White Orchids

“You look beautiful,” Tyler said, resting a hand on Nicki’s cheek.

She smiled sweetly and leaned into it, holding her hand up over his. “Thanks, Ty.”

Nicki stood on her toes to kiss him for the umpteenth time that morning. She couldn’t get enough of him. It was the first time in months that he had two full days to spend with her, and she was doing her best to make the most of it.

As much as she loved watching Tyler play hockey, she was growing impatient for the season to end. They had been battling for a playoff spot, and last week finally fell too far behind, knocking them out of the running. In one more week, he would be done until next season. It would finally give them the chance to spend some much needed time together. And plan the wedding.

They’d set the date for the fifteenth of August. Nicki had always wanted an August wedding, and it just so happened a small hotel in Cape Cod was looking to be rented out for a weekend. Tyler gladly footed the bill, taking the pressure off of her father. Just because Nicki wanted a traditional wedding didn’t mean they had to be old fashioned, too.

“Are you still feeling anxious?” he asked.

“Nah. Yesterday made me realize that I’m going to be fine. Hell, if Lisa can raise two kids I can run a business, right?”

Tyler nodded. “You’ll do great.”

“Especially now that I have an office and a fancy computer,” she said, grabbing his hands and smiling wide. “Tyler, I don’t even know how to thank you for all of that. I can’t believe you bought me a car.” She paused and giggled. “I can’t believe you bought a frigging Maserati.”

“Babe, I make a ridiculous amount of money. I don’t spend much on myself, and you never let me spend any of it on you. What else am I going to do with it? I’ve already put away enough to live off of for a good fifty years, and I’m not even halfway through my career.”

She looked up at him, surprised. “You’ve been saving it?”

“Course I have. I’m not gonna be one of those washed up athletes who spends every dime they made and then has to make a reality TV show to pay their mortgage.”

Nicki laughed. She had no idea he thought that far ahead.

“I think I just fell a little more in love with you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You always manage to surprise me.”

Tyler slipped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him. She had to tilt her head back to look at him.

“I promised myself a long time ago that I’d give you the best life I can. That’s not happening if I’m broke.”

His reasoning stunned her. It still shocked her just how much he cared about her. Nicki never imagined anyone could care for her that much, never mind someone like Tyler. She smiled to herself. The thought that somehow, some way, she’d managed to get that beautiful man to fall in love with her tied her stomach in knots. Every morning she silently wondered when the dream would end.

“Even if you didn’t have a penny to your name, I’d still love you,” she said, eyes glossing over.

A pain in her chest signified the truth behind her words. It physically hurt her to think of how much she loved him. Tyler put a hand on the back of her head, pulling her to his chest. His lips touched down on the top of her head, in the same place he’d kissed her all that time ago. Nicki recalled the way she felt that day; that night when she’d gotten home. She had been filled to the brim with fear, but more importantly, with hope.

“We should probably get going,” he said softly, running a hand across the top of her head and pushing back her hair.

Nicki lifted her head to kiss him one last time.

“Whose car are we taking?”

“Why don’t we take yours? You haven’t even driven it yet,” he said, adjusting the buttons on his shirt.

She briskly walked to the kitchen to get her keys.

“You didn’t even let me say goodbye to my old car.”

Tyler chuckled and let his hands rest on her hips, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead.

“It wouldn’t have been a very good surprise if I told you. Besides, I didn’t want to fight with you about it. I have to say, I’m surprised you gave in so easily yesterday.”

Nicki ran her hands up and down his outstretched arms, appreciating the bulk of his muscles and ink stained skin.

“Well, I told myself the other day that no matter what you got me, I would try to just accept it. I was tired of feeling like a bitch for complaining when you get me a present instead of thanking you like I should. I know how lucky I am. I guess it’s just time that I start being grateful for it instead of trying to push it away.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I get that there are people out there who aren’t as well off. And I get that you empathize with them, I do. But you’ve got to stop trying to put yourself in other people’s shoes. You’ve been there. Now that you’re on the other side, I just want you to enjoy it.”

“I will. I promise,” she said, giving his biceps an affirming squeeze.

“Good. Now let’s go. I’m dying to see what you think of the car.”

Nicki smiled and let one of his arms fall, sliding her fingers down the other one to grab his hand. When they got to her car, she gasped. It was dazzling. Never in her life had she even thought about owning a car that nice. She didn’t dare ask how much it cost. After adjusting her seat and mirrors, she went to put the key in the ignition. It didn’t go in at first, and she bent her head to find it.

“Holy shit! It’s a push to start?!”

Tyler laughed and nodded. “I knew how much you liked mine, so I made sure I got you one. Most of them are like that now, anyways.”

“So what’s the key for?”

“Glove compartment.”

She latched a hand around the back of his neck and pulled him to her, assaulting him with her lips. She pulled away only due to the necessity of arriving on time to her graduation.

“I fucking love you,” she said firmly.

“I fucking love you too,” he replied, with a grin as wide as the continental US spread across his face.

Nicki knew how much it meant to him when she accepted the things he gave her. She felt guilty for denying him for so long, and was determined to make it up to him in any way that she could. Even if it meant allowing her moral lines to blur and let him spoil her. If that’s what would make him happy, that’s exactly what she would do.

“Oh, just one more thing,” he said, reaching between them into the center console.

He grabbed a small case and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, handing them to Nicki. She turned them over in her hands, in awe.

“Are these Prada?!”

“Yup. Got myself a pair, too.”

Tyler pulled a similar pair out of his pocket and placed them over his eyes. There was something about sunglasses on him that she loved; especially on days like this when the first traces of scruff began to appear along his jaw. It took everything Nicki had not to throw him into the backseat and take advantage of him. She let out a long, controlled breath. If she had to keep looking at him, it was going to be an awfully long day.

** * * * *

“This is amazing!” Nicki screamed as she gunned it down the fast lane.

Tyler laughed in the passenger seat and grabbed her hand. He was ecstatic to see her enjoying herself. When they’d met, she wouldn’t dare push her car over sixty on the highway. A glance at the speedometer told him she was going eighty, and he got the feeling she was just getting started.

A permanent smile had been plastered on her face since they’d gotten in the car. Tyler knew it was more than just the car. Whenever they had a deep conversation, she was euphoric for the remainder of the day. It was the first time he told her that he promised himself to give her a good life. He’d mentioned things like it before and watched her melt in front of him. He figured it was about time to let her know.

Tyler glanced at her and grinned. Her perfectly curled, well kempt hair was whipping in the wind behind her, and her cheeks were flushed from excitement. She looked wild; untamed. It was a side of her that Tyler loved, but came out only on the rarest of occasions.

He got the notion that after this summer, their lives would begin to change. Commitments would arise and problems would occur. Tyler was prepared to face all of it with her. But, in the mean time, he was fully devoted to bringing out that rowdiness in her. Therein laid half of the reason he decided to purchase a Maserati. If anything could inspire someone to go a little crazy, it’s driving a car that can go from zero to sixty before you can blink an eye.

As she weaved in and out of traffic, he reclined into the padded leather seat. Normally, someone driving recklessly would put him on edge. But he trusted Nicki. She would never do anything to put anyone in danger, especially him. If she was doing it, she had it under control. Tyler’s thoughts drifted back to the conversation he’d had with Lisa the night before. He wondered what he could have possibly done to make her assume that he didn’t want kids.

Not that it alarmed him. Nicki knew how he felt about it. It wasn’t exactly something that came up often, he got the feeling she thought she might freak him out if she brought it up. Or maybe she was a little freaked out herself. It was a scary thought, being a parent. Tyler loved being around Bella and watching her grow up, but she wasn’t his kid. He wasn’t there all of the times she was a pain in the ass, all of the times she got sick or got in trouble. Maybe he would call Lisa later and see if they could fly out to see them for a week or so.

Yeah. He’d do that. It would be a nice surprise for Nicki.

He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. It would be a good summer.

** * * * *

“Damn, can she work those heels,” Diane said, letting out a laugh.

Tyler squinted his eyes to get a better view of Nicki. They had just called her name, and she was strutting towards the stage to receive her diploma. It was the second graduation of hers he’d been to, counting the one last spring when she finished her senior year. He couldn’t extinguish the unbelievable amount of pride he had in her. All of his teammate’s wives and girlfriends were starving models or lazy brats who’d made it through life on nothing but good looks and flirting. His had a Master’s degree and her own business in the works. When he proposed, she easily could have quit school and settled into the simple life of being a hockey wife. But she took the hard road, no matter how many times Tyler told her she didn’t have to, she’d insisted.

And she most certainly could work those heels.

He grinned as he watched her hips swing back and forth underneath her graduation gown. For a moderately shy girl, she had an outrageously sassy walk. Tyler always teased her about it and she hated him for it. She smiled for a picture with someone who he guessed was the Dean of the business school. Tyler let his eyes follow her as she headed towards the opposite end of the large stage to go back to her seat. She quickly shot a glance in his direction, making a face so terrifying that it could have sent people running. Tyler cracked up, knowing it was just for him. She despised everything about graduations.

“What’s so funny?” asked Diane. Bill turned his head, waiting to see what his answer would be.

Tyler shook his head, still smiling. “Nicki. She hates this.”

“She always has,” Bill said, scanning the crowd for her. “Tyler, I’m surprised no one’s asked you for a picture yet.”

“Yeah, me too, actually. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

Last year when he’d come, the second he got out of his car he was attacked by students and family members alike. Apparently, Nicki kept very quiet about her personal life, because none of them could figure out why he was at their graduation. He’d earned many disappointed looks from girls who had previously refused to believe the rumors that he was getting married. Tyler found it hard to comprehend, seeing as how they’d taken a picture together for the Improper Bostonian the year before. And if that wasn’t enough, they’d done countless interviews for magazines and sports networks about the engagement. As it turned out, it’s a pretty big deal when one of the most notoriously single guys in the NHL decides to tie the knot.

“If you want to you can head to the car now, try to hide yourself,” Bill offered.

“Thanks, but I want to see her. I’ll take my chances.”

“Suit yourself,” he said, straightening himself out in his chair.

Luckily, since her last name began with a “W”, she was one of the last people to get called up. Tyler was afraid he might suffer a heat stroke if they didn’t get out of there soon. It was nearly eighty degrees and the sun was beating down right on top of him. He was anxious to get out of his jeans and button down shirt.

The valedictorian stood up to say his final words. Tyler smiled as he watched the graduation caps fly through the air. He remembered just how overjoyed he’d been at his graduation. Something about throwing that hat in the air was liberating. Although for him it had been more of a ‘fuck you high school, I’m going to play in the NHL’ kind of moment.

Tyler weaved through the crowd in search of Nicki. He advised her to stay put so that he could get her and get out as fast as possible, with little confusion. He accidentally elbowed a few people, earning some dirty looks, which instantly turned to recognition as they realized who had just bumped into them. He fled before any of them could pursue him.

At first, he loved spending time with his fans. It didn’t matter what he was doing, he’d stop and say hello. But as the years went on and they got more psychotic, it became a little more difficult for him. Especially on days like this, when he just wanted to be a normal person attending his regular fiancé’s average graduation.

He finally caught her line of sight and she sprinted to him as quickly as her heels would allow. She’d built up too much momentum and slammed into him when she tried to stop, knocking him back a few steps.

“Can we go? Like now?!”

“In one second,” he said, grabbing her face.

Tyler gave her a second to breathe before pressing his lips to hers. He could feel her relaxing, and eventually she moved her hands up his chest, letting them come to a rest at his neck. He heard a few camera shutters going off, but tuned them out. Maybe they’d make it onto the internet and people would finally accept that he wasn’t single. A guy can only hope.

Before he completely forgot where he was, he broke away from her, keeping her little face in his huge hands.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said, observing her brown eyes instantaneously fill up with tears.

Her hands found their way to his hips, making him shiver just a little. It never failed; it was his favorite place for her hands to be.

“You have no idea how much that means to me.” She spoke softly, Tyler could barely hear her.

He let his forehead fall to hers for a moment, for the sake of letting her know how much he cared. It always seemed to work better than saying the words.

“Come on,” he said, “People are starting to stare. Let’s get out of here.”

Tyler released her face, grabbed one of her hands, and started to power walk towards the parking lot of the open venue.

“Tyler!” she shouted from behind him. “I’m gonna break something!”

He stopped short and she bumped into him.

“Ty, what the hell?!”

He turned his back to her and said over his shoulder, “Hop on. We’re piggybacking it.”

“I’m wearing a dress.”

“Do you want to get out of here or not?”

Nicki didn’t answer. Instead, she grasped his shoulders and hopped onto his back. He got his hands underneath her thighs, pressing the fabric of her dress against her skin so that it wouldn’t flap behind her. She giggled in his ear as he strode through curious onlookers towards her car.

“Thanks, love.”

He let her down in front of Diane and Bill, who’d been waiting for them. They each hugged and congratulated her.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, addressing the three of them.

“Well, Tyler made a reservation for us, right?”

Tyler placed a hand between Nicki’s shoulder blades. She didn’t know that he was taking them out for lunch. He thought it might be a nice surprise.

“Yeah, for two o’clock.” He checked his watch. “It’s only quarter of one now. Would you guys mind if I went back to the apartment to change? I’m dying.”

“No, not at all. We’ll follow you there and we can all take one car to the restaurant,” Bill proposed.

“Wait, where are we going?” Nicki asked, twisting her neck to look at Tyler.

He left a small kiss on her nose and said, “It’s a surprise.”

Nicki rolled her eyes.

“Don’t look so thrilled sweetie,” Bill said, chuckling. He put a hand on the small of Diane’s back. “We’re gonna get going. You guys should probably get out of here while you can, it looks like there’s some groupies headed this way,” he said, nodding his head to the right.

Tyler followed his motion and witnessed what he was talking about. There was a group of ten or so, all girls. All staring at him.

“Nicki, get in the car,” he urged. “Let me drive so they won’t bother me.”

“Jeez, Ty, what happened to that nice guy who loved seeing his fans?”

He nodded to Diane and Bill as they walked away and grabbed Nicki by the arm, pushing her towards the passenger side.

“He got engaged,” he mumbled.

Tyler started the car and pulled out of the spot as quickly as he could without running anybody over. As if he didn’t draw enough attention to himself, Nicki’s $200,000 BMW stuck out like a sore thumb with all of the other beat up Fords and Chevys.

“Put on your sunglasses,” he ordered, still trying to teach her how to deal with fans.

“But what if they’re nice?” she asked. “Just regular fans who want to meet you?”

He sighed. She was right. He couldn’t be an asshole to everybody.

“Fine. I’ll drive slow and see what they say. If they’re normal, we can stop.”

He did just as he said he would, creeping towards the exit, approaching the group of girls. One of them screamed.

“Oh my God is that Tyler Seguin?! What is he doing at our graduation?!”

As they rushed up to the car, Tyler slowly looked to his right, giving Nicki a look that screamed ‘I told you so’.

“Sorry,” she whispered, looking down and folding her hands in her lap.

A few of the girls came right up to the car, putting their hands on the driver’s side door and leaning over, seriously imposing on his personal space. He leaned away, hoping his body language might fend them off. They only leaned closer. Was it not obvious that he was there for the girl in the car with him?

“Nice car,” one of them said, stroking a hand along the body.

Tyler seized the opportunity. “Thanks. It’s my fiancé’s.”

He saw Nicki wave shyly out of the corner of his eye. His girl fans always reacted differently to her and she’d become timid around them.

“Oh, so it’s true,” another one said, hanging her head.

In his single days, Tyler would have readily gone for any of those girls, possibly more than one. Maybe even all of them. Since he met Nicki, he could care less. Girls used to be a prize to him, something to constantly work for. Now, they were just fellow members of society. Even the gorgeous ones. And the ones that begged him to do all sorts of nasty things to him. It used to turn him on; now it just creeped him out. He never realized how shameless they could be.

“Yeah,” he said awkwardly, hoping they would just give up and leave.

“What’s your name?” one of them asked, glaring at Nicki.

“Nicki.”

“You’re really pretty, Nicki.”

Tyler sensed her shifting beside him.

“Oh, uh, thank you. So aren’t you.”

The girl who asked the question was inching closer, to the point where she was practically on top of Tyler.

“Why don’t I give you my number,” she said, lowering her voice so only they would hear. “In case you ever want to try something new.”

Tyler furrowed his eyebrows as she winked not at him, but at Nicki.

“Well, it was really nice to meet you all,” he spat out. “But we have to get going. Reservation and… whatever.”

He put his foot to the gas and sped out of the lot, turning sharply onto Main Street.

“I’ve officially lost faith in all of humanity,” he said once they were safely away.

“Did… did she just offer us a threesome?” she asked, perturbed.

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what happened, yeah.”

“Well, why’d you drive off?”

Tyler hesitated, trying to figure out whether or not she was kidding.

“Are you serious?”

She burst into laughter. “Tyler, what the fuck’s wrong with you?”

“Jesus, babe. Sometimes I just don’t know with you.”

“Am I that bad?” she asked.

Tyler finally let out a chuckle. “You’re pretty bad,” he said, placing his hand over hers, which were still in her lap. She started to massage his hand, making him close his eyes for a millisecond before he remembered that he was driving.

He’d had plenty of threesomes before, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. There were some things from his past that she really just didn’t need to know. Besides, he didn’t want to dredge up the memory of what happened on his road trip in Florida before they were together. After all this time, he still hadn’t come to terms with it. Nicki, on the other hand, seemed to have completely forgotten about the incident.

When they got back to the apartment, they found Bill and Diane waiting for them in his truck. Tyler pulled into Nicki’s spot and got out, leaving the car running. Bill came out to meet him.

“I’ll only be a minute,” he said, “Do you want to take Nicki’s car?”

“Yeah, I’d love to see the way it rides. We’ll wait for you out here,” said Bill, already on his way to the backseat of her car.

Tyler began to walk towards their building and heard heels clicking on the pavement behind him.

“Wait!” she called, “I’m coming too!”

He slowed to let her catch up.

“Are you changing?” he asked, a little disappointed. He loved the dress she was wearing, mostly for the way it showed off her legs.

“Nah, I just wanted to be with you,” she said, lacing her fingers through his.

“I won’t argue with that,” he responded.

Few things in life made him happier than being with her. One of them was the fact that she wanted to be with him just as badly. When Tyler got drafted, he figured he’d spend most of his life just trying to find people that loved him for who he was, not what he did. Turned out, it was a lot easier than he thought it would be. He sympathized towards some of his teammates, who constantly questioned their significant other’s motives.

Once they got inside, Nicki dropped to the floor to play with Marshall, who was as happy as ever that they were home. Tyler went to their room and put on a pair of khaki shorts and a striped tee shirt. Finally, he no longer felt as though he was cooking slowly from the inside out. He stepped back into the hallway, stopping in his tracks when he saw the way Nicki was looking at him.

“What?”

Nicki put her hands on her hips. “You really hate me, don’t you?”

“Why would you say – “ And then it clicked.

Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets and watched her face turn stone cold. He’d mindlessly thrown on the shorts, not thinking twice about it. Nicki hated those shorts, purely because she loved them so much. He usually wore them when he was trying to get a rise out of her. For a brief moment, he considered changing. Until he looked at her. And her legs. Tyler moved towards her slowly.

“You know you aren’t leaving this apartment until you do me, right?”

He laughed and pressed against her, wrapping his arms around her waist. When she looked up at him, he glanced at the island. Nicki turned her head in the direction of his gaze.

“Quickie on the island?”

** * * * *

“What took you guys so long?” Bill asked, casting a skeptical eye at Tyler.

“I made him change twice,” Nicki said before he could respond. “He was having some wardrobe malfunctions.”

“I see.”

Tyler could hear the doubt in his voice. At this point in their relationship, he’d consider Bill an idiot if he didn’t think they were sleeping together. But if he knew how often he might be a bit concerned. Even though Freddy cracked jokes about it, Tyler always sensed a hint of jealousy in his voice. He knew there was nothing wrong with it. If anything, it just made their relationship stronger.

He let Nicki take the wheel. He’d banged his right knee off of the island, and knew it would affect his driving. Plus, he wanted to see her floor it again, and the pure, unadulterated joy on her face as she raced down the highway.

The GPS guided her to the restaurant Tyler had picked out. He’d never been there before, but heard they had some of the best Barbeque in the area. Normally, he would have picked something a little classier, but Nicki had been begging him for a pulled pork sandwich. He’d asked his team, and they directed him to there. It was a good half hour from their apartment, in Arlington. Mindless chatter occupied them throughout the drive.

When they arrived, everyone was a little bit surprised by the place. It looked more like a shack than a restaurant. Nicki pulled around back and parked in a makeshift lot, taking extra care not to pop a tire on anything.

“Before we eat, do you two mind if Diane and I check out a store across the street? I saw it when we pulled up.”

Tyler looked to Nicki for confirmation. He didn’t care, but it was her day.

“No, go ahead. I’ll just stay here and play with my new toy,” she said, grinning at him.

“Thanks, sweetie. We’ll be quick.”

They sat in silence. Tyler glanced over at Nicki, attempting to figure out why she wasn’t saying anything. She was either mad or lost in thought, and he couldn’t think of any reason why she might be angry. Instead of asking, he grabbed one of her hands.

Nicki snapped out of the daze she was in and turned to face him. She used her free hand to remove her sunglasses. The look in her eyes indicated she was about to say something important. Tyler waited patiently for her to speak.

“You know, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for you.”

He rubbed his thumb back and forth across her hand. “That’s not true. You’re brilliant. You could have done this on your own.”

Nicki shook her head, still staring directly at him. Her expression softened, saddened.

“That’s the funny thing. I never told you that I was going to drop out the semester that I met you. My mind was made up. There was no way that I was going to hold myself together long enough to make it through. And after Jason,” she choked on his name, “After that, I probably would have given up on everything. Ty, I’m serious. You saved me… you really did. I just wanted you to know that. I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you, without actually telling you. But it didn’t seem like you were catching on. Do you understand how much of an impact you’ve had on my life?”

For a minute, he was utterly speechless. When the words didn’t come, he released her hand to pull her to him. Tyler got his arms around her shoulders, swallowing her small frame in his embrace. She sank into him, resting her head by his neck. Her words managed to make him feel like superman. The thought that he could affect anybody’s life in a positive way was incredible. The fact that it was Nicki was inconceivable. He’d always known he took her in when she needed it the most. But hearing her say it forced tears from his eyes.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered, trying to keep his voice from shaking. Nicki pressed her lips to his neck in such a way that it sent a chill down his spine. “I’m so glad I found you.”

He squeezed her tighter, never wanting to let go.

He’d been too afraid to tell her that she’d saved him, too.