Two weeks later

“So I’m all set?” Tyler asked Don, one of their trainers.

“You are cleared to play,” he said, walking away to check out David Krejci, who had gotten injured during the game they played the previous night.

Nicki jumped up and hugged him. “Oh Ty, I’m so happy for you!” When she pulled away she said, “But you have to promise me that you’ll be careful. You know that I’m going to be having a heart attack through the entire game.”

He laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

He leaned in to kiss her. “Listen, I want to take you out tonight. If it wasn’t for you, I doubt I’d be better already. We should celebrate.”

Her face lit up. Nicki only had a few days left of her spring break. She had spent nearly all of it waiting on him and taking him to doctor’s appointments. She had been astoundingly patient with him. He didn’t know what he would have done without her.

“Where do you want to go?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Somewhere nice. Maybe in the North End. But I’ll worry about that. You need to worry about getting something to wear.”

“I have plenty of things to wear at my house.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“Hey Sexy!” Tyler turned to look at Brad.

“Could you stop calling us that? It’s weird.”

Brad had taken it upon himself to give Nicki and Tyler a celebrity couple name. Since he called Tyler Seggy and Nicki Foxy, he had managed to come up with Sexy. It made for some extremely uncomfortable situations. People didn’t exactly react well to one teammate calling another “sexy”.

“I have to agree with Tyler, Brad. It’s a little strange,” Nicki joked.

He ignored their comments. “So what’s the story Segs?”

Tyler grinned. “I’m cleared to play. As long as warm ups go fine, I’ll be playing tomorrow night.”

Brad slapped him on the back. “Glad to hear it buddy. See ya tomorrow. I’m outta here.”

Tyler looked at Nicki. “We should probably get going, too. I want to enjoy my last day off.”

“What are we gonna do?” she asked him.

“Well, there’s something that I have to take care of today. Nothing big. Just helping Freddy with something. I figured you could spend some time with your dad before we go out. You haven’t seen him in over a week,” he reminded her.

“You’re right.” She kissed him on the cheek. “It’s gonna be weird not being with you.”

He nodded. They had become inseparable. The more time Tyler spent with her, the more he wanted to be with her. It was like a disease. But he had been planning this for a while now. He had to go through with it.

** * * * * *

“Dad! I’m home!” Nicki yelled into her house.

She found him in the living room, watching Deadliest Catch.

“Hey honey! I missed you,” he said as he got up to give her a hug. “How’s Tyler?”

“Great! They cleared him to play tomorrow night. He’s so happy.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Looks like you did a good job, then.”

Nicki sat down next to her father on the couch. She felt something in her back pocket. There was never anything in her pockets. She checked to see what it was. She pulled out a folded up piece of paper.

When she unfolded it, six hundred dollar bills fell out. She gathered them off of the floor before they got swept under the couch. There was a note on the piece of paper:

Nicki, I’m begging you. Please buy something nice for tonight.

-Ty

Nicki brought a hand up to her mouth.

“Is that from Tyler?”

She nodded.

“Well, I’m glad to see he takes care of you, too.”

“Dad, this is six hundred dollars.”

“He probably makes that much every time he blinks. Do you know how many girls would kill to be you right now? Enjoy yourself, sweetie.”

Before she could answer, her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey girl!” It was Lisa.

“Lisa! My God I haven’t heard from you in forever!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been totally tied up in work. But I have today off. Please tell me you don’t have any plans.”

“No! I mean, I’m going to dinner with Ty, but that probably won’t be until seven or so.”

“Perfect. I’m picking you up in a half hour.”

She didn’t even give Nicki the chance to protest.

“Leaving me so soon?” her father asked.

Nicki frowned. “Aw, dad I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Lisa in so long…”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just kidding, sweetie. I knew you had to grow up sometime. You couldn’t be my little girl forever.”

“I can try,” she said, smiling.

She had the best father in the world. It broke her heart that he had such a miserable life. She was waiting for him to start dating again. He deserved someone who would make him happy. But so far, he seemed adamantly against it. Nicki got up to get ready for Lisa.

Being back in her room was strange. She had gotten so used to being at Tyler’s, home almost didn’t even feel like home anymore. Lucy waddled into her room. Nicki picked her up and showered her with kisses.

She held her dog close. At least her dad had her pets to keep him company. She thought of Jason. About a week ago, she wrote a letter to him. She hadn’t heard back yet. It seemed so surreal. Nicki still couldn’t quite comprehend that her baby brother was locked up all the way across the country. She missed him.

Nicki brushed out her hair and changed her clothes. She skipped on makeup – she would do it before her date so that it was fresh. She had no idea what to do with her hair. Maybe Lisa could help.

Like clockwork, Lisa beeped her horn a half hour after she called. Nicki ran down the stairs.

“See ya later, dad. Love you!”

She was thrilled to see Lisa. Things had been going so good lately. She was dying to tell her all about it. She jumped into the passenger seat of the car and hugged her friend. Lisa laughed.

“Hey doll!”

“Jesus Lis, I missed you. How are you?”

“Pretty good, pretty good. Now please, do me a favor and tell me everything that’s happened in your life since the last time I saw you. When was that? The day we went to lunch?”

Nicki sighed. “Yeah, that was about two months ago now. Before I tell you anything, I really need to thank you. If it wasn’t for you being such an awesome friend, I never would have met Tyler in the first place. I literally owe you my life.”

“Stop it! You’re gonna make me cry,” she said, glancing over at Nicki to smile.

“So where are we going?” Nicki asked.

“We are going to the Cheesecake Factory. And we’re going to eat cheesecake.”

Nicki laughed. When they were in high school, whenever something really good or something really bad happened, they would pig out on cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.

“You are literally the best friend I could ask for,” said Nicki.

“Yeah, right back at ya chicky. Now please, God, I’m on the edge of my seat! Will you tell me what happened?!”

Nicki told Lisa everything. Her story lasted through the drive to the Burlington Mall and nearly the entire cheesecake date. She didn’t leave out a single, minute detail. Not even the little scars that her nails had left on Tyler’s back.

“Damn, Nicki I am so happy for you. Finally something in your life is going right. You deserve it more than anyone I know.”

“Thanks, Lis. I feel unstoppable. Like, almost nothing could bring me down right now. So how are things with you? How’s Zach doing?”

Lisa smiled at her. Nicki tilted her head to the side, waiting for her to say something. She held up her left hand. There was a ring on her finger. Nicki screamed. She didn’t care that people were looking.

“Lisa! He proposed!! I can’t believe you let me sit here telling you about Tyler when he fucking proposed!”

She got out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Lisa.

“When did this happen?!”

“Last night. That’s why I took today off. I needed to tell you in person. And I also needed to ask you something.”

“Anything.”

Lisa got down on one knee and took Nicki’s hand. “Will you be my Maid of Honor?”

Nicki felt herself starting to cry. “Oh my God Lisa I would be absolutely honored. I can’t believe this is happening! We’ve been talking about this since we were ten!”

Lisa started to cry, too. After all of the shit they had been through, everything was finally turning around. The things they had only dreamed of when they were younger were all coming true.

“I wish there were words to describe how excited I am right now,” Nicki said.

“I know the feeling. It feels like a dream, doesn’t it?”

Nicki nodded. The waiter brought their bill.

“Please, let me pay this time Lisa. You just got freaking engaged.”

“No way. Where are you getting this money?”

Nicki looked down. “Tyler shoved six hundred dollars in my pocket earlier. He told me to get something for tonight. The least I can do is drop twenty to pay for our celebratory cheesecake.”

“Are you serious? Damn. I know who I’m making the godfather of my kids someday.”

They laughed and Nicki paid the bill.

“So, we’re at the mall. Let’s find something for you to wear tonight! Ooh we are going to find you something so sexy!”

** * * * *

“Girl, you look gorg,” Lisa said as Nicki was about to get out of her car. “Take a picture for me when you get the dress on. And don’t you dare ruin that hair!”

“Thank you so much for helping me. I don’t think I could have done that alone. I love ya Lisa. Keep in touch. Tell Zach I love him. I’m so happy for you guys.”

“I’ll tell him. Now go have fun on your date, you crazy kid,” she said, smiling.

Nicki grabbed her bags and got out of the car. Tyler had texted her a couple of hours ago. He said he would pick her up at seven. That gave her just under an hour to do her makeup and get dressed. She ran into the house, minding her hair. They had gone to Lisa’s favorite salon. Nicki hadn’t even spent two hundred on the dress and heels, so she had plenty left over to get her hair done. Lisa wanted her to get a blow out. She ended up getting an elegant up-do.

“How’s Lisa?” her dad asked as she headed towards her room.

“You won’t believe it. Zach proposed to her – they’re getting married! And she asked me to be the Maid of Honor!”

“Wow, that’s great. But isn’t nineteen a little young to be getting married?”

“She’s twenty, now. And yeah, maybe. But they’ve been together for five years. That’s longer than most people wait to get married.”

“Touché,” he said. “Just don’t be getting any ideas.”

She waved him off. “Please,” she said.

When she got to her room, she sat on her bed and closed her eyes. Her whole life had been nothing but one big mess of broken dreams. And in the span of a single month, everything had become absolutely perfect. For once in her life, she wasn’t afraid that it would be ripped away from her. The faith she had lost a long time ago was coming back to her.

When she opened her eyes, she looked at the far wall of her room. She had hung up all three of the pictures Tyler had framed for her. She walked over to them and shook her head. She was so deeply, insanely in love with him. And she had no idea if he felt that way towards her. Maybe tonight would be the night…

Nicki glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes had already passed. She took her new dress out of the bag. She had found it at Express. It was charcoal grey, silky, tight, and short. It was a one shoulder, and it fit her perfectly. She knew Tyler would love it. She got strappy heels that matched the color. And it would look perfectly fine with her black pea coat. It was going to be a chilly night.

She heard a beep. Already? It was two minutes of seven. Nicki put in a pair of earrings, sprayed on her perfume, and threw on her coat.

“You look great, hon,” her dad said as she came down the stairs.

“Thanks dad. I’ll probably spend the night at Ty’s.”

“I figured. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun… be safe.”

Nicki got the feeling his last sentiment had more than one meaning. She walked out the door and down the stairs, breaking in her new heels. They were easy to walk in, but she had to consider her track record. It was not in her favor. She got to the end of her driveway. Tyler was standing by the passenger door, waiting for her. He was wearing a suit and tie. He took her breath away. He had to be one of the most attractive men in the entire world. Her palms started to sweat. She was getting nervous.

When she reached him, he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”

She smiled and put her hands on his shoulders. “There aren’t even words to describe how good you look,” she said.

He opened the door for her. “You ready?” She nodded and got in.

She was living every girl’s fairytale.

“So where are we going?” she asked.

“A place in the North End. It’s called Terramia Ristorante.”

Nicki gasped. “You’re taking me there?”

It was one of the most romantic restaurants in Boston. It was a choice place for proposals. She couldn’t imagine what could be important enough that he would take her there. He had to know the connotation that the restaurant implied. You didn’t take someone there for just a date. Her nerves really started to kick in.

“You’ve heard of it?”

She blushed. “Every girl in Boston has heard of it.” Did he really not know?

He didn’t say anything else.

** * * * * *

Tyler noticed that he had the steering wheel in a death grip. He took one of his hands off. His palm was clammy. He wiped it on his pants. He had felt fine before she came out of the house. Why the hell was he freaking out now?

He didn’t expect her to know of the restaurant. Freddy had warned him not to take her there. Tyler knew that Nicki wouldn’t be expecting him to propose or anything, so he didn’t think it would be a big deal. It was beginning to feel like a very big deal.

They finally got to the restaurant. Neither of them was speaking. He wondered what she was thinking. He prayed she didn’t read too much into the restaurant choice. Tyler left the car with the valet. Nicki got out of the car, and he held out his arm for her. They walked into the restaurant.

Tyler looked around. He immediately understood why people took their girlfriends there to propose. It was a little crowded, but it was intimate. Everyone talked quietly. The entire place was filled with couples. A host approached them.

“I’m sorry, I have to ask. Are you Tyler Seguin?”

He nodded.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and your lovely date. May I just have a word?”

He pulled Tyler away from Nicki.

“We have just the table for you,” he said.

“Wow, thanks,” said Tyler.

“Now, if there are any special accommodations that you want to be met…” He was implying something.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, a ring in the champagne, a box under the napkin, etcetera…”

Tyler thought it over. “Actually, yeah.” He pulled the small box out of his pocket, making sure Nicki didn’t see. “If you could put this under her napkin, that would be great.”

“Ah, yes. My pleasure. Give me one minute and I’ll come back to seat you.”

He walked back to Nicki.

“What was that about?”

“Oh, he just wanted to know if I wanted a special table. He insisted, so I said yes. He should be back in a minute,” he lied. He was terrible at lying to her. He hoped she didn’t catch on.

“Oh, cool.” She paused. “Ty, this place is beautiful.”

He smiled at her. He felt like he was going to vomit.

Their host came back to seat them. They got a table all the way in the back, in a separate room. The walls were covered in artwork, and a thick velvet curtain divided it from the rest of the building. It was obviously some sort of VIP room. The host gestured them towards their table. Nicki unbuttoned her jacket and Tyler slid it off of her shoulders, hanging it on the back of her chair. He looked at her.

“Oh my God, Nicki.”

She looked alarmed. “What?!”

He met her gaze. “You are stunning.”

Her lips curled up into a smile. “I still don’t look as good as you.”

He pulled out her chair and she sat down. He shook his head.

“I’m not kidding. I-I don’t even know what to say to you.”

He didn’t think he could have possibly gotten any more nervous. But somehow, he managed. He couldn’t stop staring at her. He noticed other men in the room looking, too. How the fuck did he get so lucky?

She reached across the table and grabbed his hand.

“Jeez Ty, are you feeling okay? Your hand is all sweaty.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine.”

If she noticed how much he was freaking out, she didn’t let on. She picked up her menu and looked it over. He did the same, but couldn’t concentrate. He picked the first entrée on the list. A waiter came up to their table.

“Hello, I’m Jackson. I’ll be serving you tonight. Can I start you off with some drinks?”

“Just a water, please,” said Nicki.

“Make that two.”

Jackson nodded and walked away.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink water at a restaurant,” she joked.

He tried to smile. It didn’t work out so well. “Do you know what you’re getting?”

“Yeah. I think I’m gonna get the pasta with shrimp.”

That was the same thing he picked. Jackson came back with their waters and they ordered. He took their menus and left. Tyler watched Nicki as she reached for her napkin. He felt his heartbeat in his throat. All of the sudden, he couldn’t sit still.

She saw the box and looked up at him slowly. She stared at him for a long time, as if waiting for him to explain. When he didn’t, she picked it up. Tyler swallowed and loosened his tie. Suddenly, it didn’t feel like such a good idea.

Nicki opened it slowly. When she saw what was inside, her head shot up. Her mouth was wide open. She pulled the diamond encrusted key out of the box.

“Will you move in with me?”

He watched the tears run down her face. “Oh my God, Ty, yes!” she shrieked.

A few people around them looked up to see what was going on. They must have figured out something happened. A couple started clapping. Nicki held a hand up to her mouth.

“Ty…”

She got up and sat in his lap. She kissed him as if she was never going to see him again. Tyler heard more clapping. He held her tight. He could feel her body shaking; she was sobbing.

She wiped the tears from her face and looked at him. “I thought it was going to be jewelry… This is so much better,” she said as she held up the key.

“Oh, don’t worry. I got you that too,” he said as he pulled the other, longer box out of his pocket.

She gaped at him. He opened it for her. Inside was a ticket to his game the next day and a diamond necklace.

“Tyler I can’t believe you. This is too much.”

“No, it’s not enough,” he said. “You deserve so much more than this.”

He took the necklace out of the box and draped it around her neck, sealing the clasp. She brought a hand up to her chest. It rested perfectly underneath her collarbone.

“Tyler, it’s perfect,” she said as she pulled him in to kiss him again.

Jackson came up to them and cleared his throat. Nicki went back to her seat.

“Congratulations,” he said as he placed their dinners on the table.

Now that his nerves had settled, Tyler was starving. He began to eat, but stopped a mouthful in.

“I almost forgot,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Can I take a picture of you?”

She nodded and smiled for the picture. She looked beautiful.

“This might have to replace the picture of you with the giraffe,” he said.

She giggled and reached up to touch her necklace.

“I love it,” she said.

“Freddy helped me pick it out. At first, I wanted to get something really big. But he convinced me that a little one was better, so that you could wear it every day instead of just on special occasions.”

It looked great on her. It was a single diamond fitted into a circular setting about the size of a nickel. He paid nearly seven thousand for it. But he would never tell her that.

“I’ll wear it every single day.”

Tyler smiled at her and began to eat again. Everything had worked out. She was finally going to move in with him. It was nice having her sleep over all the time, but the thought of her living there was entirely different. She would have her own drawers, space in his closet. His bed would be their bed. He looked up at her. She was staring at him.

“I can’t believe it. You really want me to move in?”

“I have for a long time now. But after the past couple of weeks, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to ask.”

She was beaming. “Freddy doesn’t mind?”

“Of course not. You’re like a sister to him. And now you can permanently keep him company while I’m gone.”

“What about all of my clothes? I have way too many,” she said.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“And my car? What do I do with that?”

“I already paid the landlord for an extra parking space.”

She shook her head. “I really don’t think this day could get any better.”

Tyler could think of at least one way that it could get better. She would find out later.

“Aren’t you gonna eat?” he asked her, noticing she hadn’t touched her food.

“I think I’m going to take it to go. I’m sorry. I am way too emotional to even think about food right now.”

Tyler finished his meal. When Jackson came back he asked for the bill.

“Jesus,” he said, looking at it. “This must be the cheapest bill this restaurant has ever seen.”

“I’m a cheap date,” Nicki joked.

Not as cheap as you might think, Tyler thought to himself. If he ever told her how much the necklace had cost him, she would make him bring it back.

“You ready to go home?” he asked her.

Her face lit up. “Yeah. I’m ready to go home,” she said with a smile.

They spent the drive back discussing the details. Nicki would stay at her house for the next week and pack up her things. Next Friday she would skip her classes and bring her stuff over. Tyler knew it was going to be one of the longest weeks of his life. Luckily, they had a short road trip and three games in the coming week. That would at least keep him busy.

Tyler let Nicki unlock the door with her key. She was so excited. He stopped her before she walked in.

“We have to do this the right way,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

He picked her up bridal style and carried her through the doorway.

“Aww Ty!” she said as she pressed her lips against his.

He pulled away and put a finger up to her lips.

“Hold that thought for one second. Stay here.”

Tyler went into his bedroom and lit the dozens of candles he had bought earlier. Freddy helped him arrange them around the room. It looked great. She would love it. He walked out of the room. Nicki was standing in the same spot he left her in. He picked her up again. She wrapped her arms around him as he brought her into his bedroom. Their bedroom.

He laid her down on the bed and she looked around the room. The flames from the candles were bouncing off of every surface. She shook her head and smiled at him before pulling him by his tie onto the bed. The soft glow from the flames made her look even prettier than she had a moment ago. He leaned in to kiss her. She brought a hand up to his jaw and he moved his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

Nicki kicked off her heels and moved up towards the pillows. Tyler shed his jacket and did the same. He kissed her neck as he slid a hand underneath her back to undo the zipper on her dress. Once the dress was off Tyler realized that she had bought new lingerie, too. It was black lace. His favorite. He felt Nicki unbutton his shirt and helped her get it off. He lowered himself on to her. He would never quite get used to how good her bare skin felt against his.

Tyler nudged his lips between hers. They were so soft. Without pulling apart they had managed to get the rest of their clothes off and onto the floor. Nicki pulled the covers out from underneath them and got inside. He felt her drape the sheets over his back. She looked up at him and ran her hands along his chest to his shoulders. That was what she did when she was ready. He let himself sink into her. She sighed.

He stayed that way for a while, not moving. He leaned forward to brush his lips against her collarbone where the necklace rested. Nicki put her hand on the back of his head. She kept it there as he lifted it to look at her. A single tear rolled out of the corner of her eye and onto the pillow.

“I love you.”

It took a moment for what she said to register with Tyler. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

“I love you, too.”

She pulled his head back down to her and kissed him fervently. He finally began to move his hips. He went as slowly as he could, savoring every second. Nicki put her legs around his waist to draw him closer. They never once broke their kiss. Tyler felt her muscles tense. A soft cry escaped her lips. He kept his pace, sensing that she didn’t want him to stop. When he couldn’t go any longer, he collapsed on her, resting his head on her shoulder.

Nicki ran her hands across his back. He breathed heavily into her neck and thought of what she had just said to him. He had been planning on saying it only a moment later, but she beat him to it. He couldn’t deny it anymore. Or push away the thoughts he had of her. He had never loved anything as much as he loved her. Someday he would tell her that.

They stayed that way for over an hour. Neither of them spoke, until Tyler remembered that he had one last surprise for her. He lifted his head and touched his lips to hers. Her face was wet; he could tell she had been crying.

“I have one more thing for you. Don’t move,” he said as he ran the back of his hand across her cheek.

She nodded. Tyler grabbed his lighter and walked into the bathroom. He lit enough candles so that they could leave the lights off. He ran the water in the bathtub and watched the rose petals rise up with the water. It had been Freddy’s idea. He even made him buy a rose extract. Tyler took the cap off of the small bottle and poured some of it into the water. He waited for it to reach the top of the tub then went to get Nicki.

She was lying on her side. It looked like she was asleep, but opened her eyes when she heard Tyler walking towards her. He scooped her up off of the bed and brought her into the bathroom. He watched her expression change when she saw the bath and the candles. Tyler would be the first to admit that it was extremely romantic. He lowered her in and climbed in behind her.

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” she started.

“Yes I did,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her stomach. “You cannot tell me that this hasn’t been the best night of your life.”

She leaned her head back onto his chest. “You’re right. This has been the best night of my entire life. Thank you, Ty. For everything.”

He kissed the side of her head. She didn’t have to thank him. He did it for himself just as much as he did it for her. Somehow, it ended up being even better than he imagined.

“Here, lean forward,” he said to her.

She did; she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Tyler rubbed her neck. She rolled her head and moaned. He knew how good it felt. He had learned from the best. He made his way down to her shoulders and back. When he finished he pulled her back to him.

“You’re really learning,” she said to him.

“You’re a good teacher.”

Nicki cuddled up to him. He seized the moment and whispered in her ear.

“I love you.”

It felt incredible to finally be able to say what he had been feeling for so long.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that,” she said.

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Longer than I care to admit,” she whispered.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” he asked.

“I didn’t know how you felt. I didn’t want to freak you out. Or risk making a fool of myself if you didn’t feel the same. But tonight, I dunno, Ty. When you asked me to move in, I could feel it. So I just waited for the right moment to say it.”

Tyler pressed his cheek against her head. He still couldn’t believe that she was going to live with him. He used to cringe at the thought of living with a girl. Now he could hardly wait until she was there for good. Nicki broke him out of his thoughts.

“Oh my God, I completely forgot to tell you. I saw Lisa today,” she said.

Tyler hadn’t seen Lisa since the night they met. But he felt like he owed her. She was the one that brought Nicki into his life. Maybe they could have her and her boyfriend over for dinner sometime.

“What’d you guys do?”

“Well, she helped me pick out my dress. But first we went to the Cheesecake Factory. Zach asked her to marry him.” She sounded like she was trying to gauge his reaction.

“Wow, that’s great. Tell her I say congrats. Isn’t she the same age as you?”

Nineteen seemed so young to be getting married.

“She’s a few months older than me. She turned twenty the end of January. I understand why people would think they’re too young. But they’ve been together for almost six years. They’re so happy together,” she said.

That’s right. He forgot her birthday was next month.

“So are you going to the wedding?”

“Of course I’m going! She’s like my sister. And I’m the Maid of Honor,” she said. “They haven’t picked a date yet, but I think they’re going to do it this spring or summer. Zach doesn’t want to wait. He’s been saving for it since we were sixteen.”

“That’s dedication,” he said. “How did he know he wanted to marry her when he was so young?”

“I don’t know. I always told them they were crazy. But here I am now, telling you about it. That’s part of why my day was so good. God, Ty, we’ve been talking and dreaming about this since we were little. I think we started picking out weddings dresses when we were fifteen,” she said, laughing.

He smiled. He could picture it.

“Did you think you were going to marry Mark?”

She took a deep breath in. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought it up.

“Yeah, I guess I did. I just never saw us breaking up. But in hindsight if we had broken up, I think I would have been okay. Maybe it’s because of the way I lost him. I was forced to move on, I didn’t get a choice. And I mean, look at the way things turned out,” she said as she grabbed his hand and kissed it.

Tyler smiled. “So, do you have a date to the wedding?”

She giggled. “Well there is this one guy that I wanted to ask…”

“I’d love to. I’ve never been to a wedding.”

“How did you know I was talking about you?” She giggled some more. “Of course I want to bring you. I love weddings. I’m giving you fair warning, I cry a lot.”

“So it’s no different than every other day?” he joked.

“Shut up,” she said, splashing water at him. “Wow. When did the water get so cold?”

Tyler noticed it, too. They had been too caught up talking. And her body was keeping him plenty warm. Nicki stepped out and got two towels from underneath the sink. She handed one to Tyler when he got out. He pulled the drain.

“Can this be my towel?!”

He laughed. She sounded like a little kid. “Of course it can.”

They dried off and Tyler blew out all of the candles in the bathroom. When he walked into the bedroom he saw that Nicki had already put on her favorite shirt of his.

“Time for bed already?” he asked.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “We don’t have to go to sleep. I just want to lie in bed with you.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said as he picked her up and put her on the bed.

He dropped his towel on the floor and put on a pair of boxers before joining her. Tyler sat with his head against the headboard. Nicki came over to him and put her head on his chest.

“Holy shit,” she said, “Your skin is so soft!”

He reached down and touched her thigh. “So is yours. It must be from the rose stuff.”

She ran her hands all over him. He chuckled. “Maybe we should do that more often.”

“Mmm,” was all she said.

She nuzzled her face into his neck. He loved when she did that.

“Do you realize that this is what every single night could be like?” she asked.

Tyler nodded. He had been thinking the same thing all night.

They talked until nearly three in the morning. About everything. From what Tyler’s childhood was like to the death of Nicki’s mother. He told her what it felt like when he found out that he would be living his dream and playing professional hockey. She told him what it felt like to have all of your dreams ripped away from you. Out of everything she said to him that night, it was the last thing that stuck with him the most.

She told him that he was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Then she had decided that she was ready to go to sleep. She turned on her side and Tyler curled up behind her. He put his lips to her ear.

“Welcome home.”