What If I Told You I Love You

A couple of hours later, TJ was calling me away from Mel and back to my house, where he was already waiting for me to come home. I pulled Mel out of Target, where we had gone to waste a bunch of time. She complained but when I told her the boys were done with practice, she started rushing me out of the store. Mel floored it all the way back to my house, where TJ was waiting for me next to his truck. I smiled at him, told Mel I'd see her at the games, and hightailed it to the open arms of my boyfriend.

"Miss me?" He asked against my lips.

"Always," I mumbled, placing soft kisses all over his baby face.

I let him carry me upstairs and was slightly disappointed when he threw me on the bed, only to lay down next to me. I looked over at him, sticking my tongue out and then looking back towards the ceiling.

"You don't have to play a game in a couple hours, darling," he told me, poking me in the side and making me squirm.

"I guess," I mumbled, climbing up on top of him and straddling his hips. I tilted my head and looked at him and leaned down to give him another kiss but Riley interrupted us, jumping on the bed and sitting directly in between TJ and I.

"Ry!" I screeched at her, pushing her fat butt until she got up off of TJ. She came right up in my face, her hot breath hitting my nose and making me want to gag. "TJ is prettier than you, sweetie." I giggled as she smothered my face with kisses while TJ petted her back.

"She's jealous of me. It's pretty understandable though." He informed me, pulling Riley so she was laying down next to him and then pushing me flat against his chest.

"Listen to you, I think your head is getting bigger as we speak. We need Brotha to make a trip down here. You know, deflate your ego." I told him, pinching his hip a bit.

"Don't touch my baby fat," He pouted at me, a little truth behind his words.

"It is not baby fat, TJ. If you are 22, you can't call it that anymore. Try beer weight," I told him, laughing at his annoyed expression.

"Not true," He told me, finality in his voice.

"You're right, it's baby fat." I told him, kissing him lightly on the lips. Riley barked when our lips touched and she whined, nudging TJ with her nose.

TJ laughed and we fell silent, petting Riley and giving her the attention she so desperately craved for. I spent the time, letting my mind wander to tonight, how it might be the last game of the season. I didn't want that to be the case but I didn't really get to decide. I was scared for what would happen when the summer came. TJ and I never really talked about it, but I guess no time is better than the present.

"What are you doing this summer?" I asked him, tracing circles on his stomach.

"Playing hockey, running a camp in Washington, and then training the rest of the summer in Minnesota. I'll probably come back here a few times but not for more than a couple days. Are you going to your mom's?" His hand was absently brushing hair away from my face and I could tell TJ was close to falling asleep.

"Yeah, I think so." I responded, looking out the window at the blue sky.

"Are you going to come see me in Warroad?" He asked, stroking my hair and Riley's back at the same time.

"If you want me too," I mumbled, biting my lip.

"What kind of answer is that?" TJ asked, annoyance evident in his tone. "You are my girlfriend, obviously I want you to come see me."

"Okay," I practically whimpered at him.

"What? You think I don't want to see you?" He asked, trying to look down at my face.

"No, I'm just nervous that this is all going to change over the summer," I voiced my greatest concern to him, once again feeling very needy and lame.

"Nothing is going to change. Distance makes the heart grow fonder," He told me. I picked my head up and gave him a goofy grin, which he returned.

"You are such a romantic," I told him, "then again, you've been romancing Brotha for years so I should expect you to be good at it."

"Low blow." TJ glared playfully at me.

Silence fell over us as I continued to sit on him, straddling his hips again. I traced hearts on him stomach, pushing the fabric up so that I got his bare skin. I watched the goosebumps protrude from his skin and a slight shiver shook his body. A small smile was released onto my lips but it disappeared just as quickly when my mind, once more, traveled to how big of a game tonight was. I would miss seeing TJ every day but I did feel a little bit more secure now that we had talked about it.

"I'm going to miss you this summer," Our eyes connected as I looked up at him, feeling his gaze on me the whole time we had been quiet. He laced our fingers together and pulled me down to drop a kiss on my forehead.

"I'll come see you in Grand Rapids and you can come back here for the prospect camp," He said simply, and I grinned at how easily it flowed from his lips. Like he knew I was going to say that. He was just too perfect sometimes. I played with the necklace around my neck, the one he had given me what felt like forever ago now. "Plus you have this," he said, wrapping his hand around mine, "and I'll always be with you." He gave me an eskimo kiss, making me giggle, before I pulled him up for a real one.

I looked over at the clock, disappointed when I saw that TJ had to leave for the game. His eyes followed mine and he groaned, burying his face in my chest.

"I don't wanna go," he mumbled like a little boy. I giggled, running my hands through his hair. I gave him a kiss on top of his head and pushed him up off me.

"Too bad," I told him, nuzzling his nose with mine. He gave me his best pout and I laughed loudly at him. "You should know by now that doesn't work on me." He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. I just gave him a smile, "you look ridiculous, babe. But seriously, you have to go now." He sighed, pulling me off the bed with him and leading me down the hall to the stairs. My dad was walking into the entry way and when he saw us, he quickly turned around and headed into the kitchen, calling goodbye to me over his shoulder, despite the fact that he wasn't going anywhere. The game didn't start for a couple hours and he was riding with me to the game.

"Bye dad," I yelled, laughing at his obvious discomfort. He was fine with TJ and I dating but sometimes it was a little weird for him, that much was obvious. Although it's probably always weird, no matter who it is, when you see your baby girl kissing a boy.

"Good lucky, honey." I kissed TJ's lips, and he pulled me up, causing me to wrap my legs around his waist. "This is a bad idea." I mused as his lips traveled down my neck, heading towards me sweet spot. TJ just mumbled something against my neck, before he set me back down on the balls of my feet.

"Bye," TJ whispered against my lips before pulling me into a hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, kissing the top of my head, then he released me. He started walking backwards towards his truck, pouting at me some more. I returned it with one of my own and he leaned back to give me another kiss. This one lingered a little longer and he pulled away biting his lip. "I'm going to leave now," he said, more to himself than to me.

"Mkay," I said, kissing him again. He pulled away one last time, turning back to walk away, holding on to my hand until it was to far and he had to let go. I watched him pull his phone out, checking the time and then jog to his truck. He gave me a big grin before he got in. "TJ get going, you're going to be late!" I yelled to him getting an eye roll in response.

He pulled out of the drive way, waving as he drove off with a honk. I shook my head, biting my lip to try to lessen the huge grin that was spreading onto my face. Warmth spread through my body even though it was still a little nippy out and goosebumps were forming on my skin. TJ always made me feel this way, safe and secure, even when he wasn't with me. Just knowing that if I needed him, he would be there was enough for me. I walked back into my house, smiling to myself and thinking, it doesn't get much better than this.

That should have been my sign right there. The way it all felt so perfect, so invincible, like nothing could tear us apart. Because nothing is perfect, especially when it comes to love. But I ignored it, because I was on a high like no other. I was in love, and love blinds the fools stupid enough to fall into it.
***

I arrived at the arena a little later that usual due to the weird traffic that our driver wasn't able to get through. I opted to ride along with my dad since I felt bad for not seeing him very much lately. The car ride was filled with constant chatter about what had been going on in our lives, what TJ and I were up to, and this upcoming summer. I would have been lying if I said I hadn't missed my dad. Because even though we lived in the same house, I was with TJ every waking second.

"Tonight they are having a little get together before the game for the family and girlfriends of the players. It's like a little dinner and drink party where everyone gets to be together one last time in case this is the last game." My dad informed me.

"Oh. I didn't know that, Teej never told me about it," I mentioned.

"You were probably too busy staring at him to realize that he told you a couple nights ago when we had dinner together," my dad told me an amused smile tugging his mouth up.

"Oh, really?" I blushed, not remembering that conversation at all.

"Yeah, but it's upstairs in one of the suites. I might come up in a little bit but I'm sure Mel will be there." My dad said, holding the door of the basement open for me. I ducked into the doorway, stopping and then turning towards my dad.

"Okay, I mean, I don't have anything better to do," I told him, adjusting my purse on my shoulder. I started walking to the left, towards the stairs when my dad's voice called out to me.

"Sirena, no going to the locker room," he spoke sternly. I nodded, waving my hand over my shoulder. I had no intension of going to the locker room tonight so it shouldn't really matter.

I climbed the stairs of the arena slowly, taking my time to get to the suite where everyone would be. I didn't really feel like socializing because the hockey player in me had so much adrenaline pumping that it would be hard to talk. I was nervous for the whole team, not just TJ. I knew what it felt like to be playing in a big game, how you are on such a high and when you win, it's an unreal feeling that you can't even explain, but when you lose, it feels like a kick to the stomach. It hurts to have someone else end your season, and I didn't want to see the boys go through that after they had such a great run.

I walked into the suite, glancing around at any familiar face that I could find. I didn't see Mel, so I did what anyone else would do. I started to gorge on food. That was until Taylor Oshie came sauntering over, a smirk presented on his face, and a beer in his hand. He opened his mouth but I jumped on him before he could on me.

"How old are you, lil Osh?" I asked, emphasizing lil.

"Old enough that I don't need to ask my mom for a beer anymore," He responded, taking a long pull from his drink.

"You are just like your brother, you know that?" I asked, rolling my eyes and popping a piece of watermelon in my mouth.

"Yes, I actually get that a lot," He informed me, stealing a piece of fruit off my plate. I slapped at his hand, giving him a glare.

"Protective of your food huh? You just got more points in my book," He flashed me a grin, and then grabbed my cup. I opened my mouth to protest but his lips were already on the glass, and his mouth open to take in the liquid.

"And you just lost them. Why the hell are you drinking water? You need to build up your alcohol tolerance if you're going to keep up with us pros this summer," He told me, wiping his mouth off with his sleeve. "Do you ever drink?" He asked me, his eyebrows raised and his smirk turning into a smile.

"Yes, it's just that usually I'm dragging your brother's drunk ass home so I'm used to being the driver," I rolled my eyes.

"That a boy, Osh." Taylor said, shaking his head and taking another long drink. " Hey, how bout this? This is my last beer, you and Osh can get trashed tonight, and I'll drive you guys home while you are having nasty sex in the back of Teej's car."

"Tempting, sooo tempting, but I'm going to pass," I told him, a smile breaking out on my face. "Hey, is your mom or dad here?"

"Yeah, I don't know where they went. I think my dad went downstairs but my mom should be here..." Taylor trailed off, looking around the suite while I did the same. But a conversation stopped me from my search as my name reached my ears.

"Isn't Sirena dating one of the Blues now?" A girl I knew as Holly asked the blonde girl next to her, Tiffany Backes.

"Yeah, they have been a couple for months now. They are adorable together," Tiffany told her. Awing for affect.

I smiled, feeling a sense of pride that I wasn't the only one who thought Teej and I looked good together.

"Do you think it will last? I mean, Teej is kind of a player," Holly questioned.

"I think it has potential. I asked David about it and he said TJ doesn't do anything with any girls on the road anymore. It's all about Sirena. When he told me that I thought it was fantastic but David said it didn't matter. It was all for some sort of rookie bet anyway."

And that was the last I heard of the conversation. Because my ears started pounding, my head started spinning, and my heart started breaking. My mouth got so dry I started coughing as I tried to take air into my lungs. Taylor turned his head back towards me, telling me he found his mom but then voiced his concern about how pale I looked. I was so confused at the moment that I forget for a second who Taylor even was. But as my mind started reeling and my body started shaking, I pulled it together enough to know that I had to get away from Taylor.

"Taylor, I have to go," I mumbled, grabbing my purse from the ground in between my feet, and pushing my way to the door. I heard Taylor frantically calling my name and I glanced over at Holly and Tiffany who gave me sympathetic looks, and that was all it took. I broke out into a sprint, running to the place that my dad told me not to go tonight. But screw my dad's orders, I needed to know the truth. And I needed it now.