This girl. I learned something new about her.

She was stubborn as hell.

“You don’t know anything, do you? And before you say you do, I’ll have you know you used the word great at least twice to describe how I played.”

“Are you saying you’re not great?”

“Oh no. I am great.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “Heather made me watch, but everything moves so fast… and that puck… I can barely watch it, much less understand all the rules. So no, I don’t understand, but the pre-game stretching isn’t a bad way to spend a few minutes.”

“Of course you liked the stretching. Come on.” I laughed and headed back to the couch, threw a pillow on my lap and settled the laptop on it. Bonus, if I got an erection while she was next to me, she wouldn’t see. “Let me teach you.”

“Heather tried. Put me in front of a baseball game or football game and I’m good. It’s just, it moves so fast. And I’m sorry, it stresses me out trying to watch the puck, learn the rules, and well… everything.”

I patted the cushion next to me, grinning at her over my shoulder.

Tomorrow, we’d have to kiss, and I’d have to deal with that. And everything that came after. But tonight, she wanted to learn about my job, and I was a hell of a good teacher.

She paused at the couch, slowly making her way closer.

One more thing I learned about my future wife—she was curious. Hesitant, but curious, and stubborn as hell because she tried to sit down on the chair at the end of the couch.

“You can see the computer from there?”

“No…” She paused, halfway into her squat, and stood. Finally taking the seat next to me. “Okay. Teach me, Mr. Hockey.”

Teaching her, I could do.

It was kissing her that was scaring the hell out of me.

Fifteen

Emmersyn

He moved faster in person than I watched on the small laptop last night. Kane Andrews skated across the ice like he was flying in air, and that puck? I was having at least a slightly easier time keeping my eyes on it from the family’s suite the team allowed the wives and girlfriends to have for their first preseason game.

Around me were toddlers babbling, babies crying and giggling, and women talking, but I was so focused on watching the game, I barely paid anyone any attention. Mostly because I kept thinking of what was going to happen after.

My wedding to the man currently hunched over a blue circle at one side of the ice for a face-off after San Jose was called for icing. And thanks to Kane’s lessons last night, I now knew what that was.

Movement came from my left and then Lizzie was taking the seat next to me, hands free of her twin boys but holding two glasses of wine.

“Need one?”

“Thank you.” I hadn’t had a drink yet, but I could use one to settle my nerves.