The Greatest Assist (Patrick Kane)

45| My Love

Chelsea

"That's quite the ring you got on there" Erica claims as she points to my finger. With Patrick's family in town we've been hanging out a lot and since today was my birthday they treated me to a nice breakfast.

I assured them they didn't have to do this but they really wanted to. The girls in Patrick's family were so sweet and their parents were more like my parents than my own. I jumped on every chance I had to spend time with them and they made my birthday here that much more special.

"Thank you. It's actually from Patrick, believe it or not" I explain and her eyes nearly pop out of her head.

"You mean Patrick bought you a ring! And he didn't tell me" she pouts.

"I guess not" I laugh. "I mean it was pretty recent and kind of random. He never said anything about a promise ring and I certainly don't think our relationship, whatever you want to call it, calls for a ring. It wasn't for anything specific, he gave it to me just because" I shrug.

"It's actually beautiful. I never thought my brother would pick something like that out" Jess insists as she grabs my hand to get a good look at it.

"He's full of many wonderful surprises" I admit.

"That he is. I'm just happy he knows how to treat a girl right. Sometimes I never thought he would be sober long enough to figure girls out but now look at him" Jackie teases.

"He's a wonderful man. He doesn't show a lot of people that because honestly the don't deserve to know. But for the few lucky people he shows there is no denying that he is amazing" I admit.

"I think the only reason he's like that is because of you" Jess insists. "I mean before you came around the boy couldn't do anything right. He said the wrong things in interviews, he didn't know how to communicate in the slightest, every interaction he had outside of the hockey rink ended up in the papers. The poor boy couldn't catch a break.

And now you're here and he hasn't gotten in trouble once. He stopped drinking and he's opened up. The company he keeps isn't so toxic and he looks truly happy. Like the little boy who I would run into his room and we could play dolls and he wouldn't care what anyone else thought about him. He was care free and genuinely happy. It's nice to have my brother back" she claims.

"I think so too" I smile.

After breakfast I head home where my brothers shipped me their presents. I told them not to get me anything because we were never that family that gave gifts, but since when did they ever listen to me? Tatum got me some Lakers stuff because I did miss them a whole lot and Bryan got me a new notebook to write in because lord knows I need it, and a bunch of money for lord knows what.

Once I called and thanked them both for the birthday gifts I change and get ready for the Blackhawks game tonight. It was getting to the end of the season and besides when I was in the hospital I never missed a home game. I never saw myself as the hockey girl type but there was a lot to this game to like. I love sitting with my friends who are always there too and being able to talk to them is always something I enjoyed. I didn't have that in LA because I wasn't supposed to be friends with those people, we were supposed to have a professional relationship even though I was close with many of the guys and their families anyway. But here I was encouraged to insert myself into Patrick's world to better understand what I need to be for his as his personal assistant.

I get to the United Center and try to get in but as soon as I show the guard my pass he tells me he needed me to follow him. So I nervously walk behind him like a kid who got in trouble in class and is getting escorted to the principles office. I swear I was wearing the right lanyard but maybe I brought the wrong ticket.

We get down into the lower tunnels and I become even more confused. Why would I need to be down here? We get to a door and the man stops in front of it. He opens it for me and I shamefully go inside the room waiting to get reprimanded for whatever happened this time.

Only when I get in there it wasn't the police ready to search me or my parents here to take me away. It was my friends from this organization and Patrick around a birthday cake with balloons and decorations all around the room. I smile big as the yell "surprise" and I try not to look too surprised. But I was mostly just relived that I wasn't in trouble.

"What is this" I ask as Patrick walks over to me. He pulls me into a big hug and I hug him back.

"Happy birthday Princess" he whispers in my ear giving me chills.

"You didn't have to do this" I insist.

"No, but you make my life so wonderful. This is the least I could do to give some of that happiness back" he insists.

"I love it, so thank you" I smile.

I walk over and say hi to everyone who was in the room. The cake was super cute with a tiara on the front. Although I hated the thought of being called a Princess, since it was Patrick who gave me that nickname I was okay with it. And apparently you're not supposed to like your hockey nickname anyway so I guess this is what is going to stick.

Patrick pulls me to the side before handing me a good sized box wrapped in wrapping paper. After he assures me it's nothing too expensive and I was going to force him take it back I open it up. Inside the box was a pair of baby blue ice skates. The smile on my face grows as I pick them up, I wanted a pair of my own but I didn't know what to look for or where to find them. Leave it to Patrick to not only find me a pair of skates but them to be in my favorite color.

I look on the side and see "Princess" engraved in gold and for some reason it made me tear up. This was the best thing I didn't know I needed and I love them so much. It was a perfect gift from a perfect friend.

"Oh Patrick" I gasp. "These are lovely."

"Just like you" he accuses. Never misses a chance on those set ups, does he? "Happy birthday my love."