Page 55 of Drop Pass

The drive was short and soon we were waiting in a parking lot, away from the rest of the public. I could see the team’s plane a short distance away from the terminal. “Why aren’t they pulling up?”

“They use a stairway to get off and load directly into the bus to avoid the crowds. I texted Reese so he can let Nikolay know we’re here.”

I shook my head at how the other half lived. Chloe spoke about it as if it wasn’t completely crazy, but then again this was her normal.

Soon, the mobile stairs arrived and the door opened. A guard approached the gate we were parked in front of and waved us through. Chloe drove straight ahead to the plane and turned off the car. She got out and I followed, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

A few of the players saw us and waved on their way to the bus, none of them seemed surprised to see us.

“How often do you do this?” I asked Chloe while watching the door.

“Not that often, but it’s not uncommon for an agent or wife to be here to pick someone up. Sometimes the guys have to get to an event or interview or something as soon as they land.”

I nodded. That made sense. I waved at Grant and Colin then nearly started jumping when Nikolay finally stepped out.

My heartrate doubled as he took the stairs, his eyes never leaving mine. He walked up to me, dropping his bag a few feet away and swept me up in his arms.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed him in. His familiar spicy clean scent soothing me.

“You’re back.” I whispered against his skin.

He nodded and set me down. His fingers drifted up my arm to my face where he gently caressed my cheek before resting it around my neck. “I missed you.”

He leaned down, kissing me gently. I smiled against his lips and pulled back. “I missed you too.”

I wanted to freeze this moment. It was too perfect. I’d thought about how this would feel for far too long. Even when he pushed me away and made it clear he wasn’t interested. I still felt something, and this was worth the wait.

“Get a room you two.” Reese teased as he kissed his wife then got behind the wheel. Chloe climbed into the passenger seat so we slid into the back row.

Nikolay took my hand in his and squeezed. “I could get used to this.”

Chloe laughed. “Don’t even think about it. This was an expectation.”

Nikolay smiled down at me making those silly butterflies explode. A genuine smile from him was rare, and knowing I’d made it happen felt better than anything I’d ever done before.

“Congratulations on the game. Your goal was amazing. The goalie didn’t have a chance.”

He laughed, actually laughed, and I swooned. I full on leaned into him and sighed like a boy-crazed teenager. He kissed my forehead. “Thank you.”

“Have you heard anything?” Chloe asked from the front and I nearly kicked the seat. We were having a happy moment and she had to go and bring us back to reality.

Nikolay’s eyes dimmed and the serious expression he was known for fell into place. He sighed. “I got an email from John. He said my residency was approved. It’s being sent through the right channels now. We should hear back at the beginning of next week.”

I squeezed his hand. “That’s amazing. Has he started on the affidavits?”

He nodded. “He told me he would have them ready for me to sign and send in so the moment we got official status we can move on that.”

I smiled up at him and he relaxed a bit. I could see how much this weighed on him, but at least things were moving forward. Hopefully next week everything would come together, by some miracle, and we would have Yula here just after Christmas.

“Thank you for all your help. I couldn’t have done this without you guys.” He spoke to the entire car, but met my eyes and I knew what he was trying to convey.

“Of course. It’s what family does for each other.” Reese replied.

My heart swelled at that. This team was a family and I was so grateful they took Nikolay in so effortlessly.

They dropped Nikolay and I off at our building and we walked in together, still holding hands. I was proud to be seen together in public. I wanted people to know he was mine and I was his. Nikolay was an incredibly private person, so I was more than excited he didn’t drop my hand the moment we were out of the car. I noticed the doorman raise an eyebrow but he didn’t say anything as we passed.

I smiled all the way up to our floor until we got to the hall between our doors. We looked at each other and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Now what?