The Heart Chaser by Gina Azzi
Luca
“The promotion dinner is in three weeks,” Nikki says on FaceTime.
“I’ll be there,” I promise.
“I know.” She rolls her eyes. “What I want to know is if you’re bringing your girlfriend.”
I snort. “You don’t have to say it like that. I’m not in high school. This isn’t some random, short-lived experience.”
Nikki beams. “You really care about this woman, huh?”
“I do.”
“She’s very pretty.”
At this, I narrow my eyes. “Where’d you see her picture?”
“Seriously?” My sister gives me a look.
For an instant, Abbi’s confession about Phil and the photos blares in my mind and I feel like I might be sick.
“You guys are trending on Insta. Hashtag Hockey’s Cutest Couple. You guys populate the feed.”
I let out a laugh. “Damn. Well, you’re right, Abbi is gorgeous.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Three weeks,” I confirm. “We’ll fly in early. I want her to meet Pop and all of you ahead of time, so she’s not overwhelmed.”
“Aww.” Nikki smirks.
“Don’t say it all sweetly. You know our family is crazy and has no respect for personal boundaries.”
“One-hundred percent. I guess I should be happy Larry lasted as long as he did. Although it would have been better if he split before we exchanged vows.”
A rush of anger crashes over me and I swear.
Nikki clucks her tongue. “Too soon?” I glare at her and she shrugs. “Humor is how I cope.”
“How’s Valentina? Is her new inhaler doing the job?”
“Yes, thank you,” my sister sighs. Then she fills me in about my niece, the appointment she has with a specialist next month, and shares bits of gossip about my brothers and Justine.
When I hang up with Nikki, I check the time. Abbi should be here with takeout any second and after a grueling week, I can’t wait to spend time with my girl.
Although she crawls into my bed every night and I wake up and kiss her each morning, we’ve both been living full days without much time to connect.
I know it’s only been a short time, barely a month, but I miss her. And I want to see her. Three days ago, I left a key for her on the nightstand. I had already left for my run by the time she woke up but she sent me a picture of the Hawks keychain she attached it to.
When I hear the key turn in the lock, I sit straight up on the couch, turning toward the front door. It swings open and Abbi walks inside, immediately brightening the atmosphere and improving my mood.
I hop over the back of the couch to help her with the takeout bags. “What’d you get?”
“Mexican.”
“Yes!” I cheer, peeking inside and grinning when I spot the logo for the fusion place Noah got me into. “I love their sushi fajitas.”
Abbi wrinkles her nose at the combo. “That’s good, because that’s what I got you.”
I kiss her cheek. “Best girlfriend ever.”
She swats my ass and moves to the kitchen to grab some plates and utensils. We sit at my kitchen island and dig into our dinners. I look at her, noting how normal this is. No awkwardness, no ulterior motives. Just me and my girl having a meal on a Thursday night. I smile and pop the tab on a sparkling water.
“What?” Abbi asks when she finds me staring at her. She flashes me a grin. “Do I have spinach in my teeth?”
“No, goof.” I pinch her cheek. “I was just thinking how nice this is.”
“Nice?” She lifts an eyebrow.
I nod, taking a swig of my water. “It’s just so…normal. Comfortable. I never got what the hell my friends were talking about when they said they were just kicking it with their girl. I used to wonder what the hell they did after they came.”
She snorts.
“But now I know”—I gesture between us—“and I like it.”
She grins. “I’m glad. Because I like hanging with you too.”
“Tell me about your day,” I say, taking a bite of my fajita.
Abbi chuckles but indulges me. “You’re right, we’re really nailing this relationship thing.”
“Right,” I agree, gesturing for her to continue.
“Okay, so, I’m thinking about a potential hockey camp for spring break.”
“Hockey camp?”
“Yes. All of the public and Catholic schools are closed the same week. What if two or three players each take an afternoon, or a morning session, and run some meet-and-greets, complete with drills? We can break it up by age group and introduce hockey to the new kids and run something a little more competitive for the kids who already play. But I bet there would be a lot of interest since parents still have to work that week. We could charge a small fee, or maybe make it free? I don’t know, I need to run the logistics past Mark, but I think that would be a good week to do something big.”
I nod, turning over the idea. “The timing could work. I mean, it’s still regular season.”
“Right? And it wouldn’t be a full day commitment. We’d rotate players, coaches, staff.” She pops a chip with salsa into her mouth. “Just an idea.”
“It’s a good one.”
“Thank you. How was your day?”
I prattle on about a stupid stunt Yaeger pulled with an ice bath and Abbi laughs, rolling her eyes at our antics. We settle into the conversation, chatting about random things, before relocating to the couch to watch the new Spider-Man movie.
With my arm wrapped around Abbi, I wonder how the hell I missed out on this for so long. My friends were right. Hanging with my girlfriend is awesome. For the first time in my life, I’d rather be exactly where I am instead of on the ice, or drinking beers with the guys on my team, or playing video games.
“What?” Abbi hisses, turning toward me.
I stare back at her, grinning.
She raises her eyebrows, waiting.
“I love you, Abbi Walsh. That’s all.”
She stares at me for a long moment before a smile spreads across her face. “You do?” she asks softly.
“I do,” I say simply, owning the truth. Because when you love someone, you should tell them.
“I love you too, Luca.”
I grin and kiss her temple. “I like watching movies with you.”
She chuckles. “I like doing everything with you.”
“Noted,” I say, flipping off the movie.
“What?” She screeches as I lift her over my shoulder. “What are you doing? Put me down?” She laughs. “I thought we were talking.”
“You said everything,” I explain, moving toward my bedroom.
“So?”
“So, why the hell would we watch a movie when you’ll enjoy this even more?” I toss her in the center of my bed.
She laughs loudly as she bounces up and down.
I smirk, reaching behind my head to pull off my shirt.
Abbi’s laughter fades as she drinks in my body, her cheeks heating. She’s still smiling when she meets my gaze but her eyes are serious. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Luca.”
“That’s a good thing.” I drop to the bed and move over her as she lies back. “Because I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.” Then, I kiss her and show her just how fucking good she makes me feel.
* * *
February rollsinto March as I settle into my new normal.
Hockey still rules my life but now, my days pass quicker. I’m eager to hit my workouts hard, doing the most effective training in the least amount of time. I like coming home after a game instead of swinging by Taps so I can catch Abbi before she falls asleep. Basically, I just want to spend as much time with my girl as possible.
Our schedules—with my hockey commitments and her planning a spring break camp—are hectic. Two weeks after I told Abbi I love her, I’m traveling back from Atlanta after a tough game.
We lost in overtime and morale on the plane is low. I’m exhausted, stressed about my shitty performance on the ice, and desperately wanting to slide into bed beside Abbi and sink into her, letting her chase my frustration away like only she can.
“What’s up, Nikki?” I answer my sister’s call on the Bluetooth as I pull out of the arena.
“Sorry about Atlanta.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, not in the mood to rehash the game.
“Just wanted to check that you’re still flying in on Friday?”
“Yep. Friday night, Abbi and I will be there.” I take a left turn. “I want to spend some time with Pop too so we’re spending the weekend.”
“Yay! We can’t wait to meet her,” Nikki says.
“You’re gonna love her.” Some of the heaviness in my chest eases as I pull in front of my building.
“You know this is the first girl you’ve ever brought home.”
“I know.” I drive around back to the parking garage. “Listen, Nik, I’m just getting home and—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Nicole laughs. “I just wanted to remind you to send me your flight details. We’ll have dinner at Justine’s Friday night. Just pizza and pasta, casual.”
“Sounds good.” I grin, knowing my family’s definition of casual is still excessive. I hope Abbi isn’t overwhelmed but the truth is, everything my family does, is done on a grand, loud, boisterous scale. “See you Friday.”
“Night, Luca.”
I end the call and drive down into the parking garage. I pull into my spot and let out a slow exhale. Now that I’m home, I feel lighter than I have for the past two days. How the hell do the guys on my team leave their wives, their kids, all season long for games?
I used to question the guys who would rather go back to their hotel rooms and FaceTime their preschoolers instead of hitting a club but now, I kind of get it. I also kind of want it.
The consistency, the certainty, the missing. Because I’ve sure as hell missed Abbi the past two days and text messages and a FaceTime barely made the distance manageable.
I grab my coat and head toward the elevator. When I enter my condo, the lights are off except for the undermount kitchen lighting. It casts the space in a pale glow, downtown Boston and bits of the Harbor stretching for as far as I can see out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I drop my coat on a barstool and quietly stand in the doorframe of my bedroom.
There she is. Dark hair curling over my pillow, sweeping eyelashes, and a pouty mouth—Abbi Walsh looks like an angel. My angel. I shed my clothes and plug in my phone. Dropping to the bed, I hover over her, brushing her hair back from her face. I grin as she flinches in her sleep, loving the expressions she makes.
She stirs, her body turning toward mine, like a gravitational pull. “Luca?”
“I’m here, baby,” I whisper, kissing her cheek. “Shh, sleep.”
She doesn’t respond but her lips twitch the slightest bit, a soft smile on her gorgeous face. I pull her into my arms and hold her, resting my chin on top of her hair. Her slight snores hum in the air, her breath tickling my chest.
I like seeing her like this, all innocent and trusting. I love that she’s let her guard down with me, that I can confide in her. That we’re building something I never thought I’d find. Because God, it’s the best with her.
“Good night, baby.” I kiss the crown of her head, settling back against the pillows with her in my arms.
As I drift to sleep, I think about what a lucky bastard I am. How did I ever deserve a woman like Abbi?