I was pretty tipsy but I certainly would have been able to find my way back! Then again, this way, I didn’t need to. Sam had become very responsible!
A comment I must have said out loud because he laughed again. “I am a very responsible person now, it’s true,” he agreed. “But maybe,” he grinned. “Not so responsible that I’d discourage some late-night swimming?”
My heart gave a lurch in my chest as adrenaline swirled through my entire body. I should have refused. I should have been responsible and pointed out that my bridesmaid dress required fancy underwear that was definitely not meant for swimming in.
But the alcohol in my system made all those ‘shoulds’ a little quieter. Before my brain could linger on what was sensible for a moment longer, my body kicked into action, slipping my feet free of my shoes.
Leaving them next to Sam by the tree, I ran ahead, only pausing to wriggle out of my cumbersome dress. My body met the water with a splash, the cold lake shocking my system and pushing a delighted giggle from my lips.
This wasn’t how I’d imagined my night ending. But as Sam whooped into the water beside me, it was hard to care!
Chapter Seventeen
Sam
FEBRUARY 26TH, 2010
I had known that the trade was coming before receiving the call. There had been rumors and my manager had actually asked me how I’d feel about a trade. The truth was, I didn’t have any objections. Playing for Edmonton was great! But that didn’t mean that it had to be my forever team.
So receiving the news that I had been traded to the Salt Lake Pumas was... fine. Maybe a little exciting. I hadn’t known where I’d end up, but the Pumas were an up-and-coming team. Having recently drafted Luke Nash, they were on a steady road toward a solid, play-off worthy roster.
It just so happened that the same day of being traded to Pumas was the day Helena was coming to visit. The knowledge that she was already in a taxi on her way from the airport was the only reason I didn’t call her to tell her the news. Instead, I eagerly waited for her outside.
Over the year since our engagement, Helena had visited less than I would have liked. She was busy with university, I got that, but I just missed her so much! A long-distance relationship wasn’t something either of us had wanted. And yet, here we were.
Moving to the States was a little daunting because of that, too.
But Helena could come with me! My new contract came with an awesome pay rise; we could look for a house together. I could even pay for Helena to finish university - college! - in Utah. This would be good for us!
“Hey!” I greeted her energetically, helping Helena with her bags and paying for the taxi all in one big blur. “God, I’ve missed you,” I told her once we were inside, pulling Helena into a hug. She felt so right against me, my nose straight away buried in her hair, reclaiming all those missed months of not being able to smell her shampoo.
Her arms wrapped around me, squeezing so tight it felt like I couldn’t breathe for a moment. The pain was worth it; it meant that Helena had missed me too, probably just as much as I’d missed her. “It’s so good to see you,” she said, pulling back so her gaze could sweep across my face and then down the rest of me.
“Did you put on even more muscle?” Her fingers stroked my bicep through my shirt, making me beam. The longer I stayed with professional hockey teams, the fitter I got. Right now was the prime of my life!
“Or maybe your hands have just gotten smaller,” I teased. They hadn’t, Helena’s hands were definitely still the same size. But just to make sure, I let my hand find hers, linking our fingers together. It felt like forever since we last held hands. While a few months weren’t really that long, some days it did feel like it.
This was no time to focus on how much I missed Helena when she wasn’t here. It was much more worth my time to focus on her being here now!
Leading us through to the living room, I took a seat on the couch. This was always where we started. A catch-up, some kisses, decisions on pizza. Even without seeing each other often, we had those little traditions, put together over years of being together.
“I have some news!” I told Helena, unable to help my excitement. Maybe she could guess what the news was about; Helena knew the trade season was on.
Her blue eyes lit up, sparkling with shared excitement. Even when Helena hadn’t been interested in hockey, she’d always been eager to hear me talk, letting me explain things to her over and over again until she had them memorized.
“You’re getting traded somewhere exciting?” she asked eagerly. “A big city?” Helena had always wanted to live in a big city, somewhere she could meet all different kinds of people and go to book events and the theater.
Truthfully, I had no idea how big Salt Lake City was, but it had ‘city’ in the name and it would definitely be bigger than our hometown. So in response, I nodded. “Yeah, I am.” I smiled. “Obviously, we knew this was a possibility, but I think it’s good! I’ll miss the guys, of course, but it’s still exciting! A new team; they have some great players.”
Helena nodded along as I realized that
