"Wow," Aimee said, brows jumping high as she walked into the room that used to be hers. "You've really been busy."

Since my desk, sewing machine, and fabric collection only took up about a third of the room, I'd devoted the rest of the space to organizing my growing assortment of designs. Several single bar clothing racks I'd gotten for cheap at a local department store were now arranged along the far wall, all nearly filled to the max. There was a range of colors, a slew of base styles that I'd expanded on, and sizes ranging from what felt like zero to infinity.

Something for everybody.

"Yeah, it's been a lot," I said, feeling accomplished as my gaze arched the room, "but now I have everything set for the opening."

"Damn, maybe I should've moved out sooner then, if it would've gotten your ass into gear like this."

"I don't think that's what was holding me back," I mused, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "I think I just needed to know I was actually going to move forward with the boutique and not have it stuck as a pipe dream inside my head. Though the extra space helps," I added as an afterthought.

"I always knew you'd get here." She grinned, skimming the racks. "Ever since you first told me about your idea junior year. You were always so confident about it, but even after leaving your job to break out on your own and failing the first time, I knew you'd get to this point."

Being careful of her small baby bump, I lightly nudged her side. "My own personal cheerleader."

"You sure Seb hasn't edged me out for that position yet?" she asked cheekily.

A flare of heat colored my cheeks. "Not yet."

Despite the fight we'd had the day of the photoshoot, Seb and I had managed to talk things out and clear the air between us. He'd apologized and understood where I was coming from in terms of needing periods of time to solely focus on my work, so I didn't see the point of hanging on to any feelings of animosity.

She eyed me with curious disbelief. "You sure about that?"

"I mean, he hasn't edged you out. Nobody could. But he's closing in."

The last words were an admission I hadn't yet made out loud, and were thus let out in a whisper.

Her eyes gleamed knowingly with mischief. With happiness. "Uh oh," she teased, "it sounds like somebody's in love."

Love. Love. Love.

The word looped through my mind as the seconds ticked passed and I tried to come up with an excuse to deny it. It wasn't the right time, I had too much to focus on career-wise, and we weren't meant to be getting this serious this fast.

But there was also a voice in the back of my head saying Aimee was right. That I'd made a hop, skip, and a jump over the hill and had fallen in love. Thinking about the way I smiled whenever he was around, the pride I felt watching him give it his all on the ice, and the safety and comfort I felt in his arms, the realization slowly began to take shape.

It'd been building, slowly and overtime, creeping up unnoticed as I told myself to just go with the flow, but now I could recognize it for what it was.

Love.

***

Once I wrapped my head around the emotions and finally managed to drag Aimee away from the small collection of maternity lingerie I'd designed, the two of us wandered back to the living room just in time to turn on the television for the puck drop.

With the Knights having won their last game at home, and with the way the other teams in their division had been playing, a win today would secure them a spot in the playoffs.

Which consequently had the two of us blocking off our afternoon to cheer them on.

Through all three periods, both teams seemed to be evenly matched—Montreal pushing back every time the Knights gained momentum. It was hard fought and exhilarating, and up until the last few minutes of the game, the score was deadlocked at 1-1.

That is, until Jack passed the puck off to his linemate, Mackay, who landed a sweet shot right above the goalie's glove. And we waited with bated breath, watching as they held onto the lead right up until the last buzzer sounded.

The crowd—full of Montreal fans—hadn't appeared to be all that impressed, but nobody on the team seemed to care as the players rushed onto the rink in celebration. Helmets were tossed to the side, sticks and gloves fell to the ice, and before the broadcast cut off, one last shot of the ice showed Seb grinning alongside his teammates.

"They did it," I said, giddy as I stood from the sofa, unable to sit still. "Holy shit, they actually did it." Aimee looked at me with amusement. "How are you not more excited about this?"

"Trust me," she replied, holding in her laughter, "the first year or two with Jack was a rollercoaster of emotions when it came to watching him play. I've just learned to contain myself a bit more."

"How?" I asked, falling back to the sofa. "I feel like I need to be there with him, to congratulate him."

"Just know he realizes you won't always be able to be there, but he knows you're proud of him. And I'm not gonna lie, when the team wins big like this, the guys like to celebrate by themselves for a while to let it sink in."

"So, you're saying I just have to wait?"

She nodded. "And be lucky that today was an afternoon game. You'll be able to meet him at the airport when their flight lands instead of waiting up all night."

The waiting, however, was the hard part.

Despite her best efforts, Aimee couldn't get my mind off Seb. Off the team. A movie didn't do the trick, nor did ordering enough take-out to feed a small army. The only thing that helped alleviate some of the energy buzzing through my body was the response I got from Seb after sending him a congratulatory text.

Thanks, babe! Can't wait to see you later.

It wasn't much, but it was enough.

Hours later, when I stood impatiently next to Aimee in the airport, I'd managed to calm myself slightly, though as I watched the status of the Montreal flight switch to landed, the buzz of excitement returned.

"You look like the Energizer Bunny right now."

It was true, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "And you were the one who admitted you felt like this way back when you first started seeing Jack," I said, bouncing from foot to foot, "so just let me enjoy this moment."

I spotted the security first, leading the way as the players followed close behind. And there, grinning amongst his teammates as he saw the small crowd of fans, was Seb.

I didn't rush to him like I wanted to. Instead, I held myself back, sticking to the sidelines, and watched as he crouched to speak to a few of the kids in Knights' gear, his dress pants stretching tightly over his ass as he did so.

With my shameless gaze trailing over Seb, I barely acknowledged Aimee or Jack as they snuck away from the crowd, and just when my patience was nearing the end of its tether, Seb's gaze landed on me.

My lips curved as he made his way towards me. When he was close enough, I threw my arms around his neck, resting my head against his chest as he pulled me closer. "Hey," I said, my voice soft. "Congratulations on the game, and for making the playoffs."

"Hey, yourself," he said, leaning back as his eyes studied me. "And thank you." Trailing a hand up my back, threading his fingers through my hair, his grin softened. "I missed you today."

My heart beat faster in my chest, and not caring if he could feel it, I melted into him. "I missed you too," I said, my breath mingling with his before our lips crashed together.

It was sweet yet deliberately tantalizing, and when I ran my tongue gently across his bottom lip, a soft moan fell from his lips.

"Now that's a nice welcome home."

I laughed, running my hands over his shoulders. "I can think of a few other ways to welcome you home."

A low groan of pleasure escaped him as he dropped his lips to my neck. "You're not playing fair," he said huskily, kissing me quickly before pulling back. "Because while I can't wait to see what you have planned, a few of the guys were thinking of hitting Apollo's for an hour or two to celebrate."

Looking around, I noticed that while most of the team had cleared out, there were still a handful of familiar faces gathered around.

"Though if you'd rather head home and chill—"

I shook my head, weaving my fingers between his. "I can do with a bit of celebration." He grinned in response, squeezing my hand. "Just lead the way."

a/n: a reminder to vote and leave your thoughts below! there are only 7 chapters left to go (I think I previously miscounted!)