I’ve been in Paris for the last four weeks, and time had flown. I kept several of my clients, giving them all the option to come with me or stay with Joseph, who owned a larger company than mine.
At least for now.
Most of my clients had chosen to go with me, including Jordan Waters.
I’d already let Joseph know that I was leaving the week before I came here to see Lulu. He’d been angry and tried to manipulate me, but in the end, he wished me well, and things had ended amicably.
I thanked him for the opportunity, but it was time to break off on my own. Bridger had been right. I’d let fear almost rob me of the woman I loved and the opportunity to grow a business that I owned.
This allowed me to work from wherever I wanted, and right now, I wanted to be in Paris with my girl. My assistant, Clara, had agreed to come with me, and she was thrilled about working remotely. I’d eventually hire more people, but right now, this would work.
My family was beyond supportive, and Lulu and I had decided not to rent out my house so we would have a place to stay when we visited, and we could play it by ear once we had a better idea of how long we’d be in Paris.
“I love starting my day like this,” Lulu said as she straddled me, my fingers interlaced with hers.
The morning sun came through the sheer curtains in our room, creating a halo of light around her.
“Well, you do like riding stallions, right?” I gripped her hips as she slid down my erection.
She smiled, teeth sinking into that juicy bottom lip as she leaned down and kissed me.
We’d been making up for lost time since the day I arrived here.
She pulled back, looking down at me as we found our rhythm. Her perky tits bounced with every movement, and there wasn’t a more beautiful woman in the world.
I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved Lulu, and I’ve never been more sure about my decision to move here since the second her eyes had found mine that night at that café when I surprised her.
“I could bury myself between your thighs every day for the rest of our lives,” I said as she moved faster.
“Don’t stop, Rafe,” she said as her head fell back.
“Never.”
We moved faster.
Our breaths were the only audible sound in the room, as the city had yet to wake.
My hand moved between us, knowing she was close. Knowing just what she needed.
Her back arched, and I could feel her tighten around me as my name left her lips on a cry, and she went over the edge.
I loved watching my girl fall apart around me.
I loved the sound of my name on her lips.
I bucked into her again.
And again.
And I followed her into oblivion.
“Fuck!” I shouted as she continued to move, both of us riding out every last bit of pleasure.
She fell forward, her wild mess of hair sprawled all around me as we both struggled to catch our breath.
I lifted her head and kissed her before rolling her onto her side and sliding out of her. I made my way to the bathroom to dispose of the condom before coming back over to lie beside her.
“Sex is even better in Paris,” I chuckled.
“It was pretty impressive in Rosewood River, too.”
“Agreed.” I stroked her hair away from her face, grateful to finally be out of the sling as my wrist had healed a lot since I arrived. “I booked our flights home next week.”
“I can’t believe they made it to the Stanley Cup. Henley said everyone in Rosewood River is freaking out.”
“Yeah. Clark has made a name for himself this season. He’s playing the best he’s ever played. I can’t fucking believe my brother is a starter on a team playing for the Stanley Cup.”
“He seems pretty calm about it, too,” she said.
We FaceTimed with him several times over the last few days, and we were looking forward to being there to support him.
“He does. I’m sure he feels the pressure, but he’s pretty chill with that stuff. He’s got the right temperament. But he’s been a standout this season, which puts a target on his back with the opposing team. They’ll be all over him.”
We’ve been able to stream his games here, so I’ve been keeping track of his stats, and I was proud as hell.
“Well, you certainly aren’t chill when he’s playing,” she said as a wide grin spread across her face.
“I can get a little intense, but weren’t you the one that broke the remote when he got a bad call?” I teased.
“That call was bullshit.”
“It was. But it’s all part of the game.” I pulled her head down and kissed her before she settled her cheek against my chest. “You’ve got a busy day today, right?”
“Yep. We’ve got some new designs to present, and then I’ve got a meeting with another large department store this afternoon. How about you?”
“I’ve got a packed day, but that’s a good problem to have. And then I’m meeting my girlfriend at the café downstairs for dinner,” I said.
“It’s a good life, Rafe Chadwick.”
“It’s the best life,” I said, scooping her up and heading to the shower.
We had fallen into a routine of showering together before work. Dinner out at different restaurants. She’d taken me all over Paris the last few weekends, and I’d gotten to know a few locals.
I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve this woman, but I wasn’t questioning it.
I loved her.
She loved me.
And I knew—just like my father had known about my mother all those years ago—that I’d found my forever.
She was a fierce, strong, sexy, kind, beautiful woman.
And she was all mine.
“I’m so happy you’re both here for this,” my mother said, squeezing my hand as we watched my brother skate out onto the ice for the last period.
It was a tie game.
You could feel the tension in the arena. This was game seven. Whoever won tonight would be the Stanley Cup Champions.
Lulu and I had returned to Rosewood River, and then we’d gone to all seven games, moving from San Francisco to Denver, where the Lions and Wolves battled it out.
They each had three wins under their belts, and heading into the last period, the score was five to five.
I’d say these two teams were equally matched.
My brother had scored two of the five goals tonight.
I’ve never been more proud watching him do his thing on the ice.
We were playing at home, so the crowd had gone wild.
Cutler was sitting on Lulu’s lap, acting like he was too nervous to sit on his own, but he winked at me a couple of times when she wasn’t looking.
The kid was a huge flirt.
My sister was a nervous wreck, on her feet shouting most of the time and then pacing in between periods.
Nash was trying to keep her calm.
Melody sat on my lap, shouting every time the buzzer rang. Archer and Bridger were quiet, and you could feel their nerves radiating off them. Easton and Henley were sitting beside us. Easton had already called out the ref for a bad call, and the crowd had agreed. My parents were just taking it all in, proudly wearing their Clark Chadwick jerseys, as we all were.
When the team walked out of the tunnel and skated onto the ice, the crowd roared. I had my arms around Melody, and my heart raced.
Clark glanced up at us and gave a fist pump, which caused all of us to scream wildly. I glanced over at Lulu. Her hair was up in her favorite scrunchie with one arm around Beefcake and her other hand in mine. She and Henley were leaning against one another, and I fucking loved how close she was with my family.
How much they adored her.
I missed them, missed my life here, but I was enjoying this adventure I was on with my girl more than I thought I would. I knew we’d be back eventually, and Paris was not a bad place to spend a couple of months or a year.
I turned my attention back to my brother as the buzzer rang. The puck was hard to follow as it switched from one player to the next.
Tensions were high as they ran the clock down.
Battling over and over to take the lead.
The crowd grew more anxious as players jumped from the bench to the ice every time they switched out their teams.
Players were sent to the penalty box.
Tensions were growing as time wound down.
No one had scored, and there were only twenty-three seconds left on the clock.
“Let’s go!” Lulu and Cutler shouted at the same time.
The Lions had the puck.
Weston passed to Smith.
Smith passed to Jones.
Jones passed to Chadwick.
And before we could process what was happening, my brother was skating down the ice with a pack of Wolves behind him.
He was faster, but they were on him. He moved right unexpectedly, a play he told me they’d practiced. Everyone thought he’d pass the puck back to Jones, so the other team moved, and as a small opening appeared down the center, Clark took his shot. Two members of the opposing team were right behind him, doing what they could to stop the shot. Another player moved quickly on his left. Clark saw the opening, but they were too late to do anything to stop him.
The world seemed to stand still as we followed the black puck down the center of the ice in a blur. Right into the net.
The cheers were deafening. Everyone in the arena was on their feet.
My parents had tears streaming down their faces. Lulu was jumping up and down with Henley and Cutler.
Emerson had flung herself into Nash and then Bridger.
Archer and Easton were both bent over their knees as if they were unable to catch their breath. Axel was losing his shit with Aunt Isabelle and Uncle Carlisle.
And I had Melody on my hip as she pumped her little fist in the air.
The Lions had just won the Stanley Cup.
“I think he’s hurt.” I heard Bridger’s voice as we all turned to see my brother down on the ice with his teammates around him. “That dude checked him low right after he took the shot.”
The celebration continued as a medic came out and moved everyone out of the way. I noticed my brother standing awkwardly on his leg as they helped him to his feet, and he held his arms up to let everyone know that he was okay.
The crowd roared in celebration, and we continued cheering, though I saw the concern on everyone’s faces around me.
He hadn’t walked off that ice on his own.
“Is he okay?” my mother asked.
“He’ll be fine. He just scored the winning point to win the Stanley Cup,” my father said proudly.
But Bridger and I shared a knowing look. Clark didn’t skate off the ice; he was assisted by his teammates, with a medic staying close by.
We were hugging, and the girls were all crying as we continued celebrating all the way down to meet Clark, where friends and family were invited to wait.
“That was amazing,” Lulu said, her hand in mine as we walked through the tunnel. “Do you think he’s okay?”
“Hockey’s rough. He’s been hurt many times, and I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’ll have some time off now, so that’ll help. I’m so glad you were able to come with me to support him,” I said, leaning down and kissing her hard.
“I go where you go, Chadwick.”
“I like the sound of that, baby.”
We waited for a while outside the locker room with other family and friends who were gathered to wait for the players. The team started coming out, one at a time, hands in the air as we all cheered. There were media and photographers there, and from what we heard, everyone was going crazy out in the street.
I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.
When Clark came out, holding himself up on a set of crutches, a deafening cheer left the crowd. He held his hand up and searched for us before the crowd made room for him to make his way over. My mother hugged him and then asked if he was okay. It wasn’t the first time we’d seen Clark in crutches, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was in pain, even if he was doing a good job of acting like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Yeah. Just tweaked my knee, and I don’t want to make it worse, so I’ll keep the pressure off for the next few days.”
“You did it, brother,” I said. “Congratulations.”
“Yeah, glad you were here, man. This is a once-in-a-lifetime,” he said as he leaned down and kissed Lulu’s cheek. “Glad both of you are here.”
“You’re a stubborn ass, Chadwick,” a woman with long, wavy blonde hair said, and my brother narrowed his gaze.
“How about we just enjoy the moment?” Clark hissed, not hiding his irritation.
“A wheelchair was advised until we know what’s going on, and you blatantly ignored me.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “It’s your career, so you have no one to blame but yourself.”
She stormed away, and we all gaped at him.
“Who is that?” Lulu asked.
“Coach’s daughter, Eloise. She just joined the team as our official trainer and physical therapist, and she’s making a big deal out of a knee injury I’ve sustained more than once.”
“Dude, you weren’t able to skate off the ice. Perhaps a wheelchair isn’t a bad idea,” Easton said, keeping his voice low.
“She’s been here for all of two weeks, and we just won the fucking Stanley Cup!” Clark shouted, as the crowd started cheering again. He was handed a bottle of champagne, and he tipped his head back and chugged it as Easton and I both moved closer to make sure he was stable on those crutches.
Everyone was caught up in the moment, but I didn’t miss the way Clark’s gaze moved to his coach’s daughter when he passed the bottle to his teammate. She glared at him, and he winked before turning his attention back to a reporter who was shouting questions at him.
He assured Easton and me that he could stand just fine with his crutches, and he fielded questions for the next twenty minutes.
I wrapped my arms around Lulu, her back to my chest, as we stood and watched the guys continue to pop champagne and shoot it at the crowd.
I glanced around to see everyone that I loved standing here, watching him with pride.
And then Lulu tipped her head back and looked at me. “Paris is great. But I can’t wait to be back home this time next year to cheer them on again.”
“Home is wherever you are, Wildcat.”
She turned in my arms and pressed up on her tiptoes and kissed me. “Love you, Rafael.”
“Love you more.”
