“Ughh,” Nicki groaned as the alarm on her phone went off.

Seconds later, Tyler’s alarm went off as well. He joined her with a groan of his own. His pounding head reminded him of everything that had happened the night before. He rolled over onto his back and covered his face with his hands.

“We won the cup,” he said in disbelief. “We won the fucking cup.”

Nicki sat up and looked at him, stroking his chest with her right hand.

“Yeah, babe. You did.”

He uncovered his face and looked at her, nearly choking on his own saliva when he saw her.

“Holy shit. You need to look in a mirror,” he said, trying to stifle a laugh. If his head didn’t hurt so bad, he would have been cracking up.

“Are you talking about my messy hair or the bite mark on my shoulder?”

He finally let out the laughter. “Both, I guess. And the seventeen hickeys that are all over your body. I did that?”

She nodded. “You don’t remember?”

“I do. I just can’t believe I did that to you. Does it hurt?”

He watched as Nicki reached to touch her shoulder. “Only when I touch it. Good thing you don’t have rabies,” she teased, “You broke the skin.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, bringing a hand up to her face.

“No you’re not.”

“You’re right, I’m not.”

They laughed together. The night before was one that they wouldn’t soon forget. After spending the night club hopping, they’d finally retreated back to the apartment around three. Some of the guys stayed out later, but Tyler and Nicki couldn’t hold themselves back any longer. It had been another evening of body shots and grinding. As if there hadn’t been enough friction between them earlier that day.

When they finally made it back to the apartment, they exploded on each other. It was a wonder that Nicki hadn’t ended up in the hospital. The teeth marks on her skin said it all.

“Well, I’m not sorry for doing that to you, either,” she said proudly.

Tyler glanced down at his body. He wasn’t surprised he’d woken up naked. From his neck all the way down to his thighs were dozens of hickeys and marks left from love bites. He looked like a bruised Dalmatian. He traced over a few of them with his fingers, recalling the memory of how he got each of them. He shuddered at the thought. Tyler didn’t know it was possible for someone to make him feel the way she had last night.

“Oh, and I’m not apologizing for the marks on your back, either. It’s a shame, really. You have a very nice looking back.”

Tyler chuckled. Now that she mentioned it, he could feel a slight stinging between his shoulder blades. He wrapped his arms around Nicki, leaving kisses all over her skin. He could hear her giggling softly. When he stopped, he rested his head on her collarbone.

Nicki kissed the top of his head and whispered, “You were amazing last night.”

“In the game or in bed?”

“Both. But I was talking more about after the game.”

Tyler tilted his head and pressed his lips to her neck. Amazing was one of the many words he could use to describe the night before, none of which could fully describe what it had been like.

“I’m not even sure what you were last night,” he said chuckling.

“Horny just about sums it up.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around her. “You know, when we first met, I would never have guessed that you’d be like this. You seemed so shy.”

“That’s because I was shy! I have been my entire life. Tyler, I wasn’t kidding when I said you opened up this whole new part of me. I’m not even the same person anymore. I was never confident or fun or outgoing. I kinda sucked, actually.”

“Don’t say that. You couldn’t have been that bad. I wanted to sleep with you, remember? I don’t want to have sex with people who suck.”

Nicki laughed, her heaving chest making his head bob up and down. He had nearly forgotten about the headache.

“Were you really trying to get in my pants?”

“Yeah. I won’t lie to you, I was. You don’t have to tell me how much of an asshole I am, I already know.”

She ran her hand through his hair, sending a bout of tingles across his scalp.

“It doesn’t matter, Tyler. We’ve both changed. Just do me a favor?”

“Anything,” he said, still shivering from her touch.

“Never, ever change who you are now.”

Tyler looked up to meet her gaze. Her eyes were filled to the brim with emotion.

“You make me this way,” he quietly admitted. “I try to be a better person for you. You make it really easy, but I don’t think I could do it without you.”

“Really?”

He nodded his head, nose brushing against her neck. “Yes, really. You can’t tell me that you haven’t considered that. I stopped being a selfish jerk right about the time that you came into my life. I know you heard the stories about me, Nicki. When I called you to apologize and offered to take you out for breakfast, you didn’t find that strange? I’ve pissed off plenty of girls. Left some in tears, even. Do you think I ever found their number the next day so I could say I was sorry?”

Tyler felt her pull his hair. He figured she didn’t know what else to do with only one working arm, but he got what she was trying to convey. He’d hit her soft spot. Tyler knew that she loved whenever he opened up to her, especially when it concerned her. It made sense. He loved it when she told him how she felt about him, too. Who wouldn’t like that?

He heard her sniffle. “We should probably get ready, don’t want them to leave without us.”

Tyler lifted his head off of her so that she could get up. He watched as she clumsily got herself off of the bed.

“No way,” he muttered, laughing again.

She twisted her neck to look at him. “What?”

Tyler bounced off of the bed and stood behind her, placing his fingertips over the ten small bruises on her back.

“More battle wounds.”

Nicki giggled and turned around, pressing herself against Tyler. She was still warm from lying under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Have I ever told you how much I love it when you don’t wear clothes?”

“No, but you should more often,” said Nicki, inching her good hand down his stomach.

“I’m just warning you, if you go any further there’s no turning back.”

She clearly had a goal in mind.

** * * * *

“Sexy!”

Nicki rolled her eyes at Brad’s nickname. She’d grown all too familiar with his strange antics. She walked down the aisle and gave him a hug.

“Hi, Brad.”

“How do you like the plane? Pretty pissuh, huh?”

She laughed and pulled away. “That was pathetic. That’s not how you say pissah. I don’t go around saying ‘eh’. Have some respect for our culture.”

“Woah, Foxy! What’s gotten into you?! Oh, I know. Segs has gotten into you, hasn’t he?”

Nicki looked behind her at Tyler. His head popped up at the mention of his name, but he hadn’t heard any of their conversation. She found his confusion humorous and laughed again.

“Yeah, he has.”

“Jesus! You’re a feisty one this morning. How many times a day do you guys do it? Five? Ten?”

She put her hands on her hips and wore her proudest expression. “No! Like, three. Five if I’m lucky.”

Brad’s face dropped. “Seggy, is she serious?” he called over the growing crowd entering the plane.

Tyler made his way over to them. “About what?”

“Three times a day?!”

He caught on right away. “Why are you surprised? You call her ‘Foxy’.”

“Yeah, but… God damn bro how do you do it?!”

“I drink a lot of milk,” he responded coolly, winding an arm around Nicki’s waist. “Come on, let’s go sit down.”

“Wait! Are you serious?!” Brad called after them.

They shared a laugh.

“I can’t believe you’re so open about that stuff,” he said, placing her suitcase above their seats.

“Do you not want me to be?”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t care at all. It’s just supposed to be my job to brag to my team about what we do in the bedroom. You’re not even supposed to know about it.”

“Well, if you want to you can go over there right now and brag all you’d like. Really. I’ll even listen,” she teased. She was only half joking. Nicki wouldn’t mind hearing what he thought of her.

Tyler sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. “You’re great, you know that?”

“Why’s that?”

“Just… because.” He paused to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Do you want something to eat?”

Nicki turned her head to look at him. “You have food on here?!”

“Clearly we have food, we’re a hockey team,” he responded, chuckling. “I’m gonna find some breakfast. You can stay here if you want.”

She reclined into her seat and yawned. “I think I’ll take a nap.”

** * * * *

Tyler spent the first half of their flight hanging out with his team. He wanted to give Nicki a chance to rest. It was obvious that everyone was dying to ask him about what he was going to do, but no one dared say anything with Nicki only yards away from them.

“Tyler!”

He looked up and glanced around the plane, not sure where the voice had come from.

“I think Brittany wants to chat with you, Segs. She’s up front,” said Milan, answering his question for him.

Tyler got out of his seat in the back of the plane. He passed Nicki on the way and stopped to check on her. She was out cold. That girl could fall asleep anywhere. When he found Brittany, he saw that she was sitting with Tammy, Krista, and Johnny’s wife, Sheena. He was surprised that most of the wives made it on the trip; they all had children to care for at home.

“Hey, Ty. How are you doing?” Brittany asked, gesturing for him to sit next to her.

“I’m great Britt. How are you?”

“That’s not really what I meant,” she said, laughing. “So you’re really gonna do this?”

He nodded.

“I knew it! I knew that night at Brittany’s that you two were meant to be,” exclaimed Tammy, proud that she had made the correct assumption.

“I wish I had known it then. It would have saved us both a lot of trouble,” he said regretfully. He would never be able to forgive himself for what he did the last time he was in Florida.

“Don’t beat yourself up, hon. Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s forgotten all about it. The way that girl looks at you? I can’t believe you’d think for a second that she would say no,” Krista said, putting a hand on his knee. She equaled her husband in kindness.

“Well, thanks. It just doesn’t feel right to be sure about it. I mean, it is her choice. I can’t make her do anything.”

“What happened to that egotistical little boy I met two years ago?” teased Brittany.

Tyler chuckled and shrugged. That egotistical little boy fell in love.

“Don’t worry, Ty. The four of us are going to make sure everything goes smoothly. And, to be clear, you are not allowed to do this before the ball. I don’t care how badly you want to, or how perfect the moment seems, you have to wait. That’s pretty much every woman’s dream. She’s going to be all done up and beautiful and feeling great about herself. If you want the best chance of her saying yes, that’ll be it.”

“Thanks, Sheena. I really appreciate it. I know she will, too. I just have no idea how I’m going to wait that long. I feel like I’m ready to burst.”

“Aw, I know sweetie. Try to remember that this is for her. It’s her moment,” Krista said.

He nodded again. “You’re right. I’ll keep telling myself that. I’m gonna go check on her. Really, thanks for all of your help.”

They said goodbye to him and that they’d see him when they landed. The plan was for a few of them to go to the jewelry store early tomorrow morning. Tyler had until then to come up with an excuse of why he wouldn’t be there when Nicki woke up. When he got back to their seats, she wasn’t there. He scanned the plane looking for her. She wasn’t anywhere in sight.

Hey, where r u?

He hoped she’d brought her phone wherever she went.

Nicki 11:17:49: Come to the bathroom

Why…?

Nicki 11:18:15: This might be my only chance to join the mile high club ;)

Tyler scoffed at her text. She was unbelievable.

The whole teams gonna no

Nicki 11:18:51: Give me one good reason why I should care

With that, Tyler shoved his phone in his pocket and made his way to the bathrooms at the back of the plane. He had to step over Brad and Dougie, who had taken seats on the floor in the aisle.

“Hey, Foxy went in there a while ago. She okay?”

“Uh, yeah. I think so.”

What else could he possibly say? He was willingly walking into a situation that he knew he would never live down. At least there was a thick curtain separating the bathrooms from the rest of the plane. That way they couldn’t see which one he went into. Only one of them had the red “occupied” sign on it. He raised his fist and knocked.

Nicki cracked the door open and popped her head out.

“Hey, stud.”

Tyler shook his head as he squeezed through the door. He had never realized just how tight it was in the bathrooms until he was in there with another person.

“You are ridiculous.”

Nicki winked at him and bit her lip. “Yeah, but you came.”

He could feel the bulge growing in his jeans. He could try all he wanted to resist her; it would never work. Tyler finally gave in and roughly grabbed her face, pulling her to him. An overeager hand went right for the kill, grabbing onto his crotch. A long moan pushed its way through his lips.

“You’re gonna be the end of me someday,” he said between breaths.

She just giggled. It drove Tyler wild. She knew how crazy she made him; she basked in it. He closed his eyes as she unhooked the belt on his jeans. Whatever was coming next, he knew it was going to take everything he had not to cry out. Nobody had seemed too suspicious when he entered the bathrooms, maybe they really wouldn’t notice.

Nicki slid slowly down his body, lifting up his shirt to kiss his stomach. At some point, his pants had made their way to the floor. He hadn’t noticed. Tyler slipped his fingers into her hair, just as she slipped him into her mouth. He squirmed against the wall for a moment before pushing her off.

“I can’t, not here,” he said, barely managing to form words.

“Fine.”

She let her shorts drop to the floor and hopped onto the sink. Tyler couldn’t figure out how she did it with only one arm. Nicki cleared her throat impatiently. He gave her what she wanted and picked her up, slamming her against the thin wall. Tyler was pretty sure someone would have heard it. He kissed her hard, knowing there was no reason to be gentle. Gentle wasn’t what she wanted.

He used a hand to guide himself into her.

“Oh, fuck,” he whispered, breathing hard into her neck. He was still sensitive from earlier. It had only been a couple of hours…

“Ty, come on. We don’t have all day,” she reminded him

Her brashness sent him to the edge of his sanity. How could such a sweet, tender girl be so demanding? Tyler bent his knees to support her weight and began to move his hips. Nicki instantly started to whine. Her noises only encouraged him, as did the fingers gripping his hair.

He pushed harder, faster. Nicki screamed before he could cover her mouth with his hand.

If their cover hadn’t been blown before, it certainly had now.

** * * * *

“You suck so bad!” Adam shouted at Tyler as he walked out of the bathroom. He sighed, and tried his best to pretend he had no idea what Adam was talking about.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that crap, Seggy. We all heard her scream. And long hair really doesn’t suit you, bro. I’m pretty sure only the chick is supposed to get sex hair.”

Some chuckles came from his scattered teammates.

“Well done, Segs. I think that makes you the third Bruin to join the mile high club on this here plane,” said Johnny.

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “Yup. Sheena and I, and I’m pretty sure Nathan and Tammy, right Horty?”

Nathan flashed a grin and nodded.

“How’d you get her to agree to it?” asked Tuukka.

A throat cleared from a few feet away. “I told him to meet me in the bathroom.”

Tyler stared at Nicki, mouth open. Just when he thought he knew her, she did something to surprise him. Would he ever figure her out?

“I hate both of you,” Adam complained. “If I don’t get laid in Florida I swear to God…”

“Adam, I promise I will help you get laid,” said Nicki.

“Really?”

“Uh huh.”

“I don’t hate you anymore. You’re alright, Nicki.”

Nicki laughed and stepped over him, Brad, and Dougie, wrapping her good arm around Tyler. She looked up at him.

“C’mon babe, let’s go take a nap.”

As they walked away, Tyler heard someone whisper, “Lucky bastard.” He couldn’t stop smiling. Even though she exhausted him on a daily basis, Nicki was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Tyler wasn’t very religious, but if there was a God, she was God’s gift to him. He didn’t know what he did to deserve it, but he wasn’t about to complain. She matched every trait he had, even challenged some of them. He never thought he’d see the day that he’d have to turn down sex because he was too tired. She paralleled his wit, his charm, even his athleticism. And her intelligence blew him out of the water. She was everything he wanted and more. Nothing less.

Nicki gestured for him to sit down first. He took the window seat, and she plopped onto his lap, somehow managing to curl herself up so that her entirety was on him. Tyler wrapped his arms around her, sighing as she nestled into his neck. Post-coital cuddling was better without clothes, but he would take it.

Tyler allowed his emotions to get the best of him. A tear slid down his cheek. A tear of pure joy, contentment, and happiness. The amazing, gorgeous woman on his lap, wrapped up in his arms, was all his. She belonged solely to him, and no one else. He’d never felt so possessive of anything in his entire life.

He tilted his chin and left a kiss on the top of her head, in the same spot as the first time he’d ever done it. Tyler thought back to that day, to all of the feelings he had been trying to hold in and control. How could he have ignored it? His feelings for her had been so strong, even then. Since the moment he met her, all he wanted to do was take care of her. Protect her. Give her everything that she ever wanted.

His thoughts could have gone on forever, but were interrupted by the group of wives walking by. They all stopped to coo at him and Nicki.

Brittany shook her head at them. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Is she asleep?”

Tyler dropped his lips to her ear and whispered her name. Nothing. He looked up at Brittany and nodded.

“I get why you don’t want to wait,” Krista said, empathizing. “It’ll be worth it, hon. Just look at her. Can you imagine how happy she’s going to be then?”

He nodded again and brushed the back of his hand against her flawless face. Her skin was impossibly soft.

“So precious!” Tammy squealed. Nicki fidgeted in his lap. “Oops, sorry.”

“We’ll talk to you later, Ty,” Sheena said as she ushered the rest of the girls down the aisle.

Tyler took another look at Nicki’s face. Everything about her was peaceful. He loved the way she looked when she slept. Her allergies caused her to sleep with a slightly open mouth, but instead of thinking it was weird, Tyler found it unbearably cute. He couldn’t exactly say why.

He placed a hand on the back of her head, pulling her even closer to his neck. Her lips stuck out for a millisecond, leaving an unconscious, wet kiss on his skin. The things she did when she slept perplexed him. Nicki was always kissing, cuddling, and groping in her sleep. Sometimes he couldn’t hold back his laughter and woke her up. He’d never told her why he was laughing. He was afraid if he told her, she’d stop doing it.

Tyler clenched his arm tighter around her to assure that she wouldn’t fall off of him if he fell asleep. He left his hand on the back of her head and slouched down in his seat, leaning his head back. Once he’d gotten comfortable, Nicki’s hand reached up and came to a rest on his collarbone. Her fingers inched underneath the V-neck of his shirt to find skin. Her fingertips sent a wave of warmth through his body.

** * * * *

“Wake up sleepyhead!”

Tyler’s eyes popped open. It wasn’t the voice he was expecting to hear. Adam’s face was inches away from his.

“Jesus, Quaider! What the hell?! You are so creepy!”

Adam leaned back, pretending to be hurt. “Nicki doesn’t think I’m creepy, do you Nicki?”

Tyler could feel Nicki laughing in his arms. Her face was still buried deep in the crook of his neck. He assumed they had landed, but really didn’t feel like letting her go just yet. He could feel the vibrations as she spoke into his neck.

“Well, Adam. You can get a little sketchy sometimes.”

Adam held a hand up to his ear. “What’s that? I can’t hear you when your mouth is full of Seggy’s neck.”

Instead of retorting, she shifted on Tyler’s lap, readjusting herself so that she was even closer to him.

“If you want my help getting laid, you better be nice to me and Tyler.”

Tyler laughed and kissed the top of her head. Adam walked away without another word.

“We should probably get up,” he said, pushing her hair back out of her face.

Nicki groaned. “I don’t wanna.”

“I know, I don’t either. Once we get to the hotel room we can cuddle all you want, mmkay?”

She thought it over, like she really had a choice. “Fiinneee.”

** * * * *

“Tyler! This place is amazing!” Nicki yelled as she tried to keep up with him and the team. She’d stopped every five seconds to take a picture of the resort. “The pool! And they have a lazy river!”

Tyler chuckled and dropped back, falling in step with her.

“You’ll have plenty of time for pictures later. We’re here for four days.”

Nicki’s lips formed a pout. It just made him want to kiss her. He hung an arm around her neck and pressed his lips against hers, midstride.

“Love you.”

Her pout morphed into a grin. “Love you too, Ty.”

Nicki grabbed his hand and he laced his fingers through hers. There was nothing like holding hands with her, even when the early summer Florida heat made their palms sweat. Most of the team got their keys from the front desk and went straight to their rooms to relax. As Tyler had learned, the first day at the resort was exclusively for naps and hanging out by the pool. He approached the front desk and flashed his visitor’s pass, showing that he was a member of the team.

“How can I help you, Mr. Seguin?” asked the woman behind the counter. Her hair was pulled so tightly into a bun at the back of her head, it looked like it stretched her skin too thin over her face. She was a little creepy looking.

“Yeah, I was just wondering if I could upgrade to a suite.”

She smiled at him before glancing down at her computer screen, fingers moving at the speed of light over her keyboard.

“All we have is a penthouse and two honeymoon suites. The penthouse is an extra four thousand a night, the honeymoons are an extra five hundred.”

Tyler squeezed Nicki’s hand. “I’ll take the honeymoon. Doesn’t matter which one.”

She stared at him, clearly confused. “Ty,” she whispered. “Isn’t it bad luck to rent a honeymoon suite when it isn’t your honeymoon?”

Tyler chuckled. “What could possibly happen?” He lowered his voice. “Besides us having the best three nights and four days of our lives.”

The worrisome expression on her face turned to excitement. “You sold me.”

He gave the woman his credit card. She returned it moments later with a key card for the room.

“You’re going to be on floor 20, room 18. Enjoy your stay.”

Tyler led Nicki to the elevators. He vaguely remembered the layout of the resort from the last time they’d been there. They got to their floor and stepped off. It became clear right away that it was a floor dedicated to suites. There was a good twenty to thirty feet between each door. He took a left and found their room on the right, at the end of the hallway.

“We got a corner room,” he muttered.

“So?”

“So, we get two walls of windows instead of just one.”

He knew how much Nicki loved windows. It was pure luck that they had ended up with a room on the corner of the hotel. Tyler swiped the card and held his breath as he opened the door. He obviously had no idea what a honeymoon suite would look like.

“Oh. My. God.”

Tyler followed Nicki into the room and looked around. It was amazing. There were hardwood floors, billowing curtains, and an enormous bed covered with fluffy dressings. Two towels had been folded into swans on the bed, and rose petals were scattered over it. Tyler hoped she wouldn’t get tired of the rose petal theme.

“Tyler, this is breathtaking,” she said as she pushed aside the curtains and got the first glimpse of their view.

Their room looked out over the perfectly manicured golf course, adorned with beautiful plants and swaying palm trees. Off to the right was one of the three pool areas; turquoise blue water sparkling in the sun.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. A part of him hoped she would read into the fact that he got them a honeymoon suite. Before he’d decided to propose, he never would have gotten it, afraid of what it implied. Even if she didn’t take the hint, Tyler was confident that they would fully enjoy the room and all of its perks.

Nicki swiveled in his arms and reached up to kiss him before breaking away to check out the rest of the room. Tyler stood by the window in a daze.

“TYLER!”

He walked quickly towards her voice. It wasn’t her “there’s something wrong voice”. It was her “Oh my God I’m totally freaking out over something awesome voice”. Tyler was about to ask what she was so excited about, but swallowed the words. In the bathroom stood a giant Jacuzzi tub. Nicki had already placed herself inside of it.

“Can I sleep in here?”

Tyler laughed and got in to join her, folding his knees up to his chest.

“I think we could fit the whole team in this thing.”

Nicki smiled. “Probably. But I’d rather it just be us.”

“Well, we can try it out now if you want to…”

She didn’t answer him. She just wriggled out of her sling and began to take off her clothes.

“Okay then,” he said, copying her. “How is your arm? I forgot to ask you this morning.”

Nicki had managed to get down to her bra and underwear. “Can you get my bra?”

Tyler stretched his arms behind her to unhook it, gliding his hands across her smooth skin when it fell to the bathtub floor.

“Thanks. My arm’s a lot better. To be honest, it’s almost like nothing ever happened.”

“Good,” he said, reaching down to remove her panties. For some reason, that was his favorite part of undressing her. He did it whenever he got the chance. Nicki smiled at him, understanding everything he was thinking.

Once all of their clothes had been tossed out, Tyler put his hand over the touch screen control pad.

“I’m just warning you, I have no idea how to use this. It might be cold at first.”

He touched something that looked like an “on” button. Water began to trickle out of the faucet, slowly at first, picking up speed as the water warmed up.

“That’s pretty nifty,” Nicki pointed out.

Tyler screwed around with the touch screen for a while, playing around with the jets. It was completely customizable. For the money he paid, it should brush his teeth for him, too.

“Ohhh,” Nicki moaned as the water level reached the first set of jets. Tyler could feel the pressured streams massaging his tired muscles. “I’m spending the whole day in here,” she said, barely audible over the hum of the jets. Tyler moved closer to her, making sure not to block any of the jets from hitting her skin.

“I don’t have a problem with that. We should probably get dinner at some point, though.”

“Dinner, schminner,” she said passively, flicking a wrist.

“You say that now. I swear, the places we go to eat have the best food in the country. I think I gained six pounds the last time we were here. And all of the restaurants here have really good chocolate cake…”

“Okay, I guess we can go to dinner.”

Tyler chuckled. He knew she would say that.

“Just a heads up, everywhere we go is like really fancy. I know you didn’t bring any nice dresses.”

“How come you didn’t tell me that when we were packing?!”

He grabbed her hand underneath the water.

“Because, I wanted to buy you stuff. And I knew you wouldn’t let me if you had another choice.”

For once, she didn’t fight him.

“You are so sweet, Tyler Seguin.”

Hearing her say his last name created a pit in his stomach. He hoped he’d get to hear her say it as her own last name someday.

** * * * *

Sunlight streaming through the curtains shook Tyler from his slumber. He checked the clock on his phone. He still had three minutes before his alarm went off. He quickly shut the alarm to ensure that it wouldn’t wake up Nicki.

He flopped onto his back, nearly drowning in the feathery down comforter. Tyler had spent the day and night yesterday in the lap of luxury. Pricey rental cars, expensive dinners, thousand thread count sheets. He felt around for the sheets that had gathered by his feet during the night. They’d been that way before he and Nicki went to sleep, but they’d both been too drained to do anything about it.

Tyler knew that Nicki had thoroughly enjoyed herself the day before. The bright, shining smiling on her face told him everything he needed to know. She hated to admit it, but she loved being pampered. He didn’t blame her. She’d had a hard, calloused life for a girl in this day and age. That was exactly why he made sure that she got every little thing her heart desired.

Even when he’d offered to spend any amount of money of the perfect dress for her, she’d managed to bargain shop. Tyler wondered if she would ever just give in. After all, if they got married, it would technically be her money, too. He got the feeling that she would never change.

Nicki had looked stunning the night before. She and the rest of the girls had gotten their hair and nails done before dinner, and Nicki had picked the same hairstyle as the night Tyler asked her to move in with him. Except this time, her hair was a gorgeous golden blonde. He was taken aback that she would do something like that for him. She had been beautiful as a brunette, but Tyler couldn’t deny that she was show stopping as a blonde. She stuck out everywhere they went. All of her pretty features had become more noticeable, and her brown eyes popped against the contrast of her light hair.

Tyler ran his fingers through her locks a few times before Andrew texted him. He crept out of bed and threw on a bathing suit, a white t-shirt, and flip flops. They’d planned to spend the morning at the pool before venturing to one of the theme parks later on in the day. He glanced around the room before leaving, to make sure everything was in place.

He’d pre-ordered room service, and slipped them a note and a bouquet of flowers to leave in the room for her to wake up to. Tyler figured it might make up for his absence when she woke up. They were due to arrive any minute.

** * * * *

“So Segs, don’t you think it’s a little early for the honeymoon suite?” Nathan teased as they piled into their black Hummer rental.

It ended up being quite the cohort to pick out a simple engagement ring. Besides Tyler, Nathan, Milan, Andrew, Brittany, Tammy ,and Krista were all present. They fit comfortably in the eight passenger monster.

“It was the only one they had left. That, or the penthouse.”

“So, how is it?” Andrew asked.

“Ferry, it’s incredible. It doesn’t even feel like a hotel room.”

“Are there mirrors on the ceiling so you can watch yourself – “

“Milan!”

Tyer chuckled. “No, no mirrors. It’s really high end.”

“And I assume you put it to good use?” suggested Tammy.

“You could say that.”

“So could the bite marks on your neck,” said Nathan.

Everyone laughed except for Tyler. He hadn’t even realized he’d gotten more of them.

“Leave the poor kid alone,” Andrew said, sticking up for him. “He’s living the good life right now. Honeymoon stage in the honeymoon suite.”

Tyler couldn’t help but feel a little insulted. “I think we are way past the honeymoon stage.”

“I don’t think that’s what he meant,” said Krista, on damage control. “You two are just so happy and giddy around each other. Maybe it’s just the way you’ll always be.”

“Oh.”

The rest of the ride was spent making small talk. The jewelry store was about a half an hour away. When they finally pulled up, Tyler was shocked. The store was as big as a Walmart.

“This is all jewelry?”

Andrew nodded. “More or less. Come on, let’s get in there before it gets busy.”

Tyler followed Andrew and Krista around the store. Andrew seemed to remember exactly where everything was. He led Tyler to a long counter, illuminated by hundreds of tiny spotlights. A man in a well pressed suit approached them and shook their hands.

“My name is Robert. Is there anything I can assist you with today?”

Tyler was too overwhelmed by the rings to say anything coherent.

“My friend here is looking for an engagement ring.”

“Thanks,” he muttered to Andrew, never peeling his eyes away from the shelves. How was he ever going to choose?

Robert grabbed a set of keys and looked at Tyler. “Woah, boy, don’t shit yourself. This isn’t as difficult as it seems. That’s what I’m here for; to make this easy on you.”

“How?”

“I’m assuming you’ve never been here before.” Tyler shook his head. “Well, your friends were right to bring you here. We pride ourselves in the utmost knowledge of all things jewelry, as well as superior customer service. We’ve all been trained in different subjects. Most importantly, the psychology of diamonds. Tell me, what’s your girl like?”

Tyler raised an eyebrow, not sure he understood what the man was talking about.

“What does she like?”

Robert smiled at him. “No. What is she like? Tell me everything about her.”

He ran a hand through his hair and puffed out a breath. Where the hell did he start?

“Okay… well, she’s really compassionate. Like, the most compassionate person I know. She’s really happy and peppy, but she’s had a hard life, so sometimes it weighs down on her. Umm… I’d like to think she’s really classy. She always looks presentable. And she’s more mature than I’ll ever be, but also likes to have fun. Does that help?”

Robert nodded his head. “Very much, so. Son, how much are you looking to spend?”

“I don’t care.”

“Then I think I have just the ring.”

Tyler couldn’t help but be interested in their process. He watched as Robert snapped on a pair of white examination gloves and carefully removed one of the mannequin fingers from inside the glass. Tyler inched closer to look at the one he chose.

“Wow,” he mumbled, entranced by the diamonds glittering in the light of the store. “That’s a ring, alright.”

It was a thick, platinum silver band, almost entirely encrusted in tiny, fitted diamonds. There had to be over fifty of them. In the middle of the ring lied a huge, square cut one.

“That’s a hell of a lot of ice,” Nathan said under his breath.

Tyler turned towards his group. “Do you guys think she’d like it?”

“Well,” Krista started, “Nathan’s right. That’s a lot of diamonds for one ring. But you’re both young, and that’s the style now. Besides, I’ve seen Nicki get pretty glamorous. If she marries you, there’s going to be plenty of occasions for her to show it off.”

Tammy nodded, sharing the consent. “I think it’s amazing. The setting is simple, so it’s not like it’s overpowering, either. I think she’d love it, Tyler.”

Everyone else seemed to agree.

“How much?” he asked. There wasn’t any amount of money he wouldn’t pay to get the perfect ring.

“Twenty-five.”

Tyler didn’t even need to think about it. “I’ll take it.”

Robert nodded and placed it back into the showcase. He gestured for Tyler to sit down at a table across the room. He wouldn’t have imagined there would be so much paperwork.

“What size ring does she wear?”

“Shit, I have no idea,” Tyler said, feeling stupid. How could he have forgotten to find out?

“Don’t worry. What’s her shoe size?”

“Six.”

“Then her ring size should be a six, as well. Would you like to get any engravings? It’s one hundred per character.”

He was about to say no, but then reconsidered. Wouldn’t it be special if he got something written on it? It would be the only ring in existence like that; made especially for her.

“Yeah, sure.”

“What would you like it to say? Try to keep it short, the more letters there are, the more difficult it is to read.”

Tyler ran through every possibility in his head. He wished he didn’t have to come up with it on the spot. He called his friends over for help.

“What’s up, Segs?”

“I’m gonna get an engraving. What the hell do I put on it?”

“Is there anything special you always say to each other?” Krista asked.

He shook his head. He couldn’t think of anything.

“Do you guys have a song?” asked Brittany.

“No… not really. Actually, there’s this one song,” his words drifted out as he thought back to the first day they’d slept together. The ringtone she had for him on her phone. The moment he’d realized that he loved her.

“So pick some lyrics from the song,” suggested Milan.

Tyler pulled out his phone and searched for the lyrics. They were all sort of long. But one line in particular stuck out to him.

“Could you fit this?” he asked, showing Robert the words on his phone.

“We could certainly make that work. It’s a very nice sentiment.”

He smiled. “Yeah, it is.”

** * * * *

Nicki instantly noticed the absence of her favorite person. She didn’t even need to open her eyes to know that Tyler wasn’t in bed with her. She checked the clock in the table next to her. It was only ten. He should have been passed out next to her.

She yawned and finally opened her eyes. Before she saw anything, she noticed the smell. She smelled pancakes. Nicki shot up and looked directly ahead of her, past the flowing curtains that hung off of the large canopy over the bed. It destroyed the canopy she’d made for them back home. In the middle of the room stood an exceptionally fancy room service tray, accompanied by a huge bouquet of white flowers. A pink slip of paper had been lodged between some of the petals.

Nicki sprang out of bed to check what it was all about. She grabbed the note out of the flowers. Before opening it to read it, she spared one more glance at the flowers. They were white orchids.

After wiping the tears from her eyes, she unfolded the paper.

Went morning golfing with some of the guys. Be back around noon, maybe earlier. Meet me by the pool?

I love you. Always.

Ty

Nicki wished she’d read the note before she wiped the tears from her face. She tucked the note neatly into her wallet. She would never get rid of it. Nicki regrouped before lifting the top off of the stainless steel serving tray, grinning like an idiot at what she saw.

He’d ordered her banana chocolate chip pancakes.

** * * * *

Tyler was relieved to see that Nicki wasn’t in the room when he got back. He needed the time to hide the ring box somewhere that she wouldn’t find it. Luckily, his travel bag had a secret compartment. It wasn’t much of a secret to anyone who had the bag, but Nicki had no idea it was there. He’d switch it to his carry on before they boarded the plane again, just in case there was an issue with the luggage.

The box weighed heavily in his hand. Not from the weight of the ring itself, but from the weight of what he was about to do. He opened the box one last time to look at it. The more he stared at it, the more he could see Nicki wearing it proudly on her finger. It would suit her perfectly. He lifted it in front of his eyes to read the engraving. Tyler knew it would make her cry. It had almost made him tear up as well. There was something about those words. They were so simple, made powerful by the fact that only he and Nicki truly knew what they meant.

“You almost ready, Segs? I want to get my bronze on!” shouted Brad from the hallway.

“Yup! Coming!”

He stuffed the box into the small flap in his bag and zippered it shut, praying that Nicki wouldn’t have any reason to go sifting through his things.

Brad led the way eagerly to the pool. One of the things they’d originally bonded over was lying out in by the pool. Neither of them was big on swimming, so they would sit out all day while the team enjoyed the cool water. By the end of each day, they had been burnt to a crisp. Their pale, Canadian skin didn’t take very kindly to the harsh Florida sun.

They strolled out to the lazy river side of the pool, where Tyler was sure he would find Nicki. He spotted her about a hundred feet away, lying on her back on a lounge chair. As they approached her, Brad whispered, “Damn, Seggy. You’ve really got it made. You’re tapping that fine ass.”

Tyler shoved him a little, protecting Nicki’s dignity. It was hypocritical at best. He couldn’t agree more.

“Hey babe.”

Nicki removed her sunglasses and squinted at him. She didn’t get off of her chair.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, growing concerned. Usually she had leapt into his arms by now.

She finally stood, and he noticed that she was no longer wearing her arm brace. She wrapped both arms around his neck. Tyler held her close. Reality was finally sinking in for him.

“Tyler. I-I don’t even know what to say. What you did this morning… God I think I cried for over an hour. You are the best boyfriend. Ever. Like, there’s no competition.”

Tyler grinned over her shoulder at Brad, who was listening to the entire thing. He gave him a thumbs up.

“And I can’t believe you got me white orchids! I never told you about that, did I?”

“White what?”

She pulled away from him. “The flowers, Ty.”

“Oh, yeah. The lady I got them from told me they stood for… uh…” All of the sudden, he felt a little uncomfortable saying it.

Nicki stared straight into his eyes as she spoke. “Innocence, hope, purity… everlasting love…”

“Yeah,” he said, looking down at the ground. When did he get so awkward?

“Ty, my grandmother and I used to grow them every year together. They’re her favorite flower. They’re my favorite flower.”

Tyler cupped his hands around her neck. “I had no idea.”

She smiled up at him. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.”

He leaned in to kiss her. He tried to focus on the kiss, but he was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight. He’d actually managed to do something right, entirely by accident.

“You wanna go for a swim?” he suggested.

“If by swim, you mean get on a tube and float around the lazy river all afternoon, yes, I would love to.”

Tyler grabbed her hand and led her to the pool. The water was cool and refreshing as he lowered himself in. With his free hand, he grabbed an unmanned tube and pulled it towards Nicki.

“Hold on to it, okay?” he said as she held out a hand to grab it.

He picked her up, her body glided easily through the water. Tyler let her down gently in the center of it, not letting go until he was certain she was on and wouldn’t fall off. Somehow he got the feeling she would manage to get hurt, even in a swimming pool.

“Are you gonna get one?” she asked, reclining into the tube.

“Nah, I’ll just hang on to yours. They make my shorts get all bunched up.”

Nicki giggled and let her left hand rest over his. He let his head fall onto the blown up rubber, right next to her hand. He couldn’t stop staring at it. Giving in to his temptations, Tyler grabbed her ring finger and began to play with it. He traced his finger over the place his ring would lay someday.

“What’s on your mind, love?”

Tyler looked up at her and smiled.