I closed my eyes and petted Moose, and it wasn’t long before he was purring, the deep rumble soothing my soul.

  Wyatt and I hadn’t ended up getting too shitfaced last night, so my head only vaguely throbbed. I could live with that. In fact, I felt pretty damn good.

  Yeah, there was chaos and uncertainty outside, but I was warm in my bed with my cats and the sweetest, gentlest man I’d ever met. Wherever my career sent me, whatever flux my life and career were in now, I felt anchored here with Wyatt, Lily, and the cats. The five of us could do exactly what we were doing anywhere else. A hotel. An apartment. A condo. A house. Somewhere in the U.S. Somewhere in Canada.

  In that moment, no matter what came next, I was sure I’d be okay.

  Beside me, Wyatt stirred. Lily’s tail thumped on the mattress. Then she jumped down and he muttered, “Mmkay. Gimme a sec.”

  I didn’t think he and Lily were gone long, but it turned out to be long enough for me to start drifting off again. I awoke as Moose and Bear were situating themselves on Wyatt’s side of the bed. Moose parked himself on the pillow, and Bear stretched out as if he wanted to occupy as much of the warm sheets as he could.

  When Wyatt saw this arrangement, he smirked, then rolled his eyes. “Um, can I have some room?”

  They just looked at him and didn’t move.

  I chuckled and reached for the nightstand. One crinkle of the treat bag, and they were both climbing over me, purring as they swatted at the bag. I tossed a couple of treats on the floor, and they leaped down to find them while I put the bag back in the drawer.

  Wyatt slid up behind me and kissed my neck. In a cheesy voice, he asked, “Anything in that drawer for me?”

  I snorted. “Uh-huh. Maybe later.”

  “Fair enough.” He rolled onto his back, and when I turned over, he pulled me up against him. I closed my eyes as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head on his chest. Absently stroking my arm with his fingertips, he asked, “Did you sleep okay?”

  “Better than I thought I would.”

  “Good.” He kissed the top of my head. “I know sex and wine don’t solve anything, but…”

  “No, they don’t.” I cuddled closer to him. “But they felt good, and so does this. I’ll deal with the rest when it comes.”

  There was still a knot of apprehension in my stomach because a huge part of my life was still up in the air. But right here, right now, I felt better than I’d thought I was capable of feeling less than twenty-four hours ago.

  We were both starting to drift off again when a familiar ringtone had me wide awake.

  Wyatt tensed beside me. “What?”

  I swallowed. “That’s my agent.” I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and sat up against the headboard. With my heart in my throat, I answered, “Hey.”

  “Hey, Aussie,” Leanne said. “So, I’ve got some news for you. Everything’s being finalized, so nothing can be announced publicly yet, but it isn’t going to take long. I wanted you to know before it hit social media.”

  “Yeah?” I felt around until I found Wyatt’s hand, and I gripped it tight. “Where are they sending me?”

  “Nowhere.”

  “No—what?”

  “You’re staying here in Seattle. Simon is going to Atlanta in exchange for a pair of forwards, a second-round draft pick for this season, and a first round for next season.”

  I blinked. “Are you… Are you serious?”

  “Completely.”

  “But he’s… I mean, he’s a way better player than I am.”

  “Well, the powers that be know what they want. And they made it very clear they want you to stay. In fact, we’re going to be having a meeting to start negotiating your extension next week. Nothing’s written in stone yet, but they want to start talks well before you’re a free agent.”

  I closed my eyes as I pushed out a breath. “Holy shit.”

  “You’re good, Aussie. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what’s going on. I’ll be in touch about next week’s meeting.”

  “Awesome,” I said, still dazed. “Thanks for the update.”

  We ended the call, and I stared at my phone.

  Wyatt sat up beside me. “Well?”

  “They traded Simon,” I said hollowly, barely believing my own words. “They’re…” I met his eyes. “They’re keeping me.”

  “Really?” He touched my arm. “That’s great! Isn’t it?”

  “It is, but…” I gestured with my phone. “I need to call my coach. He’s got to know what’s going on.”

  Wyatt nodded. With my heart in my throat, I sent the call, and as it rang on the other end, I clasped my and in his.

  Coach answered with, “Morning, Aussie. I’m guessing you’ve heard by now?”

  “Yeah, I have. Just… Clark is really trading Simon? And you’re okay with that?”

  Coach sighed heavily. “On paper, Cars is an asset to the team. But he admitted to leaking the story to Cole Tandy.”

  I closed my eyes and mouthed a few curses. “He admitted to it?”

  “Eventually, yes.” Coach did not sound pleased. “He tried to insist it wasn’t him, but Clark and Megan got the truth out of him. And quite frankly, I don’t care how good someone is on the ice—that kind of backstabbing and abusive behavior is going to destroy a team. He’s a locker room cancer, and I don’t want him here.”

  I was speechless for a moment. Finally, I managed, “Really?”

  “Really. Listen, I think we made a mistake, laying down the law with you and Cars like that. We’re all married. We know how couples have their ups and downs. It wasn’t right, making a rule like that for the two of you. And honestly, after our meeting yesterday, we all realized that. I don’t think anyone had any mind to trade you or cut you loose.” He pushed out a breath. “Cars wouldn’t have gone anywhere either, but that stunt he pulled with Tandy…”

  I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Wow. Damn.”

  “Stats and play only go so far, Aussie,” he said. “I won’t have a cancer in my locker room. I talked to D’Angelo earlier, and he didn’t like the idea either, of having someone here who’s willing to feed the trolls like that.”

  Holy shit. Our captain was onboard too? And maybe that wasn’t such a surprise. Hockey was a small community, and locker rooms were tight. If there was someone in the room who teammates couldn’t trust, that could screw up the whole team’s dynamics. In that respect, yeah, it made sense that Simon was the one who was traded, not me.

  Still.

  I swallowed hard. “Thanks for keeping me on. I’ll, um… I’ll do my best to live up to that.”

  He laughed softly. “Honestly, kid, you’ve been living up to it from the start. Now that I know what was going on with you and Cars, the first part of this season makes a lot of sense. We shouldn’t have put you in that position. The fact that you kept your head together as much as you did, and that you recovered—I’m not worried at all going forward. Especially now that you don’t have all that pressure on you.”

  “Thanks, Coach,” I whispered. “I appreciate it.”

  We ended the call a moment later, and I closed my eyes as I leaned back against the headboard. “Holy shit.”

  Wyatt squeezed my hand. “So… everything’s good?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.” I sounded as dazed as I felt. “Everything’s good.” I let my head loll toward him so I could look in his eyes, and I relayed what my coach had told me.

  “Wow. So they’re not fucking around, are they?”

  “No. they’re not. All this time I thought they’d cut me loose…” I rubbed my hand over my face. “Never thought they’d pick me over him.” I paused. “Then again, I never thought he’d tell Cole goddamned Tandy about us.” With a dry laugh, I added, “Fuck around and find out, Simon.”

  Wyatt chuckled. “Yeah, kinda seems like he did you a favor and shot himself in the foot.”

  “About time he did something for me,” I muttered. Right then, my phone pinged with a text. I cringed, sure it was the man in question ready to read me the riot act.

  Instead, it was the team’s captain.

  D’Angelo: Hey, man. You good after today?

  I wrote back with total honesty:

  Anthony: Kind of shocked by all of it, but yeah, I’m good.

  D’Angelo: Good. Wish we’d all known what was going on, but I get why you kept it quiet. We’ve got your back, though. 100%

  My vision actually blurred as I sent back a thank-you text. Then I put the phone aside, and Wyatt quietly wrapped me up in his arms.

  “I won’t say I’m glad he smeared your name all over the tabloids,” he said. “But I’m glad Simon showed his ass and got what was coming to him.”

  “Me too.” I exhaled as so, so fucking much weight rolled off my shoulders. “I’m really glad I’m staying, too. I like this team. And the city.”

  “I like it here, too.”

  I met his gaze. “If I sign an extension after this season, I’ll probably be here for at least five or six more years. Especially if I ask for a no-move clause.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Mmhmm.” I touched his face. “I’d be willing to do it, too. Staying in one place will make it a lot easier for you, won’t it?”

  He blinked as if he hadn’t expected that. “It… yeah. It will. I’ll be close to my family. I can maybe get a career going or something. Maybe—” He cut himself off.

  I sat up a little. “Hmm?”

  Wyatt dropped his gaze as some color bloomed in his cheeks. “It might be a bit of a pipe dream.”

  “So was my hockey career.” I squeezed his hand. “Tell me.”

  He looked at me through his lashes, and after a moment, he said, “Now that I have some stability, I really want to do something for people who were in my situation. Homeless vets. Or… I mean, homeless anyone, you know?” He fidgeted a little. “I’m not sure what I can do. Or what it would even take, but… If we’re going to be in the same place for a few years, maybe I can get something going.”

  “That sounds like a great idea. And if you want to start something—an organization or whatever—I can offer up some seed money.”

  He stared at me. “Really?”

  “Of course. It’s… I mean, I’m not a billionaire or anything, but I want to help. Just say the word.”

  His lips parted, but then he smiled and drew me in. “You really are amazing, you know that?”

  “Nah. But I have resources, and if I can help, then I want to.”

  “Like I said”—he kissed me softly—“amazing.”

  I chuckled and let another kiss linger.

  Not twenty minutes ago, I’d been sure my whole career and my life was in limbo. Any second, I was going to get the call that I was being shipped off to another team. Everything had been up in the air.

  Now I was staying in Seattle. Wyatt and I were staying here. I would absolutely be pushing for a no-move clause going forward, both because I loved this place and this team, and because I wanted Wyatt to have a chance to build something. I didn’t know what that would look like—what kind of organization or effort he had in mind—but he knew more than anyone I could think of what someone in that situation needed. Whatever money he needed, whatever support, I was happy to give it to him so he could help others living through what he had.

  In the meantime, he and Lily would never have to worry about that again. Anything they needed. Anything they wanted. As long as I had anything to say about it, they would be safe, housed, fed, and loved.

  As for me, I was finally free from the man who didn’t want me anyway. I had a future with the Seattle Bobcats. I had a future with Wyatt.

  And I couldn’t wait to see where that future took us.

  Epilogue

  Wyatt

  * * *

  Two years later

  * * *

  I stared at myself in the hotel’s full-length mirror as I tugged on the jacket of my dress uniform. It had been a long time since I’d put this on. A long time since I’d wanted to. But tonight, it had felt like the right thing to wear, even if it felt alien now.

  I scrutinized the man looking back at me from the mirror. I was cleanshaven now—uniform regs still applied even though I wasn’t active duty—and my hair was shorter, though it wasn’t high and tight. I could see the old me from my early Army days, the new me who’d found peace, and the man in between—the one who’d lived the nightmares I still had to this day. Sometimes it was mind-blowing to imagine ever being that young and idealistic, with no concept of how badly I’d be chewed up and spit out by my time in the military. Other times, it was surreal to think of how much I’d survived, and I often caught myself marveling that I’d made it.

  And I’ll never get my head around the fact that I made it to today.

  But I had. I was here. My life was amazing now, and I’d been looking forward to tonight for months.

  Satisfied my ribbons were straight and I hadn’t missed a spot shaving, I rolled my shoulders under the jacket and blew out a breath.

  Okay. Here we go.

  Lily sat beside me, tail thumping on the floor.

  I smiled at her. “You ready, kiddo?”

  She cocked her head, tail still wagging.

  I laughed and tousled her ears. I’d promised her a long time ago that once we were on our feet, she’d be the most spoiled dog in the world, and I was so damn happy I’d been able to keep that promise. After Anthony and Simon sold the place in Medina, we’d moved into a smaller house with a bigger yard. Now Lily had space to run around outside, and there was still plenty of room for her and Bear to zoom around indoors, too. The absolute mountain of toys she had hopefully made up for the ones we’d lost when the cops had stolen our stuff, and she had a giant, plush bed for nights when ours was too crowded for her. She’d even made friends with some other dogs in the neighborhood, so she had regular playdates to socialize and just be a dog.

  I was grateful for the life I had with Anthony for thousands of reasons, and easily in the top three was that my dog was now as happy and spoiled as she deserved to be.

  “Time to go to a party,” I told her as I put on her vest. She usually wore a red-and-blue one. Tonight, it was camouflage. I clipped on her brand-new leash, and we were ready to go.

  All I needed now was my date.

  A moment later, Anthony came into the hotel room, and he halted, looking me up and down. “Okay, that is a sexy look.”

  “Uh-huh.” I grinned. “Says the man who looks like James Bond.”

  He rolled his eyes and blushed. “Yeah, you can put a tux on a hockey player, but it won’t make him look like James Bond.”

  “Hey. Don’t ruin my fantasies.”

  He chuckled and leaned over Lily to kiss me lightly. “You ready?”

  “When you are.”

  He checked his phone. “Well, I need to be there in twenty, so we’d better get moving.”

  We left the hotel room and took the elevator down to the mezzanine. As the doors opened, I offered him my elbow, which he took, and we stepped out of the elevator into the crowded hallway.

  The hotel’s enormous ballroom was about to be packed with people. Normally that would give me an unpleasant jolt, but the organizers had listened when I’d told them about that. Especially with guests coming in who had backgrounds similar to mine, they’d made sure to keep flickering and flashing lights to a minimum, and to control the flow of people so there was always space to move around. No chokepoints, no dense crowds, and very clearly marked and unobstructed exits.

  Right now, it was still empty except for vendors and organizers, as well as people setting up the various card tables. Someone was adjusting a microphone on the stage, and there were a few reporters standing in the beams of bright lights as they spoke into cameras.

  Anthony released my elbow and put his hand on my back. “I have to go join the team. Come by my table once everything gets going, though.”

  “I will.” I pushed myself up and kissed him. “Have fun.”

  His wicked grin made me laugh. “You know I will.”

  We shared one more kiss, and then he headed off to where the players were gathering for their introductions.

  Shortly after that, the doors opened, and people came flooding in. Everyone was dressed to the nines and excited as hell, and they cheered and applauded when the players were introduced. Each player came out onto the stage wearing a jersey styled after tonight’s theme—those would be signed and auctioned off.

  There were some speeches, which reminded me of the military brass giving their long-winded intros at official functions. It was all great stuff, mostly talking about the event, the team, and how eager they all were to support tonight’s charity, but holy fuck, they could talk.

  Much like military speeches, these ended eventually, and everyone was turned loose to play. The players disappeared backstage, then returned with their tuxedos on again, and they took their places to deal craps, blackjack, and roulette. At the end of the night, people could use their chips to buy raffle tickets for some seriously cool prizes.

  I spent the first part of the night just strolling around with Lily, staying near the edges of the room where it was less crowded, and drinking in the sheer magnitude of everything.

  Drinking in the fact that I was even here, and how different my life looked from the night I’d crossed paths with Anthony.

  It wasn’t just fancy nights out, either. Because of everything Anthony had done to help stabilize my life, I’d been able to go to Portland quite a few times. I’d had a chance to spend time with Dad while he was still relatively comfortable and lucid, and I’d been able to give Mom a break, all without worrying about burning PTO or losing my job. Then Dad’s health had taken a sharp downward turn, and I’d stayed with Mom while he was on hospice. Anthony had joined us when the season was over, and he’d been there as a steadying presence and a shoulder to cry on while Dad’s time had wound down.