Jamie's POV -




"Haley come on, were going to be late!" I hollered, checking my watch for what seemed like the millionth time in the past half an hour. I could picture the expression she would be wearing on her face; probably rolling her eyes at me as she spoke.

"Calm down Captain, we've got plenty of time" she called from her bathroom.

It was the end of July, and Tyler was having the team over to celebrate the purchase of his new home. Obviously the Stanley Cup would be present, like it was for many of our parties this summer.

He bought a new place not too far from our current one; it was breathtaking. Plenty of space, a great yard for his dogs, and most importantly a pool with an amazing deck with a great view.

The best part of it all, was that I was planning on moving into the house just ten blocks away.

"You've said that for the past half hour I swear!" I answered back with a smirk.

Today, I was rather nervous. Despite knowing we'd be heading over to Tyler's to hopefully have a great day by the pool, I was also asking Haley to move in with me; into the house I had just bought down the street from Tyler's.

For the entire time that we knew each other we'd always lived so close in the same units. We basically spent the entire past few months staying at her place; we practically lived together as it was. Might as well make it official, right?

"I'm ready now" she announced, finally making her way into the living room. She placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze as she waltzed past me into the kitchen, grabbing the cases of beer we were bringing with us.

"Not like that took all damn day or anything" I rolled my eyes, getting up from the couch and accompanying her into the kitchen. I bit my lip, nervously thinking of the question I was going to ask her; or better yet, how it was going to bring it up.

It had taken me forever to get the courage to ask the girl out; how was I supposed to ask her to move in with me?

Marriage was too soon for us; though I knew I saw it in our future. I figured moving in was the next logical step.

"Ha-ha, look whose hilarious" she rolled her eyes playfully. "Now let's go, or we really will be late" she hurriedly slipped into her flip flops, grabbing the keys to the place and opening the front door.

"You look beautiful" I smiled, really admiring her as she struggled with everything she was holding in her arms.

"Can I be beautiful as you take some of this shit out of my hands so I don't drop it every where?" She asked, clearly struggling with the beer, keys and bag in her hand.

"I guess so" I shrugged, offering her a helping hand.

*****************************************************€*******

"Wow Ty, I love the place" Haley stated in awe after Tyler had given us the official tour.

"Thanks Hales" Tyler grinned, taking a sip from the beer he had just opened. "Come on and let's go enjoy the party!"

We followed him out onto the deck, where lots of players and their wives had already arrived. The music was loud, the environment positive. Not only were there players from the team and their wives, but I noticed plenty of models kicking around, hoping to hook up with any single members of the Stars.

I looked to Haley, who looked around, a little uneasily.

"You okay?" I asked her curiously, a little concerned.

"Yeah I'm great" she faked a smile. I almost wanted to roll my eyes. I've known the girl for years now; did she really think she could lie to me like that? "Fine, I know you didn't buy that" she added with a sigh as an afterthought.

"I'm glad you realize that" I chuckled softly, tugging at her arm and making our way back into the house. We ventured up to where Tyler had shown us a guest room was and shut the door to get some privacy.

"Jame I don't want you to-"

"Don't even say it" I interrupted her, taking a seat on the bed, patting the spot next to me, gesturing for her to sit down. "Hales, what's wrong?"

"It's just-" she paused for a moment, seemingly unsure of what she wanted to say next.



Haley's POV -



I hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Jamie was everything I ever wanted and more; I loved him more than anything. And I knew he loved me too; but it didn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of my mind; what if he found somebody better?

There were so many pretty- gorgeous girls even here. When I saw them, my confidence was lost. They were gorgeous models; I was simply a paralegal; what was so impressive about that?

"What if- I mean-" I struggled to form a coherent sentence. "What if you find somebody better?" I finally asked in a near whisper.

"I- what?" Jamie asked, genuinely surprised. "Why would you ever think that? I love you, haley" he assured me, squeezing my hand for reassurance.

"Look at me, and then look at all those girls out there" I sighed in defeat, deciding to just take the plunge and tell him everything that had be bothering me since game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals months ago.

"They're beautiful, successful models; the kind of girls every guy wants. And look at you. You're a fucking sexy hockey player who so happened to captain a team to a Stanley cup championship last year, and who is one of the most underrated players in the league. You could get any girl you wanted; so, why me?" I rambled, unable to stop myself.

He sat still on the bed, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked into my eyes, his full of hurt. I didn't want to tell him all this; I never intended to. But when girls threw themselves at your boyfriend on a daily basis it got hard to handle.

Without a word he tilted my chin up and pressed a soft kiss on my lips, lingering for a moment.

"I love you because you're the kind of successful, sexy, beautiful girl every guy wants" he spoke in a whisper. "You're smart, talented, caring, kind hearted, beautiful- real..." He trailed off with a smile. "I guess in a way I've always known, since the moment I met you; that I wanted you to be mine. When it finally happened, I couldn't have possibly been more ecstatic" he paused for a moment, presumably trying to gage my reaction.

"Jame..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"You don't have to say anything" he spoke, as if reading my mind. "You deserve to know how important you are to me, and how much I love you"

I smiled widely, pulling him back in for another kiss. This one was much longer than the first, but was just as satisfying. Kissing Jamie was one of those things that never got old.

"I love you Jamie" I finally found my voice, for lack of a better thing to say.

"I love you too" he grinned, clearing his throat. "Which is why I wanted to ask you something"

"Oh?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"What do you think of this house?" He asked with a smirk.

"It's amazing" I replied honestly, wondering how that question possibly correlated with our previous conversation. "One day I'd love to own one just like this" I breathed happily.

"What if I told you that day was today?" He asked nervously.

"What do you mean?" I asked, clearly not catching on.

"I mean, what if you were to move into a house like this, of your own, in about a months time?" He clarified. Oh my god. Oh my god!

"Jamie you- you didn't" I asked, a smile playing on my lips. "You bought yourself a house!?"

"Not just me- I bought us- I bought us a house" he emphasized the "us" twice. "I want you to move in with me" he blurted out quickly.

I stayed silent for a moment, letting the question sink in. He bought a house? A house for the both of us to live in? Jamie was asking me to move in with him?

"Is that- is that a yes?" He asked uneasily when I didn't answer him right away.

I nodded vigorously, pulling him in for a kiss. Pulling away I smiled,

"It's an absolute yes"
‹ Chapter 45

Notes