Hockey With Benefits(112)

There, in a heap, with two of the legs broken off, was our table.

Cruz snorted in laughter, slowly setting me down on my feet. “Thinking this is a bad time to tell you we got caterers coming in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” I whipped to him.

But he was still laughing.

I stepped away from him. “Ten minutes? Really?”

He nodded, containing some of his laughter, though some still slipped out. “Fancy dinner is going to be here, and after, we got everyone coming.” He’d said people were coming, but I gaped at him, my legs still a little unsteady.

“Who is everyone?”

He was watching me, gauging my reaction. “Everyone. Labrowski’s bringing Angela, now that they had their little girl. He told me to prepare you that she’s going to want some serious champagne tonight. Taz and Race. Zeke. Your whole Fallen Crest crew is coming. My Grant West teammates. Some of the guys from the Javs.”

“Skylar and Zoe?”

He nodded. “Wade and Darren. Miles.”

I checked the time. I had seven minutes left. I squealed, running for the stairs. “Caterers are your thing?”

“I got ’em. Yeah,” he called after me. “Oh, uh...”

I paused at the top, and I wasn’t going to worry that it was going to be so obvious he’d just pounded me when those caterers got here because he didn’t look in any hurry to change that. He was slowly pulling his shirt on, and his pants weren’t buttoned. He was barefoot.

He grimaced, just slightly. “I might’ve told everyone they could stay here.”

“What?”

Everything went so fast once we moved to Arizona. He had early team meetings. Buying a house. Deciding to buy a house together, because that was important to me. Moving. And then he started training in September. By that time, I’d began my application process for graduate school for family therapy. Call me crazy, but I had a feeling I might have some insight. But all in all, we’d not had time to fully furnish the place, and to unpack everything that we had moved in. Our house wasn’t big. We were both just starting out, though Cruz was able to get more money in the last year from early sponsorship deals. I had some from my father that he’d been waiting until I graduated from college before letting me know about. It wasn’t much, but it was for this purpose of funding a future home or helping to pay off school debts.

“I know, but–” He raked a hand through his hair, right as the doorbell rang. “Oh, shit.” He started for the door.

I yelled, “Button your pants.”

“Right.” Then I heard the door open, and voices as he was greeting the caterers.

I slipped into the shower, but as I was in there, I was doing it with a smile on my face. I had no idea what kind of ring Cruz got me, but it was gorgeous. There were hints of green in the stone. And the dinner. We had family and friends coming, because no doubt everyone meant my dad and stepmother, her two daughters who were now my stepsisters, and Cruz’s mother and sister.

I’d wear the hockey sweater that Taz gifted me so long ago. She would love that, and it got washed yesterday because I wore it a lot.

And smiling at that thought, the shower door opened. Cruz stepped inside.

“What about–” I started to ask, but he shook his head, stepping in, his hands finding my hips, and he murmured right before his mouth found mine, “All is good. They’re doing their thing. I just want to be with you.”

That made two of us, and I had a fleeting thought if we’d always be like this.

I hoped so.

I knew so.

And I also knew, I got my happily ever after.



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If you enjoyed Hockey With Benefits, please leave a review!

They truly help so much.





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Also, if you’d like to read more stories like Mara and Cruz, check out:





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Enemies (football)

Teardrop Shot (basketball)

Hate To Love You (football)

The Not-Outcast (hockey)

Rich Prick (soccer)

Ryan’s Bed (basketball)

Fallen Crest High (football)

Nate (ballet)





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Plus, there’s so many more!

www.tijansbooks.com





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS





Mara first appeared in Rich Prick (Blaise’s book), and she was a surprise to me. At that time, I didn’t know her full background story. She kept intriguing me so I wrote a short story of when her and Cruz first met for an anthology that’s no longer available. After that, I was hooked. Readers could go and check out more of Mara in Rich Prick, but I don’t feel that book gives her the due she deserves. I feel Hockey With Benefits is the perfect introduction to Mara and the struggles she goes through. Also, Cruz.

So, in a way, I want to thank Mara for sticking with me. Cruz’s story was also a surprise because in the short story, he came to me first as this easygoing guy. He was friendly. Chill. Just wanted to hook up. Then, I began digging deeper into him and whoa, were there layers in him. And deep layers too.

I fell in love with both of them! And I truly hope you enjoyed them as well.