Dirty Pucker (Denver Bashers #2)

Epilogue

I ngrid

3 months later

“Can I take off my blindfold now?” I ask Del, who’s in the driver’s seat of his car.

“Not yet.” I can tell he’s smiling, which makes me smile.

When I woke up this morning and saw him holding up a blindfold in bed, I was giddy. I thought we were about to try out a new kink. But then he told me to get dressed, he had a surprise for me.

I was thrilled. I love when my boyfriend surprises me.

For my birthday, he surprised me with a trip to Vegas. We stayed in the same hotel where we first hooked up, only this time he reserved a luxurious suite.

And when we moved in together last month, he surprised me by building a massive cubby in the pantry of our new place, designed specifically to hold my favorite time-of-the-month snacks. He always makes sure that it’s stocked full.

He always plans the sweetest, most thoughtful surprises. And I know this surprise will be amazing.

After a minute, the car eases to a halt. I hear him put the car into park and kill the engine.

“You can take off the blindfold now.”

I pull it off and see that we’re parked in front of our local humane society. I instantly gasp and squeal in excitement.

I turn to Del. “Really? We’re really doing it today?”

He flashes the widest smile I’ve ever seen him make. “We’re really doing it. We’re adopting a cat.”

I lunge forward and hug him. A low chuckle falls from his lips as he squeezes me tight.

We’ve been talking about adopting a cat for the past few months, but we decided to wait until we got settled in our new place.

We hop out of the car and make our way across the parking lot to the entrance.

As we walk, he holds my hand. When I look over at him, a small smile tugs at his mouth as he gazes ahead. Warmth pools in my chest at how happy he is.

It’s been a couple of months since the Bashers lost in the second round of the playoffs. They managed to beat Los Angeles and get through to the next round. But then they faced off with Boston in the next stage of the playoffs, who’s the second-best team in the country. The Bashers played their hearts out, but in the end, Boston beat them. It was a devastating loss. Del was sad about it for weeks.

I slink my arm around his. “I’m so happy you’re feeling up to doing this. Especially after the past few weeks,” I say softly.

He turns and flashes a soft smile as he looks at me. He presses a quick kiss to my lips. “Thanks for letting me be sad and grumpy about our playoff loss for a little while.”

“Of course. You needed to process your feelings about it. I get it. How’s Blomdahl doing?”

Del frowns at the ground. “He’s still taking it pretty hard.”

Poor Blomdahl. Denver and Boston made it to game seven of the playoffs—each team had three wins and were fighting hard during that seventh game. They were tied two-two at the end of the game and went all the way into overtime. Just two minutes into overtime, Boston’s best player managed to sink a puck past Blomdahl.

The whole team took the loss hard of course, but Blomdahl took it the worst.

I still remember how he collapsed face-first onto the ice after Boston won. He stayed like that until one of his teammates pulled him up. And when he took off his helmet, he was crying, he was so devastated. My heart broke for him. To feel responsible for your team’s loss must be soul-crushing.

“He played incredibly,” I say. “He has no reason to feel bad about anything.”

Del nods. “Yeah. We all agree. And we told him that. But it’s hard for him. He still feels responsible for the loss, no matter what anyone says.”

“I hope he finds a way to get through it.”

Del sighs. “Me too.”

We walk through the door and the friendly receptionist greets us. We head toward the section that houses the cats. We stroll around and look at the cats in their cute little condos.

“What are you thinking? Do you want a kitten or an adult cat?” Del asks.

“I’d be happy with either,” I say.

I stop and look at a sleeping pair of gray tabby kittens. The sign on their cat condo says a family has reserved them. I smile at how cute they look snoozing on top of each other.

We pet an adorable long-haired kitten that looks a few months old. It’s also reserved.

“Part of me feels like we shouldn’t get a kitten,” I say. “Those are always the first to get adopted. Everyone wants one. It makes me feel bad for the older cats.”

Del loops his hand in mine and kisses my temple. “You’re really sweet to think about that. But you should get whatever cat you want. If you want a kitten, get a kitten.”

I turn to him, smiling. He always prioritizes what I want. Whenever we can’t decide on where to go for dinner or what show to watch, he always lets me choose.

My heart flutters in my chest when I think about how he always makes sure that I’m happy.

I drop a kiss to his mouth. “You always let me do what I want. What do you want?”

He flashes that sexy half-smile I love so much. “I want what you want, sweetheart. When you’re happy, I’m happy.”

My heart slingshots around my chest. This man. How did I get so lucky?

I spot a chunky black cat lying in his little condo, sleepily blinking. I skim the information card on the front of the display.

5 years old, male, neutered, current on all his shots and vaccines. He’s a bit grumpy and standoffish at first, but once he warms up, he’s an affectionate sweetie pie!

I grin and look at Del. “I know a guy like that.”

He chuckles. I open up the door and gently slip my arm inside. I reach out my hand to the cat’s face. He slow-blinks again and sniffs me. I hold my breath as I wait for him to check me out. After a few seconds, he rubs his face against my palm and starts to purr.

My eyes go wide and I gasp. I turn to Del, who’s grinning like he’s amused. I gently scratch behind the cat’s ears. He purrs louder.

One of the workers walking by stops and looks over. “Is that cat purring?” she asks.

We both nod. She shakes her head and looks at the cat, like she’s in disbelief. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that cat purr. Or look that relaxed.”

My tummy flips in excitement.

She smiles at me. “He loves you.”

When she walks off, I gently scoop up the cat in my arms. Del and I take him to one of the play rooms. He’s not interested in half the toys I offer to him, but the second I grab the string toy, he shifts right into playful kitty mode. His green eyes go wide as he bats and chases the string.

After a few minutes, I hand the toy to Del and he plays with him. When Del tries to pet him, the cat takes a few seconds to sniff him, then rubs the side of his face into Del’s hand.

I bite back a squeal. “He likes you too.”

Del quirks his eyebrow. “Not as much as you. But can’t say that I blame him.”

I laugh. I reach over and pet the cat again. “I like this one. A lot.”

“Should we get him?” Del asks.

I nod. “Yeah. He’s the one. He’s our cat.”

We spend the next half-hour filling out paperwork with the humane society staff. A couple of hours later, after making a pit stop at a pet store for food, treats, litter, a litter box, and some toys, we’re home.

We set the carrier on the floor and open the door. The little guy doesn’t come out though.

I crouch down next to the carrier and drop a few treats at the open door. “He just needs a little bit of time to warm up.”

“What should we name him?” Del asks.

I reach into the carrier and give him a chin scratch. He makes a soft purring sound.

“How about Salem?” I look up at Del. “That’s the perfect name for a black cat.”

He smiles. “I love it.”

I stand up and slink my arms around his neck. He grips my waist, pulling me against him. He leads me in a slow, teasing kiss. After a few seconds, I feel something brush up against my ankle.

We break the kiss and glance down. Salem is rubbing up against our legs.

I let out a soft squeal. “Oh my gosh!”

Del gazes down at him. “I think he’s starting to feel like he’s finally home.”

I look back at Del. My heart swells at how happy I am in this moment. I’m with the man of my dreams in our new home with our cat.

I kiss him. “Me too.”