Page 208 of Cross Check

“Hell yeah.” Emmy stands next to me. “I’m so proud of you, by the way.”

“For what? Making a large real estate purchase?”

“Yes, but also no. I know how hard it is to uproot your entire life for a dream. The uncertainty is scary, but taking a risk is worth it when you could get everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“That means a lot, Em.” I rest my head on her shoulder. “Thank you for the encouragement. And for coming with me so I didn’t have to encounter all the asbestos on my own. I promise I’ll stick to the professional roles when the season starts, but for now, thank you for being my friend.”

“Always. Badass women need to stick together.” She puts her arm around me. “What do you say we sweet talk Roger into fast tracking your application so you can move into this place as soon as possible? An autograph should do the trick.”

“That might be teetering toward bribery, but I like it,” I say. “Come on. Let’s go spend some of my hard-earned money.”

Later that night, I sit next to Grant on the couch in one of his T-shirts. I fix the socks that come up over my ankles and curl up at his side, a book in hand.

“Hi.” I tilt my chin to look up at him. “Mind if I join you?”

“Gladly.” He grins at me. “This is the best part of my day.”

“Me too.” I position myself so I’m leaning against him. A sigh escapes me, and I relax. “I got an email that my application for that apartment is already approved. I can move in next weekend.”

“That’s awesome news!” He kisses the top of my head. “Plenty of time to get settled before the season. I can’t wait to see it in person.”

“We might have to wait a while before you visit. The security guard recognized me, which means he’ll definitely recognize you.”

“Exactly why I reordered that reusable facial hair. I won’t be Grant. I’ll be Brant, the tech mogul with a mustache who is in charge of a start-up and lives off his dad’s money.” Grant smirks. “No one will know it’s me.”

“Brant?” I burst out laughing. “Are you going to wear a polo with your company logo stitched on the chest to really sell it?”

“Yup. I’ll buy a domain name tomorrow.” He touches my cheek. “Does it make you uncomfortable that the security guard knows who you are?”

“No, but it reminds me that I need to be careful. That we need to be careful. One dumb move, and the media will know everything about our relationship.”

“We’ll keep our hangouts to my place for now. No big deal.”

“I wish…” I trail off and bite my bottom lip. “I wish there was a place for us to exist where no one knew our names. Where we could live a normal life without the fear of photos being taken of us.”

“Sorry, baby. That’s not going to happen. Everyone with a shred of sports knowledge is always going to know who you are.” Grant hums. “Speaking of, what does the schedule look like for the league’s newest head coach? When does work amp up for you?”

“Darcy and I have a meeting scheduled after the Fourth of July to talk about the coaching staff and who we want to hire. There are a few candidates I’ve been watching, and I’d love if we could set up interviews.”

“Darcy. That’s the owner of the Sea Crabs, right?”

“Yup. I think she might be the most powerful person in the world. A billionaire with a PhD from Harvard who owns a sports team? Absurd. After our meeting, we’ll move to player introductions, getting together with the board and some of our minority owners, and prepping for training camp. There are still months to go before everything is officially underway, but we’re getting there. It’s surreal.”

“Surreal, but deserved. A long time coming.” His thigh presses against mine. Every piece of him fits perfectly with every part of me. “It’s going to be fun to see you on the ice four times this year.”

“Is that the only place you’re going to see me?” I tease. “The preseason starts, and I won’t hear from you until June?”

“More like you’re not going to be able to get rid of me.” His phone buzzes on the coffee table. The screen lights up, and text messages roll in. “Ignore that.”

“Someone is very demanding of your attention, Everett.”

“It’s Ethan. He asked me to go to a club, and when I said no, he told me I was losing my edge.” Grant’s chuckle is soft. “Joke is on him. I’m not going anywhere when you’re next to me.”

He drapes an arm around my shoulders and kisses my forehead. I can’t stop the smile that practically bursts free when he sighs into my hair.

Heaven.

This has to be what heaven feels like.