Rabbit Ears and Rose Petals

I sighed softly to myself as I walked down the street, away from my house. Tears coursed down my cheeks, and I was glad that it was raining because it masked my tears. I slumped and walked slowly, dragging my feet as I moved. I was upset that I had gotten home from work early to surprise my husband of five years, only to find that he was cheating on me with some teenaged girl. I was upset and angry and needed a drink. I walked into a semi-crowded bar and sat at a table. I lay my head on it and let my tears flow freely, not caring who saw. I felt a light hand on my shoulder. Lifting my head, I felt someone gently wipe away my tears. Once I could see, I saw Wings captain Steve Yzerman standing next to me, a smile on his face.

“Hi there. I could tell you looked upset,” He said. I forced a shaky smile that fell away instantly. I saw a look of concern seep into his eyes. “Do you want to tell me about it?” He asked, sitting down next to me. He was so kind, and being near him made me feel comfortable, so I told him what I had found when I went home. I finished my story and avoided his gaze, staring at the table.

“I’m so pathetic,” I whispered hoarsely. I felt his gaze burn into me. “I should have realized it sooner. I’m so stupid!” I slammed my fists onto the table. Steve stood and I though he was walking away. My shoulders began to shake, and Steve wrapped his arms around my waist lightly.

“It’s okay,” He said to me softly. I blinked and stared up at him. He smiled softly at me. Tears filled me eyes and he pulled me to my feet, pressing my face into his chest. He lifted me up and carried me out of the bar. He put me in the passenger seat of his car and drove me to his house. Lifting me up effortlessly, he carried me into his house and lay me on his couch. He sat next to me and put my head in his lap. He stroked my hair lightly and gently wiped my tears away. When I finally stopped crying, I stared up at him. He smiled sweetly down at me, and I found myself smiling back. He cradled me against him and held me tightly when I fell asleep.

||Three Months Later||

I sat at the desk in my room, smiling triumphantly to myself. I let out a joyous laugh as Steve walked in. He smiled at me.

“What’s all the excitement for?” He asked. I smiled wider and showed him the letter.

“It’s officially over! Mathieu and I are officially over!” I exclaimed, jumping into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed our foreheads together.

“That’s wonderful!” He smiled, staring into my eyes. I felt almost hypnotized by his bright eyes. I stared at him and he smiled softly at me as he leaned in to kiss me softly. I pulled him tighter against me and deepened the kiss. We pulled away and I rested my head against his chest. I sighed contentedly and settled into his embrace. I felt his deep chuckle resonate through his chest as he pressed our bodies closer together, if that were even possible. He lifted my head up and kissed me again. “Let’s go celebrate,” He whispered softly into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He carried me to his room and closed the door. Laying me on his bed, he kissed me again, and I felt the hunger and passion behind it. I responded in a similar way, and we slowly undressed each other. Am I seriously about to have sex with Steve Yzerman? I thought just before he drew us into deeper water.

||Four Months Later||

Last month, I learned that I was having a baby. Today, Steve and I are going to the hospital to see how the baby is doing. When we got there, the doctor looked confused. He did a test and came back into the room.

“I’m so sorry,” He said, “you lost the baby.” I was so badly in shock I was numb. Steve squeezed my hand and held me close, whispering into my ear that it was all right. I started crying, and he pulled me into his arms, pressing me against his chest. He lifted me up into his arms and carried me out. Everyone looked at us with concern, but Steve just kept whispering that everything would be all right. We drove home and he stayed with me all night. When I woke up the next morning, I found that he wasn’t there. I made my way into the kitchen and saw a vase of red and white roses. Inside was a note that read,

I have practice today, so these roses are for you. Don’t feel too lonely without me! Love always, Steve

I smiled at how sweet that was and grabbed the vase. Sniffing, I inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers. I went back into the living room and sat on the couch, curled up with the vase in my hands. Around 11:30, Steve came home with two McDonald’s bags in his hands.

“I brought food,” He said. I smiled and he sat next to me. We ate in silence, and once we were done and everything was taken care of, we went back into the living room and sat on the couch. We turned on a movie and I rested my head on his shoulder lightly. He tipped my head up and kissed me gently. He rubbed my back lightly and I pressed against him. We pulled away and he pulled me to my feet. He led me to our room and shut the door after he left. “Get showered and dressed. I want you to meet the team,” He said through the door. I showered quickly and picked out a comfortable yet casual outfit consisting of jeans and a jersey with Steve’s name and number on it. Pulling on a pair of ballet flats, I left the room and found Steve. He smiled at my outfit and we left for the arena. When we got there, a few of the guys were there. They stared at me and Steve smiled. “Emily, these are some of the guys. At the stall next to mine is Brendan Shanahan, next to him is Igor Larionov, over on the other side is Chris Osgood, two stalls from him is Mike Vernon, across from him is Darren McCarty, next to Mike is Tomas Holmstrom, and on my other side is Nicklas Lidstrom.” The guys waved to me and I waved back. “Guys, this is my girlfriend, Emily McCullen.” Steve wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I rested my head on his shoulder, putting an arm around his waist. Tomas Holmstrom smiled at us.

“You two make such a cute couple!” He exclaimed. I blushed lightly and Steve laughed a little. I had to leave around 5:30 to let the guys prepare.

“See you after the game,” Steve said, kissing me softly before I left. I found my seat – right across from the benches – and sat down. People started filling in around me. The game started, and a minute in, there was a fight between Brendan and a Blackhawks player. The fans around me cheered, but my eyes sought Steve. He raised his eyebrows and I giggled lightly. About 15 minutes after the fight, Steve scored. We all cheered, and Steve blew me a kiss as he skated past. A girl behind me freaked out.

“Steve Yzerman blew me a kiss!” She squealed. Her friends started talking excitedly and I turned to look at them. They were all fake blondes with big boobs and tanning salon orange skin. I sighed and turned back around. “Jealous much?” The first girl said.

“No, because I know Steve loves me,” I said proudly. I turned to see that her face had taken on a cold look. At the end of the period, I stood and made my way toward the locker room. The girls behind me followed to see if Steve really was my boyfriend. I knocked on the door and Chris answered it. He smiled at me and held up a finger.

“Hey Steve, your girlfriend’s here!” He called loudly. Steve came to the door and pulled me into a hug, kissing me softly. He saw the girls behind me and his face took on a confused look.

“Who are they?” He asked. I turned to see that the “leader” had a shocked expression. I explained the situation and he smiled apologetically. “Girls, Emily is my girlfriend. I’m not single anymore. I’d be more than happy to introduce you to some of my teammates,” He offered. They perked up and he led them into the locker room. Once they were wandering, Steve came back and kissed me again. “I have a surprise for you but you have to wait until after the game for it,” He whispered to me. I smiled and nodded.

“I’ll see you then,” I said, kissing him softly before heading back to my seat. At the end of the game, fans started standing up to leave, but stopped when Steve went to center ice.

“May I have your attention please?” He said through a microphone. Everyone quieted down instantly. “I need for Emily McCullen to come down here now, please.” He smiled at me. I stood and raced toward the locker room. The guys sat me down on the bench and put skates on my feet. I noticed that only half of them were there. I went out onto the ice and stumbled toward Steve, who caught me as I fell toward him. He smiled sweetly at me. “Emily Rose McCullen, I have loved you every day since the first day I met you, seven months ago to the day. I know you’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you with all of my heart.” There was a chorus of “Awe’s” from the fans. He got down on one knee. People started cheering as he took my hand. The breath had left me; I was shocked. “Emily, will you marry me?” He asked, looking up at me. I smiled at him.

“Of course I will! You are the love of my life, Stephen Gregory Yzerman!” I exclaimed. He put the ring on my finger and we kissed to the tremulous applause of the fans. One of his teammates skated over to us and handed him a large bouquet of roses. Steve passed them to me, and he handed me a box with holes in the top of it. I opened it and a small white rabbit popped out of it. I lifted it up and it snuggled into me. “Oh, Steve!” I breathed and he smiled widely at me. I kissed him again.

“Since I know we can’t have children yet, we’ll take care of this rabbit until we’re ready to try again,” He said.

||Three Years Later||

Two months ago, Steve and I had our first child, Gregory Lewis Yzerman. He is so precious to us, and we are so happy to have a child. We love each other very much and know that we will be together forever.