We Found Love

“EMILY!” Jack screamed as I walked into the conference room where the first team meeting of the new season was being held. I ran over and threw my arms around him, and we both squeaked in surprise as Jordan screamed my name as well and rushed over to trap Jack and I in a hug. Pretty soon the entire team was in the room, and the air was absolutely electrified. I was flattered that me being back in Pittsburgh brought so much excitement to the room, and even Dan smiled at me once he saw me.

“Alright, alright. Sit down guys, we have a lot to go over and not a lot of time,” Dan said, and we all sat down. I was sandwiched in between Jack and Jordan, and the two troublesome blonds began to harass each other the second we sat down, which both entertained and annoyed me. Dan, Ray, and Mario sat at the table at the front of the room and waited for us to quiet down before Mario stood up.

“It’s great to see you all here boys…and Emily,” Mario smiled, glancing at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“As you all know, we didn’t do too hot last season. Over the summer, Dan, Ray, and the other guys in the management went over hours worth of tape, probably over a thousand statistics sheets, and a lot of Advil to get this year’s plan set in motion. Now as you know, part of that plan was the reacquisition of Emily Vance, so Emily, welcome back to the team. First and foremost, I would like to say that we expect one hundred percent from every player in this organization this year. We won’t go down like we did last season again. Secondly, we have a few new policies that Dan will be going over soon, and we expect all of you to comply with them. Failure to comply with new policies will result in disciplinary action. That’s it for me, so go Penguins!” Mario said, and we all cheered as he sat down and Dan stood up.

“Okay, so here’s the deal. We’ve got a few new policies that we’re putting into action this year, and you all had better follow them. First of all…” Dan began, and we all sort of tuned him out as he droned on and on about public behavior, conduct on twitter, after game parties, and our interactions with players on other teams. There were a few practice changes made, the most notable being the fact that we needed new ideas for the shootout contest. The last change that Dan mentioned however was the shocker.

“Our last policy being put into effect this year is probably our most important one, so listen up guys. As we all know there were several issues between team members last year, and no, before you start feeling guilty, it wasn’t just you two,” Dan said, pointing to Sidney and I. We exchanged a look before shrugging.

“So, because of these issues, we have decided to hire a team counselor. Any players that are having issues with anyone else, whether on the team or off the team, can go to him at any time. If we find out that you are having issues that are affecting your ability to play, we will send you to the counselor. If you refuse to go, you will be suspended. Is that clear?” Dan said, and the entire team mumbled in agreement.

“So, counseling huh?” Sidney asked, an amused glimmer in his eyes. We were sitting on one of the deck chairs on his back patio. I was sitting between his legs, leaning back against his chest. I smiled and watched as the sun began to set and the sky erupted into swirls of gold, purple, and blue.

“Yeah, counseling. It’s actually not a bad idea,” I said and Sidney nodded in agreement before kissing the top of my head. I laced my fingers through his and sighed contentedly as we watched the sun set. I would be perfectly happy living like this with Sidney for the rest of our lives, and the thought scared me a little bit.

After the first team meeting, Sidney decided that he would return to Halifax for the rest of the summer. He begged me to go with him and after some pleading I finally gave in and left my mom feeling a little disappointed but happy nonetheless that I would be spending time with a boyfriend. She had said “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” when I had told her that I was dating someone, and she was ecstatic that I was with Sidney Crosby, golden child of the NHL and one of the most attractive men on the planet in her mind. I had to get my good taste somewhere.

“Sidney this place is gorgeous!” I gushed as I walked into his townhouse. It was smaller than his house in Pittsburgh, but it was equally beautiful. The front room was painted a rich cream color with deep burgundy rugs and tan sofas. The entertainment center was polished cedar, and the coffee table in front of the largest sofa matched. The dining room had a beautiful view of the water, and the cedar furniture was becoming a theme. Sidney led me upstairs where there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. He put my stuff down in the largest of the three bedrooms, which appeared to be the master bedroom because it had a bathroom, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m glad you’re here Em…you’re the first girl I’ve ever brought here you know,” Sidney said quietly, and I felt my cheeks flush.

“Really?” I asked, slightly stunned.

“Yeah. This house has always been my escape. When I go back home to Stone Harbor, I’m always surrounded by people. Pittsburgh…well, you know firsthand what that can be like. This is the only place where I feel one hundred percent safe, and I didn’t ever want to show anyone who I couldn’t trust this house. Especially not girls that I was dating…you never know what they’d do. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?” Sidney chuckled, and I tackled him to the bed, kissing his face anywhere I could reach.

“You have no clue what that means to me Sidney. You really don’t,” I said, happiness filling every part of my body as I sat on his stomach and stared into his huge, chocolate brown eyes. His hair was getting long, curling over his eyebrows, and I touched the ends of it gently. He simply stared at me as I looked at him, soaking in everything about his face. His serious eyebrows, his huge, deep brown eyes, his perfectly shaped nose, his full lips, his strong jaw…I traced my fingers lightly over every detail of his face that I loved before trailing my lips over the same exact path. Sidney just looked at me with love in his eyes and clasped my hands in his when I finally just sat up again and started looking at him. He then gently flipped me over and did the same to me, pressing a deep, affectionate kiss on my lips when he was finished.

“I love you so much. It killed me every day that you were in Jersey,” Sidney muttered hoarsely, and I swallowed roughly, trying to avoid tearing up.

“I love you too, and I missed you more than anything. You’re my everything Sidney…you really are,” I whispered, and he smiled before kissing me again. He then scuttled up the bed, pulled down the covers, and motioned for me to join him. I snuggled into his chest and he covered us both with the sheets. In a matter of minutes the only sound that I could hear was the gentle thump of his heart and his slow, steady breaths.

We spent a lot of our time in Halifax just relaxing, walking around the town aimlessly and just enjoying the feel of being able to act like a normal couple for once. And then it all ended in a single moment.

We headed into a small restaurant for dinner three days before we were set to return to Pittsburgh when we heard a quiet gasp. Turning around, we found ourselves face to face with Eric Boulton.

“E-Eric! What are you doing here?” I squeaked, a little stunned to see my former teammate in the restaurant.

“I grew up here…I’d ask you the same question, but it’s pretty obvious why you’re here,” he said, his tone borderline condescending as his eyes fell on my left hand, which was intertwined with Sidney’s right hand. I immediately dropped his hand, but I knew it was too late.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sidney asked defensively.

“It means that I thought Emily was a better player than that, and that she didn’t have to shack up to get on the Penguins, but apparently she did,” Eric said quietly, and I felt my anger flare up in my chest.

“I thought you were cooler than that Eric. You know damn well I didn’t shack up to get into the NHL,” I snarled, and Eric looked at me skeptically.

“Well you sure as hell did a job proving it in the playoffs,” he snapped, and I recoiled at his words.

“You can’t be mad at me for not being able to score…none of us could,” I said quietly. At that moment the hostess came back and told Sidney and I that our table was ready. We followed her without another word to Eric. About forty five minutes after we sat down, my phone began to ring nonstop. Growling in agitation, I pulled it out and answered it.

“This better be important,” I snapped, and I heard someone clear their throat awkwardly on the other line.

“Emily? It’s Jordan. I uh…I think you should see what got leaked online, because you and Sid are going to be pissed,” Jordan said.

“Jordan you have five seconds to tell me what you’re talking about,” I said, fear clutching at my heart.

“I’ll text you a screen shot,” he said and a few seconds later I got the text. It was a picture of Sidney and us holding hands at the table, and I looked across the restaurant to see Eric Boulton sitting with a woman in the perfect position to take the picture.

“That mother fucker,” I hissed, getting up. Sidney grabbed my arm and sat me back down before pulling out his own phone.

“Hey, I’m going to need some damage control,” he said, and I knew at once that he had called his agent. We were so screwed.