally preparing for the season. It felt weird as fuck to still have all the same hockey thoughts but none of the school ones.

I had a masters in sports management. I had a full-time job I loved that consumed me to the point I wasn’t convinced this was adulting. Adulting was supposed to be bills and laundry and stress… but this was different. I was happier than I was sad, and I was hopeful about the future.  Sure, there were bad days still, but the future didn’t seem as daunting. Not with my girlfriend by my side and filling the void in my life with her dorky jokes and contagious laugh.

Plus, my sister and her partner were getting a fucking house together back east, and wow...my life had changed a ton this past year. Freddie and I met once a week to catch up like we were buds. Which, we were. It was still odd to have casual friends who weren’t a part of my hockey world. We even met with Naomi’s friends for trivia nights. I eyed my desk and the huge to do list I just started staring up at me.

I had a to-do list that was all hockey. My dream scenario.

It was moments like this that made me smile up at the sun, silently thanking my parents for watching over me. Some would say it was weird or what not, but I knew deep in my soul that I had to go through the hard stuff to finally reach the place where life was good. Better than good. I still missed my parents something fierce, but I wasn’t as sad.

Or alone.

God, I was rarely alone.

“Ay, Reiner,” the familiar voice of Cal Holt at my doorway making me groan. “Don’t do that. You love me.”

“I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.” He sat down across my desk with a piece of beef jerky hanging from his mouth.  I met his confident smirk, and even though he was right, I refused to give in to him. I had a soft spot for him that I was sure went both ways.

The young kid had needed someone, and I’d become that person. I was still his assistant coach, but there was a relationship now that would span beyond the college team. We both knew it, but there was no sense talking about it. “Is there a reason you’re in here stinking like teriyaki, or am I just special?”

“Coach said he’s ready for you.” He wiggled his brows and scarfed down a huge chunk of the food.

Still an uncivilized punk with all the talent in the world. After he swallowed, the weight of his words hit me. Coach. Naomi’s dad. She was still working on their relationship, but it was better. There were a few times where I was awkwardly in the middle, but honestly, it felt right helping them navigate their miscommunications. The fact I had a part in them fixing their past made me insanely happy. I knew my mom and dad would be proud too.

I rubbed the back of my neck, and Cal picked up on it instantly. He leaned forward with wide eyes and a stupid smirk.

“Oh, you’re anxious. Why? Naomi?”

“Wow, way to mind your business.” I sighed and eyed the hallway, unsure what I was nervous about. Sure, talking to Coach about my intentions after Naomi’s senior year was difficult, but it was time. It’d been almost a year, and we’d only ever talked about our relationship once.

The day I confessed everything. He stared at me, nodded, and said You’re both adults. Handle it that way.

“Bro,” Cal said, and I held up a hand.

“Call me Reiner or Coach.”

He rolled his eyes and leaned onto my desk. “For real though, you two get along. You’re a decent guy. You and Naomi are annoyingly good together.”

“Decent guy? I’m sure every father wants to hear their daughter is dating a decent guy.”

Cal’s ears turned red, and he held his palms up in surrender. “Don’t make me compliment you.”

I snorted and stood, ready to do this. Whatever it was…if it was hockey related, he’d send me a text that said let’s chat. This formalized invitation to come into his office made the entire situation weirder. “If you hear any crying, bring me tissues.”

“Whatever man, you’ll be fine. Promise you’ll invite me to the wedding.”

I ignored his comment as I walked toward Coach’s office, but Cal’s words took root and grew. Wedding. Marrying Naomi. Being her husband and sharing every moment of life with her. I could picture it—my small family blending with hers. Hell, her dad was already a mentor to me. Naomi Reiner.

Reiner-Fletcher-Simpson.

I had a smile on my face thinking about all the ways she could hyphenate her name, if she even wanted that, when I tapped the door to his office.

“Get in here. How many times we gotta talk about this? You’re not a player. You can walk in.” He grunted and waved me over. “I’m thinking about adding mandatory study tables this year. I’d like your thoughts on implementation and scheduling before everyone comes back.”

“You got it.” I cleared my throat, nervous and waiting. Still hockey business, but the buildup was there. The squinted eyes. The puffed-out chest. He was in dad mode.

He put his hands on his hips and eyed me. “You’ve been with my daughter for a while now. She called me last night going on about how much she misses you. So, I have one question for you, Reiner. Just one.”

Fuck. I wiped my hands on the side of my pants and nodded. “Alright.”

“If I told you right now that you either get this job or my daughter, what would you say? And I know this isn’t correct or legal, but from a father to the guy my daughter is in love with, tell me.”

It’d be easy to just say I’d pick Naomi because this was a hypothetical situation. I knew that, but my answer still mattered. “If this were a real situation, then, sir, I wouldn’t only tell Naomi about it, but I’d discuss it with her. I want a life with Naomi, and jobs are going to come and go. There are a lot of situations that could factor into this choice too. If we were together and had a young kid and I was the only one with a paycheck, could we afford for me to quit? Or, what if—”

“Enough. Jesus, you two.” He rubbed his temples, but his face broke out into a smile. “I think of you as a son already, Reiner. Don’t make the mistakes I did, alright? She’s not along for the ride for your life—you’re in it together as partners.”

I think of you as a son. Those words settled over me like a warm blanket. “I know, sir, and I plan to keep it that way as long as I can.”

He narrowed his eyes, held out his hand, and I shook it. “Okay, now about these new ideas…”

* * * *

While I was proud of my girlfriend who got a kick-ass internship for the summer, I missed her. I could only handle jerking off over the phone so many times. But after working with her dad all day, I just wanted to see her. Hold her. Get her naked. Picture what life would be like with her if we did get married.

Three weeks left. Then she’d be back.

Three weeks was nothing in the span of a lifetime, but it sucked. I adjusted my backpack from one shoulder to the other as I made my way toward my new place—sans Freddie—where I had nothing but cold pizza and Netflix to keep me company. But something caught my eye.

A very pretty figure sitting outside my door. “Fletcher?”

No fucking way.

My girl was here, wearing a bright red dress and a huge smile. “Surprise!”

I ran to her and picked her up, slamming my mouth against hers. She kissed me back as she gripped my collar and sighed into me. She tasted like mint and her, and my heart raced in my chest. She’s here. With me. “God, I missed you.”

Naomi ran her hands over my shoulders, back, sides, and pecs. “Clothes off, please.”

“Needy, huh?” I laughed, picking her up and wrapping her legs around me before I got my keys out of my pocket. She looked up at me through hooded eyes and had the perfect pink smile. My heart stumbled in my chest with how much I loved this woman.

She undid the button on my polo. “You have no idea.”

“Oh, I think I do.” I opened the door, shut it, and pressed her back against it. “I’m so proud of you for taking this opportunity,” I said, kissing down her neck and biting her ear lobe. “But I want you all the time.”

“Michael,” she moaned, reaching for the hem of her dress and taking the whole thing off. She went without a bra—my favorite Naomi, and I immediately put a pebbled nipple into my mouth. Perfect breasts. Not too big, not too small. Just right. She arched her back as I teased the edge of her wet panties.

“I have something to talk… to talk to you about,” she said, her voice trailing off when I pushed the fabric to the side.

“Mm, what’s that, baby?” I slid a finger inside her and about lost my mind with how warm and tight she was. One month of distance was enough to kill me. “Fuck, I need you.”

Her eyes darkened, and after a frantic display of removing clothes and moving toward my bedroom, I laid her on the bed and barely got a condom. Then I slid into her. She sighed, and that deeply contented sound warmed my chest. She felt right, like home.

She gripped my ass and pulled my face down to hers where she kissed me so hard and for so long my lips felt chapped and I could barely keep thrusting. She hadn’t come yet, and I needed her to. I stopped, stared down at her, and was dumbstruck. The way her hair fell across her face, the way her long lashes fanned on her cheeks… the trio of moles on her collarbone that drove me wild. Her smooth skin and perfect lips. The way her eyes closed half-way when she laughed and the deep sound of her contented sigh situated themselves right in my chest.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her throaty voice filled with emotion. She reached up and pushed my hair out of my face.

“Nothing. I just love you. This is the best surprise ever.” I kissed the center of her sweaty chest, then her stomach. She pulled me back up just before I could lick her thighs, and she scrunched her little nose.

“No, I want to come with you like this. Our chests touching. I miss it, you, us.” Her voice shook, and I cupped her face, pressing a soft kiss on her.

I slid back into her and adjusted my pace to go slower. At first sight, I wanted to devour her, but now I wanted her to know how much she meant to me. How much I loved her.

She, too, changed the pace. She rolled her hips slower and kissed me longer. We’d had soft sex before where it was without hurry and all about touches, but this was different. More profound, and when her legs tightened around me and her moans grew deeper, I went harder. It was the pressure she needed, and Naomi didn’t hold back from screaming my name. Her release triggered mine, and I held onto her tight as pleasure shot through me. Head to toe.

“Damn,” I said, panting as I rested my weight on her. “Just, damn.”

“Every time, I swear. I’m obsessed with your body.” She giggled as she slapped my ass.

I disposed of the condom and got back into bed, holding her in my arms as I played with the ends of her dark hair. She snuggled against me, and everything felt right again. “I hate to ask, but how long are you in town?”

“The weekend.” Her body tensed. “Then I’m done.”

Her tone was off, and I looked down at her to find her chewing her lip. “Are you not excited to be back for your senior year? This should be the best one yet, Fletcher. You and your friends should go crazy before adulthood kicks in.”

“No, I want that. I do. It’s just… Michael.” She sat up, her gorgeous body still very naked. Her face was serious, and she took my hand and held it between hers. “I don’t know how to ask this, and I’m nervous and sweating.”

“Just ask.” I shrugged and couldn't do anything but wait her out. Naomi wasn’t dramatic and didn’t cause shit for no reason. We talked about everything, and I always assumed good intentions.

“Um, do you… want to maybe live together?” Her face flamed red, and she pulled the blanket up to hide.

Live with her? My god. I could think of nothing else I wanted more.

“Uh, no, don’t cover your face. You ask me, your boyfriend, to move in with you, and then you hide? No, no way. I want a real ask.”

“Michael Reiner, would you do me the honors of living with me so we can see each other every morning and do naked stuff all the time?”

“What about your girls? Cami?” I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much since I knew how much her friendships meant. Plus, senior year should be wild. I could wait until she was ready. I wanted marriage, the house, the kids, coaching a team that became like family, and maybe a dog. One year was nothing compared to that. “There’s no rush, Fletcher. I’m in this for the long haul. You and me… one school year doesn’t make a dent in our life together.”

“Stop being so considerate! I keep thinking about breakfast dates and laundry parties and cooking naked and sharing a bed with you. Do you want that?” Her cheeks were bright pink, and her pulse raced in her neck.

It was so cute.

“All of it except cooking naked. That could get dangerous.” I picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “If you’re ready, then yes. Move in with me. I don’t want you missing out on an experience though. So, you’re sure?”

“Yes! I’m sure, you big, handsome idiot!” She jumped onto me, and I ran my hands up her bare back. She shivered, and I grinned up at her, so goddamn happy it didn’t seem fair.

I knew, without a doubt, I was supposed to meet Naomi, and it had never been clearer. She was going to move in. Her dad gave his blessing. Ryann loved her. The next step? Getting her to marry me.

But no rush. We had a lifetime together.