“Oh.” I smile at her. “Well, I’ve never said it to a woman either.”
“I love that,” she says.
I kiss the tip of her nose. “I love you.”
She giggles and presses her head into the crook of my neck before squealing.
Chuckling, I say, “What the hell is that?”
When she looks back at me, she says, “A girly squeal because Levi Posey just said he loved me.”
“Oh, if that’s the case.” I clear my throat, attempt a giggle, and then squeal as well.
She lets out a roar of a laugh. “What the hell?”
“That’s my manly squeal because Wylie Wood just said she loved me.”
She shakes her head in mirth. “God, you’re ridiculous.”
“But I’m all yours,” I say while I roll her to her back and start kissing her all over.
Levi: Boys. I have something important to tell you, but I can’t tell you yet, but when I tell you, it’s going to be very special so get ready for special news. The most special.
Silas:^^^ Always with the dramatics.
Pacey:Yeah, why can’t you tell us?
Eli:And why are you texting so late?
Halsey:I’m silencing this thread right now.
Levi:I’m texting because I can’t get it off my mind. I’m so excited.
Pacey:Then tell us.
Eli:Please don’t make this a thing.
Silas:He’s going to make it a thing. He always does.
Levi:Taters is right, I’m going to make it a thing. Just prepare yourselves. It’s huge, and I’m not talking about Halsey’s giant dick.
Pacey:It’s too late for this.
Eli:Remind me to punch you in the nuts tomorrow.
Silas:You’re probably my most annoying friend.
OC:You know, just stepping in here to say, I live for the drama. Now I’m frothing, excited to find out what he has in store to tell us.
Pacey:Jesus Christ.
Eli:Shut the fuck up, OC.
Silas:I was wrong. OC is the most annoying.
Levi:And just like always . . . OC is my favorite.
Bag in hand,I stuff my phone in it along with my wallet and stand from the bench where I just finished putting my shoes on.
Another win for the men tonight, but this time, it was special because Wylie was in the stands. She sat with Blakely and Penny, helping them with some random marketing shit to appease her father. The entire game, it felt like my penis led the way, and I know that might sound weird, but I was dead set on showing her how amazing I was on the ice. And sure, I know she’s seen it before, but it was different this time. She was mine while watching me this time, and I wanted to make her proud. I wanted her to think in her head, there’s my man.
And thankfully, I had one of my best games, and I didn’t get in a fight, so all in all, a good fucking night. I have something special in my bag to clinch it.
“I’m out,” I say to the boys. “Good game.” I offer Pacey knuckles. “Amazing shutout, man.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” he says as he leans back on the bench, looking stiffer than normal. Not sure how many years he has left in him. I know he’s been considering retirement, and with his head injury, which I know still causes him some pain, I could see him retiring at the end of this year and starting a family with Winnie.
Makes me think what my future looks like.
To be the absolute dreamer where everything in life is perfect and not based in my current reality, it would look like this . . .
Wylie as my forever girl and Coach Wood by my side, shaking my hand for being the best son-in-law he could have asked for.
We’d joke over him blessing his underwear, and he’d poke fun at me for eating bologna, then we’d hug each other because that’s what men do when they like each other.
Then he’d sit me down, look me in the eyes, and say how proud he is to call me son. I’d grip his shoulder and say something like, he’s my second favorite father.
We would laugh.
And then of course . . . hug again.
It would be magical. He wouldn’t want to kill me, he’d accept Wylie for all the greatness that she is, and he’d apologize for being an ignorant father and not recognizing how smart and talented Wylie is. We of course would forgive him and then spend Sunday nights during the summer playing Phase 10.
Sigh . . . keep dreaming, Posey.
I head out of the locker room where I find Wylie waiting for me while she talks to Blakely, Penny, and Winnie. Look at her fitting in so well.
And that’s another thing, Coach Wood would tell me how he was such a fool for thinking she should finish school because that was his plan. He’d congratulate me on being a supportive boyfriend, then he’d one more time . . . hug me.
I’d sniff him.
He’d sniff me.
He’d say I smell amazing.
I’d joke around about buying him the same cologne for Christmas.
Our heads would fall back as he roared with laughter—
“Posey!” Coach Wood yells.
And yup, my balls just crawled up my ass.
I turn toward him as I feel the girls look over at me.
“Hey, Coach Wood,” I say, trying to look like an ounce of man.
Coach Wood walks up to me, looks over my shoulder clearly where Wylie is standing, and says, “I need a progress report.”
“Uh . . . here?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, keeping his voice low so I do the same.
“Uh, well, she seems to like working with the girls.”
He glances over my shoulder, where Wylie says, “Hey, Dad.”
Coach Wood just nods and whispers, “I need you to suggest she take classes again.”
Yeah, okay, that’s going to happen.
“Sure. Any particular rhetoric you’d like me to use?”
“No, you imbecile, just suggest it and encourage it.”
“Right, I can do that.”
“She seems to trust you,” he says, almost skeptically. “Does she go to you with questions about life?”
Does asking if her bra makes her tits look big count? Because if so, that would be a yes.
“Uh, not really,” I say.
He slowly nods but doesn’t say anything, which feels off for him.
“So . . . is that all?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, straightening up.
“Great. Uh, good game, right, Coach?”
He doesn’t answer. He just spins on his heel and walks away.
Okay, that was weird.
I wait for him to disappear farther down the hallway until I turn toward Wylie, who also stares off down the hallway. I slowly approach her and try to play it cool as I say, “Wylie, you ready to have that meeting?”
Her eyes find mine, and a smile appears on her face. “Yes. That would be great.”
“Awesome, come with me.” I nod at Penny and Blakely who roll their eyes at us.
“Talk to you later, Wylie,” Penny calls out.
“I’ll send you over the mocks tomorrow,” Wylie says.
“Sounds good.” They wave, and then Wylie and I are headed down the hallway and straight to the players’ parking lot, which is thankfully closed off from the public. I open her car door for her and help her in before going to my side of the car. When we’re inside, I turn toward her, grip the back of her head, and bring her mouth to mine.
We kiss for a solid thirty seconds before I pull away and smile lazily at her. “Hey, you.”
She mirrors my expression. “Hey. Great game. You looked so hot out there.”
“Yeah?”
She nods, her teeth pulling on her bottom lip. “Really hot.”
“Well, hold on to that thought because I have a surprise for you.”
“You do?”
I start pulling out of the parking spot while I say, “I do.”
And then we head down the road.
I place my hand on her thigh, and she places her hand on top of mine. It’s the kind of hold I would see my parents do all the time, and now I get to experience it.
“Is it bad that I was kind of hoping you got in a fight?” she says.
“What?” I laugh. “You wanted me to get in a fight?”