Page 56 of Knocked Sideways

“Why not? You send me all these panicked texts about your big sexy goalie and then say nothing for what feels like weeks, and now I’m supposed to not talk about it when he’s clearly trying to make a good impression on me because he has the hots for you? Wait—has something happened?”

She narrowed her eyes as he looked off to the side, trying to keep his expression neutral and evidently failing badly.

“Something did happen. Oh my God, you told him how you feel, and you totally jumped his bones.”

“No!” Remy hissed. “It’s not like that. And keep your voice down! What if he hears us?”

“You’re saying you didn’t jump his bones?” Lily whispered back.

“Yes! I mean, we kissed, okay?” She squealed, and he clapped a hand over her mouth. “Do not say a word. I don’t know what this is yet. It could be nothing for him, okay?”

“Hmm,” Lily said, voice returning to normal. “I think you’re wrong, Remy. We’ll see tomorrow, eh? That big suitcase I brought with me has the rest of your clothes. I hope you have something good to wear when we go out.”

“Maybe not anything that meets your approval. But, uh, thanks. I appreciate that, Lil.”

She leaned against him and gave him a one-armed hug. “I do miss you, you know.”

“I miss you, too.”

“But I’m doing fine without you in Montreal. And you seem to be doing well here. Like, you’re playing really well now, right? And you look better than you did in Montreal. You’re more relaxed or something.”

“I don’t feel relaxed at all,” Remy grumbled. “But yeah. I guess I do like it here. The team is good. Cap is great, and I like the coaches. The whole team has a friendlier vibe.”

“You’ll think about staying, right? I don’t want you to give up a good thing just to live closer to home. We have video calls. And you can afford to fly me down to visit you, as you pointed out.”

“We don’t even know if they want me back.” Remy didn’t like to think about the fact that he still didn’t know whether his first full NHL season would be his last.

“Why wouldn’t they? Have you at least talked to your agent? Or are you just worrying about it?”

Remy didn’t answer, because he knew that she knew that he was just worrying. Remy’s agent was sharp and dedicated—that was another decent thing Mike had done for him, set him up with Mike’s old agent—and he knew Anne-Marie would have been in touch if there was anything to worry about at this point. She’d checked in on him a few times since the move and hadn’t said anything to suggest there would be a problem. Actually, she’d said it looked like he was settling in well. He should ask her what his options were and when he needed to start thinking about them.

“Promise me you’ll call Anne-Marie on Monday?” Lily asked. “And that you won’t worry about it between now and then, okay? Let’s have fun while I’m here.”

“As you’ve already pointed out, we have different ideas of fun. But I promise I’ll call Anne-Marie on Monday.”

“Good. Okay, I’m really tired because I’m still on Montreal time, and I had to get up early to catch the plane. See you in the morning?”

“Sleep well. Love you, Lil. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I love you, too,” she said, giving him a hug. “Get your rest. You’re going to need it tomorrow!”

The next day, they were all up early, Lily because of the time difference, Jed because he always was, and Remy because he’d had nothing to do the night before except go to bed. Remy made them all breakfast—scrambled eggs and oatmeal—and then Jed suggested they drive out to Breckenridge so that Lily could get a taste of the mountains.

Lily loved the idea, and Jed called ahead and made a reservation at what he said was one of his favorite farm-to-table restaurants in the state. Then they all piled into his SUV, with Lily up front again and Remy stretched out in the back with a few ice packs, because he was still pretty sore.

It was a beautiful Colorado winter day—absolutely freezing, it would only be about ten degrees up in the mountains, Jed said, as he frowned at Remy’s lack of hat—but sunny and clear, with a view for miles. And the drive passed quickly as the three of them chatted about how the season was going and what Lily was learning in her introductory psychology class and where Jed liked to hike in the summer.

When they arrived, Jed suggested they walk around downtown and check out some of the art galleries before lunch. He also silently pulled an extra beanie out of his giant parka pocket and handed it to Remy with a look that said he better put it on right then, or else. So Remy did, feeling warm for reasons that had nothing to do with the fleecy hat. He was grateful that Lily didn’t say anything about it, although she clearly noticed the exchange.

They ate after browsing through some shops, which Remy found more fun than he’d expected. Some of the art was awesome, and some was terrible—like, killer-ghost-horse-from-the-hotel terrible—and Jed and Lily had something to say about all of it. As promised, the food at Jed’s favorite restaurant was out of this world, and the host either knew Jed or was a fan (or maybe both), because they got a fantastic table right next to windows with a view of the mountain peaks. Jed managed to grab the bill at the end, mumbling something about Remy still being on his entry-level contract, so it was his treat, which earned Remy another significant look from Lily.

Yeah, it was pretty much a perfect day. Even if he and Jed still hadn’t had a chance to talk, Remy was feeling more confident that when they did, it would go the way he wanted. He couldn’t help it, the way Jed was acting. It felt like the way a boyfriend might act, or at least, how Remy had always imagined his boyfriend would act, if he ever managed to get one. A real boyfriend, not just someone who wanted him available for regular sex and was willing to text with him, too.

When it was time to get ready to go out that evening, Remy got dressed with a little more care and a lot more optimism than usual. He chose a short-sleeve button-down shirt that was tight across his chest and left one more button undone than he was really comfortable with. He paired it with his favorite dark-wash jeans, which were old enough to cling just right.

He felt self-conscious, but the only other time he’d worn this outfit to go out he’d been hit on by at least half a dozen people. So. If it didn’t work on Jed, probably nothing he wore was going to.

Lily and Jed were ready and waiting when he came out. Jed actually stopped in the middle of a sentence for a moment when he caught sight of Remy, before blinking once and continuing. Remy felt pretty smug. Jed obviously wasn’t going to say anything in front of Lily, but he wasn’t unaffected.