Endlessly

Six months later

I burst through the back door of the house in an attempt to escape the frigid December air. Personally, I struggled to believe that the Midwest was having their warmest winter in decades. Bullshit.

"Babe?" I called out, tugging my hat from my head. "Who's car is that in the dri-"

Suddenly, something collided with my legs, squealing. A dark-haired toddler clung to my right leg, bouncing up and down, giggling like mad. "Un-ka Jor-dy!"

Zoe Dupuis grinned up at me, her hair a wild mess and what looked like a chocolate stain on her cheek. I shrugged off my coat and tossed it into the mudroom, freeing me to scoop up the three-year-old. "Zoe! What are you doing here? I just saw your daddy at practice."

On cue, her mother rounded the corner, baby Lola on her hip. "Hello, Jordan," she said with a smile.

"Carole-Lyne. And whom shall I thank for allowing me these precious moments with this princess?" I smiled as a spoke in a very bad British accent, finishing by tickling Zoe's belly. She let out a high pitched shriek, thrashing in my arms.

"Up-down!" she giggled at me. I obliged, tossing her into the air, and then swinging her down between my legs. Satisfied for the moment, she wiggled free of my grasp and took off in the direction of the kitchen.

I turned back to Carole-Lyyne, who was smiling widely, shaking her head. "I haven't know Rae very long. But whatever she has, it has made you into a wonderful person."

A faint blush crept onto my cheeks, and I nodded with a smile. "I know. And I wouldn't have it any other way. So, what are you guys doing here?"

"I asked Rae to pick up Christmas gifts for Maeva and Kody, and wrap them, so I could stash them under the tree without anybody searching for them. Trust me, someday you'll understand."

My lips quirked up at the thought of mini-versions of Rae and myself fighting over who gets to open presents first. "Speaking of my future, where is Rae?"

"In the kitchen, baking."

It took all I had not to sprint to the kitchen. True to Carole's word, Rae stood with her back to me, ingredients spread out in front of her, several big metal bowls half-filled with various dough. Zoe was nowhere to be seen, so I greeted her by pressing myself along her back, and turning my lips to her cheek.

"Mmmm," I hummed, "Two of my favorite things. Cookies. And you."

She laughed, but continued mixing. "In that exact order?" she teased.

"It depends how well these cookies turn out."

"I guess I'll have to burn them."

I growled playfully in her ear, and she turned her head to allow me access to her lips. A quick swipe of my tongue confirmed my suspicions; she tasted like vanilla and frosting.

"EWWW!" a little voice whined from behind us. "Mommy! Jor-dy and Rae are kissing! They're gonna catch cooties!" There was a quick pitter-patter of tiny feet as Zoe retreated from the room.

I couldn't help laughing as I pulled away. A glint caught the corner of my eye, and an over-powering sense of pride swelled in my chest as I looked down at Rae's had. A simple ring, silver with a single diamond, sparkled in the warm lighting of the kitchen, reminding me that as long as I played my cards right, I would be coming home to Rae for the rest of my life.

"Missed you," I said honestly, resting my head on top of her's, watching her work.

"You were gone for five hours, Jordan."

"It was five hours that I wasn't with you." She scoffed, but I saw her cheeks twitch as she tried to hide her smile. "I almost called in sick this morning. But Flower would've called me on my shit. He knew what happened this weekend."

The ring was a very recent addition to Rae's wardrobe. It was a rare weekend off, and with Sid just returning to the hockey world, coach gave us a whole day-and-a-half off. Which is quite a lot in the hockey world.

I had seen the ring when I was downtown buying last minute Thanksgiving supplies in November, and had been holding onto it for the better part of three weeks. With Christmas just around the corner, my nephew Levi just being born, and Sid making a comeback, I was ready to add my own something to all the new found joys. Flower was the first person I told of my idea, but the word had spread like wildfire. This morning I had finally been able to tell them I had finally gotten up the courage to ask her. As I was walking down to the ice, someone had convinced someone upstairs to blare "Here Comes the Bride" through the speakers. I wouldn't hear the end of it for awhile.

Rae rolled her head back to rest on my shoulder, looking up at me, her baking momentarily forgotten. "How much did they tease you?"

"Not nearly enough to change my mind."

I was just leaning down to kiss her when the back door slammed open, and the shouts of arguing, full-grown men echoed into our moment. I groaned, stepping away, frustrated that my teammates not only barged into my house unannounced and uninvited, but also ruined the little alone time Rae and I were going to be able to have over the next week, with road trips, Christmas parties, family visits, and so on.

The whole crew practically stomped into the kitchen like cave men. Duper was the only one that looked slightly human, due to the fact he had a daughter perched on each hip and a wife at his elbow. Everyone else flocked in on Rae, seeking their own female attention of the day. Congratulations were tossed around as my present teammates greeted Rae. Geno was the first, suffocating her into a bear hug. Tanger hugged her, followed by a kiss on both cheeks; I had to convince myself her blush was just my imagination getting to the better of me. Nealer snatched up her hand, examining the ring, before nodding in approval and hugging her as well. I couldn't help but smile as TK just threw his arms around her, saying something in her ear. She nodded, laughing at whatever he said.

"Now we eat?" Geno asked. Rae pointed towards the fridge and they descended on the unsuspecting appliance like a pack of wild dogs. I glanced once at Rae, who had returned to her cookies, before joining them in a battle for the last yogurt.

---

I watched from the garage as TK's taillights disappeared around the corned, Rae leaning into my side, my arm securely around her shoulders. We walked back to the house like that, in comfortable silence, enjoying the presence of the other.

"Did you eat dinner yet?" I asked her.

"Already ordered Chinese," she said with a smirk. My brows furrowed, wondering when she found the time to do that. "While you and the boys were screwing around with the new TV downstairs," she answered, reading my mind.

"You're the best."

"I know."

---

It was a little after one in the morning when I woke up on the couch. My neck was stiff from resting along the back of the couch, and both my legs had fallen asleep.

Rae's feet were resting against my thigh, the rest of her curled under a blanket across the other end of the couch, fast asleep. The title screen of the movie we had been watching lit the room, and our dinner was still laid out on the coffee table. I rose and began carting everything to the kitchen as quietly as I could, trying not to wake Rae. Leftovers went the fridge, stacked neatly to the side.

Once everything was stowed away, I returned to the living room. I took the DVD out and returned it to its case, tucking away amongst the other movies on the bookshelf next to the TV stand. Powering off the TV, I moved over to Rae.

Doing my best to keep her wrapped in the blanket, I slid my arms underneath her and scooped her up. She made a soft noise of protest, but I continued up the stairs to the master bedroom. "Shh," I hushed her.

I laid her on her side of the bed, pulling the covers up around her. Walking over to my side, I pulled off my socks and shed my jeans before climbing under the covers. I started wiggling towards Rae's side, trying not to let any of the warmth escape, and she met me halfway, letting me fold my arms around her as she settled in.

"I love you, Rae."

Lips pressed against the corner of my jaw, and I nuzzled back against her. "I love you, too." I heard her yawn in the dark, and laughed softly.

"We have the rest of our lives to talk," I whispered. "Go to bed." It was her turn to laugh sleepily, but she obliged, resting her head back into the pillows.

Wrapped around each other, I let the sound of her steady breathing lull me to sleep.