Patience

Chapter 1 — I’m not a Photographer, but I Picture You and I Together

It was the first 90 degrees day that Toronto had seen in a polar vortex of weird weather trends. Natalie Mitchell was on a staycation from her job as an interior designer for one of Toronto’s up and coming firms. It had been a stressful year for her family. Both of her mom’s parents had passed away within months of one another and her sister, Macey, had given birth to her first child despite the father being a deadbeat. Her brother, Derrick, had also received a devastating knee injury that had ended his dreams of one day possibly being an undrafted NHL star.

Natalie sighed as she looked around the luxury apartment building’s pool. Her grandparents left her the gorgeous view of the city in their will. Her family wasn’t aware they had owned the condo in the city that they had hoped to rent out before their deaths. Natalie pleaded with her sister to live there with her son, but her overprotective, overbearing mother, Brenda, insisted her grandchild stay at home with his grandparents so they could help his mom raise him.

The sun was blistering hot as she sprayed the sunscreen on her chest and legs. The large, dark sunglasses that she was wearing made it easier to people watch but the fatigue of personal stress and the stress of her job had her closing her eyes. She took a deep breath as she listened to the giggles of children who lived in the complex with their parents as they splashed around in the pool.

As the sun kissed her skin, Natalie saw a shadow fall over her before she heard the lounge chair next to her squeak.

“You know, I’m not a photographer but I could picture you and I together,” the deep voice from the neighboring chair spoke.

Natalie turned her head to the direction of the voice, ready to tell the person that off was the general direction in which they could fuck but when she opened her eyes she laughed throwing the hulking man off., “Wilson, seriously? That’s the best pick-up line that you have? I thought NHLers would have better lines than that.”

Tom Wilson, the forward for the Washington Capitals swallowed hard as he realized that the woman laying before him was none other than Natalie Mitchell, the one woman that had been the object of his fantasies from the time he played hockey with her brother in high school.

“Nat...Natalie? What are you doing here,” he stuttered while struggling to find the words to say.

“I live here.”

“Since when?”

Natalie grabbed the pool coverup that she had brought down with her and put it around her body, suddenly feeling self conscious in the presence of her brother’s friend despite being older than the hockey player.

“My grandparents invested a bulk of their money into a unit here with hopes of renting it but after they passed away, it was left to me.”

“So...you live here, eh?” Tom asked making sure he had heard her correctly.

“I already said that.”

“Well, now that I made an ass out of myself, I’m going to go take a swim,” Tom said. “Want to join me?”

“No thanks, I’m good for now.”

“Are you sure,” he asked standing up. Natalie swallowed hard as she glanced over his body. The scrawny kid who had once hung around with her brother was now a man. Tom had filled out in all of the right places. The abs and muscles in his upper body made her fully aware that he was indeed an adult and not the scrawny kid who resorted to calling her, “Bug,” when he heard everyone call her, “Nat.”

The age difference between them wasn’t that much with Natalie being two years his senior. When they were kids, the age difference was noticeable with Natalie being much more mature than her brother and the man who stood before her.

Suddenly aware of the thoughts that ran through her head, Natalie yelped when the splash of water fell down on her.

“Wilson, are you serious?”

“Come on gorgeous, take a swim. The water’s perfect.”

“That’s it, I’m going back up to my apartment.”

“Why?”

“Your little pet names and cheesy pickup lines might work on puck-bunnies but they don’t work on me.”

“Bug, come on. I’m sorry.” Natalie hadn’t heard that nickname in years. Tom started calling her that when he was a child after hearing Derrick call her, “Nat.”

Natalie glared as she sat her phone in her bag, “Stop calling me that.”

“Just get in the pool.”

Natalie sighed and put her phone in her bag before shrugging out of her coverall. Tom watched as she approached him. His dark sunglasses hid his roaming eyes that scanned over her body. He had to shift his legs as he felt himself grow hard as he watched the woman that had been the star of his teenaged fantasies. As his eyes roamed her body, he noticed several tattoos, including a very small footprint on her left side with the name, “Jake Austin” tattooed under it. On each hip was the beginning and the end of the phrase, “Be your own kind of beautiful.”

“How has everyone been?” Tom asked as Natalie dunked under the water to wet her hair.

“Everyone is doing relatively well all things considered. Derrick’s knee is healing really well and Macey’s an amazing mom.”

“Macey has a kid?”

Natalie pointed to the tattoo on her side, “His name is Jake, he’s almost a year and a half now. He’s my little buddy. He was born two months early and was in the NICU for a while.”

“I’m sure her pregnancy went well with your mom.”

Natalie laughed, “Mom was beside herself. Dad was happy, mom told her, ‘I expected this from Natalie but not from you.’”

Tom remembered Natalie being the rebellious Mitchell child while Macey was a straight A student and Natalie could have cared less about school. Macey was the quiet one while Natalie was the smoking and drinking teenager.

“Ouch,” he replied. “That was a little harsh.”

“Macey was going to live with me but mom talked her out of it. Well, I shouldn’t say she talked her out of it, I should say she forbid it. Dad gets no say whatsoever. Honestly, I’m surprised my parents aren’t divorced. I don’t know how dad puts up with her.”

Tom laughed, “Brenda always was...”

“A bitch?” Natalie answered for him, “Tell me about it. The two years of college in Montreal were heaven. I never came home. Macey getting pregnant was my time to come back. She needed me. The kid’s dad is a total asshole.”

The lifeguard blew the whistle cutting Tom off from questions he wanted answered. Natalie cringed as the vomit flew from one of the children’s mouths and into the pool.

“Jesus Christ,” Tom whispered.

“I’m out of here,” Natalie laughed as she climbed the ladder next to her. Tom watched her as she grabbed her towel. Grabbing his own towel while she gathered her things, he turned and smiled at her.

“I guess I’ll see you around.”

Natalie smiled back, “I guess so. Thank you for listening. I’m sorry if I ranted.”

“You’re welcome,” Tom replied turning to go into the building. Natalie slid the jean shorts up her legs and buttoned them before heading into the building. Tom was still waiting for the elevator and she stood next to him.

Tom pressed the number 25 as Natalie looked at her phone.

“What floor, Nat?”

“25,” she replied as she sent the text to her sister.

The elevator beeped as they both got off, Natalie turned right and followed Tom down the hall, “Are you following me now,” he asked.

“What?”

“I live in this one,” Tom said as he opened the door to apartment 2502.

“I’m 2501.”

“We’re neighbors then. I’ll be over to borrow sugar,” Tom smirked.

“Go home, Wilson,” Natalie replied rolling her eyes as she stepped into her apartment and closed the door.

She heard Tom laugh as he shut his door and she pulled her phone out to call her sister.

“Hey,” Macey said when she answered

“Guess who I just spent the last hour with at the pool?”

“Jesus,” Macey replied sarcastically. “I don’t fucking know.”

“Jake better not be around with you talking like that,” Natalie said. “No, not Jesus. Tom Wilson.”

“WHAT? Wilson as in Derrick’s friend Tom that plays for the Capitals?”

“Yes, that Tom. He was hitting on me at the pool.”

Macey began laughing, “He always did have a thing for you.”

“He did not,” Natalie argued.

“He totally did. I would always catch him looking at you when he would come over. He also almost asked you to prom but you ended up not going after the whole thing with Garett.”

“What? Seriously?”

“I’m serious. He had asked me if you’d go and I told him no because you went through a breakup with your boyfriend. He was devastated.”

“You never told me this,” Natalie replied.

“You went to school and he was drafted shortly after.”

“Wow. Well, he sure did grow up nicely. His body is to die for.”

Natalie heard Jake begin to cry, “Shit Nat, I have to go. He just woke up and needs a diaper change.”

“Do you and Derrick want to stay for dinner tomorrow and bring Jake,” Natalie asked.

“Yeah sure, I’ll call Derrick and let him know.”

“Give Jake a kiss for me."

Natalie took a shower and ordered takeout for herself before curling up in her bed and falling asleep. She woke up the next morning and brushed her hair quickly before her teeth and threw on a pair of leggings and a tank top. Grabbing her phone and her purse, she headed out of the apartment. Tom was leaving his apartment.

“Hey, where are you headed,” he asked.

“I’m going to get coffee then I’m going to go grocery shopping. Derrick and Macey are coming over for dinner.”

“Can I come with you? I was headed for coffee too and I have to get some groceries.”

“Yeah sure,” Natalie smiled. “I can use the company. Want to come for dinner tonight? Derrick will be happy to see you.”

“Yeah sure and I’ll drive to the store.”

Tom pointed to the Jeep in the garage and Natalie walked to the passenger side. “Starbucks or Tim Horton’s,” Tom asked.

“Whatever is fine. I’m not a coffee snob.”

Tom laughed and drove to the Tim Horton’s a few blocks over from the Whole Foods.

“How’s Derrick holding up,” he asked as they both grabbed a shopping cart.

“He’s slowly starting to accept that his career is over, he is getting better. I feel bad for him.”

“So do I, is he going to coach?”

“He has been helping my dad so yeah probably.”

“Wait, your dad still coaches,” Tom asked as Natalie reached for jars of sauce from a shelf.”

Natalie laughed, “Yeah, he still does. He is training Derrick to take over.”

“That’s awesome.”

“I think he wants to try to coach long enough so he can coach Jake.”

Natalie reached down to grab a box of spaghetti from a shelf and Tom swallowed hard as her backside stared at him.

“I don’t doubt it. It sounds like everyone is close to this little guy.”

“He’ll be with them tonight,” Natalie said. “He is a really friendly kid. I’ll make sure Macey brings his little living room hockey set. He loves it.”

“So what about you guys? Do you and Macey still play?”

“I played in an amateur league up until last year, I got my job and couldn’t play the way that I wanted to. Macey still plays.”

“Really?”

“Yep, Derrick or I watch Jake. He loves going to her games.”

“That’s great.”

“Pie or cake for dessert,” Natalie asked.

“Neither. Brownies.”

“Sounds good, I’ll get ice cream, fudge, and whipped cream.”

Tom suddenly pictured all of the ingredients that Natalie just mentioned on her as he licked it. He turned to adjust himself in his shorts and laughed as Natalie struggled to reach something on the top shelf.

“Here, let me help you.”

“Thanks.”

Tom turned around and a small kid was standing there with his eyes wide. “Are…are you Tom Wilson?”

Tom crouched down and was eye level with the little boy, “I am. What’s your name?”

“Caleb,” the little boy replied as his mom walked over and apologized for her son’s intrusion.

Natalie smiled and motioned to Tom that she was going to the frozen food aisle. Natalie caught herself smiling as she walked away.

Tom came back and apologized as Natalie walked towards the checkout area. “Did you get what you needed?”

“I just have to grab one more thing then I’ll be good to go.”

Tom gave his keys to Natalie and she paid for her things before going out to the car. She sent her sister a text.

Make sure Jake brings his hockey set tonight. Tom’s coming over for dinner. Don’t tell Derrick, I want him to be surprised.

Oooll, he’s meeting your boyfriend.

Shut up and just bring the damn hockey set.

Fine, bitch. Make sure you fuck his brains out.

GOODBYE MACEY!

“I got us a good wine for tonight,” Tom said as he closed the door.

“You didn’t have to do that but thank you, I appreciate it.”

“What time should I come over tonight,” he asked.

“Around five or six.”

“Sounds good.”

“I told Macey to bring Jake’s hockey set. He has a pretty hard shot on him for his age. Derrick took one to the cheek last week and had a welt.”

Tom laughed, “Wow!”

They arrived back at the apartment and Tom helped Natalie carry the groceries inside. “I’ll be over later. I’m going to go for a run.”

“See you later.”

Natalie spent the rest of the day cooking until her family showed up. Jake squealed when he saw her and clung to her as she sat down on the couch with him. Tom knocked on the door and Macey answered it.

“What’s up Wilson,” she said as he hugged her. “I haven’t seen you in a few years.”

“I didn’t know that you had a kid.”

“There’s Jake with Natalie.”

“Yo, Willy! What’s up, man?”

“Long time, no see Derrick,” Tom said shaking his hand before bro-hugging him. “It’s been a while. How’s the knee?”

“Ehh, slowly getting better. So, when you asking for the trade to the Leafs?”

Tom laughed, “I like to win, that’s why.”

Jake waved from Natalie’s lap as Tom turned towards the living room. “Want a beer,” Derrick asked.

“Yeah sure. I brought wine for them.”

“It’s expensive wine,” Natalie whispered to Macey.

“Yep, we’re spending the night,” she said to Derrick. Natalie looked up and made eye contact with Tom who was already staring at her.

“I told you he always had eyes for you,” Macey mumbled.

“Shut up.”

Tom winked and turned his gaze back to Derrick who was talking about their days playing together. Natalie sighed, it was going to be a long and hot summer.