"You're such a punk!" Elodie shouts, smacking my arm.

She's gotten very abusive lately.

All I did was actually beat her in GoldenEye. My arms are in a victory pose in the air as she groans in irritation. She sits cross-legged, dropping the remote and it hits the floor, the plastic croaking from the blatant abuse.

Those big eyes narrow behind her glasses and she climbs on top of me, trying to yank my arms down. Her wild, untamed hair tickles my face as she tries putting all of her weight on my arms, but I easily keep them up, her persistence not even making my biceps flinch. Her curves are fuller, especially the beautiful swell of her hips. Her skin glows and the smile she's fighting comes out at full force while she laughs.

My beautiful blue-eyed weirdo.

"Gloating is not sexy," she exclaims, giving up and sitting in my lap, her belly touching my abs.

"I'm the sexiest man alive no matter what I do," I counter.

Her brow quirks up. "Even pooping?"

I burst out laughing. "That's disgusting, Blue. But yes, even pooping."

We are officially in deep with our relationship now that crapping has been brought up.

She flicks my forehead with her finger. "Still so cocky and arrogant."

My arms finally drop and my hands grip her plush hips. My lips meet hers and I nibble on them, humming, "Yeah, remember when you had said you weren't into me, you lied."

"Remember when you said I was only a friend to you?"

I chuckle between kisses, my tongue licking her bottom lip for entrance. "That's because you freaked out when I called you my girl."

She won't give me access. "I wasn't your girl."

My fingers dig into her hips. "You most definitely were."

She swiftly gets off me, a what-the-heck look on her face. "Was not."

My chest rumbles at the sight of her pretty legs. Those yoga shorts are going to be my undoing. I get up, lazily walking her backward until her back meets the wall. I grip the hem of my jersey, allowing my hand to wander just a little bit. My other hand goes up to her jaw and I grip some of her hair, pulling her head back. "Open up for me, babe."

She sucks her lips in then pops them back out, so perfectly crooked and all mine to devour. "Tariq, I wasn't yours."

My gaze slides down her, watching her stiffen and fidget just like the night at the party when I had her in my clutches. "You were. you only belong to me, Blue."

She takes in a quick breath as my hand travels downward, my fingers outlining her perfectly plump backside. We haven't had sex, as tempting as it is at times, and I haven't touched her in any way that would cause me to go over the edge. But lately, I can't stop myself from wanting more, especially since she's been more... aggressive.

My mouth goes to her neck, giving her open-mouthed kisses until I reach her lips. My fingers slide along the tight fabric of her tiny shorts. I kiss her then bite her bottom lip, making her open with a whimper. "That's it."

My tongue meets hers, and my muscles tense as she tastes like heaven and feels like silk. My hands cup her face, kissing her breathless, taking, devouring every moan and whimper. My body presses against hers and I relish in the imprint of it. God, it's getting hard but hopefully, I won't have to wait that much longer.

"Tariq, we've got to go!" Rasheed yells from behind the hotel door but I don't listen, too intoxicated by my girl.

No, we aren't sharing a hotel room. Blue is staying with Heather but we had brought the N64 to play with here.

We're in the playoffs and it's the championship game tonight. I had been suspended for the first couple after bashing in Colin's face.

I actually did end up putting him on a breathing tube.

It wasn't for long though and now he's recovering but will need plastic surgery to fix his nose, busted cheekbones, and jaw that he had to have wired shut. His family decided not to press charges against me and focus on keeping him out of prison, which is highly doubtful. Especially now that multiple people have come forward and the prosecutors have video of Colin putting the Xanax in Elodie's water bottle.

It won't be long until he's behind bars.

Alpha Tau Sigma is also no longer in existence and has been shut down permanently. Everyone in the frat had been expelled, including newcomer Ellis.

Life has finally gotten more peaceful.

Elodie's stuff had been returned to her and is back in the storage unit. She's a little over twenty weeks pregnant now, healthy, gaining weight, and eating like crazy.

My hands grip some of the said weight, making her let out a breathy sigh. At this rate, I'm going to be late. I pull away as she whines a little. "It's not fair."

"What's not, Blue?" I give her a couple more peppered kisses then go over to get my stuff and change.

"You have no idea how horny pregnancy makes us women." I love that she's been more open about these things. It weirdly makes it easier. I rip off my shirt and she groans falling into the bed all dramatically, shoving a pillow in her face. "You're killing me."

"I thought my body didn't do it for you, babe?"

She drops the pillow, glaring at me. "I was clearly lying." She pumps her arm up and down, her hand pointed at me. "Have you seen yourself and here I am ready to be in a what's larger contest with a hippo."

I drop my bag, throw my Under Armour shirt on the bed, and grab her hand, bringing her closer to me. "You are incredibly sexy."

Her head rests against my chest, her fingers playing with my tuft of hair then trailing along the ridges and dips of my chest and abs. "You are way sexier than me, which also doesn't help. We'll have one beautiful baby though."

My knuckles slide under her chin, tilting it up and my lips kiss each corner of her mouth. "You're not a hippo but a little hedgehog," She tries interrupting but I won't allow her, my hands gripping her delicious round butt pulling her close to me. "You are the sexiest, most amazing creature and I can't wait to show you that." My heated gaze locks on her cloudy ones, swirling with desire. "I promise, Blue, I'm going to make the wait worth it for you."

Her quirky lips open and I can't help wanting one more taste. They are so perfect against mine, pouty, soft and I love licking the bow that is higher than the other.

There's banging at the door. "Tariq!"

I groan. "I've gotta go, babe." I yank my shirt over my head, grab my gear and give her one last kiss. "See you at the game."

"Love you," she calls out as I open the door to three irritated teammates but my smile can't be killed.

"Love you too," I shout back, smacking my brother's shoulder. "Come on guys, we've got to get moving."

"I want to kill you," Rasheed states as he pushes me off him. "Stop looking all smug just because you got some action."

"Jealous?" I question.

"Of course I am!"

My heart stops for a moment. "Rasheed, you don't?"

"You get to play N64 all you want while I've been banished. I'm sick of it. I declare here forth, knighted back into game nights."

I let out a breath. I haven't missed how Rasheed enjoys Blue's company but I still get weirdly possessive about it. Honestly, part of me wonders that if Rasheed had met her first, would they have been a thing? They are similar in some ways. Just even the thought gets me riled and freaked.

"Who are you one of Arthur's knights?" Beau asks.

"The millions of TikTok views were not worth it," Rasheed says.

Winston shakes his head and quietly mutters under his breath, "Idiot."

The next couple of hours are spent going over plays, getting ready and warming up. Soon it's game time and I glance over at the stands to see Blue, Heather, and my family.

Ice cracks as Rasheed comes to a stop next to me. "I don't like her so you can chill. I'd never like my brother's girl. I knew you had a thing for her the day we walked into the night class and spotted her."

She twirls around showing me my name and I'm dying to get this game over with to spend time with her. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little jealous of the relationship you two have built. I'm happy about it, but it's like I can't help myself."

"You're stupid but I am a little jealous of what you two have. I never thought I'd see you like this. Not after everything."

The corners of my mouth lifts. "Me neither. You'll get it someday."

Rasheed shrugs as if a big chill ran through him. "No thanks, I like being a serial dater. Bachelorhood fits me just fine."

I pat his helmet. "You're going to meet a girl who's going to change your mind."

"Hopefully a redhead. Eh, who am I kidding, I don't discriminate," he jokes.

*

The ice hisses and cracks from my skates, sticks clatter against one another fighting for the puck, bodies slam into the boards, rattling the plexiglass, and punches are thrown. I take in every aspect of my last game, forever marking it in my brain.

I love this sport.

But my career ends here.

There's no dream NHL contract waiting for me, but there's a future I never knew I wanted, with a woman and a baby I love more than life itself, which is crazy because I've only seen him or her in an ultrasound where it looks like an alien cat skeleton. It was the heartbeat that got me.

My shift is up, shaking me from my thoughts. We're down by one and the game is tight. Shockingly, The Bruins have made it to the Championship game and it's a real underdog story. They didn't have the best season but somehow made it here. They've failed, lost badly, but they've also won games in crazy situations and have pushed themselves to become a solid unit on the ice.

They're a team that should be admired, cheered for, and I'm happy we're playing against them. We have respect for one another, no bad blood. There's no thrown elbows or sneaky attacks, it's a game all about endurance and skill.

Shaw, The Bruins goalie is incredible. He has been blocking every shot and has insane reflexes. He also has the crazy ability to read where the puck is going to go with keen senses. It's driving Rasheed nuts, but I can't help but admire the guy though. When you meet a good player on the ice it's either a bitter rivalry or respect. Shaw easily gets the latter.

I pass the puck to Beau and he drives it, only for Shaw to catch it with incredible ease. Beau pushes his mouthguard out in frustration and skates around, trying to refocus. We're getting winded, it's been a back and forth game, with no team being majorly on the offensive or defensive, it's dead even.

The Bruins have definitely done their homework on us and the clock is ticking down, our loss mere seconds away. I get possession of the puck and see Rasheed coming in from behind and pass to him. He gets a perfect breakaway. It's him vs. Shaw and Rasheed has to be quick and wickedly smart with his shot. Strength isn't his ally here, accuracy is.

His shot needs to be all about surprise.

He gets in the hash marks, chest pointed at the net, the puck sliding with his stick. I watch as Shaw calculates Rasheed's next move, but my brother does something incredible and shifts his weight, shifting at the last possible second, sweeping the puck forward, snapping his wrist with a quick release. The puck blazes past Shaw, the buzzer ringing out as it hits into the net.

I stare dumbfounded as all the guys surround him, understanding dawning on me along with pride.

My brother has surpassed me.

I may not have a future in the NHL, but he sure as hell does.

*

We're in sudden death over time and fans are going crazy. Everyone on the ice is tense and skating frantically, trying to make a shot. Winston and Shaw are battling it out, blocking, catching, and deflecting shots left and right.

Exhaustion creeps into my bones but the adrenaline pumping in my veins fuels my body to keep pushing. All of us are on our last breaths, chests rising and falling, sweat dripping, mouthguards going in and out of our mouths as we catch our breaths.

The Bruins get possession of the puck and we go on the defensive, the puck is passed to Bowers who gets behind the net, watching for a teammate to pass it too. There's a flash of recognition in his eyes and his mouth opens. He swipes the puck clear over to the left side where no one is... that we knew of.

Smithson comes out of nowhere and must've hopped off the bench for a shift and drives the puck straight into the goal. The buzzer sounds, ringing, and my team deflates, arms loose by our sides, skates slowing down, gliding us in the pain of our loss over the ice.

The Bruins celebrate their win, jumping on Smithson, rejoicing in a victory upset in all of college hockey. We played a hell of a game though but they played smarter.

They deserved this win.

I glance up at Blue and see her eyes soften, her lips moving, mouthing sorry. Am I upset about losing my last game? Yeah, obviously, but at the end of it all, I won way more than I ever thought I could.

Half my college year has been spent struggling, my bad decisions and grief wreaking havoc in my life. Then I decided to make things right, get help, but it wasn't until she came into my life that I found my way back to who I am.

I'm not perfect, far from it.

I'll fail, I'll make mistakes, and I'll hurt others. I'm human. But for Blue, I'm going to be more. I'm going to be a man who's there to support her and love her. I'm also going to grow for myself, become a better man, and in the process a good father. I may mess up from time to time, we'll definitely have our fights but...

I'm her man.

And always will be.

The guys are miserable and sulking, and rightfully so. It was a tough game and the loss came as a shock. We haven't seen them because the coach wanted to have a meeting and so Heather, Farrah, Mr. and Mrs. Araneo, and I all went back to the hotel to wait.

That's when an idea came to me.

It took some smooth talking from Mrs. Araneo, a Walmart run, some money from Mr. Araneo, and we are all set. I organize everything on the tables and spin the wheel I had quickly made with all the hockey players' names on it. Heather is setting up all the pizzas with Mrs. Arneo as Mr. Araneo complains about the pizza like a true Italian.

"I'm sorry for how I was when we first met." Farrah comes up next to me and looks around. "As different as we are, I really like you and you make my brother super happy. Cass hurt him pretty badly, but I think it hurt me more because I got really close to her. I always had wanted a sister," she pauses and smiles at me. "So I'm glad you came around."

Tears burn my eyes and her face falls and she shakes her head in a panic. "Please don't cry."

I hug her and she goes rigid but then hugs me back. "Thank you, Farrah."

She pats my back. I've learned Farrah isn't much of a touchy person so I end the hug quickly for her sake. She points behind me. "They're here."

The team starts coming into the massive dining hall, gloomy and confused. My eyes land on Tariq who's pushing through some of the guys to see what's going on.

His hair is damp, slicked back and his black long-sleeved Henley fits snug against his chest and around his arms. He pushes up his sleeves once he's front and center, his jeans riding low. His beard is thicker than usual making him seem older and his dark eyes search the room until they land on me. His lips lift at the corner and my heart flutters.

I'll never get used to him looking at me like that.

"Ooooooooohhhh!" Rasheed screams barreling in, dropping his duffle bag in excitement. "Special Agent Mitchel! What is this?!"

I smirk. "The game is... Nerf Gun Freeze Tag, boys." I walk in front of the table holding all the arsenal. "These..." I grab a pea shooter Nerf Jolt with three darts already loaded. "Are your lava guns and the wheel you see over there, will spin and land on the three players who will be it. They will use the freeze guns and try to take you all down while you all get three chances to unthaw your teammates with your lava guns."

I grab the best nerf gun I could find in the store. The Nerf Rampage Elite, while the other two are Nerf N-Strike Elite SurgeFire's. Walking over to Tariq, I hand him the Ferrari of Nerf Guns. "As team Captain, and seeing as how this was your last game, you get the honor of being it first, pick your team, Commander."

I salute him and Tariq breaks out into a wide grin. "Beau and Winston."

Rasheed gasps in horror. "You don't pick your own flesh and blood."

"I lost last time because of you," Tariq says, looking at Rasheed as if he's bored.

"You will regret this treason! This betrayal!" Rasheed shouts.

Farrah puts her head in her hand, muttering, "He's such an idiot."

Rasheed gives a warrior cry like he's Mel Gibson in Braveheart running toward the lava guns on the table with his teammates right behind him.

Meanwhile, Tariq gazes at me with a soft heat that makes me jittery and excited as he stalks over to me. "What do I get if I win?"

My face heats up. "Umm, pizza?"

He shakes his head. "Not good enough, Blue."

"What do you want?"

He tilts his head to the side, a black lock falling on his forehead, grazing his defined brow. Staring at me, his beautiful dark eyes search my face, outlining every speck of it as if the answer is there. "You tell me I'm sexy like you did that day after your class."

My heart swells in my chest and I give him a small smile. "Deal."

He cocks the gun. "I look forward to it, Blue."

Hey Tariq," I call, making him turn back around. "Don't ever stop calling me that."

Those eyes gleam with a deep happiness that fills me with so much love it hurts. "Never, Blue."

Rasheed's voice echoes in the dining hall and I glance over to see him standing on the table, giving everyone an impassioned speech, his gun in his right hand pointed down. "Tonight, we part with a comrade, one who has led us to many victories. We played hard and our captain kept us going strong."

Woah... how sweet of Rasheed.

"His time though has come to an end."

Nevermind.

"And a new captain shall rise above the ranks. He will lead this team to many victories and become the true ruler, one who will bring them a championship, and he shall be called..." he pauses and dramatically pulls down the lever of his Nerf gun. "Special Agent R." He raises his gun to the air, shouting, "To war, my brothers!"