More than Friends

“That would be nice. I hope so.”

“I know so,” I say, confident. “I knew that after the first time I watched you play.”

He rubs his thumb along my jaw for a second and smiles. “Thanks, Kitten.”

I sit up to make room for Dean, who takes Noah in his arms and sits him on his lap, giving us enough time to sneak in a quick kiss before Noah demands our attention once more. We will never have a second to ourselves again, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Epilogue

Three years later

Dean

“Hold still,” I tell Kat, who is wincing in pain and squeezing the life from my hand. “It’s almost over.”

She sucks in a deep breath. “This hurts more than I thought it would, and I popped out three kids.”

I lift my other hand to show Kat the wedding band I had drawn onto my skin. Since hockey had brought us together, we wanted to have a symbol to remind us of how we fell in love. Two hockey sticks wrap around our ring fingers and cross over the other, now marking the spot where my wedding band once was, branding our love for one another.

True to Baldwin fashion, Kat’s father had insisted we have our wedding at his estate outside of Chicago. Every hockey player I’d idolized as a child was in attendance to cheer us on along with some of the current players in the league. According to all the sports magazines, it was the wedding of the year. And it was. Nick spared zero expense. We had food on the menu I still have no idea how to pronounce.

Kat’s brothers and some of my teammates had dressed in their uniforms, holding out their hockey sticks to form the walkway that led up to the altar. Everything about that day was perfect. Our sons were part of our wedding. With Noah being the oldest, he was our ring bearer. He started walking right before the ceremony, making it easier for my mom to bring him down the aisle with our rings.

Nick held Owen and Oliver in his arms as we said our vows. They were only a few months old when Kat and I got married. But at least they were in the pictures and present for our special day. As I sit in the tattoo parlor, waiting for Kat to finish with her ink, I realize how pointless our wedding bands have become, though they still have meaning to both of us.

“Oww,” Kat says, one final time before the tattoo artist lifts the needle from her skin and rolls his chair back.

“All done,” the artist says, admiring his handy work. “What do you think?”

Kat holds her hand up to her face, with her mouth twisted in pain. “It’s perfect.” She peeks up at me between her fingers, pinning me down with her bright blue eyes. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

I help Kat up from the chair. “Why? Are you regretting it already?”

She shakes her head. “No, of course not. I would never regret a single decision I made with you. Our tattoos are permanent. Forever.”

I kiss her on the forehead. “Just like our love.”

“Somehow, you always know the right thing to say.” She leans her head on my shoulder with a smile on her beautiful face. “You and our sons are my forever.”

“Forever, Kitten,” I whisper in her ear.

Falling in love with my best friend led to some of the hardest, most grueling years of my life. But in the end, every moment that led up to this one was worth it.