Game Winner (The Penalty Kill Trilogy #3) (9 page)

Smarty rolls her eyes and jokes, “I feel like I was just lectured.” I chuckle and she adds, “I thought I was getting one more night with you, though, but now, I’m not. When do you have to leave exactly?”

The sooner the better considering the drive, but instead, I say, “After dinner most likely.” That gives us about four more hours until I need to go. Presley nods, happy with my answer. “Did you have a good day?”

“
Yes, I did. You?”

“
Yeah, I guess.” I shrug.

Softly, Presley says, “You’re ready to get back, aren’t you?”

There’s something about the way she says it as if I’m running from her, to get away from her, and not towards my dreams. I ignore that feeling because I know that’s not how she feels. “Yes, of course, I am. If I ever hope to get into the NHL, I need to play. Hell, Smarty, I need hockey in general. I haven’t even been working out. How am I supposed to keep this God-like body you love so much otherwise?” I smirk and Presley laughs, rolling her eyes at me.

“
If it wasn’t true, I would tell you that you’re so full of yourself. If you get cleared-”

“
When,” I interrupt, refusing to believe anything different.

“
Right. When you get cleared, how are you going to celebrate?”

“
By skating. I miss the ice. But enough about that. What do you want to do until I leave?” I grin.

Presley rests her forehead against my chest, squeezing her arms tighter around my waist. “I hate that I’m saying this, but it’s a long drive, Levi. If you wait until after we eat, you won’t get there until late.” She lifts her head to look at me. “Give me a kiss I’ll never forget and head back. Call me when you get there and after your evaluation.”

“Are you sure? I don’t care if I get there late, Smarty.”

“
I’m sure. You don’t need to show up tired. Kiss me, then go.”

Holding her hips against me, I lean down, brushing my lips against hers. She parts her mouth, and I kiss her with everything I am. With all my passion, all my need for her, but mostly, I kiss her with all my love. Presley relaxes into me as I pull away, letting her lip pop back in place from between my teeth.

“Was that kiss up to your standards?” I smirk.

“
One more,” she mumbles.

I laugh before kissing her again. She offers to walk me out, but I tell her there’s no need. It’s easier to leave her in her apartment than to have to drive away with her in my rearview mirror.

“Call me when you get there and drive safely,” she repeats one more time as I pick up my bags.

“
I will.” Turning to face her, I step closer, kiss her forehead and let my lips brush over her skin as I add, “Don’t miss me too much.”

Presley smiles up at me. “I won’t.” She pauses and continues, “I know we haven’t talked much about it in a while, but you’ll get your second chance and you’re going to be great, Levi. We all believe in you.”

Her words soothe nerves I didn’t know I had. “Thank you, Presley. I love you.”

“
I love you too.”

She gives me a quick kiss and then I’m on my way back to Pennsylvania. Hopefully, for good this time.

Presley

I stare down at every shiny, glitzy diamond looking back at me. It’s hard not to think about Levi someday asking me to marry him. Not that I was planning on that any time soon.

“
What are you thinking?” Trevor is standing next to me, and he looks like he is about to go in front of a firing squad.

“
Trev, you do know these are engagement rings, right?” I want to make sure that he knows the difference. “I thought you were getting a promise ring.”

“
Well,” his voice trails off. I watch him shift nervously and run his hand through his hair.

I gasp loudly. “Are you going to propose?” I grab his bicep to steady myself.

“Well,” he repeats, pausing for a moment. “I mean...see...um,” he stammers.

I punch him in the shoulder. “Man up, hockey player and tell me now.” Other customers in the store start glancing at us.

“Yes. There. Are you happy? I’m going to ask her to marry me.” He throws his hands up in the air.

Now it’s my turn to stutter. “Wha...what? When did this come about?”

“I started thinking that a promise ring is nothing more than a small engagement ring. So, then I thought it would save me money if I just got the engagement ring, and that’s what I am doing,” he states matter-of-factly.

I stare at him, and I’m thoroughly confused. “You’re getting engaged to save money?”

“No,” he snaps back at me. “I’m getting married because I love her.”

The pride creeps onto my face. My brother is getting married. I can’t believe it. “Then let’s pick out a ring.”

Trevor takes a deep breath and stares back down at the case.

After looking at several different rings, cuts, and prices, Trevor settles on
the one
. It’s a two carat, princess cut ring. The salesman wraps it in a pretty pink box with a small bow on top. I can’t help the tears filling my eyes as I watch my twin brother pay for the one piece of jewelry that will change his life.

He’s getting engaged. He’s really is going to do it. I start to think about Levi. How would he look in a tux? Where would we get married? I smile thinking that we would get married in the middle of the Penguins rink. That would be perfect for us both. Wonder if Victor would wear a Flyers shirt in protest? The smile on my face grows bigger thinking of it.

“Hey, why are you smiling?” Trevor asks, bringing me out of my daydream.

“
Nothing. How about some lunch?”

Trevor nods, and we head out. We decide to go to a restaurant that’s nearby. It’s nice hanging out with my brother. Ever since the night at the bar, we have been talking every night, just like we use to. I don’t want to grow apart from Trevor, or even Marley, especially since she’s my soon to be sister-in-law.

As we sit down and order our drinks, I ask Trevor how he plans to propose to her. Knowing my brother, he will do it during sex or something gross like that.

“
I’m not real sure yet. Maybe a romantic dinner or something.” He shrugs likes it not a big deal. “So, have Levi and you talked about your future?”

I giggle. “Hardly. Our future hasn’t been the hottest of topics right now.”

“Why? I thought things were better,” he questions.

“
Oh no, we are great. We just never discuss those types of plans.” I smile at him.

“
Hell, I’m surprised you two aren’t married already.” He shakes his head.

Before I can say anything, the waiter brings the drinks and takes our order. I think about Trevor’s statement. I honestly don’t think Levi is ready for that step in our relationship. I mean, he just got back to Pennsylvania, and I have to go to law school. Besides, I’m sure Levi has never thought about marriage. I mean, yes, we did move in together and that was a big step for us, but marriage is on a whole other level.

Trevor and I enjoy a great lunch. We laugh, joke, and talk about school and hockey. It’s something we haven’t done in a long time, and it makes me feel whole again. Even though Levi isn’t here, I know I have Trevor.

He drops me off at my apartment, and I now have to hurry to finish packing. Mom, Marley, and I are going to be heading to Pittsburgh in a few hours to look at apartments. I think about how nervous it’s going to be moving to a city where I know no one, and Trevor nor Marley are going with me. They both have to finish their semesters here. At least, I’ll only be a few hours away from Levi, but then again, he’ll be on the road a lot.

I pack my bags and make sure that I’m not forgetting anything. I’ve loaded the addresses of the apartments onto my phone already. As I place the few bags by the door, I look around the apartment. I’ve been in this place since I was eighteen. It was the first time I was living by myself, and even though I was scared my first night alone, I grew up here.

A loud knocking makes me jump. As I open the door, I’m taken back a bit.

“Daddy, what are you doing here?”

He stands on the other side of the door, looking a little upset. Although, he always looks like that. He walks into the living room and says with a booming voice, “I’m very upset with you, Presley.” He crosses his arms and stares me down.

“Oh.” My mouth drops. I quickly try to think of something that I had done to upset him. Nothing comes to mind.

“
I called the law school, and they told me that this semester and next year was already paid for. Levi has no right to pay for your schooling. I am your father, and you’re my responsibility.” My dad’s face is red with anger.

“
Daddy, Levi didn’t pay for my schooling. Technically, you did,” I tell him.

“
What?” His expression quickly changes from anger to confusion.

“
You’ve overloaded me with ‘love’,” I air-quote to him, “for years. I’ve been saving a lot of it and had enough to pay for some of the schooling. Then I invested some of it, so I should be okay with living expenses for a while.”

Dad just stares at me, expressionless, saying nothing.

“Daddy?” I touch his arm.

“
When did you become so grown up? Have I been that bad of a father that I missed my little girl mature into a smart, beautiful woman?” His voice cracks, and for a moment, I think he’s going to cry.

“
You’re not a bad father. I’m smart because of you. You taught me so much. I know that we haven’t been close over the years, but you’re my father. And I get my good looks from Mom.” I make the joke to break the tension in the room.

It works because Dad laughs. “That is true.” Then he does something that he normally doesn’t do. He hugs me.

I don’t know what it is about my dad’s hugs, but when they happen, I feel safe. Maybe it’s the little girl inside of me that always wanted to be his baby girl? Or maybe it’s because they don’t happen often?

“
Okay.” Dad steps out of our embrace. “But, remember this, I’m going to still put money in your account. I know how hard it was for your mother and me in school, and I don’t want that for Trevor and you.”

I nod, trying to hold back my tears. My dad cares about me, and that means a lot. He turns to leave when there is another knock on my door. He opens it and it’s Mom and Marley.

“Hey.” Mom smiles brightly at him. “What are you doing here?”

“
Just spending time with Presley.” Dad gives Mom a quick kiss. “Have a good weekend ladies.” And then he leaves without saying anything else.

“
Presley?” Mom questions.

I hold up my hand. “Everything is fine, I promise. Let’s get going.” I gather up my bags, and we all head out to leave.

~ ~ ~

I lay on the hotel bed, just staring at the ceiling. Mom is in the next bed fast asleep, as is Marley, who is next to me. We drove in, ordered some food, and went to bed since we would have an early start in the morning, but I can’t sleep.

I carefully crawl out of the warm covers, grab my phone, and head out onto the balcony. It’s unusually warm for it to be almost November, and I’m enjoying the breeze as I call the one person that will listen to me.

“
Smarty, are you okay?” Levi’s sexy, groggy voice brings a smile to my face through the tears that are rolling down my cheeks.

“
Hey, yeah, everything is fine.” I pause clearing my throat. “I missed your voice.”

“
I miss you. Are you in Pittsburgh?” He asks, sounding more awake.

“
Yes. I’m sorry I know you have an early practice,” I start.

“
It’s fine. Talk to me,” Levi cuts me off. “What’s wrong?”

“
I don’t know. Is this all happening too fast? I mean, can I do this? Trevor is about to get engaged, my dad tells me I’m smart and beautiful, and now I’m staring at this stunning skyline, and I’m scared to death. I’ve never been in a city alone before. I’ve always had Trevor or Marley with me. I just,” I pause as tears stream down my face, “I just don’t know if this is the right decision.”

“
You know I don’t call you Smarty because you’re a smart ass. I do it because there’s no one smarter than you. It seems scary because you’ve never done it before. My mom always said to try everything, so you don’t regret it later. You have to try, and I know that you’re going to succeed. And if you don’t, then you can look back and know that you at least attempted it.” Levi’s voice is strong and determined.

“
Levi, I’ve never failed before,” I say quietly.

“
And you’re not going to fail this time either,” he reassures me.

“
Thank you.” I sniffle at him. “Thank you for loving and supporting me.”

“
Presley McCarthy, you’ll never have to thank me for that. I should thank you for loving and supporting me. I promise it’s going to be just fine.”

I sit there, silently, listening to the sounds of the city around me and Levi breathing softly on the phone.

“I love you,” Levi whispers to me.

“
I love you too.”

“
Can I ask a question? Because you did wake me up. Did you say Trevor was engaged?” Levi asks.

I giggle. “I helped him pick out a ring today. Marley doesn’t know, but yes, he’s going to ask her to marry him.”

“Wow,” is all he says.

“
Hey, Levi.” I clear my throat, unsure if I should say anything. “Do you ever think about our lives, you know, like in the future?”

“
Smarty, I love you. More than anything. However, I really don’t want to talk about marriage, houses, and kids at three o’clock in the morning over the phone. Especially when both of us have to be up in a few hours. I need to get to the gym and you need to explore the city.”

“
You’re right. We can always talk about this some other time.” Levi’s right. We shouldn’t be talking about this over the phone and there’s no rush.

“
I love you. Go get some rest and call me tomorrow,” he directs to me.

“
I love you.” I take a deep breath and hang up.

I sit there looking at the brightly lit skyline of Pittsburgh. This is going to be my new home. This is where my new life is about to embark. I close my eyes and count to ten. Levi’s right, my dad is right; I’m smart and a strong woman. I can do this.

~ ~ ~

“
Wow, this place is beautiful,” Marley gasps as we walk into the last apartment.

Stacy, the realtor, called Mom this morning and said another place had just opened up and she wanted to show us. The first five buildings were a bust.

“Presley, this is perfect for you,” my mom says, walking over to the massive windows that face out to the street.

“
How far is it from the school?” I ask Stacy, who is standing next to me.

“
About a mile. This area is full of young people, couples, and starting out business people. It’s really a great neighborhood.”

I look at the apartment, strolling through it. The living room is large enough to fit two couches, and the updated kitchen would be perfect for someone who cooked a lot. I can almost picture Levi in there making chili. As I go down the small hallway, there is a massive master bedroom. It is the size of my current living room, and a large bathroom is attached.

“This is out of my budget.” The building also has a gym, a pool, and a running track. Add all that together with the view, and I can never afford it.

“
Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you knew.” Stacy looks from my mom to me.

“
Knew what?” I ask her.

“
A Mr. McCarthy called me the other day and said that price wasn’t an issue as long as it was a safe, secure building in a good neighborhood. He already gave me the information to take care of the deposits and everything. All you had to do was pick the place.”