Zack (Cold Fury Hockey 3)
I wanted Kate to move in with me. End of story.
Ryker wanted her to stay there because, in his words, "It's her job, Zack. She's a live-in nanny."
Whatever.
Kate ended up being the voice of reason. She had looked at Ryker and said, "I want to live with Zack. I love him and want to be with him."
Yeah...I may have been a little childish when I lifted out of my chair, leaned across the table, and pointed at him while taunting, "In your face."
Kate, however, was not amused by that, and she had me sitting back down in my chair with just one glare. Then she said to me, "But that's not fair to Ryker. That is my job and I can't leave him in the lurch."
Ryker--smug bastard--smirked at me but didn't want to risk Kate's wrath, so he kept quiet.
Finally, she suggested two options. She could stay at Ryker's until he could interview and hire another nanny, which would not leave him high and dry. Or, she suggested, she would move in with me and watch Violet and Ruby over at our house when needed.
Ryker and I both agreed that was the best choice, for now. I'm not sure how that's going to work in the long run, especially once Kate starts back to school, but we'll figure it out.
"Did you have a point to clarifying all that 'I love you' stuff?" Kate asks, and gets me back on track again.
"Yeah...I did. So back to the serious discussion. I want to have you appointed as Ben's legal guardian in my absence."
"Okeydokey," she says, and I don't have to look at her to know she's got a genial smile on her face. "It's probably good in case I need to take him to the doctor's or get him out of school or something when you're traveling during--"
"No," I tell her...cutting her off. "I mean legal guardian if something happens to me. If I were to die, you would get guardianship of Ben."
From my peripheral vision, I can see Kate's head snap my way, and she lets out a gasp. "You want me to take Ben if something were to happen to you?"
I turn briefly to look at her, squeezing her hand again in reassurance. She looks terrified, so I give her a gentle smile before turning back. "Well...yeah. I mean, you're raising him right along with me. He loves you, you love him, I love both of you. I trust you. Why shouldn't it be you?"
Kate is silent...digesting my words.
"Of course, I'll need to talk to my parents and Gina's. My parents will be okay with it, but I'm not sure about Gina's. I'd need to assure them that you will keep them involved with Ben and--"
"Why not Delaney?" Kate blurts out.
"Delaney is a great choice," I agree, "and she would be my secondary guardian if something happened to you. But I've already talked to her about this and she's in agreement it should be you as primary."
"I don't understand," Kate murmurs so softly I can barely hear her. But I do hear the emotion in her voice.
"Baby...this is the right thing for everyone. Trust me on that," I tell her gently.
"Okay," she whispers, and then makes me want to pull the car over and kiss the fuck out of her when she says, "But nothing better happen to you; however, if it did...I'd protect him with my life and love him more than anything else in this world."
Fuck...fuck, that gets me right in the breastbone and I have to blink back tears quickly, because fucking hockey players do not cry.
--
I'll have to admit...this is a nice wedding. I used to hate them. Hated everything they represented to me. Pointed out to me all the ways in which I was a failure.
Not this one, though.
Sutton looks drop-dead gorgeous in her frothy wedding dress and Alex looks like he's going to eat her alive in said dress. They look so happy together, oozing out love, radiating joy. If I was a girl, I'd definitely cry.
It's a small evening wedding. Just Garrett as Alex's best man and Olivia as the maid of honor. It's being held in the outdoor gardens of the Omni Hotel downtown, and Sutton and Alex kept it small and intimate. Just close friends and family. There will be a larger party in the hotel ballroom after the nuptials that will include not-so-close friends and distant relatives.
Kate and I sit with our fingers laced together and resting on my thigh as Alex slips the ring on Sutton's finger. I look down at our hands...hers slender and pale in mine.
So trusting and sure of me. No doubts. No hesitations in allowing me back in.
Leaning to my right, I dip my chin and whisper in her ear, "I cannot wait until we get married."
Kate literally jerks so hard she elbows the woman sitting next to her. After a hushed apology, she turns those wide blue eyes--sans glasses tonight--to me in stunned astonishment with her mouth hanging open.
She takes a breath, getting ready to say something, but I just put my forefinger in front of my lips and rather loudly give her a "shhhh." Her face flames red as a few people turn to look at us and I can't help the grin on my face as I turn away from her to watch Sutton put a ring on Alex's finger.
--
I'm mellow. I've had a few mixed drinks without any worries since Kate and I decided to stay in the hotel tonight rather than have to worry about driving home after the reception. She's not so mellow, as apparently champagne makes her babble more than usual.
"And God...I just about died when as soon as Sutton's stepfather walked her down the aisle and turned her over to Alex, the way he grabbed her and kissed her. Right then and there...before the ceremony even started. So romantic."
I pull her in closer to me as we rock together on the dance floor, the strains of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley floating around us.
"And who says romance is dead?" I ask her as I run my lips across her temple.
"You do," she says tartly. "Dropping that on me at the ceremony."
"Dropped what on you?" I ask vaguely, knowing damn well what she's talking about.
I can't see her, but I can feel her eye roll. "That whole 'I cannot wait until we get married' crap."
"That was not crap," I say with offense...which I ruin with a snort.
"What the hell, Hell on Skates? We've only known each other five months," she points out.
"Relax, baby," I cajole, and then dip my face a little lower to run my lips over the soft skin of her neck. "I'm not proposing or anything."
She goes slightly stiff in my arms over my rebuke, so I rub her back softly. "But I will," I tell her with a chuckle. "You won't see it coming and it's going to be fantastic. And you won't say no."
"You're awful cocky," she mutters.
"No," I tell her as I dip her down low and touch my mouth to hers. "I'm just sure that I have found the most fabulous woman in the world and now that I've found her, I'm going to tie her to my side for eternity."
I pull her up straight and her hands come up to circle around the back of my neck. She presses in close, a move that sets my blood on fire and makes my heart swell with love for her.
"I love you, Zack," she murmurs with genuine truth in her words.
And here is the truth of what I know.
I found what was missing in my life. She's in my arms right at this moment. I love her with all my being and she will be my wife one day. We will have children of our own, and Ben will be the best big brother in the world. My life will be happy and whole, and it is all because of this amazing woman.
Stroking Kate's cheek tenderly, I lower my forehead until it rests against hers and say, "I love you too, Kate."
I want to shout out a very special thank-you to Denise Sprung at Shh Mom's Reading for providing me with support and inspiration for this series, as well as photos of hot hockey players. And to Sue Grimshaw...your support of my career has meant the world to me. You make me feel on top of the world and I'm so glad you're in my life.
BY SAWYER BENNETT
Cold Fury Hockey Series
Alex
Garrett
Zack
Ryker (coming soon)
The Off Series
Off Sides
Off Limits
Off the Record
Off Course
Off Chance
Off Season
Off Duty
The Last Call Series
On the Rocks
Make It a Double
Sugar on the Edge
With a Twist
Shaken Not Stirred
The Legal Affairs Series
Objection
Stipulation
Violation
Mitigation