How I Feel

On Monday, despite her insistence that Jamie stay at home and let her deal with her boss, Avery found herself sitting across from her boss with Jamie beside her while his coach leaned against a wall and the assistant GM stood beside him.

Mark looked between Avery and Jamie and leaned back in his chair. "At least tell me this has been going on since Stella met Jordie."

Avery glanced at Jamie. "No, just the last month."

He sighed. "You two can be professional when you're working I assume?"

"You're not firing me?"

Jamie leaned back with a smug smile. "You have no faith in how good you are at what you do."

Avery blushed at Jamie's vote of confidence. "You're very good at your job, Avery," Mark told her. "We won't find anyone to do it as well as you do. If you two can separate your personal entanglement from what you do here, which I really don't think will be a problem but it has to be said, then I have no problem with things continuing here. We don't want to lose you. You're a piece of the puzzle to becoming better."

"Thank you, Mark, I appreciate that. I love this job, and I love my coworkers and this family. I want nothing more than to be a part of it."

"Fantastic," he smiled. "I'll expect your analysis of that list of players I gave you last week Wednesday morning."

"Yes sir." She stood as he did and followed Jamie and Lindy from the room.

"I told you everything would be fine," Jamie said, squeezing her hand.

"You're doing a fine job, Avery," Lindy added. "I know you won't have any trouble keeping Jamie from stopping you from continuing doing that."

"Thank you," she replied. He nodded before walking away. Jamie followed her to her office and pushed the door closed behind them.

"Let's hear 'em," he said as he sat down.

"Hear what?"

"Your rules. I know you've got some so let's hear them. Can I kiss you at work?"

"A quick peck, but only when you walk me to my office."

"Can Segs and I take you to lunch?"

"Of course. But you guys are buying."

"Of course," he smirked. "Anything else?"

"No hand holding and no touching."

"If I want to hold your hand when you're leaving for the day, or when you leave a game with me, I will. But I'll figure out how to control myself the rest of the time."

"Good."

"The question is," he stated, leaning forward and resting his elbows on her desk, "can you resist me?"

"I'll manage, somehow," she returned, leaning across the desk to kiss his lips lightly.

"Are you coming to my place after work?"

"I need to get my stuff unpacked and put back away at Bill and Linda's."

"Ask Linda if it's okay if I come over for dinner and I'll help you pack."

"Unpack."

"Pack. So you can move in with me."

"What?! Are you insane?"

"No, I am not insane," Jamie answered calmly. "You should move in with me, Avery."

"Don't you think that's moving a little fast?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But I don't care. What do you say?"

"I say you're crazy."

"Exactly, per say?" He asked with a smirk, one eyebrow arched.

She laughed. "Yes, exactly. Per say. But I already have a key so I must be crazy to say yes."

"Yeah? You'll move in?"

"I'll move in with you, Jamie. But you have to tell Stella."

He groaned. "She's gonna flip her shit when I tell her."

"Use your puppy dog eyes. That'll distract her."



In December, the Stars were flying high in the standings and Jamie and Tyler were one and two in the league for points. His relationship with Avery was going strong, despite a few rough patches at the start of the season as they figured out how to navigate the ups and down of a hockey season together.

Jamie felt like his life was firing on all cylinders and was exactly where he wanted it to be. His team was right where they needed to be, his relationship with Avery was everything he ever wanted to share with another person, and he couldn't be happier.

He took Avery home with him at Christmas, flying together with Stella, Jordie, and Alex. He was excited to spend the holiday with her, and introduce her to some of his friends at home. She was a hit with the people who had known him the longest and more than one told him to not mess it up with her.

He wasn't planning on it but there was one way to ensure he didn't.

He had no idea what Avery would say, and he was more than a little scared she was going to say no, but on Christmas Eve, as she sat curled under his arm in the basement of his parents home, Alex's footsteps thundering over them followed by Jordie's, his dad most likely asleep in his lazy boy, and his mom, sister, and Stella in the kitchen with a bottle of wine, he moved away from her and slid to the floor in front of her.

"Jamie?" She started to question.

"Shh, give me a minute," he said as he adjusted himself into one knee.

"Jamie..." She whispered, covering her mouth with one hand as he took the other. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"I love you Avery, and I know it's fast, I know it's soon, but I don't want to ever lose you. And is there anything more cliche than falling in love with your brothers wife's sister?"

She laughed. "There's probably a few."

"Well, what I mean exactly, per say, is will you marry me?" He pulled the ring box from his pocket and flipped it open.

Avery stared at the ring and then at Jamie. She was a little bit in shock, not expecting this. But then, Jordie had proposed to Stella after four months so Jamie proposing to her after three really shouldn't be. When the Benn brothers made up their mind about something, they stuck to it fiercely.

"Well?" Jamie asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you gonna leave me hanging?"

"Yes, Jamie."

"Yes you're leaving me hanging? That's harsh, babe."

"Yes I'll marry you doofus."

"Exactly per say?"

"Exactly per say," she laughed as Jamie pulled her off the couch and into the floor with him. He kissed her as he settled himself over her and she wound her arms around his neck. "I love you," she said against his mouth.

Jamie rolled to his side and lifted the ring out of its box and onto her finger. She held her hand out in front of her and she giggled. "You'll be the only captain in the league with a wife who can tell you when you suck and have the evidence to back it up."

"That's a plus though. I'll always know which areas of my game need improvement."

"Your game is perfect."

"Nothing is perfect, except maybe you."

"You don't have to try and butter me up, Benn. I already said yes."

He chuckled before kissing her again and then standing, pulling her to her feet with him. "Come on, let's go tell everyone."

They made their way upstairs where predictably the three Benn women squealed and oohed and aahed over the ring, and Jordie and his dad hugged him, offering their congratulations.

(Their news was only slightly overshadowed the next morning with Stella and Jordie giving their mom a framed photo of the ultrasound to announce their baby that would be due in June.)

They flew back to Dallas late on the twenty fifth and Jamie told his teammates after practice the next day while Avery broke the news to her boss. Tyler showed up with Jamie to take her to lunch, talking a mile a minute and wanting to know when they were gonna get started on the four kids Jamie had said he wanted in a magazine article the year before.

She met Jamie after the game that night, waiting in the family room with Stella and Alex. She had never quite felt like a WAG before, only Stella's little sister despite her dating Jamie but now, the other women Stella was close to surrounded her, asking questions and gushing over the ring.

"You're one of us, like it or not," Stella whispered as she nudged her when she spotted Jordie and Jamie walk in.

Jamie smiled sheepishly when he reached her, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "What did you do?" Avery asked. She knew the look. When he accidentally shrank her favorite sweater after deciding to do the laundry, he wore it when he came to tell her.

"I uh, maybe outed us after the game, to the media."

"Jamie!"

"I'm sorry; I was just really happy about the win and someone made a comment about having a good break and it just came out."

"We couldn't keep it a secret forever I guess."

"So you're not mad?"

"No; I can't stay mad when you turn on the puppy dog eyes."

"Noted," he smirked.

"Jerk," she muttered good naturedly. She slipped her hand into his and they said goodbye to the others as they made their way to the parking lot.

"Stella says we can't get married until next summer, after she's had the baby and is back to her pre baby weight."

"We could elope."

"You and I both know that your mom and my mom would kill us if we did that."

"True. So a long engagement it is then."

They reached his car and he gave her a quick kiss before driving her to her own car in the employee lot. He followed her to their place and they parked beside each other before riding the elevator up to their floor.

They went into the bedroom to change clothes and Avery ventured back first, heading to the kitchen and then the living room where she flipped on the TV and settled back with the Ducks-Sharks game playing in the background. After hanging up his suit and changing into a pair of gym shorts, Jamie joined her.

He lifted his arm and she scooted in close beside him before he dropped his arm around her. "This is my favorite place to be," Avery said after a while.

"Me too," he replied as he kissed the top of her head where it lay against his chest.

"Exactly."

"Per say."

FIN