31 - Jealousy, 32 - Romance

31. JEALOUSY


Anna was surprised that Lindy Ruff had told her she would be staying behind when the Sabres started their two-week road trip. Usually she went with the teams. Lindy told her it was simply because they had trainees who needed the experience, but Anna had a feeling there was something else going on that she didn't know about.

"Well at least this way the guys won't have to deal with me peeing every five minutes," Anna joked as Ryan drove to the HSBC, "Gosh, this sucks."

"The doctor says it's normal, Annie," Ryan assured her, "Besides, guys pee more than girls do anyway. Like we'd notice."

Anna smirked, "Thanks, Ry."

As they pulled into the HSBC, wives, kids and girlfriends were all bidding their goodbyes to the Sabres players. Anna felt like she was one of them now. It only took a week for her to feel at home with the boys. Perhaps it was partly because of Tyler Meyers.

The day after she and Ryan had watched their old movie, Adam Mair made a comment about the two of them- “Hey Romeo, how’s Juliet and the bun doing?” Anna went berserk, completely embarrassed and angry that Ryan had told everyone about what we going on since she was clearly not ready to let the whole world know. Tyler had taken Anna aside and explained that Lindy had told them that she and Ryan were having a baby out of wedlock, and that she was transferred there quietly to avoid any type of scandal. He also told her that he believed it was because Ryan was a good man and could take care of Anna like she needed him to. That was the first time Anna ever hugged one of the Sabres.

Now, as the boys boarded the bus, Anna felt sad. She didn’t want Ryan to go. There were little things about him she would miss- how he tied a towel around his waist after shower while he brushed his teeth, the way he got all excited when he heard a song on the radio he liked, how cute it was to watch him learn to cook...

Not that she liked him that way. Of course not- Ryan was around just because it was for responsibility, and because he knew how to satisfy Anna when she needed him to. That was strictly it.

So what if she was kind of attracted to him?

Ryan pulled Anna into a gentle hug, “I’m going to miss you.”

Anna surprised herself by saying, “I think I will miss you more.”

Ryan gave her a beautiful smile, “You hold up the home front for me, ok?”

“I will,” Anna promised, “And you beat those Devils.”

“We’ll try,” Ryan told her, “Goodbye, Annie.”

“Goodbye, Ryan.”

Ryan snuck a quick kiss on Anna’s lips, making her heart flutter. Adam Mair whistled at Ryan and they both blushed. Caught in the act!

Anna watched as the lanky goaltender boarded the bus with the rest of the team. The moment was bittersweet for Anna; as though she’d just realized she’d found a home. A hockey team was like a little family, and for the first time in a long time, she’d been taken in and made one of their own. It was really going to be hard just watching them on television for the next two weeks.

A hand with long, fake nails grasped Anna’s arm and she heard a voice whisper into her ear, “You’re going to pay for what you did, you little slut.”

Anna swallowed, watching Mercedes walk to the bus. She wondered what exactly it was she was Mercedes was planning to do. Anna almost wanted to stop the trip and take Ryan home.

Mercedes met Ryan’s eye breifly as she made her way to her seat on the bus.

“If I can’t have you,” she said under her breath, “...no one can.”


32. ROMANCE

“ANNA?!”

Anna cringed, holding the phone away from her ear, “Yes, Carey?”

“Will you please watch our game tonight? It’s really important! And I mean the pre-game ceremonies! Please?”

“Sure, Carey,” Anna rolled her eyes, “I’ll watch.”

“Sweet, talk to you later!”

Carey Price turned into a five-year-old whenever he was excited about something.

As she promised, Anna turned on the television a couple hours later and watched the pregame. The Habs were playing the Bruins that night; a team they rivaled. Anna had met Tim Thomas once, but that was her only tie. She waited for something interesting to happen.

And it did, as soon as the national anthem ended, the announcer said, “And now, a special announcement from Carey Price.”

A couple fans booed as Carey skated to the carpeted area, but Anna shrugged. She pictured Julia fighting them off and laughed a bit. It was always a funny sight.

As Carey took the mic in his hand, Anna frowned. He was still wearing his catching glove, and was holding it at a weird angle. What the hell?

Carey smiled nervously, “Would Julia McNeil please come to centre ice?”

Anna’s mouth dropped open as Andrei Markov and Mike Cammaleri escorted Julia across the slippery ice surface. She was wearing a Price jersey, of course, and a cute little blue beret. She gave Carey a horrified look that said, “Why am I out here?!” and Anna had to laugh.

Carey took a moment and then he spoke.

“This is my girlfriend, Julia,” he told the crowd, “I’ve been with Julia for a little over three years now. On Valentine’s Day, it’ll be four years. But I hope it’ll be longer than that.”

Anna bit her lip as Julia turned six shades of red. He wasn’t.

“You’re my best friend,” Carey continued, turning to Julia, “You’ve seen me through the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows. You’re my support system. You cheer me on and you hold me up. I don’t know where I would be without you.”

Carey opened his glove, took out a box, tossed the glove and dropped to his knee.

He was!

Julia covered her mouth in surprise. The crowd gasped excitedly. People started taking pictures. The media began to circle.

“Julia Caroline McNeil, mon petite fille et mon amour,” Carey said, “Will you marry me?”

Tears burst from Julia’s eyes and she mouthed the word, “Yes.”

Carey stood up and she jumped into his arms. The crowd went wild and the cameras flashed. For the first time, Carey and Julia kissed while the media filmed and took pictures. This moment was their own, but Carey made sure the world knew.

“In case you guys didn’t hear, she said yes!”

As they left the ice, the Habs patted Carey on the back and Mike hugged Julia. Carey looked close to tears himself. He skated to his net and was ready to start. That was the second surprise of the night to his new fiancee- he was starting.

Anna wiped her eyes on her sleeve. What Carey did was downright romantic. After spending a night in Montreal with him two years ago (there had been a huge ice storm and the two of them were trapped in an elevator for a good three hours), Anna knew what Carey loved more than anything- hockey. So for him to propose to Julia at centre ice could only mean one thing- he really was in love.

Halfway through the first period, Anna’s phone went off with a text message:

U NEED 2 GET A BRIDESMAIDS DRESS! :D