Kayleigh was exhausted by the time they arrived at her apartment. She knew she would have a hard time waking up to do the pastries. But she knew Brad had to be tired as well. He had played a full hockey game and they had their date. Kayleigh unlocked her door and led Brad inside. He had never been farther than her door. He was the first guy to be inside the apartment. Kayleigh clicked on the lights and lit up the small apartment. 


"Your apartment also smells like a cookie" said Brad as he laid his suit jacket over the back of the couch.

"Professional hazard" Kayleigh replied as she watched Brad undo his tie and lay it with his coat. "You planning on stripping in my living room?"

"Nah, I save that show for another day" he laughed as he walked towards Kayleigh "Let's get you to bed. You have time for about 3.5 hrs if we go now."

"Yes, Sir" said Kayleigh

"Uh we'll save that for another time too" he smirked "lead the way."

Kayleigh left Brad in her room getting ready for bed and made her way to the bathroom. She quickly realized she couldn't get out of the dress without someone releasing the zipper or her figuring out how to become a contortionist. Kayleigh stepped out of the bathroom and saw Brad sitting on the bed in just his boxer briefs. Brad looked up at her.

"You plan on sleeping in that babe?" he asked.

"Nope I'm a little stuck. Caroline zipped me into this. Will you undo the zipper?" she replied. She lifted her dark hair away from the zipper and turned away from Brad. He stepped up behind her and could smell the vanilla sugar scent that seemed to follow Kayleigh everywhere she went. Brad grasped the zipper and drug it down until he could see the lace of her panties. He then realized she only had panties on underneath that tiny red dress. Brad groaned out loud.

"What" said Kayleigh clutching the dress to her front.

"I'm trying so hard to be good. Now I have you standing in front of me in half a set of lingerie." Brad got quiet. He was never really quiet so it worried her. "Brad?" He placed a kiss at the top of her zipper. He then pushed her towards the bathroom.

"Go get dressed and come snuggle. I suggest footie pj's if you want any sleep at all." And with that being said Brad flopped face down on her bed. She didn't know if she wanted to laugh or throw herself at him. She put on the blue booty shorts and a UK tank. She brushed her teeth and managed to braid her hair so it wouldn't tangle. Brad was no longer face down on the mattress and was texting someone on his phone. Kayleigh crawled into the bed beside him. He tossed the phone onto the bedside table.

Kayleigh set the alarm on her phone and then turned off the light. Her head had barely hit the pillow before Brad pulled her closer to him. She turned so she was facing him. "Thanks for coming here with me."

"No problem, doll" he replied "Now got to sleep before I keep you up past time for work." Kayleigh leaned forward and kissed the edge of his mouth. Brad didn't move. So Kayleigh kissed his mouth. Kayleigh was about to turn over and go to sleep with Brad fused his mouth to hers. She was no longer in charge of this kiss. As quickly as it began it was over. "Go to sleep" he whispered against her ear as he pulled her tight against him. Kayleigh snuggled into him with her lips still tingling.

Kayleigh's alarm was blaring on her table. She quickly shut it off. It seemed like just a few minutes ago they had been kissing. Brad was face down on her bed one leg and one arm thrown haphazardly over Kayleigh. The sheets and comforter were down around his waist. Kayleigh could see both of his tattoos from this position one his Canadian team one and the other his Stanley Cup tattoo. She pulled the blankets back up over him so he wouldn't get cold. She grabbed a SugarBaker's tee and scrub pants out of her dresser. She got dressed quietly in the bathroom. Brad was still face down on the bed but had turned his head so he was looking at Kayleigh. She grabbed her shoes and leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Stay get some sleep. I'll call and wake you up in time for skate." He murmured some kind of nonsense about being up, but went back to sleep. Kayleigh jotted down a note and left it by his phone in case he didn't remember their one sided conversation. Kayleigh made it to SugarBaker's just as her first employee arrived.

"Didn't expect you this morning" smiled Cory her barista.

"Why is that?" asked Kayleigh

"Um you left a downtown restaurant with a Bruin in tow just past midnight." laughed Cory

"And that's a very good reason for you to go make me some coffee." replied Kayleigh

"If I make coffee do I get details and a list of who's single on the team" asked Cory. 


"Nope" said Kayleigh "But you get to keep your job."

"Damn" laughed Cory "Hanging with the Bruins changed you"

Kayleigh laughed and started making pastries for the day. Kayleigh and her assistant made different doughs. They began fixing donuts, pecan rolls, and cinnamon buns. Soon the whole building smelled like breakfast treats. After they had the base pastries done Kayleigh began to experiment. She made several batches of donut holes. Orange caramel sticky buns. Nutella rolls for Caroline. Kayleigh was about to shove some large trays of cookies in the oven when Brad came strolling into the kitchen. His hair was sticking up all over the place. He had changed into the shirt she had gotten icing on and black shorts and flip flops. Her heart skipped a little. It was around 8:00am judging by the sounds inside the coffee shop.
"Hey beautiful" he said kissing her "Normally I'm the one who sneaks out of bed and disappears before dawn. Gotta say it sucked."

"You looked peaceful" she replied "Besides we had a conversation you just don't remember. I even tucked you back in."

Brad pulled himself up on the stainless steel counter and sat there looking at Kayleigh. "It still sucked you weren't there when i woke up. Your side of the bed was cold." Brad wasn't being loud or typical Marchy. Kayleigh liked quiet Brad the best.

"Sorry, had to be here by 4:30am" she replied as she was mixing muffin batters. "If it means anything I really didn't want to leave."

"You shouldn't leave strange men alone in your apartment." he said plaintively.

"Um you are the only strange guy I let in my apartment." she teased.

Brad slid off the counter and over to Kayleigh. "I'd like to keep it that way." He didn't say anything else he was just watching her mix different things into muffin batter.

"I don't have plans to start dating the offensive line for Isles" replied Kayleigh.

"Well that's a relief" deadpanned Brad "I would hate to have to kill Tavares." Kayleigh slid the muffins into the oven. She turned and wrapped her arms around Brad's waist. She laid her head on his collarbone. "I'm not really good at being a boyfriend. I've been with bunnies and strippers. So it's going to be a learning curve. I'm sure I will piss you off. But I want to be with you."

"Be you and I will be fine. I don't want to see the Little Ball of Hate anywhere but on the ice." she said against his chest "You are pretty awesome when you are just being Brad."

"I'm always on" he said.

"You don't have to be with me." she replied.

"I know so that's why I am trying so hard not to fuck this up."

"Well then don't fuck it up" she laughed "Come on I'll fix you breakfast." Brad flopped back down on the counter while Kayleigh dug around her supply cabinet. She went out into the coffee shop and came back with protein powder and skim milk. She poured milk and protein powder into the mixer. She rummaged around in the fridge and came up with a vanilla yogurt. She added it along with oatmeal, cinnamon and a few other things he couldn't identify. A handful of ice and let it blend while she put the protein away under the counter and put the milk in her fridge. When it stopped making a huge racket she turn off the blender and put the contents in a huge SugarBaker's cup.

"Not a cupcake" whined Brad.

"Nope, but it's the closest thing to cinnamon toast crunch that has that much protein." she laughed handing him the cup.

"Bacon cupcakes have protein" he retorted.

"Yep they do but not enough for practice, game, and afterwards." she supplied.

"What happens after?" he asked.

"Drink your shake and find out?"

Brad started drinking the protein shake. He normally hated them and tried to down them like shots of liquor. This one actually tasted good and didn't have the texture of wet cement. "I'm impressed, doll"
"Don't be shocked Mr. Marchand" she said "I have a degree in Nutrition."

"See I'm learning stuff" he said.

"Go skate" she laughed giving him a quick kiss "You have to go to Providence." She shoved him past the register into the coffee house. He grabbed her and kissed her mouth. "You know you could just ask me to leave instead of shoving me into the coffee shop like it's the penalty box."

"Leave" she said "I will see you tonight."

"No" he teased "Come nap with me."

Kayleigh laughed. "I'll see you at 1:30 and I'll bring lunch." He stole another kiss as the staff and coffee shop patrons were all staring. He turned and winked at her full on Marchand for the entire shop to see. So much for low key people were snapping pics as he went out.

Brad walked into the locker room holding the cup from SugarBaker's. Kevan nodded at the cup "stalking her already". Brad flipped him off and went to his locker.

"I crashed at her place after the date. Girl gets up at 4 am every morning to make all the pastries at SugarBakers. I woke up alone in her bed." confessed Brad.

"Wait" said Soupy "some girl ditched you in her bed? Like you woke up and she was gone?"

"Not some girl. Kayleigh" retorted Brad "she has shit to do in the morning for her business. It's not like..."
"When you ditch a girl" supplied Looch

"Kayleigh owns a bakery called SugarBakers" supplied Kevan "she is friend of Hadlee's. Quit giving him shit the squirrel is trying to be a real boy"

"Thanks I think! Wait fuck you! Damn it with the Pinocchio jokes." yelled Brad " it's not like she fucking disappeared. She left a fucking note. Still sucked."

"So what did you do?" laughed Dougie.

"I went to visit her at work." He shrugged. "She's coming over for lunch and a nap later."

"Well make sure you are in shape for the game to tonight" said Bergeron " We need the Lil Ball of Hate. No distractions."

"Napping" said Smitty "is that what the cool kids are calling it?"

"She's not like that Smitty." replied Brad " she is the real deal."

"Meaning she's likely to leave your ass at any moment" joked Looch

Marchy threw a roll of tape at Looch. "Not if I can keep from fucking it up."

"What the hell did those Southern girls do to you two?" asked Looch a look of pain on his face.

Kevan shrugged. Marchy didn't open his mouth. Zdeno told them to get their asses on the ice. Dougie smiled and bumped fists with Millsy and Marchy.

"Keep smiling fucker" said Brad " you are the one in for the ride with Caroline."

"Nah" replied Dougie "She has to decided what she wants. I told her what I want. She agreed to be my date for Hadlee's birthday. And I think she is coming to the game."

"You think?" laughed Marchy skating around.

"Up to her, man" Dougie shrugged.

Brad was dragging after practice. Coach decided if they had time to gossip like a bunch of cheerleaders they needed to work harder. It was still preseason so he was pushing hard trying to see which people he was keeping and who got to go to Providence. Brad knew it was do or die this season or he would be traded. The though of a trade never bothered him before. But now he was wondering if Kayleigh would even consider going elsewhere. Brad put the key in the lock and roamed through his apartment. He took off his flip flops. Apparently the house keeper had been here. He needed to leave her a note to get Kayleigh some cherry coke. She seemed to always have one nearby.

Brad heard a knock on the door. He opened to door and found Kayleigh with several bags. He took the load from her and headed to the kitchen. Once she took of her shoes and dropped her purse on the hall table she came into the kitchen. Kayleigh immediately wrapped both her arms around him and hugged him tight. She kissed him lightly and then set about to fixing lunch. Brad was just standing there. So this is what it feels like to come home to someone or have someone come home you. Pretty fucking epic.

"Want some help?"

"Park it Marchand, lunch is in disposable containers." she explained " I brought stuff to fix you supper while you shower."

"You don't have to cook for me" said Brad "my housekeeper..." Kayleigh shot him a look that silenced him.
"Frozen pasta is never as good as fresh. I made noodles and sauce." she indicated to the containers on the counter "you need real fuel. If you have allergies let me know."

Brad walked across the floor and brought her up against him. "I am so not fucking this up." Brad captured her mouth in a kiss that left her breathless when he sat at the breakfast bar. Kayleigh gave him a container of Tomato Basil soup and 2 whole wheat grilled cheese sandwich. She pulled disposable silverware out of the bag. She pulled out soup for herself. Brad was watching her instead of eating.
"Eat. You promised me a nap."

They finished lunch while chatting about their days. Apparently here entire staff and most of her regular customers saw Brad leave this morning. Brad laughed when she told him that the sixty-three cupcakes were all gone before noon. She said people were coming in hoping to find a Bruin loitering around. Brad started clearing their containers away. Brad told her about the guys teasing him.

"Mean" said Kayleigh walking towards his room with one of the bags. "I'm gonna change. There may or may not be a Bruins m&m cookie in that bag. Kayleigh laughed as he dug into the bag. Kayleigh had ran by her apartment and found his tshirt where she left it. So she had grabbed it. She decided that he boy short panties would be sufficient for bottoms. She was laying her phone on the night stand when he walked in with a mouth full of cookie.

"Found the cookie" laughed Kayleigh

"Naps, pasta, cookies, and cupcakes" replied Brad " you sure you won't marry me."

"One of these days I might say yes Marchand. Then what are you gonna do" she teased.

"Drag you to the nearest Tiffany's"

Kayleigh flopped down on her stomach on his bed. She watched him shed the shirt. Damn if Caroline wasn't right he was gorgeous. She noticed him looking at her. Brad walked over and grabbed the hem of her shirt. He pulled it up enough to see she wasn't wearing shorts or a bra. Brad groaned. "You're killing me"

Brad used the remote to shut the blinds and kill the lights. When he came back to bed Kayleigh was under the covers. He crawled into the bed and pulled her to him. He tucked her up against him. "Footie pajamas. That's the first thing I am gonna buy for you." Kayleigh laughed and she turned to face him. God he loved that sound.

Kayleigh kissed his jaw. Then pressed small kisses on his face until she made it to his mouth. Brad felt her tongue as it sought entrance into his mouth. Who was he to deny her? Brad opened his mouth and tasted Kayleigh. Vanilla sugar heat. Kayleigh had one arm under his left arm and her other arm wrapped around his neck. Brad pulled her on top of him. Kayleigh was straddling him on the bed. He could feel her heat against his shorts. She was rocking her hips in time with the kisses. He knew he had to stop if he was going to stop. As of sensing his hesitation. She broke free from his kiss.

"Can't mess with the hockey juju" she replied climbing off him. Kayleigh laid her head on his chest. She was absent stroking his abs.

"I fucking hate hockey juju" pouted Brad as he stole another kiss. They settled in like spoons.

"I promise to make it up to you after you win tonight." replied Kayleigh yawning. She felt Brad's hand snake under she shirt and best on her bare stomach. She adjusted her position. Brad growled for her to go to sleep. Kayleigh nodded off to Brad telling her he was ordering her Habs Footie pajamas. So he wouldn't want to touch them.

Notes