Nola Scott

My eyes stayed latched on the TV in front of me. I had been sitting on the couch for hours now and no one had been home to remove me from here. There had been no distractions from me and the TV so far. That is until there was a knock on my front door.

Em?
Why would she knock?

I paused the TV. I'll be able to skip over some commercials later by doing this. Standing up, I didn't make a rush over to the door. Once I opened it though, my whole body felt relaxed as my eyes landed on beautiful gray ones. My boyfriend. He looked me up and down causing me to look at myself. I was still in my pajamas from last night and I'm sure my hair was a bird's nest.

Instead of greeting me, Miles walked past me into my apartment and walked directly to the couch where I'd been a couch potato for the last couple of hours. He glanced at the TV with hands on his hips before turning to look at me, thick brow raised. "Hi?" I said. Miles picked up the TV remote and switched the TV off. Gasping, I leaped forward even though the damage had been done.

"What are you doing?! I was watching that!" I protested, narrowing my eyes at him. "No, you're comparing yourself to them," he finally said his first words. Well. Maybe but who cares? My body fell back onto the couch. There was no use in trying to come up with an excuse. He knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. "It's just a competition," I sighed, stealing the remote back.

Miles sat me down on the couch, his gray eyes never leaving mine. "The one you chose not to go to for many reasons," he reminds me. He's right. But it's Nebelhorn. It's a huge competition and I want to see who performs well. "Your names already out there babe. Remember last month's big competition?" Miles keeps talking.

Last month's competition was crazy. Lots of amazing figure skaters attended it even some who are participating in Nebelhorn. I got second overall which gained me a lot of recognition again like Worlds did. It was crazier this time around though because it bounced off my performance from Worlds.

My following had risen by thousands. People noticed me in public. I was even being talked about in the figure skating world.

Everyone was assuming I was performing at Nebelhorn today and to their surprise, I wasn't. There were talks about why but I was ignoring what people were saying. The reason I chose not to go to Nebelhorn was because I wanted more time. More practice. The Olympics was in a couple of months and if I performed and did good, I'd likely be put on the Olympic team.

I wasn't ready. Not yet.

Still, it was interesting to watch skating competitions. Most of these girls were young and just starting their professional careers. I'd compete against them one day. Knowing who I'm up against by watching them skate is fine. Miles does it all the time so he should understand. "I'm just watching babe. Plus, I want to show support for the U.S. girls competing," I added. There's a possibility another girl will join Mei and Karington in the Olympics this winter.

"How about you join me and the guys tonight? There's a team celebration at 8:30. Kelz rented out a bar for us tonight so no need to worry about any randoms acting weird around us," Miles says, holding my hands in his. His words pique my interest for a second before worry takes over. "Celebration? Oh gosh, did you guys win a game tonight? I thought you weren't playing until-"

My boyfriend cuts me off. "No, we won last night, remember? And we don't have another game for two days so we're letting loose. Including me. I'm in the mood for some Hein's." He grins and waggles his thick brows. Oh, thank God. I thought I missed another game. I'm quiet for a few seconds. "So... we'll get to be together then? Since it's just us and your team?" I ask, hopeful.

It's only been two months since Miles and I started dating and we've kept our relationship a secret from the media this far. I go to games to support him but I don't make it obvious I'm there for him. Ember, JT, and I are best friends so most of my social posts about hockey involve them. Occasionally Tate and Kait too.

But never Miles.

We follow each other on Instagram but he never likes my posts or likes anything I'm in. He tries his best to keep me out of the picture of his life. I'm okay with it because it's what he thinks is best for our relationship. All he's trying to do is protect me from all the crazy hockey fans out there who bash women for dating men. It doesn't help that he's one of the most beautiful guys in the NHL.

Eyes are always on him and who he's with because there are women out there hoping to be his one.

But they can't be. Because that title belongs to me.
Even though nobody knows it.

Miles makes a pained expression. "No, baby. The bar we're going to has these big glass walls so everything from the inside is visible to the outside. It's in downtown LA too." A sigh escapes my lips even though I don't mean it to. Going out with the team is always fun but it sucks to not be able to be close to him. I just want to hold onto him all night like a little puppy.

Being feet away from him in the same room knowing I could be engulfed in his arms makes me sad. "C'mon, baby. I want you there. Em will be there and Kait, Ny, Julia, Kaylee, and even Brie," Miles gasps when he says that last name. Brie Love is only three and a half years older than me at 23. Her husband joined the Kings during the offseason and we quickly became friends. We have a lot of the same interests and she just understands my humor like no other.

She does take the stay-at-home wife role a little too hard which is why she never comes out. Dylan, her husband, never does either. They're too busy in their own little married life bubble. It's adorable but I've always wondered what Brie's like in a going-out setting. I guess I was about to find out.

"Fine, I'll come." I push at his hard chest and he doesn't move an inch. "That's what I'm talking about," he exclaims as I pass by him to go change. He slaps my ass lightly and follows behind me, throwing himself on my bed. Miles looks around my room with his arms behind his head. "I'm gonna miss your room," he tells me.

It's September which means I'm officially moving out on my own in two months. JT is going to take over my lease and steal my roomie. I'm kind of sad about it since I love living with Ember but this would be good for them. They seem really excited about living together too. "Same but I'm going to have an apartment all to myself soon." I waggle my brows.

Living alone seems like the best idea for me. JT suggested for me to move in with Miles but I think it's too soon for that. Plus, my dad can get me into any apartment I want whenever I want. "That's cool babe. You can also sleep over at my house whenever you want," my boyfriend said.

Of course. I love playing house with Miles.
Him in the morning is my favorite sight.

I slip on a denim mini-skirt, a plain, short-sleeve black top, and my black boots. My hair just needed to be combed since it's naturally straight and I opted for mascara and lip-gloss only. I grab all my essentials and slip them into my purse. "Ready," I breathe. Miles has been distracted by his phone this whole time and when he finally looks up, his eyes widen.

"Turn around," he said, so I did. I don't miss the way his eyes darken as he gets off the bed and walks over to me. "Your ass is almost hanging out of the skirt, Scott." I raise a brow at him. He's never said anything about the way I dress. "Problem?" I questioned, eyeing him hard.

His dark eyes meet mine again. "Yeah," he demands, "problem with any dickhead who dares to look at you for any longer than a second." A smile tugs at my lips then and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to my height. "I'm yours. And we're going to be around people who know I'm yours, so calm down." I pat his chest before pulling away and grabbing his hand.

We drive back to Miles' place and leave in the car with a bunch of his teammates and their wives. When it's time to get out of the car, I don't exit with him. Ember hooks her arm around mine and we walk into the bar together. Miles and I part ways now as he greets his teammates. I do the same but next to Em and JT.

On the car ride over, Miles told me to have fun tonight. He also said he was going to drink tonight. He never said just how much but even though we were separated the whole night, I saw it. The way he was. About thirty minutes ago, we were about ten feet away from each other. It was a group conversation, nothing suspicious.

His eyes stayed on me for more than half of the time that conversation lasted. I felt them. When I would turn to look at him, his eyes were dark. Wanting. Craving. My response to him was a small smile and then I looked away and joined into the conversation around us. Miles was tipsy then, but now?

Now, he's drunk.

People have been outside of the bar for a while now. The flashes distract me but I try not to let them bother me. I'm not the one they're taking pictures of anyway. Because of this, my heart drops to my stomach when I walk past Miles and he hooks his hand around my wrist. My feet are glued to the ground and I turn my head to the left so that no one outside can see my face.

"What are you doing?" I asked, facing him but keeping my face out of sight. "Come and dance with me," Miles told me. I wasn't questioning how drunk he was until now. Sober Miles wouldn't have a problem staying within ten feet away from me when people were watching. Outsiders. Fans. Trolls. Whatever.

I delivered a fake chuckle before releasing my arm from his grip and walking away. He was going to raise questions grabbing me like that. Luckily, I was smart enough to not look toward the glass windows. That was until I was spun around back into Miles's arms. A gasp slipped from my mouth at the contact. His chest was now pressed against mine. "I said dance with me," he repeated.

There was a sudden lump in my throat. I always felt safe in his arms but right now it felt like there was a target on my back. People are watching. Everyone's going to know. "No, Miles, people are watching," I whispered to him even though the people who were watching were outside. "Let them watch." He shrugged, holding onto me right as I tried to squeeze out of his grip.

My face had already been revealed. It was being shown as we spoke and yes, cameras were flashing. I felt my heart physically drop to my stomach. Why is he doing this?

"You don't want this," I whispered again, still trying to pull away from his strong hold. "You're drunk and you're going to regret it in the morning." Miles looked down at me, his pretty eyes piercing me. They were a little droopy and glassy from the alcohol coursing through his veins. His brows furrowed in a cute way.

My body leaned forward into him on command. I felt like I belonged here with him but I knew it was wrong. His grip was tight on me as I tried to pull back once more. "Stay here, Scott. I've missed you," he pleads. Ugh. Why does he have to make this so difficult? My eyes detach from him as I look past him. Tate's eyes are on me. On us. He looks shocked and confused at the same time.

I think he might notice the worry on my face because he starts walking toward us. He puts a hand on Miles' shoulder, stealing my boyfriend's attention. "Hey, come on, man. Let her go dance with Kait," he tells him. I can see the way Miles' eyes immediately darken. "Why? Can I not dance with my fucking girlfriend?" my boyfriends retorts. I can tell Tate doesn't want to argue with him but we both know Miles isn't fully coherent.

If he was, he'd be doing anything to get the hell away from me. He kept a tight hold on me. "Just let go..." I begged. It was too late. They had already seen. There were already pictures. Miles looked at me for a long while before looking at Tate with the same deadly eyes from earlier. "Leave us alone," he seethed. Tate was about to open his mouth again but I shook my head, pleading him to step back.

Kait stepped beside her fiancé. "Everything okay, guys?" she asked all of us but looked at me specifically. An uneasy feeling crept into my body but I nodded, faking a smile too. "Yes, we're good. Tate, Miles and I will be fine. Thank you," I reply. Our friends look at me and then Miles. "You heard her," Miles tells them. Without another word, they both step away.

At this moment, all I want to do is shrivel up and disappear. Can aliens come and take me to their planet right now? Miles cups my cheek with his hand and places a soft kiss on it. The gesture makes me feel warm inside but with the circumstances we're under, I know that won't last very long. "I love you," he says. All I can do is smile and lay my head on his chest.

We dance together and when the song ends, we go our separate ways again. I return to Tate and Kait who looked extremely panicked at whatever just went down. I'm feeling the same way honestly. If Miles hadn't been drunk, he would have never acted that way. I really tried to preserve our quiet relationship but... is it bad that I'm not too upset?

It's only been a couple of months since we started dating but it's hard keeping a relationship a secret. Not being able to go out and do everyday normal things together sucks. We couldn't even be next to one another because then someone would snap a picture and start assuming we were together. Things will change once people start finding out the truth but we can deal with that together.

I know we can.
I'm just scared of how Miles is going to react to all of this once he realizes it.

Tate gave me some reassuring words at the bar before we left. "I just want you to know that his anger when he wakes up in the morning and sees what happened, isn't directed at you. He's going to be upset that it got out because of what will happen to you. What will be said about you? Miles cares about your safety and sanity more than anything," he said.

Miles might be mad but it won't be at me. Gosh, I hope so. Because if anything, I was the one trying to get away from him. Even then, once we left the bar we got Miles back home safely. Tate tucked him into bed like a little kid and the three of us left. Em and I talked a little about the situation when we got home but since it was late, we fell asleep shortly after.

***

Miles Dempsey

Pang. Pang. Pang. Pang.

That was the sound my head was making as I woke up. Despite always shutting my curtains, they were fully open, allowing all the sunlight inside my room. It made my head feel even worse and I didn't want to open my eyes. Who allowed me to get this drunk? Nola wasn't sleeping next to me either which was strange.

She spends the night most of the time but maybe she went home after the bar. It took a bit of convincing to get her out of the house. Watching Nebelhorn had her in a bit of a funk and I hoped going out with the team could make her feel better. I'm trying to think of anything that happened last night but I can't remember one thing.

My phone is dead so I plug it into the charger before standing up to take a quick shower. It doesn't help my aching head one bit. "God, I feel like shit," I mutter to myself as I return back upstairs after taking some Ibuprofen. My phone rings a good six times. It probably just turned on. I walk over and pick it up.

They're all texts. Two from mom. One from Tate. Another from the kid. And two from Tiff.

Mom: Those photos of you and Nola were adorable honey.
Miss you both very much.

Tate: Remember... it's not her fault. Love you. Even though you were mean last night. Dickhead.

JT: the fuck did i miss?

Tiffany: I thought you were keeping your relationship with Nola private.
You two dancing at a bar doesn't really seem low-key, Miles.

I was confused up until Tiff's text. Worried but confused. My heart dropped down to my stomach and I opened up Instagram immediately. My notifications were boosting more than usual. I searched my name on the hashtags and almost all the recent photos were of me and Nola. Through the windows. At the bar last night.

There were only about three different photos being reshared. One where I was holding onto her wrist and talking to her but you couldn't see her face. The other one with my arms around her waist with Tate and Kait talking to us. Then the last one, she had her head laid on my chest and my arms were wrapped around her waist. Our bodies were pressed against one another.

This is how fucking drunk I got last night? How drunk was Nola?

"No, no, no!" This was not supposed to fucking happen. Nobody besides our people were supposed to know that we were a couple. They've already discovered who she is too. Her account is tagged in many of the pictures. How are people so quick? Maybe because I follow her. I press on her tag in and a post and my brows furrow.

Not only is her account private but I'm not following her anymore. Meaning I can't see her profile. I've never unfollowed her so how this happened, I have no idea. It also says follow instead of follow back so it seems as if she's not following me anymore either. The follower number at the top of her page stays the same. She had about fifteen thousand followers the last time I checked and it's only a couple of hundred more.

She might have gone private a long time ago and I just hadn't noticed. I get dressed quickly and despite the headache, I race over to Nola's apartment. We have to talk. My stomach churns with uneasiness and anger. How could we let this happen? Now people who don't know me are going to have an opinion on my relationship.

People are going to judge her.
People are going to question me.
People are going to destroy her.
People are going to destroy us.

No. No. This is exactly fucking why I was trying to keep her to myself. It was all going to go to shit now. If even one fucking person says something terrible about Nola they won't hear the end of it from me. No fucking body is allowed to say anything bad about that girl. It would be like shitting on an angel.

Nola Scott is too good to be talked about in a bad manner. Why the fuck did I have to be famous? Why do people have to give a shit about me? About who I'm with. This fame thing still makes no sense to me. I'd give it up in a heartbeat to keep her safe.

Once I arrive at Nola and Em's apartment, I knock on the door. I'm waiting outside for about two minutes until the door opens slowly. My girlfriend stands behind the door dressed in an oversized pink hoodie and white shorts. Her hood is up so her hair is disguised. "Oh, hi," she mutters. She's the cutest thing in the fucking world. "Can I come in?" I ask even though I never ask that question anymore.

She nods, opening the door wider for me. I walk inside and look around. There's another blanket cocoon on her couch and the TV is switched on to the Nebelhorn competition again. That's the last thing on my mind though. "Scott..." I start, but she cuts me off. "You saw the pictures on Instagram?" she questions. I release a big sigh and nod. "How? How did we let that happen?"

"More like how did you let that happen," Em says as she steps out of her room. Both Nola and I turn to look at her. "Em," Nola sighs. The little brunette holds her hands up in defense. "My bad, don't mind me. I'm just stepping out." She exits the apartment and Nola sighs again when she's gone. "What did she mean by that, Scott?" I ask.

It takes her a while but Nola explains the situation at the bar to me. In my head, her story doesn't make sense but why would she lie to me? I could see it in her face she's not even one bit of hungover. She was sober last night. I was the drunk one. I caused this shit myself.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Tate and Kait even tried to stop you but you just wouldn't budge," she adds in a whisper. That must have been what those pictures were when Tate and Kait were in the frame with us. Fuck, yeah they both know how I've never wanted a relationship of mine to be public. It makes sense for them to try and stop me.

I wrap my arms around my small girlfriend's neck and sigh. "Fuck baby I'm sorry. It's my fault. All of it. Everything that comes after this." Nola wraps her arms around me in a hug. "Don't apologize, it's okay. I was trying to stop you too because I knew this wasn't what you wanted." I didn't want this. I didn't want this for her.

Nola chuckles in my chest. "Girls on the internet can really be mean when you're dating a man they have a crush on." Her words make my whole body tighten up and I pull away. She looks up at me with a weak smile. This is exactly what I didn't fucking want. They're already starting to talk about her negatively. My heart cracks looking down at my beautiful girl. How could people be so mean to her angel face?

She's the most precious thing on this goddamn earth.

A sad chuckle escapes me. My worst nightmare had finally came true and it's all my fault. Not anyone else's. Mine.

"Don't listen to them," my words came out soft. Nola smiles and places her chin on my chest, looking up at me with her pretty dark hues. "It's not what we wanted but we'll make it work, okay? I'll be fine. I'm not worried about what they're saying. Especially not when I'm sleeping next to the man they dream of every night. Who's the lucky one, gals? Me, obvi." Nola waggled her brows.

How can she be such a good sport about this? Especially when she's already reading bad comments about herself. I grab her face between my hands. "Listen to me," I start, "no more reading nasty comments about yourself. Focus on me and only me. We're the only two people who can comment on our relationship and each other. This is why I limit my social media usage, babe. Because of hosers like that."

Nola nods, taking in my words. "They can say whatever they want because, at the end of the day, they don't know us. And we're already a thousand times better than them because we're not Internet bullies." I smile and kiss the bridge of her nose. That's my girl. "Your love keeps me afloat, Miles. Their words can't hurt me. I'll be fine. Please don't worry or blame yourself. Don't get in that pretty little head of yours like you always do."

She knows me so well.
Being an overthinker is not for the weak.

"I won't," I promise her. Nola's love keeps me sane. Our relationship being publicized isn't the end of the world for us. It's just the beginning of a new start. She lays her head back on my chest and I wrap my arms around her neck. We breathe each other in for a couple of seconds, enjoying the silence.

"Well at least now we can go get In-N-Out together without the fear of getting caught," she mumbles. I laugh. "You're right, Scott. This may have been the best thing to happen for us."

***

Nola Scott
Two years later

It's hot out here and when I mean hot, I mean hot.
How is it hot in early November ?

My bare legs burn from the heat and it's even worse when I'm carrying heavy boxes from my old apartment to my car. Ember is moving out of the apartment we shared during our freshman year together. She's moving into a brand new one with me meaning we're going to be roomies for our basically senior year of college. I'm excited to be moving in with my friend again.

Living alone was nice but having Em as a roommate was one of the best things ever. She's slowly moving out since the apartment is cluttered with all her belongings. She has been living there for the past three years to be fair. I'm in the process of moving all of my things over to our new apartment too but since I'm almost done, I've decided to help her out today.

I walk back into the apartment relieved when the cool air conditioning hits my hot skin. Pieces of my hair stick to my forehead from the sweat even though I have it tied back into a ponytail. My t-shirt is probably soaked from my back too.

Em stands in the doorway of my old room, her head against the door frame. My heart aches as I stare at her. "Em," I breathe out. She doesn't move but I hear her sniffle. "His room looks so lifeless now that he's gotten everything out," she whispers sadly. His room. My old room but also JT's old room.

Their lease ends in about a week but JT's been moving himself out for weeks now. I approach her and put a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "I just wish-" The front door opening cuts us both off and I see Em quickly wipe her tears. My tummy flutters as I see a tall, blonde boy walk into the apartment. His eyes fall on both of us and I can tell he wasn't expecting us to both be here.

"Ah, sorry for barging in unexpectedly. I lost something and I just wanted to come over and check if I might have left it here," JT breaks the silence. "Hey, Jay," I say. His eyes flit from Ember to me. "Hi, Nola." He offers me a small smile and it stings because I'm used to seeing his boyish grin. We haven't spoken in a couple of weeks.

Jay turns around and searches through the kitchen cabinets for something. He grabs a King's water bottle and lifts it slowly to show us. "Forgot this. Again, my bad for rushing in here. See you girls." He takes off quicker than he came in. Once he's gone, I turn to Ember who stares at the door with wide, sad eyes like she's waiting for him to come back.

"Em-" Her sobs cut my words off and she turned to hug me. I embrace her as tight as I can while she cries. This breakup is still fresh for her. It's only been a little over a month but they dated for years. Of course, she's still upset. "I loved him so much, Nola. It was him. It was supposed to be him," Em cries. My heart clenches at her words. "I know, Em," I whisper, caressing her hair.

They were so perfect for one another. I really thought they were going to stay together forever but sometimes things don't work out in ways you want them to. Em and JT were fighting way too much. Their lives clashed too much and I could see JT growing tired of repeated cycles. He was at the peak of his career with the Kings too. Ember was deep into nursing school and focusing on figure skating more than ever.

The odds were stacked against them and sadly, they didn't come out on top. Their relationship ending caused a shift though. He stopped talking to me whenever they broke up too. Most times, it seemed as if he was perfectly okay with the fact that his relationship with Ember was over. That hurt her because she wasn't happy at all. She was hurting so much and he just... wasn't.

"You're going to be okay, Em. Maybe not right now but you'll be okay. I promise you. I'm going to be by your side through this, okay? We're getting you all moved in tonight so we can have a sleepover okay?" I move her hair out of her face as they stick to her tears. "That's going to take all day," she cried. I smiled and kissed her temple. "I don't care. I don't want to spend another night under a roof you're not under as well."

She smiles faintly and hugs me again. "You're the best friend I could ask for. Thank you for sticking with me." Her hug brings me warmth. There's not a better hugger in this world than my best friend. "Always, Em."

***

"Get up, bitch! It's wedding day!" Em shouts, jumping up and down on my bed and smacking me with a pillow. I groan with my eyes closed as my body moves against the mattress. How is she so hyper in the morning? "Get. Up. Get. Up." My eyes slowly open and I push Em's legs. "Okay, okay. I'm up," I groan as I sit up in bed. "We have to leave in thirty minutes so chop chop," Em claps as she steps off my bed.

I stare at her with annoyance. "You're acting as if you're the bride," I say. She smiles. "Uhm, biyatch I'm a freaking bridesmaid. I've never been a bridesmaid before so I'm excited can you blame me?" I guess not but she is too hyper for my liking. It's only nine in the morning. Practice ran late yesterday so I'm exhausted and sore.

"We need to make sure everything is perfect for Kait and Tate's special day. Which means we can't be late for our hair and makeup appointment so get your butt ready and I'll wait in the car." Em taps my head before running out of the room. She's right. Kait and Tate are finally getting married after being engaged for a good two years. It took this long for them to plan their dream wedding and today is their special day.

Kaitlyn has been a bridezilla these past couple of weeks but who can blame her? She wants today to be perfect so that is exactly what it'll be. I get changed and brush my teeth before grabbing my bridesmaid dress and shoes. Em jams to music while she waits for me in her new car. She got it as a 21st birthday gift from her dad. "Eeee, let's go!"

The whole ride to the venue, I lay my head down against the window and rest my eyes. It's going to be a long day and night so I need as much rest as possible. Once we got there, I noticed Miles texted me on the way over here.

Miles: Why the hell am I at the venue already.
Is it 9 am???
These people need to be arrested. (Kait and Tate)
Anyway, good morning, ice princess. Miss you. Wish we could have spent more time together last night but I'm excited to see you in a bit. Tell me when you're here.

I laugh.

Nola: let them. it's their day. im also here. miss you more. see you in a couple of hours handsome.

I place my phone back into my pocket as we enter the venue building. A lady leads us into a massive dressing room. Kait is dancing around with what looks like a mimosa in her hands to the music blasting from the speaker. So everyone has this much energy this morning? Are weddings supposed to make you energetic in the morning because I think my energy level missed the memo.

"Beautiful bride!" Em shouts out. Kait raises her head and a smile lights up her face. "My girls! You're here!" She runs toward us and hugs both of us. She's currently wearing a white robe that says 'bride' on the back of it. "I'm so excited," she cheers, smiling wide. "Here come get a drink and snack." Kait leads us over to a table with trays of small foods and mimosas. Maybe a drink will wake me up.

Em and I stack our plates and get a drink before returning to a soft, white couch to talk to Kait. She seems more excited than panicked today which is a good sign. The other girls arrive slowly and once everyone is here, we start getting our hair and makeup done. The whole process takes about two hours and I try and relax during this time.

My weeks have been crazy hectic with figure skating practices. I've been competing at competitions and I'm slowly rising to the ranks I want to be at. It's been fun exploring a professional career alongside Coach Laurel. We've been through a lot together but this is only the beginning. The Olympics is in less than two years. That's been the goal and will remain the goal until I get there.

My eyes open when I hear a knock on the door. "Are the girls decent in there?" His voice sends shivers down my spine. I'd recognize it anywhere. "Come in!" Kait shouts. Miles steps into the room at her command, his eyes meeting mine immediately. A smile curves onto my lips at the sight of him. He's in sweats and t-shirt still but he looks really good. "A present for the bride from her future husband," Miles says, walking up the Kait's chair where she is getting her hair done.

Her smile lights up her whole face as she takes the small bag from him. She peeks her head inside the bag and immediately pouts. "No crying, Kait!" Grace, Kait's sister, shouts out from her chair. "You'll ruin your makeup." Kait looks up and fans her eyes with her hand. "He got me a shit ton of cosmic brownies," she tells us. "I've been on a strict diet for the past month and a half to look perfect today."

Kait's favorite snack is cosmic brownies. Before starting her diet, she'd eat at least one every day so I know she's been dying not being able to eat them. "You'd look perfect regardless," Miles tells her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and giving her a side hug. "True," Ember adds and all the other girls and I agree.

"I'm going to destroy these." Kaitlyn raises the bag slightly, trying to hold back tears. "Tell him I said thank you and that I love him so much." Miles smiles down at her and nods. "I will." Kait thanks him and then he walks over to me, pecking my cheek quickly. "Love you, Scott. See you out there." Miles makes a quick exit.

The makeup artist finishes my makeup and all the other girls start getting into their dresses. It's twelve which means the ceremony begins in less than an hour. Kait comes out in her beautiful white gown. Tears brim my eyes. She looks absolutely gorgeous. We compliment her and she tries to hold back tears again. "Thank you for being here girls. This day has been something I've dreamed of since I was a little girl and it makes it better that I have amazing girlfriends to celebrate this with me."

The group of us hug, making sure we don't get our makeup all over one another. Kait disappears to meet her parents and we head back inside to find the men. They're walking out of the groomsmen quarter but Miles is nowhere to be found. "He's talking to Tate, he'll be out in a minute," Kelz tells me. I nod as the girls get together with their paired groomsmen. Kelz is the one I got paired with since Miles is Tate's best man.

A couple of seconds later, Miles steps into the room. My jaw damn near drops at the sight of him. His longish, dark hair is slicked back sexily as he runs a hand through it. His suit and tie fit him so nicely it makes me weak in the knees. "Look at you," Miles says. I barely realize that he's in front of me now, grabbing my hand and making me do a spin. "Kait sure knows how to pick a bridesmaid dress," Miles adds.

We all wear different styled yellow dresses that Kait picked out for us individually. Mine is simpler but beautiful. I fell in love with it since the moment I saw it. "Can't disagree there," I reply. Miles pulls me up against him and kisses my lips quickly. Everyone else is distracted so nobody focuses on us. "Missed you in my bed last night," he whispers against my lips before kissing me again.

"I can tell," I giggle. His hands slip down from my back to my ass, pinching it softly before moving them back up again. "Tell Kelz to keep his hands to himself or I'll kill him," Miles says still looking me up and down. "Uhm, I'm sure he will," I say, fixing Miles's hair slightly. "Ready to send your bestie off into the married life?" I asked. Miles smiled and nodded. "He's been wanting to be married for a long time trust me," Miles tells me.

That is true. It took some time to get to today but they made it. Now they're going to live happily ever after. It makes me happy for both of them. "Miles!" Tate calls out, making both our heads turn. He juts his head for him to come back into the room. "Duty calls, babe," Miles says, kissing my cheek. Tate looked a little nervous so I hope he's okay. He's supposed to go out soon before us.

I meet Kelz in the line and we talk to Em and another one of his teammates. Tate comes out five minutes later alongside Miles. His teammates shout out some words of encouragement as the oak doors open up for him. Miles goes out first after Tate and then Grace follows after him. "Game time, baby," Kelz whispers, nudging me slightly. "Let's fucking do it."

***

The ceremony surely made every single person present cry. I didn't want to cry but both Kait and Tate's vows were so sweet. You could feel the love radiating off of them. The reception had been going on for a couple of hours now and I was currently sitting down, resting my feet. Em sat next to me and I saw as she stared at the newlyweds as they danced. "Cute right?" I said. She looked over at me frantically like I had pulled her out of a trance. "Yeah..." she muttered. "Cute."

My brows furrowed as I looked at my best friend. She looked really pale and out of it. "Are you okay, Em? Have you had too much to drink?" I asked. She shook her head over at me. "No..." she admitted, fidgeting with her fingers. It takes her a second but she speaks again. "I ran into JT earlier. Like just us, one on one." My brows raised in curiosity. The two of them haven't seen each other in quite a while.

Em was kind of nervous because she knew he'd be there. She was a bridesmaid and he was a groomsman but they weren't paired up together because of their breakup three months ago. She had been better than she was two months ago moving out of their shared apartment but the breakup was still tough for her. Em loved that boy so much. Even now.

"What happened?" I ask, scooting closer to my best friend to hear her better. She swallows thickly. "He congratulated me on getting second place in my competition two weeks ago. Which made me feel..." She didn't have to finish her sentence for me to know.

Ember's figure skating competition a couple of weeks ago was something she'd been preparing herself for for months. It was a huge competitive competition and she questioned if she was on the level that the other figure skaters were.

Em's always been one to doubt herself and I know how much JT helped her throughout her time practicing for this competition. It was important to her so he made it important to support her. The pain etched on her face is evident as she stares ahead hauntingly. "He didn't watch it on TV but he saw Kaitlyn's story about it, his words," Em finishes.

Ugh. How could he be so... cruel? I don't think that's the word. This whole situation is difficult. JT barely talks to me anymore. I'd say we talk as much as he and Em talk and that's rarely. He's going through some changes in his life, according to Miles. What that change is I don't know but it makes me sad that not only did my best friend lose the love of her life, but I lost a best friend as well.

Seeing him used to make my days and now it's just... awkward. "I'm sorry, Em," are the only words that slip from my mouth. She shakes her head slowly. "He was supposed to be there. In the stands." She chuckles but it's a weak sound. "Come to find out he didn't even watch me. How funny." It's not funny at all and I can see it in her face.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Kait begin to walk towards us excitedly. She wants to dance but Ember is in no mood to dance. "C'mon, I want to dance with my girls," Kait sticks her hands out for us. Em is the first one up, her dim features suddenly gone. She's smiling big but I know it's just a facade. She's good at that. Acting like everything's okay when it's not. "You don't have to tell me twice."

I join both of my friends on the dance floor, and for Kaitlyn's sake, try and have a good time. My feet are killing me in these tiny heels though. Two hands plant themselves on my waist. I already know it's Miles so I turn my head slowly. "Hi," I say. His eyes hang a bit low meaning he's had a little too much to drink. "Let's dance," he whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

He doesn't give me a chance to answer, pulling me away from the girls, and causing me to stumble on my aching feet. "Ow," I moan. His brows furrow with worry as he looks down. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" I try not to put so much weight on my feet to recover from that stumble. "My feet are killing me," I tell him. Not even two seconds later he's scooping me up and taking me away from the party.

I don't question where he's taking me even as we step into the back of the venue outside where the ceremony was held. It was a little outdoorsy wedding for Tate and Kait. Romantic and beautiful. Miles sits on a bench and places me on his lap with my feet up. He unties my heels and takes them off my feet. I literally moan at the amazing sensation. Heels aren't for the week. "Finally."

Miles sweeps my hair over my shoulder and kisses my collarbone. "Ready to go home, ice princess?" he asks, laying his head on my shoulder. "Yes. I'm exhausted. We've been at it for hours now," I admit. My body isn't used to being up this late anymore. Usually, we're in bed by 8:30. "Hey, how's Jay? Have you been with him today?" I asked curiously. What happened between Ember and JT earlier today wasn't my story to tell but I wanted to know if he was alright.

"Mhm. He's having a blast. Probably passed out somewhere," Miles chuckles. Good. But I hope he's in his head as much as Em is. "You know, Scott," Miles starts, threading his long fingers through mine. "This wedding made me think of something." My curiosity peaks at his words. Oh? "What is that?" I asked. He lifts his head and looks at me with pretty gray eyes.

"Well first, how did you feel about the wedding? Is something like this always what you dreamed of as well? A big party with a bunch of friends and family?" he questions which gets me thinking. I always thought about getting married to the love of my life and wanting to find such an amazing love. My parents showed me undying love growing up which only made me want it more. But.. I never actually envisioned a wedding. Not like Kait said she did.

To be honest, I'm not an over-the-top type of girl either. Being the center of attention - for longer than two minutes and forty seconds - isn't something that makes me comfortable. I know it's supposed to be a huge celebration of your love but... I'd rather not have it be such a big thing. The smallest moments matter the most to me. The most intimate moments stick with people the longest.

"I think this was a perfect wedding for our friends. I never really dreamed of a wedding more so getting married and finding the person I'm supposed to be with," I admit. A smile grows on his face. "Me. I'm the person you're supposed to be with." Yes, yes he is. "I'm glad you said that because well honestly today made me realize that I don't want something big like this. We can still have a wedding if that's what you want but something huge like this... I don't know."

I smile at him, moving his hair away from his face. "Yeah, this is too much for us. Neither of us likes being the center of attention unless necessary. Something small and intimate would suit us way better," I agree. Knowing that he wants to marry me makes my heart flutter. I've been with this boy for about three years now and it's been the best time of my life.

It's obvious he's my soulmate. Big word but I don't care.

"Can't wait to give you my last name, Scott," he says with a wink. My brows raise. "Then you can't call me Scott anymore," I tell him. He purses his lips and shakes his head. "You're always going to be Scott to me but just remember," he leans in closer to my lips, "everyone else will know you as Dempsey." Nola Avery Dempsey. Hmmm. Never thought about it until now. I love it.

The thought of being married to him makes me giddy. We'd finally be able to move in together and have the life we've talked about for years. It would be perfect, especially with Miles by my side. I kiss him softly, deepening the kiss to breathe his air. "I love you," I tell him as I pull away. "I love you more," he responds, kissing my temple lightly.

All this time I was meant for him. It took a while for us to realize that but I'm so glad we did. Miles Dempsey is engraved in my heart for eternity.

***

A couple of years later

"Look, look! And I can spin." She spins. "And twirl." She twirls. "And jump high!" She jumps. Not that high. "And finally, bow!" She bows.

Miles clamps instantly. "You're amazing, peanut. Never seen talent like that." Her cheeks flush slightly and she runs to hug him. She wraps her tiny arms around his neck and he kisses her cheek a couple of times. "Thank you, Uncle Miles." He rubs her head and I stare at them in awe. He's going to be such a good dad. "How did I do, Aunt Nola?" the little blonde girl asks.

"Oh, you were perfect, Finny," I tell her, nodding my head. She jumps up and down clapping. Finn started taking ballet lessons two weeks ago so she's showing us what she's learned so far. "Look at what my daddy taught me too!" she exclaims and begins doing some weird movement, walking on her tippy toe with her back leg out behind her. Miles and I hold back a laugh, not at the little girl but at the fact that her dad taught her that move.

"I did not teach you that!"
"You definitely did."
"Yes, you did, daddy!"

Miles wipes his mouth on his shoulder to hide his smirk. "Oh don't be so embarrassed, JT. It takes real men to teach their daughters ballet." JT glares at Miles then and Ember holds back a laugh. They're in the kitchen preparing dinner for us but we have a perfect view of the couple.

A couple of years ago, JT and Ember went through a tough patch in their relationship. They broke up for about seven months but ultimately, their love was too strong to keep them out of each other's lives. They slowly rebuild their relationship and Ember ended up getting pregnant a couple of months after they got together again. It definitely was not planned at all since they were still so young but they've made it work thus far.

They're the best parents I know. Including Tate and Kait who have a little boy of their own. It's safe to say that we've all grown up a lot these past couple of years but I feel like we're at a decent place in our life. Miles and I got engaged two years ago and got married a couple of months later. We stuck to our plans and did something small. Close friends and close family. It was all we needed and it was the most perfect day that I could ask for.

I'm more at peace than I've ever been in my life. I won Olympic Silver at 23 in the 2048 Olympics. That had to be one of the best moments in my life and most definitely the highlight of my career. I trained so hard after losing Worlds because my goal had just started. There was a lot of work to be done and figure skating became my top priority.

All of my hard work came into play because I'm officially an Olympic medalist. How many people can say that? I would have competed for my final time this year but something unexpected stopped me from that...

Miles puts his hand on my belly and smiles. "You doing okay?" he whispers and I nod. I found out I was pregnant about two months ago. It happened at a great time. I'm 27 years old and I always wanted to be a mom before 30. We've talked about kids for years so this was something we wanted and we're both excited for our little baby to come soon.

JT comes into the living room to chat with his daughter and Miles so I take his place in the kitchen to see if Em needs any help. She rejects my help so I sit next to her. "Hey, do you think you can come to my doctor's appointment with me tomorrow? I don't want to go alone and it's during the game," I tell her. She wipes her hands clean and nods. "Yeah obviously."

Yay. For some reason, doctor appointments stress me out. Miles has gone to all my appointments so I've been okay but tomorrow will be the first time he won't be able to make it. The Kings play the Oilers at 2:00 which is the same time my appointment is. Tomorrow I'll be able to hear my baby's heartbeat for the first time so I couldn't be more excited. I already know they're inside of me but this is going to solidify it.

My heart won't be able to take the excitement and I'm most likely going to cry. Ember touches my barely noticeable belly. "Oh, you're going to be the most perfect baby ever. I can't wait to hear your little bitty heart," Em says and I smile. She's obviously an honorary aunt and Jay is an honorary uncle. They've been our best friends for years. "Thanks for coming with me tomorrow, Em. I'm nervous."

Ember rubs my shoulders in comfort. "Don't be, Nola. Everything's going to be okay. You and your baby are going to be perfectly healthy. I just know it."

A shiver racks through my body as I clutch my stomach. I hope she's right because I love this little baby so much already. Thinking about the beginning of my future journey with this baby excites me. I'm ready to be a family of three. Then expand that three into more in the future.

That'll be the perfect ending to the amazing life I've built with the man I love so far. My head turns over to where he sits with our niece, listening to her babble about God knows what. He winks at me and my heart clenches.

Yeah, he's my guy. Always has been. Always will be.

***

Miles Dempsey
YEARS LATER

It was a late afternoon and Nola and I had been sitting on our couch for the last three hours both on our individual laptops. We were searching for property. Who knew it was so difficult to look for decent properties in Los Angeles these days? Especially ones that aren't crazy expensive. Everything we'd come across so far either wasn't in our price range or not good enough for us.

We were planning on retiring in the next two years so we were looking for something smaller than the home we're currently living in. Something further away from the city would also be ideal. My wife groans and throws her head back. "I hate house shopping," she probes for the fifth time in the past three hours. "Me too babe but we're hitting a dead end," I tell her. "Why don't we just ask my dad if he knows someone who can help us out?" she questions.

That wouldn't be the worst idea. "Should we just ask Brooks then?" I question. She's not able to answer since the front door bursts open. A kid barges in, storming past us. Nola looks at me with furrowed brows. "Hi," Nola spoke up first. He flinched slightly balling his fists. "What's wrong?" she asks, her brows knotting with worry.

A tall brunette walks through the door jutting her head along to whatever music must be playing in those large headphones of hers. A duffel bag is hanging from one of her shoulders over her regular school backpack. With her foot, she shuts the front door behind her. "The stupidest shit happened today at school," he seethed. "Language please," Nola pleaded.

"I can't believe I let shit like this get to me!" He gripped his blonde strands, pulling at them. "What's happening, Gray? And can we cut it with the cursing?" I asked. "Hey, mom. Hey, Dad," my daughter says, walking past us. "Hon, you're not going to stay?" Nola questions. She removes one headphone from her ear and makes a confused face. "Why would I do that?"

Nola looks from her to her twin brother. "He's angry. You don't know why he's angry?" She looks over at her fuming brother. "Oh, it's my fault? Is it because I talked to Kinsley the whole car ride home?" she asks. Gray's jaw is set, clenching and unclenching. "No, but that was annoying," he says through clenched teeth, side-eyeing her. We all focus our attention on him to tell us his reason.

"Football," he released a breath tightly. His sister scoffed then and proceeded to walk past him and us. "Spare me the boring details, I'm going to do something funner!" Gray shoots his head in her direction, watching her with hard, gray eyes as she descends the stairs. "Liz!" he shouts. "Love you, brother!" my daughter ignores him. "Funner isn't a words," he whispers under his breath.

His jaw is set as he stares back at us. "Well, what about football?" Nola questions then, walking up to comfort him but he starts to pace around the living room instead. "Weston fucking Blanche." Fire basically shoots out of his ears when he says that name and it all makes sense.

My son has a little rivalry going on with a kid named Weston Blanche. It all started in middle school when they got separated. They used to play football on the same team for years and even then they didn't really get along. My son plays quarterback and Weston has always played some type of defense. So every time he's gotten a chance, Weston is tackling my son.

Now just because my son hates him doesn't mean I can't admit he's a good player. He is. Which is why he aggravates my son. Weston Blanche plays for Cedar Hill High School which is Sterling Hills', Gray's school, rival. These two schools have been rivals in every single sport for years now but since they're both big football schools, that's where it gets competitive.

They play each other once every season and it's the biggest game of the year. Stands full. People putting in their predictions. Kids getting into some trouble trying to vandalize each other's school. Today was the first day of school so the fact that this kid was already making my son mad was baffling. They didn't even go to the same school. How was he under his skin this bad?

Usually, Gray isn't angered this easily. He knows how to keep his cool.

"What about him?" I ask. His breathing is uneven as he stops his pacing to talk. "The preseason rankings came out today and they placed Cedar Hill number one and Sterling number two. Not only that but they said Cedar would beat us in this year's matchup because they have a 'way better lineup'. What kind of bullshit is that?" He runs a hand through his thick, blonde strands.

"Then Weston reposts it on Twitter talking about 'that's right' with a stupid 'stallions down' hashtag. That little hoser can't even focus on the fact that they put his team at number one. Instead, he only chooses to notice that they're favored to beat us. Keyword favored 'cause it's not happening," he breathes. I turn to Nola and she's smiling. Gray notices and furrows his brows. "Why are you smiling, ma? This isn't a good thing."

Nola snaps out of whatever little daydream she is in and turns to me. "Sorry, I was just thinking about how I came home to my parents fuming about something your dad did the first time I met him and now look where we are." Cute, Scott. Her words bring a smile to my face too. "Ew. This is not what this is. I like women, ma. And even if I liked men, I'd stay far away from Weston Blanche" Gray adds in, a disgusted look on his face.

My wife turns back to look at our son and nods quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. Your outburst just triggered a little memory in my head. Go on, hon. I'm listening." He shakes his head now, waving a hand. "Never mind. I'll be mad in my room," Gray picks up his duffel bag and backpack storming up to his room. My daughter passes by him on the stairs, coming back down. She's wearing something more comfortable now with her brown hair slicked back into a ponytail.

She makes a face at her angry twin. "Is he okay?" she mouths to us. "Hey, Liz. Wanna go shoot some balls later? Your brother can come too if he's not so mad anymore," I ask my daughter. Today's my free day so might as well go golfing. "Sure, Dad. I just have to finish my homework really quickly," she tells me, heading inside the kitchen.

When she comes back out she walks over and kisses Nola's cheek. "Missed you today," Liz confesses to her mom. "Missed you too. Like so much," Nola returns the sentiment. Liz smiles. "Come golfing?" I raise my brow at Nola. I'm always trying to get her to join us but she's not one for golfing. "Maybe another time," she replies with the same thing she always says.

Our daughter knows this too so she nods before retreating upstairs. Once the kids are gone again, I pull Nola into me and rest my head atop hers. The kids started their first day of senior year today. We're planning on moving out of this house soon once they go off to college. Both of them are planning on moving out so it would just be Nola and I most of the time.

This house holds a lot of special memories for us. I bought it when we were younger, about two years before we found out Nola was pregnant. That one day I didn't go to the doctor's appointment with her was when she found out we were having twins. We always talked about lots of kids but after Grayson and Elizabeth were born, our family felt complete.

Plus, having two kids for first-time parents was the hardest thing we had to do. I was still in the league too which made things difficult but we made it work. Our life is still low-key despite being former professional athletes. It's better this way and we enjoy it. After the kids leave, we're starting a new chapter in our lives and I couldn't be more relieved about it. I'm going to hate seeing them go but I'm proud of everything they've accomplished.

My son is going to play D1 football, no doubt about that. Ryle's family loves that he plays football. They call him a carbon copy because he looks exactly like him. The blonde hair and gray eyes. I named him Grayson after the last name of my birth father's family too. The look on my face when my son said he liked football more than hockey was incredulous but I guess it runs through my blood because of Ryle. Even Nola's dad who also played college ball and was a quarterback like Gray.

He also enjoys teaching my kid and giving him tips from his earlier days. My daughter on the other hand is an all-star cheerleader. She does school cheer as well. She looks more like Nola but with my features, brown hair, and gray eyes. We're really close too so it's going to kill me seeing her leave for college. But she's made me proud. Everyone thinks I named her after my birth mother too since her name is Elizabeth and my birth mother's name is Bethany but Nola was the one who picked out her pretty name.

Back then, I never imagined falling in love let alone having kids. But that's only because I didn't know this woman existed. She came into my life and made my head spin off its axis. We went through a lot of craziness together but stuck through it until the end. There was no other person I wanted this life with. It was either her or no one.

I'm grateful it was her. I got the life I never knew I wanted all thanks to my beautiful wife. We were slowly winding down and now it was going to be just us again. Nola breathes out. "I'm gonna miss the kiddos while they're at school again." She works from home running her figure skating company. Nola has opened up twenty-seven locations of her figure skating company around California.

She got her degree in Business and put it towards starting her own. It's doing really well and I've been proud of her since the beginning. I, on the other hand, am the hockey coach at UCLA for the tenth season. It's going to be upsetting to retire because I've grown a deep admiration for this program but I think I've set my players and even other coaches up for success. They'll do great things with or without me.

"Can you believe it's their last year in high school?" she adds. "I feel like just the other day I was changing their diapers." That makes me laugh. Yeah, I certainly don't miss diaper duties. "Well, no more kids means more alone time for us. More quietness," I remind her. A smile curves onto her lips. "Heck yeah. I love the sound of that." Nola leans in to kiss me but the door bursting open, once again, cuts it short.

"Oh my God, you guys will never believe what just happened to us at the Farmers Market!" Ember shouts, pulling her husband by the arm. His blonde hair sticks up in different directions. "You will never believe it, man."

Nola and I turn to look at each other. We seem to have forgotten that we still have two best friends that act like children. Maybe we're not done being parents yet.

At least these two don't wear diapers anymore.