A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain 2)

I chuckle. “Good point.”

Kris sits down next to me. “What are you thinking about, Meatball?”

I look at Kris and debate if I should tell him that I’m sitting here, thinking about love. “I need to ask you something.”

“Alright.”

“You can’t laugh.”

“Okay.”

I clear my throat and shift on the bench. “When did you fall in love with your wife?”

“That’s easy. I fell in love with her on her doorstep the very first time I kissed her. I knew that moment that she was for me and there wouldn’t be anyone else.”

I look back out to the ice as his words sink in. I think about Selene, our first kiss, and all my feelings.

“Why are you asking?” I don’t answer him right away. “Brody?” he pushes.

“The other night when Jessica showed up and began to ramble on how much she loves me, I blurted out that I love Selene. Now, I’m sitting here in a fucking ice rink, thinking about how much I do love her. It’s killing me that I’m not with her, especially with all this shit that is going on. I know I sound like a damn girl, but I do. I love Selene.”

“So, is loving someone a bad thing?” he asks, sounding confused.

“No, but I didn’t plan on ever falling in love again. I had a bad relationship and I don’t want to get hurt again,” I say quietly.

“Brody, I’m going to say this to you because I think you need to hear it.” I look up at Kris. “Shut the hell up!” He shouts so loudly that it echoes through the arena.

“What?”

“Everyone has bad relationships. Everyone. The point of the bad ones is to show you when the right one comes along. I’ve never seen you this happy since I’ve known you. When we were at that dinner your face lit up every time Selene said something. It was a little nauseating, actually. Forget about that relationship and focus on Selene.”

I stare at Kris in disbelief. Not because he was so abrupt, but because he’s right. Why am I focusing on everything but Selene?

“Thank you, Kris.” I’m glad that he said that to me. He’s right.

“You’re welcome, Meatball. Now, let’s get back to the hotel and grab some food.” He slaps me on the back, gets up, and walks away from me. I look out at the ice again before I follow him.

I had a good dinner with the team, and for the first time, I didn’t feel so stressed out by everything. It’s nice, and I feel better. After I say goodnight to the team, I go up to my room. I want to call Selene, privately, and see how her day went today. With Bradley there, I’m sure it was okay.

“Hey, I figured that you would be hanging out with the team?” Selene voice instantly brings a smile to my face.

“Not yet. I wanted to call you first and see how you were.”

“I’m good. I have your mirror image following me around like I’m some Hollywood celebrity. All I need is some paparazzi, and I’ll be on the front of a magazine in no time.” She giggles.

I love that sound, and I’m glad that she’s okay. “We might look similar, but I’m better looking.”

She sighs a little. “I don’t know, Bradley seems to have the edge on that. Plus, he is older, and I do like older men.”

“Three minutes. That’s it. It’s only three minutes that he’s older than me.” I grind my teeth at her.

She laughs loudly. “I’m joking, Brody. Listen, everything is fine. No crazy bitches or stalkers coming around. My day was uneventful. Bradley, Allison, and I are heading out for dinner in a little bit.”

A ping of jealousy races through me. It’s not because of my brother, but because I want to be there with her. “I miss you, Selene,” I say before I can stop myself.

“I miss you too, Brody, but you will be home in a couple of days, and we can have some alone time,” she adds softly.

“Hmm, I can’t wait. I’ll talk to you soon.” She tells me the same thing, and I lay back on the bed when I hang up.