Tripping

Chapter 1: Nathan's POV

Nathan

Four Months Later 

My season ended today, I should be more upset but I'm sitting here with Mia across from me at our favourite restaurant still celebrating like we always do when a season is over. Mia told me that even though we didn't win the Stanley Cup, it doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate my hard work and wins throughout the season. God, I fucking love her. How could I not?

When we met in college, I wasn't in any position to be getting into a relationship. That doesn't mean I didn't feel something spark inside me when Jules brought her over to introduce her to me and Sully. We were both just starting at the University of Toronto. I was focused on my hockey career while trying to maintain a good GPA to remain on the school team. And Mia was nose deep in her law books studying to be a paralegal.

But everything changed when my Mom got sick, I started to crash. All the sweat, blood, tears, and early morning practices I went through, I was about to let it all go to nothing and send my hockey career down the drain. I was going to let my dad's hard work over the past 18 years of shaping me for the NHL go because I couldn't bear watching my Mom slowly die of cancer with a timeline to live off. In the end, I didn't crash, because of Mia.

She was there every minute - that's a lie, every second that I needed her, she was there. She saw me, this hockey jock known around campus for his amazing speed on the ice, in his most vulnerable state. She never judged me, never held anything against me, she was just there for me. When my mom took her last breath, I went straight to Mia and she held me all night while I sobbed, mourning the loss of my mom.

When I finally stopped crying Mia looked me in the eyes and told me, "You're going to make her so proud because you are going to take your amazing talent and become the best player out there, and be the great man she would want you to be."

That's when I knew I was going to marry Mia. She wasn't just there for me, but she was there for my brother and dad too and I want to spend the rest of my life being there for her.

"Are you excited for our off-season trip this year baby?" I ask her knowing we still need to decide where we want to go this year. Last year we did the Maldives and I know Mia wants to go to Europe this year.

"Wherever you are, that's where I want to be," I look at her and can't stop myself from thinking, is this girl really mine? Is she really sitting there in that cute black dress probably wearing my favourite panties underneath, maybe none at all, telling me that wherever I am she wants to be.

I don't think I can love her any more than I do right now. That's why this year I'm finally going to ask her to marry me on our off-season trip. We are both stable in our careers, have been together for almost 6 years, and even live together. I'm ready to make her my wife.

That's why before we left for dinner I made sure to call Ricky and ask how his therapy was going with his arm and confirming that he was still going to meet me in New York next month to buy Mia her ring. He said he can't wait, making sure to remind me that I'll never experience the puck bunny life.

I laughed for a good two minutes on the phone, how stupid would I be to ever want to jump around from girl to girl and never be able to show my feelings. I'm not my brother. I have the hottest girl in the world by my side, with me for whatever gets thrown our way.

She's sensitive, but strong strong, her laugh can be heard from two doors down, her long dark brown hair always fans her face so perfectly giving me the perfect view of her round face with her cheeks that touch her eyes when she smiles. Her light brown eyes that almost look green in the best lighting just remind me of how madly in love with her I am and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her.

"Where should we go this year?" I ask her, knowing her answer already. She wasn't really subtle about it. She's had the Mamma Mia playlist playing around the house the whole damn month. She said playing Lay All Your Love On Me and making souvlaki chicken before my game were her superstitions, saying we always won when she listened to that song and ate that food. Too bad it didn't work for today's game. But I know she wanted me to catch the hint. And I did. Crystal clear.

"Hmm...how about Italy?" she asks knowing we talked about saving Italy for our honeymoon one day when we got married.

"I thought Italy was our potential honeymoon destination? How about Greece?" I ask her and the way her eyes light up I wish I would have just booked the trip and surprised her because this, this smile is what gives me life.

"You want to go to Greece?" she questions me. She's so damn cute, she thinks I didn't notice how badly she wanted to go there.

"Of course baby, wherever you want to go I just want to be there with you," I tell her, replying with the same words she told me, as the waitress comes over and we order our food and drinks.

"Greece it is, can we drive Vespa's around town, oh, can we go to the set of Mamma Mia, or maybe rent a yacht so I can reenact Meryl Streep singing Money Money?" I can't even laugh because there isn't one damn thing I wouldn't do for this girl and if that's what she wants to do, then that's what we'll do.

"You name it," I tell her as I grab her hand off the table and gently brush my lips to her knuckles. "I love you, only you."

"Only you." She says back to me with tears brimming her eyes.

Now I just need to figure out how to propose to her. Fuck me.

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