Parental Guidance (Ice Knights #1)(68)
Even though she’d already given him her answer, having to sit back so she could see him ask the question was nerve-racking. The same jittery sizzles that snapped in the air around him before a game had him on alert to every flicker of emotion that crossed Zara’s face. And when she hit play, he sent up a quick prayer that what she was about to watch wouldn’t ruin everything.
“Hi, everyone, Caleb Stuckey here, and I’m going to tell you why I’m quitting this app and why some of you should not use Bramble—especially not if you’re a professional hockey player just trying to get the world to stop seeing you as a complete bag of dicks,” video him said. “Let me tell you my story so you understand why.”
She let out a little gasp and plopped down in a nearby chair, her face twisting up, but she kept watching. He crossed his fingers that that was a good sign.
“First off, my mom—yes, my mom—picked out my date because Bramble has this whole parental-guidance angle to it.” He ignored that asshole in his head telling him his voice sounded weird when he heard it played back and concentrated on watching Zara. “That was bad because who wants their mom picking their hookups? No one. I didn’t have a choice, though, so I went along with it. My date was this pocket-size redhead who didn’t want to be there any more than I did.”
The first hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and some of the tension in his body began to ebb.
“We came to a meeting of the minds and developed some rules to get through the whole process with as little pain as possible,” video him said. “One of the rules was no going past date five because this was an arrangement, not a relationship.”
A deep pink bloomed on her cheeks at the mention of the rules. Then she looked down at her fancy gown, which she looked amazing in, but she looked damn good in everything, including the jeans and T-shirts she normally wore. He tugged at the collar of his tux. Damn. They were not very good at following their own rules.
Video him wasn’t done, though. “Everything seemed like it was going well, but something awful happened. I’ve dealt with overeager dates, angry fans, and a mom who thinks she knows everything, but I’ve never met anyone like Zara Ambrose. She’s tough, talented, smart, funny, and her dog is a force of nature. All good, right? Well, I fell in love with her, hard, and I didn’t even realize it at first. Who knew that finding the one person you were meant for kind of felt like the stomach flu and like you needed to smack your head against a wall repeatedly? For the uninitiated out there, I don’t recommend falling in love unless you’re made of stern stuff. You will end up in the penalty box—in my case literally and repeatedly—but it’s worth it.”
She looked up at him then, her full bottom lip starting to tremble, and she reached for him. He didn’t have to be told twice. Taking her hand in his, he sat down next to her, not realizing until then that half of his teammates were gathered around the table where he and Zara were sitting. Each of the guys was watching the phone screen. Caleb sat for a second, waiting to be hit with that awful gut twist of panic from being the center of attention when he was off the ice.
It never came. It never seemed to when he was with Zara.
“All I wanted to do was fix my fuckup, get back on the ice, and keep my team together,” video him said. “Then I fell in love and realized that I wanted so much more. Zara, we agreed to five dates, and then we were done. I’m here promising that I will never ever go on that fifth date with you, because I don’t want what we have to end, and I hope you don’t, either. I love you, Zara Ambrose. Now please tell me that you’ll be my girlfriend so we’ll never have to go out on another Bramble date again?”
The video ended, and he sat there, silent, holding his breath and waiting to see what she’d say. He didn’t have to wait long.
“I love you, too, Caleb Stuckey, and I’d be more than happy to never ever go on another Bramble date with you in my entire life. There’s no reason to, I already found the person I didn’t know I’d been looking for.”
There may have been cheering at that point, but he didn’t hear it. The only person who mattered in that moment was Zara, and as he pulled her into his arms for a kiss, he realized that that was how it should be. Together, they fit. They worked. That was love.
Epilogue
Three Years Later…
The Harbor City Wake Up set had changed since the last time Zara and Caleb visited, but there were several people Zara remembered, including Asha Kapoor. The host walked over, her hand planted firmly on her lower back to support the weight of her pregnant belly.
“Oh, look at you,” Zara said, giving the other woman a hug. “You’re glowing! Pregnancy really agrees with you.”
“Not at two in the morning when this one likes to do his acrobatics,” Asha said with a chuckle. “He keeps early-morning-TV hours.”
“Enjoy even the little bit of sleep you’re getting now. Sometimes it seems like Lizzy has yet to sleep through the night,” Zara said. “She’s a total vampire baby and Anchovy only encourages her. I swear that dog sleeps under her crib just so he can be the first one to respond when she wakes up.”
“Speaking of your little angel, here she comes, ready to do her interview with Mommy and Daddy,” Asha said before turning to her producer for some last-minute show notes.