Miles Dempsey

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of my heartbeat in my ears was the only thing I heard as I skated closer to the net.

This was it. There were only ten seconds left on the clock in game six versus the Oilers.

Pulling off this final win meant we were going to the next round. The score was currently 4-2. We had pulled off this win already but I wanted to secure it.

As sad as it was - for them - the Oilers looked as if they weren't even trying to stop me anymore. I skated on past them until I halted a couple of feet from the goal and shot the black puck in.

The final buzzer rang shortly after and the crowd went feral. My teammates crowded me, jumping on me to celebrate. The atmosphere was insane. It was all I had ever dreamed of as a little kid and we still weren't in the Finals. There was a big crowd tonight but Oilers fans had been piling out for a while now.

I looked around the venue like I'd actually find her. You know the way it happens in the movies. Yeah, that shit didn't happen. Especially not when Tate came crashing into me, almost knocking me on my feet. "That's what I'm talking about, baby!"

The boys were excited. As much as I knew they wanted to celebrate, we wouldn't. It was crunch time now. Everyone thought we wouldn't be able to pull off this series win and now we just slapped them in the face.

Five days.

In just five days we're going to be playing in the Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars.

I didn't want to speak too soon but I had a good feeling about it. I had a good feeling about the whole thing. This is the closest we've gotten in years and although I questioned it a bit at the beginning of the season, I think we've got it closer than we ever have. It makes me excited, scared, and grateful all at the same time.

We walk back into the locker room and immediately have reporters thrown in our faces. For once, I'm not pissed during an interview. Tiffany always gets on me about being cranky to the analysts. I talk to a couple of them and do my fair share of media for about an hour before I'm able to leave.

Since I knew I would be a while, I told my parents to meet me at my place. They came out to today's game to support me since I told them we would most likely pull off the win. Dad's been super excited about the success of the team. Mom too but she's more worried about me not hurting myself on the ice more than anything else.

Nola also came out to support. I had to tell Mom and Dad over the phone yesterday that she was my girlfriend now. Mom was over the freaking moon about it. She's just happy I finally have a girlfriend but the fact that it's Nola, I can't get her to be quiet about it. Since I knew Nola was going to sit next to my parents, I made sure to tell them before so she wouldn't feel like she was hiding something from them.

She shared with me the fact that she told her parents recently too. I couldn't ask how it went since we talked about it briefly during a break at practice but it seems to me as if we've got our lowkey relationship going. Everyone in our lives pretty much knows already. The teams know I'm no longer a single man and since Nola shows out to every game, they assumed it was her who was my girlfriend.

I'm honestly on such a high right now. My life has only progressively gotten better and Nola being my girlfriend is just the cherry on top. There are still unanswered questions in my life but as of right now, they're not at the forefront of my mind.

The only thing that is in my head at the moment is the blonde girl standing a couple of feet away from me with a huge smile on her face. God, how did I get so lucky? Mom cheers as she sees me, throwing her small body at me for a hug. "I'm so proud of you, honey!" I rub my mom's back and say thanks. "Oh I'm sorry, of course you want to greet that beautiful girlfriend of yours. Go ahead, hun." Mom's smile is contagious.

Like I said, she's beyond excited that Nola's my girlfriend.

Mom nudges me towards Nola. "Hey, Scott." Nola wraps her arms around my neck, bringing my upper body down. I lace my arms around her small waist and pull her close. It's only been a couple of days since we've seen each other but it feels like a long time. "You did so well tonight. I'm proud of you!" Her words tug at my heartstrings.

She always tells me she's proud of me and the feeling I get when she does never changes.

Sometimes it terrifies me how much I'm feeling for her this fast. My stupid heart can't seem to calm down when I see her smile. I wish we could be alone together every single minute of the day. I just want her to myself all the time. "You did amazing, honey. You too, JT, so good boys," mom adds. Nola nods in agreement and hugs JT.

We ate dinner together, some takeout since it was too late for mom to cook something up for us. The six of us talk for a couple of hours until Mom and Dad decide to go home. JT and Ember escape up to his room and I finally get my chance alone with my girl. Nola smiles cutely at me from the other side of the living room where she sat with Ember moments ago.

"Come here, Scott." I tap my lap, wanting to be as close to her as possible. She doesn't hesitate, standing up, and walking over to sit right where I wanted her. A light blush touches her cheeks as she looks over at me. Calmness overcomes me. Finally. She lays her head on mine and I wrap my arms securely around her waist holding her close to me.

"Your parents are really happy for you," she tells me. Yeah. I know. I felt it tonight. They're over the moon for not just me but the team. Dad is confident in us getting the big trophy and after tonight so I am. It feels so close. Such in reach. "My mom sent over a congratulations," she adds, lifting her head to look at me. "Also..."

Nola moves the piece of hair hanging over my forehead out of the way. "My parents want you to come over for dinner. They just want to re-meet you I guess. As my boyfriend." Her face flushes again and she hesitates like she doesn't know if boyfriend is the right word to use. It damn sure is. I'm hers.

"I'm down, when?" I ask. I know I'll have to make Nola's parents see something good in me. By now, I know how important Nola's relationship is with both of her parents. The last time I talked to them might have not been the best. Her dad has his questions about me and he wasn't too thrilled when he thought I was dating his daughter.

How I'll swift his mind? I don't know. I'm sure Nola will help me out with that. "Tomorrow? If you can," she says. My eyes widen a bit. I didn't think it would be that quick. It would have been more nice to prepare myself. I've never met anyone who I've dated parents. This is a first. And last probably. "I can make that work. We can head over after PT," I tell her.

A smile pulls at her lips. "It'll go good. Promise." She pecks my cheek. Well, I hope so. If Nola's parents don't like me, it'll be the worst feeling in the world. That's saying something since most times, I don't give a fuck what people think.

But these aren't just people. They're her people.
I have to have them like me.
I don't know what I'll do if they don't.

***

Never did I expect my heart to start beating so quickly at the thought of meeting people. The whole car ride here, I was calm. But now that I've officially stepped foot into Nola's house, as her boyfriend, I'm more intimidated than I've ever been. We pause right before we step into the kitchen and Nola grabs my hands. "You're gonna do great. Mom and Dad are going to love you, promise," she assures me.

I don't know how much I believe her since I'm sure she's just giving me words of encouragement to keep me calm. Even she can feel the anxiety radiating off of me. I've never met a girl's parents before. Let alone a girl I care so much about. I want Nola's parents to accept me. It's going to be hard to get her dad on my side but I'd do anything for it to happen.

Nola stands on her tiptoes and places a kiss on my cheek. "Nola, is that you?" Mrs. Scott says from the other side of the door. She smiles and grabs my hand. "You'll be fine." Nola doesn't give me a chance to answer before opening the doors and leading us into the kitchen. Her mom smiles instantly when she sees her. "Oh, I thought you could have been Kayce. He'll be home in a little."

Nola's mom focuses on me next and she smiles. Before she can say anything, the back door flings open and Mr. Scott takes over the doorframe. "Miles, why don't you come help me get this food inside." It's more of a demand than a question. No hello or anything. I expected it. "Hi to you too, Dad," Nola says. He smiles at her but I don't know if it's genuine before looking back at me and raising his brows like he's waiting for me to move.

"Yessir." Smiling at Nola and her mom, excusing myself, I follow Mr. Scott outside. Seeing Nola's mom for the first time since hearing that she was close to my birth father is strange. Bethany said I looked like Ryle and a couple of days ago, I remembered that one time on the private jet back to Los Angeles when Nola's mom said I looked familiar.

Back then, I had no idea what she would have known me from besides hockey. Now, it makes more sense. Maybe my face looked familiar to her. I did see pictures of my birth dad and I see a strong resemblance to him. Again, Nola's mom doesn't know Ryle and Beth had a kid together and that that kid is me. She's clueless about the fact.

I'm not sure when Nola wants to tell her either.

When my feet hit the concrete outside, the smell of meat hits my nose. Ribs to be more precise. Mr. Scott is making chicken on the grill but he's also cooking ribs close by. It smells amazing. "You make ribs frequently?" I question. They take a helluva long time to cook. My dad used to make them but that was once every two years. "Only on special occasions," Mr. Scott says but his voice is tight.

He then flashes a fake smile at me. I can tell he does that a lot. "Let me ask you something, Miles." Mr. Scott doesn't give me a chance to say anything back but I also didn't know what to say. By the tone of his voice, it's obvious that this is no 'special occasion' for him. My response to him is a nod to go on.

He flips a piece of chicken over with tongs before turning to face me. "Did you think lying to me was a good idea?" he asks. My brows furrow in confusion as his eyes bore into me. "I'm sorry, sir, when did I lie to you?" I'm trying my best to sound as polite as possible. "In Stockholm. You told me you and my daughter weren't together. That wasn't true or else we wouldn't be here right now," he retorts.

Oh. I guess Nola and him haven't had this talk then. "Mr. Scott, believe me or not, but Nola and I weren't together then. We just got together recently. Even if it wasn't the best time then, if Nola and I were together, I would have told you. There's no need to lie, not now, not then," I speak. Nola's dad looks at me questionably like he's trying to find lies in my eyes.

"But you had feelings for her. Correct?" he then asks. I nod my head, deciding not to lie. In Stockholm, I hadn't realized my feelings for Nola were as deep as they are now. This whole time I've been fooling myself that we were just friends. There were no feelings involved. Damnit, I should have known that was bullshit after I put the picture of her in my most important people picture album.

She'll never know that I stared at that picture at least once a day since I took it of her. For some reason, staring at a picture of a girl who was my friend every day didn't seem weird to me. Now I look like an idiot because I was most definitely denying my feelings for her this whole time.

It sounds cheesy as fuck but she's just different. I've always known that. After finding out our pasts are connected in a way just confirmed that this girl was supposed to be in my life. One way or the other. We were always meant to find each other. In this life or the next.

"Okay. I know you weren't dating then, just trying to test you. So, why?"
"Why what?"

"Do you have feelings for my daughter?" he asks, closing the grill. "What about Nola separates her from all the women you meet every day? At your games, on the road. I'm sure you have thousands of women in your Instagram messages or whatever telling you they want to be with you. No one is more beautiful than the women in my family, at least that's my opinion, not every other man's. So why? I'm sure, again, in your eyes, other gorgeous women are fawning over you."

I shake my head. He's not entirely wrong. I think every pro athlete can admit they have people in their messages every day shooting their shots. First of all, I rarely look through my DMs. I'm never on social media at that. Second, none of those people know me. They can see what I do and look at my face and be like 'damn he seems like boyfriend material'. Then they'd get to know me and be like never mind.

If I wanted those women, all I had to do was send a message back. But I never did. As someone who devoted their whole life to hockey, I didn't want a relationship to begin with. That was until Nola Scott snuck up on me. Not in a great way but we made it here. It takes a special kind of person to be able to want to spend all your time with. She's the only person I don't think I could get annoyed with. No matter how much time we spend together.

Every time she leaves, I don't feel the same. I'm at my happiest with her.

"She's been the only woman I've seen for a long time now, Mr. Scott. Your daughter is beautiful, yes. Sometimes I look at her and can't even believe someone like her would want me but it's not about how she looks. It's her heart. I've never met anyone with such a kind heart. From her words and actions, I can see just how much she cares about the people she loves. She'd stick with them through life and death. Her ability to see the best in people all the time even though they might not deserve it. I can go on."

I can't tell what he's thinking but he says, "Go on then."

"She's strong and willing. I've never seen anyone who can smile a couple of hours after losing one of the biggest competitions of their career. I'd be a sore loser, I'll admit it. She lights up any room she walks into. My mom met her at one of my games, I don't know if she told you that. Mom didn't even know I knew Nola, just thought she was a Kings fan at the time. Absolutely loved her."

I take a breath. "What I'm trying to say, Mr. Scott, is that I'll sit here and keep talking about everything I love about your daughter until you see that I'm not messing around about her. I'm not that kind of man. If I didn't want her, I'd be upfront and honest. She's the only girl I've ever been with that's given me that feeling," I admit. Her dad crosses his arms over his chest, looking more intimidating than ever. "What feeling?"

"You know... that overwhelming feeling. Every time I'm in her presence, I feel lucky to be next to her. Every time she smiles and it's because of me, I feel like the luckiest man in the world. With her, it just feels right. I'm telling you that with the utmost confidence," I say, swallowing the thick lump in my throat. Expressing my feelings to my girlfriend's dad is definitely a first.

Mr. Scott stares into my soul, face completely stoic. Silence overtakes us and then he begins to nod. His lips rise, just the corners, with a smile. "I felt that same feeling with my wife so it makes me glad someone feels that way about my daughter. You're right about everything you said. Don't take advantage of her because you will regret it, son. I don't mess around when it comes to my kids. Especially, Nola."

I don't take his words lightly. He seems like a great dad. My lips release a long breath. At least he doesn't completely dislike me now. "You'll have to grow on me. Your words were special, yes, but actions. Those speak louder than anything you just told me. I have to admit it though, kid. I see it. I know you care about my daughter, so..." he pauses, lifting the lid of the grill again. "Thanks."

If anything, I should be the one thanking him. He created the woman I was meant to be with. The back door opens and Kayce steps out the door, closing it behind him. He runs a finger through his messy dirty blonde hair. "Mom told me to make sure Miles was still alive. Hello, Miles. See I was right." He nods his head once. Mr. Scott narrows his eyes slightly at his son. "You knew about this?"

Kayce shrugs. "Figured it out at that get-together that day in Los Angeles. I was just waiting for them to admit it." Mr. Scott still looks a bit suspicious but passes it over. "Kayce, help me get this food in, will you? Miles you can go back inside," he tells me. "Nice talk, Mr. Scott." I tap Kayce on the shoulder before making my way back inside. Nola smiles when she sees me.

Three familiar faces sit at the dinner table with her. Her siblings. "Hey, Miles," Brooks says a bit awkwardly. Yeah, I saw him in a bad place but there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I make my way over to where they're sitting. "Hey, kid," I squeeze Brooks' shoulders before moving onto Nola's little sister. She's a copy and paste of her dad with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. "Kiersten, nice to see you again." I smile at the little girl.

"Hi. You're my sister's boyfriend now?" she asks. My brows raise in surprise. I forgot she doesn't hold back when speaking. "Mhm. Is that okay?" She nods her head quickly. "Oh yeah. Nola needs someone to give her attention all the time." Nola smacks her lips at her little sister. "Seriously, K?" Kiersten giggles and so does the little man next to her. "Foster, my man. You look taller than the last time I saw you. You're about to be Brooks' height," I tell him.

His face turns a bit red. Brooks laughs. "He wishes." I ruffle his hair. "He'll get there," Foster whispers thanks and then I walk to Mrs. Scott who's in the kitchen finishing up some food herself. "Thanks for having me tonight, Mrs. Scott," I tell her. She smiles at me and nods. "Of course, hon. Was my husband being nice?" I smile at that, "He was."

Her smile gets even bigger. "That's a step forward. I'm glad. Thank you for being kind to my children and mostly to my Nola. I can feel the admiration the two of you have for each other," she whispered. "Always. But there's no need to thank me, honestly. That girl keeps me going, so it's best if I thank you," I admit. Emotion passes through Mrs. Scott's eyes and she scrunches her nose, the same way Nola does.

"You're sweet, still down, hon. The food is almost ready." I give Mrs. Scott one final smile before taking a seat next to Nola and Kiersten. "Was my dad patronizing?" Nola whispers, getting close so her siblings won't hear. I shake my head. "Not at all. I'll tell you later." A smile lights up her face and I wish I could kiss her right now.

When Kayce and Mr. Scott come back inside, they place all the food in the middle of the table. Mr. Scott's cooking is very good that I don't hesitate when Mrs. Scott asks if I want seconds. Most of the talk at the dinner table is about casual stuff like school for both Kayce and Brooks. Kayce's graduating high school in less than a month and Brooks is going into his junior year of high school.

Kiersten and Foster don't join the school talk. Foster doesn't really talk at all but Nola says that's how he is. Kiersten talks for about ten minutes about something that happened to her at gymnastics practice. Kayce rolled his eyes about twenty times during those ten minutes. Nola also shared the news with her parents about getting back on the ice. They were excited for her.

I felt involved in the conversation and it was nice knowing that Mr. Scott wasn't shooting me daggers across the dinner table. He even brought up hockey and seemed thrilled about the Kings doing well. I even told them if they ever wanted to come out to a game to let me know. So yes, the dinner was way better than I was expecting.

Afterward, Kiersten and Foster went with Mrs. Scott upstairs to finish homework. Nola's dad went to his office to do some work while the rest of us cleaned up the dirty kitchen. Mostly Nola, Kayce, and I. Brooks sat on the counter, throwing a soccer ball up in the air. "By the way, I'm going to a party tonight," he whispered, looking around to make sure neither of his parents were around. His siblings snapped their necks to look at him.

"Are you crazy? No!" Nola whisper shouts. Kayce doesn't hide his upset reaction either. "Remember what happened last time? Oh, yeah, you don't because you were too drunk to even remember your own name." Brooks rolls his eyes, tucking the soccer ball under his arm. "Please, sister. I wasn't that drunk. I'll be fine, just need to start planning my escape so if you'll excuse me." He jumps off the counter but Kayce grabs his wrist before he can make a move.

"Brother, if you even care a little bit about me, don't go. I cannot keep fighting for you. Mom and Dad are going to catch you eventually and things will get ugly," Kayce mutters. Brooks pulls his hand back slowly. "Things have been hard at school, Kayc. I lied to Mom and Dad. My grades are not that great and Coach Deaton isn't giving me any confirmation that I'll be moved up to varsity next year. I won't drink if that's what you want but I need a-" he pauses, looking at Nola.

"A what?" Nola speaks, stepping closer to her brothers. Brooks looks at me too then back at Kayce. "You know what I mean," he mumbles. "A smoke and maybe your grades wouldn't be slipping and you would be considered for varsity if you weren't putting other things before school. Brother, you're doing this to yourself, don't you see? It's the partying and drinking that's making you disobedient," Kayce insists.

"A smoke? Since when do you-" Nola pauses, turning to Kayce. "Did you teach him how to smoke? Kayce why would you-"

"I didn't! He learned it somewhere else. I'm not influencing anyone."

"Yeah, but he sees his big brother doing it and thinks it's okay! Brooks, it is not okay. You need to stop putting that trash into your body."

"It's just a cigarette," Brooks retorts. "No, it's not. It's trash. Look, Kayce is going to stop too. Both of you are," Nola demands. "No," both brothers say at the same time. She scoffs then turns to me. "Miles, tell them smoking is horrible. Real athletes don't put that crap into their bodies." My girlfriend looks at me for help. As much as I agree with her, do I really want her brothers to go against me?

"Baseball players have been chewing tobacco and smoking for years, Nola," Kayce adds, not letting me speak. Thank God for that. "That doesn't make it right! You guys are too young to be doing any of that. Mom and Dad would freak if they knew!" she yelps.

"Look. Both of you. I'm fine! If I get caught then that's on me. It's been months and I've yet to get caught again. I'm being careful. I'll deal with Mom and Dad. Just stop fighting."

"Oh, really? What about a week ago when Nola, Miles, and I had to go pick your drunk ass up? I'm sure you could have saved yourself from that one, right?"

"Shut up, Kayce, you're the one who wanted to tattle on me for that shit."

"Maybe then you'd learn your lesson!"

"Fuck you, man."

Kayce chuckles. "Fine. Go on then, brother. You're going to end up dead on the side of the road one day. See if I go save you then."

"Kayce!" Nola screams. "I'm out of here," Kayce takes the keys off the counter and disappears. Brooks looks in disbelief and my girlfriend looks frantic. "He didn't mean that, B," Nola whispers. "You always say that! You always defend him. He means everything that comes out of his mouth," Brooks shouts. Nola winces and I stand by her side, wrapping my arm around her. "Stop defending him, Nola. He's a horrible person."

Brooks is hurt right now. I can see it on his face. I'm sure he doesn't mean that. "You know he's not, B. I'll talk to Kayc, okay? Just please, don't go out tonight." Brooks's brows are furrowed angrily. His sharp jaw is clenched and he shakes his head before walking upstairs. The front door shuts a couple of seconds later and I think that's Kayce leaving.

"I'm so sorry you had to witness that," Nola groans, covering her face with her hands. I chuckle and pull her into my chest. "You're going to regret getting into a relationship with me now aren't you?" she asks, her voice ticking my chest. "No way. This much drama? I'll stick around forever," I tease. She pulls back and laughs a little bit.

"They were both a little harsh. I can't believe my brothers willingly put crap into their bodies. Especially Brooks. He's only 15!" Nola explains. I'd never parent her brothers but I think Nola's right. They're too young for that. "Have you tried talking to your parents about it?" I ask. Nola's dark eyes widen. "Are you kidding me? Brooks would hate me for life if I ever did that. It's a sibling thing."

Makes sense.

"We should take off. I'll deal with this another day when I don't feel like my head is exploding," Nola tells me. I agree with her and we say goodbye to both her parents before leaving. It takes us a little longer to get home but when we do, Nola asks if she could come to mine. Of course, I agree. There's not enough time in the day for us to spend together.

She comes upstairs to my room and I pull off my shirt. When I notice her staring, I call her out. "Scott." Her eyes rise back to mine. "Hm." I laugh and pick up a different t-shirt, throwing it on. "You're cute, ice princess." Her face flushes and I grab her hand, pulling her onto my bed. Nola gets comfortable, lying on her side and I spoon her from behind. She takes a deep breath. "You okay?" I ask.

Nola nods her head. "You being here is making things better. I just can't stop thinking about my brothers." I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Everything will work itself out, babe. They're going to be okay." I hope I'm right. Brooks and Kayce are good people. I'd hate for anything to happen with them and between them.

She turns her body over, letting me see her pretty face better. "I never asked how the conversation with my dad went," she starts and I smile, remembering it. "I was honest, Scott. About how I felt about you. It was all he needed to hear from me. He seemed pleased and there were no glares at the dinner table so I'd say it went well."

Nola's smile is a thousand times bigger now and she scrunches her nose, grabbing my face and kissing it. "Yay! I told you it would be alright, didn't I? You're great, Miles. I knew Mom and Dad would grow on you," she tells me. If only she heard everything I told her dad. "You mean a lot to me, Scott. That's why I was so scared." It's the truth.

My parents have loved her since the beginning. I'm going to have to try to get her parents to trust me with her more. It's something I'm willing to do cause... I just care about this girl so much. I'd do most things for her, she just has to say the word.

She moves our faces closer together. Her lips inches from mine. "They saw the way you were with me. All they want is for me to be happy and I'm more than happy with you. Truly, I've never felt happier than anytime I'm with you." Her words make my heart burst. She's so fucking perfect. This is the girl for me, there's no question. "I just said happy about a thousand times," she giggles.

As much as I love her laugh, I cut her off with a kiss. She cups the back of my head and pulls me closer to her. This is what I've been craving my whole life without even realizing it. Someone who makes me feel the way this girl does. To think a woman so perfect couldn't exist until I meant this one. My girl.

Nola wraps her leg around my waist as I slip my tongue into her mouth. Hers meets mine softly, making me hold back a groan. She places a hand on my waist, slipping her hand under my shirt a bit. Oh, God. Her touch ignites desire all throughout my body. Like she's currently sitting in my head, Nola climbs on top of me without breaking our kiss. Once she plants herself over my crotch it's game over.

She wakes up that desire even more and while I've never been embarrassed, I try to think about anything that will prevent me from getting a boner. Sadly, that's damn near impossible when you have the girl of your dreams exploring your mouth like Dora the fucking explorer. She lets out a whimper once she feels me and that sends me through the roof. Her leggings and my sweats are the only thing separating our...

Nope! Nope. Not now. Not today. Not the time.

I pull away from our kiss slowly and I see the need in her expression. It takes a lot of patience to not kiss her again. Why does she have to be so irresistible? Her blonde hair is a bit messy now and I comb it down with my hands. "Can you kiss me again?" she asks, a slight rasp in her soft voice.

The tension that hangs between us is too heavy so I kiss her again. Her chest presses against mine. Our lips move in sync with need. After only a couple of seconds, she grinds herself against me making my hips buck up. I swear I didn't mean to do it. It's the response she wanted because she continues to rub herself on me and this time a groan slips out of my throat.

"Fuck, Nola," I say. She bites on my bottom lip before pulling back. Looking at her on top of me like this is creating a lot of pictures in my head that aren't exactly PG. Lord give me strength. She slowly gets off my lap and sits down on my bed next to me. "Can I sleep here?" she asks. I nod quickly. More time with her, yes please. Just less of what we were doing right now. It's hard to resist her.

She asks me for some clothes and I give her a T-shirt of mine and some old sweats that barely stay up her legs so she decides to pass on them. The shirt is big enough that it fits her like a dress. Keep your hands to yourself, Miles. We get into bed and she turns off my light immediately. "I'm exhausted," she yawns. It gets a yawn out of me and I pull her closer to me.

After she wasn't on me anymore, I started thinking about our upcoming game which made me get soft real quick. It's almost the Conference Finals. Tomorrow is our first practice back and then we play a couple of days after. Thinking about the next round will help me not want to get playful with my girl. Her in only my shirt makes it a little bit harder but I know how to contain myself.

We just started dating. There's no rush.

Nola turns to me again and she bites on her fingernail meaning she's anxious. "What's wrong, ice princess?" I move hair out of her face and put her hand down away from her mouth. It takes her a couple of seconds to speak. "I really, really wanted you then," she whispers like it's a dangerous secret. Only her whispering those words made it worse for me. Cause holy shit if she means what I think she means...

"Like... in that way?" I stutter like an idiot. She nods her head and then sighs. "But you should probably know... I wanted to tell you this," she pauses, looking down. It looks like she's contemplating telling me something. "What?" I ask, bringing her attention back to me. "I-I'm-" she hesitates. "A virgin."

Her words hit me like a puck in the stomach, taking all the air out of my lungs. I'm one hundred percent sure I heard the word virgin escape her lips just now. "You are?" I croak, clearing my throat right after. She looks ashamed, nodding her head. Fuck, I didn't want to make her feel like that. It's most definitely not something to ashamed of. Not at all.

"I'm sorry. I know you've been with girl-"

"Hey, hey. Stop that okay. Don't talk about the past. Don't compare yourself to anyone from my past, please Scott. I'm not mad or disappointed or upset or anything negative, okay? Just a little surprised but that's fine, babe. It doesn't matter to me," I assure her and pull her head to my chest. She places a hand on my chest and I can feel the pulse from her wrist racing quickly.

"Surprised? Why?" she asks her voice still a bit shaky. I rub her back in comfort. "It's nothing about you that made me surprised. I guess most days people your age just aren't anymore so it shocked me but I don't find it bad or anything. Never. I respect it. Thank you for confiding in me enough to tell me that," I tell her.

She looks up at me, her cheeks a bit flushed. "I know it's soon. I probably shouldn't have said that but you're the only person I've ever considered doing that with. I trust you enough to know you'd keep me safe." Her words make me feel proud. Proud that she thinks I can be that one for her. I would protect her with my life so yeah, it makes me a little bit nervous.

"I've got you, Scott. Always." I wrap my arms around her as she turns around. She places a kiss on my arm and we both fall asleep shortly after.