The morning after Christmas, I’m on top of the world.
It snowed overnight, powdering a fresh sprinkling of fluffy white over what is already a winter wonderland, and my boots crunch in the snow as I return to the cabin with a large takeout cup in my hand. Maddie isn’t a coffee drinker—opting for tea instead—and I’ve noticed that she has a specific preference for peppermint tea. There are no mint tea bags at the cabin, so I walked into the village to get her a cup.
I took the time alone to give my family a long overdue phone call. Wish them a Merry Christmas. Tell them that I miss them and love them. I can’t believe I ever thought I had to put hockey above everything else, to the point where it’s been to the detriment of my relationships with the people that mean so much to me. I know that my intentions were good, and I wanted to make sure that the sacrifices my parents made were worth it, but along the way somewhere, I became driven to the point that I ended up unnecessarily distancing myself from the people who supported me the most.
I ended the call by promising my mom that I’ll come to Canada to see her the next time I get a few days off, and I intend to make good on my promise. I also reminded them all that they’re welcome to visit me in Atlanta at anytime, that I’d always be happy to see them.
My priorities have been totally out of whack for awhile now. And being with Maddie has helped me realize that.
Speaking of Maddie, we’ve planned to hike some of the trails around the cabin later with Jax, and I can’t wait to hear what’s sure to be a hilarious running commentary about how much she hates hiking and The Great Outdoors.
I’d bet anything she’ll look cute as all hell bundled up in her big, fluffy jacket, large snow boots, and thick tuque—beanie.
Being in Aspen at this time of year reminds me of being home in Canada. Not just the snow, but the abundance of pine trees, the crisp, chilly air that feels thin in your lungs and makes you want to inhale deeper, the expansive mountain vistas that provide a stunning backdrop for the people skating on frozen ponds.
Skating… Haven’t thought much about that lately.
In fact, this is the longest I’ve gone in years without a skate… or a conditioning workout at the gym that’s aimed at improving my speed, strength or agility on the ice.
As much as I’m enjoying this time away with Maddie, I’ll admit that I’m excited to fly back to Atlanta tomorrow morning. Excited to have my skates strapped on by afternoon for practice. Excited to see the guys and hear all about their Christmases. I’m sure Jimmy, at least, has some ridiculous stories.
And then, I’m excited to come home to Maddie afterwards.
To see that freckle-faced, green-eyed, beautiful girl smile at me every damn day.
I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I know that last night marked something changing. I don’t remember ever feeling this way about someone—almost giddy with happiness.
After the wild kiss in the hot tub, Maddie and I spent the rest of the evening acting in a much more family-friendly manner, playing cribbage while I rested one hand on her thigh under the card table. Adam and Elizabeth—who pretty clearly were the ones who sent Maddie’s mother to interrupt us—sat stiffly, side by side, across the table. Something certainly seemed to be simmering beneath the surface for my old friend Eugene.
At the end of the night, we went to our bedroom and Maddie tore down the Great Wall of Slater with one fell swoop of her hand. Not wanting to take things too far too fast—and also perfectly content playing that incredible kiss over and over in my mind—I drew her close and just held her. Spent all night spooning her and sleeping curled around her body, listening to the beat of her heart and the stutter of her breaths.
It’s barely 8am, and I’m already excited to sleep next to her again tonight.
I walk up the driveway with both of my hands clasped around Maddie’s tea to fend off the cold. When I reach the front door, I open and shut it behind me as quietly as possible, in case some people are still sleeping.
Actually, everyone might still be sleeping. The cabin is quiet as can be.
I unlace my boots and am about to bring the tea up to Maddie in bed when I hear voices in the kitchen.
“—none of your business, frankly.”
“Of course, it’s my business!”
It’s Maddie and Adam. I move closer, listening intently, and my fist involuntarily balls at my side.
If he dares say even a single thing to hurt her…
“How’s that?” Maddie’s voice is steady. Calm. In total control. I don’t hear a single waver or shake in her voice as she squares up to her ex, and I’m so damn proud of her.
“I wasn’t planning on giving Elizabeth the damn ring!” Adam half yells. “And us breaking up on that stupid baking show forced my hand to propose to her before that episode aired, or I’d look like a total fool!”
“Well, then why did you buy her a ring in the first place?!”
I snicker. You tell him, Maddie.
“I didn’t.” Adam exhales heavily. “It’s a family heirloom. My mom gave it to me a few months before the show filmed to… give to you.”
“And instead, you cheated on me and announced it on freaking television.”
“I wasn’t happy!” Adam thunders. “Elizabeth was there for me when you—”
Maddie cuts him off with a bitter laugh. “When I WHAT? Supported your business ventures? Was a loyal, committed girlfriend? Tried to help you get more of a fanbase by getting us on the show?”
“You never looked at me the way you look at him!” Adam suddenly blurts angrily.
I set the takeout cup of tea on a sideboard and move closer. I can practically hear her eyes roll. “So this isn’t about you and me. It’s about Seb. You jealous or something?”
“I’m just a bit confused as to how you made this happen. How someone like Sebastian Slater could end up with my sloppy seconds.”
I’ve officially heard enough.
Before I can think about it, I’m bursting through the door and striding over to Adam, who’s leaning against the kitchen counter. My blood pounds in my temples and my chest constricts with rage. So much so that I’m almost forgetting I’m at another family’s cabin for the holidays, and not facing off against some goon on the ice.
I wrap my hands around Adam’s arms and shove him, hard as I can, into the refrigerator, which wobbles as I pin him there. My hands fist in his shirt as I hiss in my most low, vicious voice, “Don’t you ever speak to my wife like that again, understand?”
“I-I-I-understand!” Adam spits out.
But I’m going to need more than his understanding.
“Apologize,” I demand.
“I’m s-sorry, Maddie.”
I turn to look at Maddie for the first time. She’s standing there, hair messy, still in her flannel PJs, and staring at us with her mouth open. The sight of her immediately calms me so that I can see through the red haze.
I release my hold on Adam abruptly, worried that I’m scaring her. He loses his balance and stumbles slightly, and he cowers as he looks between us. “I made a mistake, saying that.”
I press my pointer finger into his chest. “Damn right you made a mistake. Letting this woman get away was the stupidest thing you could’ve ever done. But I guess I should be grateful that you’re such an idiot. Because if you hadn’t screwed up with her, she wouldn’t be with me.”
And with that, I grab Maddie’s hand and march us out of the kitchen, leaving a blubbering Adam in our wake.
The second we’re out of the room, she makes a squeaking noise, and I’m scared of what I’m going to find on her face. Horror? Repulsion? Or worse… fear?
But she’s smiling.
“Oh my gosh, I think he might’ve wet himself. Or worse. You, quite literally, scared the crap out of him!” Maddie trails off into peals of laughter and I want to kiss that pretty mouth right here, right now.
“I was worried I took it a bit far,” I admit sheepishly.
She wraps her hand around my bicep and squeezes. “Well, you were certainly my muscle back there. I was thinking of smacking him upside the head with a frying pan when he started into that, but what you did was way better.”
“Are you… okay?”
She shakes her head with a laugh. “Fine. I don’t care what Adam thinks anymore or what he says about me. And let me tell you, that is the most freeing thing to happen to me in a very long time. So thank you. You have helped me see that, Mr. Hockey Man.”
“You’re welcome,” I say. With every day that I grow closer to Maddie—get to know all the little details about her that make her who she is—the more I hope that this feels as real to her as it does to me.
Scratch that, the more I know that this feels as real to her as it does to me.
I smile as I spot her tea still on the sideboard, going cold. “Oh. I went out and bought you some peppermint tea…”
She throws her arms around me in a hug. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the most thoughtful person ever?”
I lean into her embrace, pulling her closer and breathing in the vanilla scent of her hair. “You did. Yesterday.”
“Well, I’m saying it again.” She’s all happy and giddy when she pulls away. “I’m so glad you’re here, Seb.”
“Me too, Maddie.”
Because somehow, things have shifted and changed. Somehow, since I drunkenly proposed to this incredible, hilarious, minorly insane and totally beautiful woman, she’s become one of the most important people in my life. And somehow, in the space of a few days here at the cabin, I know that this marriage is the realest thing to ever happen to me.
Me too.
