"Yeah, I guess that is what this means. What, you fuckers were ready to get rid of me that quick?"
Reed laughs, shaking his head. His dark curls bouncing around with each movement. "Well, I’m stuck with you for life because you're in love with my sister and you know, my nieces’ dad and all, but I'm glad you're not going to Washington. I agree, it didn't feel right."
I nod. "I’m way too much sunshine for a sad ass state like Washington." I smirk and the guys groan in unison.
"Here we go again," Briggs mumbles. "I still want to kick your ass on the ice for not telling us, but I'm glad you're sticking around. Who else would we make fun of?”
I glance at Asher, who’s slumped over in his chair slightly, nodding off.
“Yo, what’s up with you, Asher?” I ask. His eyes snap open, and he straightens his spine.
“Fuck, I’m tired as shit. We got a new neighbor, and her kid has been crying nonstop at night.”
Hudson smirks. “Don’t let him fool you, he’s got a hard-on for the new neighbor too. He’s been waking up early to go to the gym to see if he can run into her in the elevator.”
“Fuck off,” he mutters, not meeting anyone’s gaze.
Fucking busted.
“Hey, we’ve all been here, don’t worry,” Briggs taunts him. Asher flips us all the bird, and we laugh in unison.
One falls, they all fall. It wouldn’t surprise me if Asher was next. I sure as shit never thought I’d fall.
"What are you thinking about right now?" Emery asks later that night.
Charlotte and Quinn are both asleep on my chest, one on each side while Emery is snuggled up next to me in the bed, reading a paperback. The TV is on in the background and I’ve been half-ass watching game highlights but mostly just thinking. Enjoying this time with all of us together, happily.
"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am. I’ve been thinking lately, more than ever, about my life. How lucky I am to be Charlotte and Quinn's dad. So fucking lucky to have you." I look over at Emery and my eyes scan her face. "You're so beautiful. It feels impossible to love you any more than I do, but yet… every day I love you more. I’ve been thinking about the future a lot lately, especially last week. Leaving hockey, figuring out what to do from here, you know I was reading a magazine earlier and I was thinking, what if we buy an old house on the outskirts of Chicago and fix it up?"
Emery sits up on her elbows and looks at me, a quizzical look in her eye. "Like a renovation? That's amajorcommitment, Graham…”
Reaching out, I take her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. “Em, when I say I’m in it for the long haul, I mean it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“So, we’re doing this? Together?”
“Fuck yeah, we are, baby. If you think I’m fucking letting you out of my sight, ever again, you’re crazy.”
She giggles, looking down at our joined hands, then her expression sobers. “I’m in, Graham. As long as you promise to be honest with me, and to always be upfront. I want this. I want you and our family.”
Hearing her say it is even better than I had imagined. Ten times fucking better than I imagined. I’m so in love with Emery Davidson; it takes my breath away.
“You’re my equal, Em. I’m never going to make a decision without you again. I promise.”
“And this is what you want to do? Buy a house? Together?”
I nod. "It was something my dad loved to do. He would love to get these old dilapidated pieces of furniture that anyone else would look at and think this is unsalvageable. Throw it in the trash. And he would refurnish them, restoring them to their original glory, and I loved watching him do that. I've been thinking about things that I love in the past week, now more than ever, and I think that something I'd love to do is take a house and make it exactly the way we want it. Restore it to its original glory and be proud of what I did with my bare hands. Just like my dad would do.
“I think I would’ve loved your dad. Every time you talk about him, I find myself wishing I had the chance to get to know him. He sounds incredible, Graham.”
“He was. He was everything. My best friend, the person I leaned on whenever I needed strength. I miss him every day. I’m just lucky I had Ma, she picked up the pieces and held Allie and I both together. She was there for me through it all..”
Emery squeezes my hand. I hate seeing tears well in her eyes, but my eyes begin stinging too. So much has changed in the past couple months, and I’m just thankful that I got the opportunity to fix what I messed up.
“Let’s do it,” she says.
"Really?"
She bites her lip and sits up all the way. "I mean, yeah, why not? This house is small. When I bought it, I never expected to have a child, let alone two. It feels like it's impossible to keep clean because there's not enough room for all the things we have. So why not? If it would make you happy, it would make me happy. And it’s a way to honor your dad’s memory."