Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“No. What? Magnus set up an all-night thing?”
“He asked to have dinner with you. But this is me telling you to stop being a martyr and go get you some. Jesus. Let the village have an at bat.”
I close my eyes, everything adding up now. The thong. The bra.
“But I’m ... unkempt down there. And I think there might be actual rust in my birth canal.”
She snort-laughs. “He’s European; they prefer an untamed bush.”
“Do they? Every single one?”
“Quit stalling. Get the fuck out of my car. There’s a reservation under his name. Don’t you fucking dare walk into the house in two hours.”
My heart races over knowing Magnus is inside. I unbuckle my seat belt.
“You should have told me. I could have acted surprised.”
“Enjoy those Swedish meatballs, babe.”
She blows me a kiss as I get out of the car. I barely get the door closed before she speeds away.
Leaving me to go inside. Where Magnus is. Alone.
I square my shoulders and walk inside.
He stands up when he sees the hostess leading me to his table. I’ve never felt butterflies like this.
Magnus looks nervous. He’s not sweeping his gaze up and down my body; his eyes haven’t left mine since he saw me.
He’s wearing khaki pants, a light-blue dress shirt unbuttoned at the top, and a dark-brown jacket that’s similar to a suit jacket but not as dressy. I could melt over how handsome he is.
When I reach the table, we just smile at each other like a couple of fools for a few seconds, but I’ve never been happier to look like a fool.
“Thank you for coming,” he says.
I put my coat and bag on an empty chair at our table and sit down. “Thanks for the invite.”
He sits down, too, and our server comes over to take my drink order.
I request a glass of white wine to soothe my nerves. I’m careful about how much I drink after growing up with a mother who wasn’t. I don’t drink often, I never drink alone, and I never have more than one drink in a day.
He clears his throat, saying, “I wanted to take you on a date so we could talk alone, but I thought you might not want to come, so I asked Jules to help.”
I knit my brows together, confused. “Why did you think I wouldn’t want to?”
“For the same reason I’ve gone back and forth about asking you out since the night I fed you dessert.”
The server brings my glass of wine and I take it before she can set it on the table, taking a drink. I set the glass down, then pick it back up and take another drink before I speak again.
“For me, it’s about my kids. And honestly, if you’ve hesitated to ask me out because of my kids, that hurts.”
A wrinkle appears between his brows and his lips part with surprise. “No, I meant my contract situation. I might not be staying in Cleveland. Your boys are on the list of many reasons I do want to ask you out, Blair.”
The relief I feel is physical. Maybe I was being defensive, but it’s kind of a reflex for me.
“Oh my god,” I whisper, my heart pounding with excitement. “Did you get a contract with Cleveland?”
He shakes his head. I cringe inwardly, wishing I hadn’t blurted the question out like that.
“The way hockey works is that Cleveland is the only team that can make me an offer now, and they haven’t. I do have interest from another team, but they can only have informal conversations with my agent until after the season ends.”
“Right. Okay. But you’re playing extremely well, so you’ll get something.”
He acknowledges that with a slight nod. “I’m going to level with you. I may not be staying in Cleveland. I figured I shouldn’t start anything with you if I might be moving. I’d never want to hurt you or Coop and Eli. But I did a lot of thinking on the road trip. After Elin was injured, I stayed in the Swedish league even though I could’ve come to the US. I wanted to be there for my family as much as possible. The only reason I came to the US was to make more money, because I want her to have the best rehab and care. I’ve never seen anything I do for my family as a sacrifice.”
His selflessness and sincerity are two of my favorite things about him. When I was younger, I thought cocky, sarcastic guys were hot. I was so wrong.
“I live at a hotel and save and invest every dollar I can,” he says. “There are things I don’t do because I’ve considered them selfish. I don’t take vacations. I don’t drive an expensive car. And I don’t really care about that stuff. But you ... you’re the one thing I’ve been denying myself that I want badly.”