“You know Cash is going to miss you right,” Tyler pouted as we stood by his garage door in his kitchen, Cash and Marshall at our feet. As agreed, I spent the night at Tyler’s again and now it was once again time for me to say good – bye. Only this time it was going to be for more than a couple of hours, because today I was flying back to Chicago.
“Yea, I know,” I smiled down at the black lab as I rubbed him behind his ear and he wagged his tail. “And I’m sure he’s the only one who’s going to miss me, huh.”
“In this house, yes,” Tyler shrugged, “but I’m sure Roussel might miss you too, possibly Daddy.”
I rolled my eyes as I looked back up at Tyler, before I picked up my purple suitcase off the floor next to me.
“What are you doing?” He asked as he covered my hand with his.
“Getting ready to leave,” I told Tyler as my hazel eyes stared back at his brown ones. “I already said good – bye to Cash so…” I shrugged which only caused Tyler to roll his eyes.
“What if I want to good – bye kiss?”
“You can wait until we get to the airport.”
“But I can’t you see,” he smiled as he laid his hand on my cheek, “because if we were to do this,” he leaned in, his lips only inches from mine, “at the airport…” his lips covered mine as I closed my eyes and it wasn’t long before his arms encircled me, pulling me closer to him as my bag landed on the floor next to me with a thud and my arms wrapped around his neck. As he drew back a lazy grin covered his face, “people might get the wrong idea.”
I nodded with a deep breath as I opened my eyes. “I guess you have a point.” I agreed my mind still foggy from the kiss or maybe because it was 6 in the morning.
“I have my moments.”
“Sure you do,” I smiled as he let me go, “we should get going…”
“Yea,” he agreed as he gave me a quick peak on the lips before he grabbed my suitcase for me. “It would be awful if you missed your flight.”
I sighed, because normally I probably wouldn’t have cared, I hate Chicago, but this would be my first Christmas back home with my whole family since my parents moved so I was kind of looking forward to it.
“Yea, because then I’d be stuck here with you.” I said, my brain becoming less foggy as I followed Tyler to his car.
“Hey,” Tyler stopped, causing me to bump into him as he turned around. “You know you have your own place you can stay at, right.”
“I know,” I shrugged as I looked up at him, “but Cash likes it when I come over.”
“Yea,” Tyler agreed, “he’s not the only one.”
“He’s not?”
“No,” Tyler shook his head as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I think Marshall likes it when you come over too.”
“Shut up Tyler,” I playfully pushed him as he laughed and with a roll of my eyes I made my way to his car.

---

I forgot how fricking cold Chicago is in the winter; I sent the message to Tyler as I sat in the rental car and then plugged my Aunt’s address into my phone’s GPS. I normally wouldn’t have rented a car but with my odd schedule it seemed best.
I was just about the shift the car into park when my phone vibrated in my lap.
With a sigh I opened the message. And just remember we get to go back in two weeks when we play the Blackhawks.
Can’t wait, I typed back and inwardly groaned as I pulled the GPS back on to my screen and backed out of the spot.

---

About thirty minutes later I pulled up to my Aunt’s house. I pulled around back by the garage, shifted the car into park and once again retrieved my phone from my lap where 3 unread messages from Tyler awaited me.
I laughed to myself as I opened the messages.
The first message, in reply to my last message, I bet you can’t. The second message, Let me know when you get to your Aunt’s, and the last message, Cash misses you. I rolled my eyes with a smile; apparently he wasn’t the only one. Even if Tyler wouldn’t actually admit it I knew he missed me, because I missed him. It was weird to think that I wouldn’t be seeing Tyler for a couple days because for the past couple months we have seen each other every day.
I took a deep breath as I replied to Tyler’s texts. I just pulled in and I’m sure Cash is the only one, right? And I added a winky face just for the hell of it.
As I hit send I turned off the car and removed the keys from the ignition as I prepared myself to brave the cold outside when my phone vibrated in my lap. I smiled to myself as Tyler’s name and the picture of Marshall, Cash and him flashed across my screen. Yea, I laughed to myself, Cash is the only one who misses me.
With a smile I slid my thumb across the green answer button, “What, does Cash want to talk to me?”
“How did you know,” Tyler asked and I could image the smile forming on his lips as he spoke.
“Lucky guess,” I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Yea well Cash remembered that he forgot to tell you to tell your family ‘hi’ so...”
“Well tell Cash not to worry, I will tell them ‘hi’ for him.”
“Good, did you hear that buddy,” Tyler’s voice changed as he cooed to the dog that I assumed sat by his feet. “He says thank you Brit.”
“Well tell Cash…” I flinched and a small yelp escaped my lips as a bang on the window knocked me from my conversation with Tyler.
“You okay Brittany?”
“Yea,” I exhaled into the phone as I glanced at the grinning Breanna outside of the car door. “Breanna just surprised me.”
“I guess I should let you then go, eh.” I could hear a smile on Tyler’s lips. “You are there to see your family after all.”
“Yea,” I agreed. “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay Brittany.” He said before I heard the phone click.
With a sigh I turned off my phone and slipped it into my coat pocket as I opened the car door. I barely had my foot out the door before Breanna spoke.
“So who was that, your boyfriend?” Breanna wiggled her eyebrows in that way that only she can do.
“No,” I shook my head as I closed the car door behind me and busied myself by opening the backdoor, hoping that she would mistake my rosy cheeks from the cold, not from the fact that she was right.
“Was it Seguin,” Breanna teased and leaned over the door frame of the car as I grabbed my suitcase off the back seat.
“No,” I glared at her as I pulled the suitcase out of the back seat and closed the door behind me. “Why would you even say that?” I hope she didn’t notice the way my stomach dropped. How would Breanna know about that? The media couldn’t have leaked anything because Jim would have been on us, right?
“Because I know how much you love him,” she bumped my bicep with her elbow and a loud laugh escaped her lips as we made are way to the back door.
“Yea, ha-ha.” I exhaled as I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked for a subject change. “So are mom and dad here?”

Notes