Stevie perks up with that. Taking my phone, she opens the app to create a new folder, but before she does, she pauses, her thumbs ghosting over the screen.
“What is this?”
She scrolls down, every city we visit in the NHL listed in my notes.
I’m not one to lie, especially to her, so I don’t. “I used to keep a list of the girls I would see in those cities so that when I was back in town, and they hit me up, I would know who they were.”
Stevie stills before reacting exactly how I expected.
My girlfriend bursts into a fit of laughter, right there on my couch. “You’re shitting me!” she howls. “Oh my God, this is ridiculous. Zee, you really were a little man-whore.”
“Little,” I scoff. “Nothing little going on here, sweetheart.”
“Well, at least you were an organized and honest fuckboy.” She wipes the corners of her eyes. “Can I read them?”
“Sure.”
She scrolls through them, contemplating which to open first, an utterly amused smile on her lips.
“Oh, Nashville. This one is going to be a long list.” She stops on her hometown and clicks on it.
I watch as Stevie’s blue-green eyes narrow in confusion, her mouth slightly parting and her amusement shifting to sentiment.
“You can even read them out loud, Vee.”
She swallows. “Stevie. Curly hair and amazing ass. Won’t sleep with me, but I hope she changes her mind.”
Scrolling to the Denver tab, she clicks on it. “Stevie. Has an attitude. Likes basketball and is down to eat burgers.”
She exits out, finding Washington DC next. “Stevie,” she continues. “Best sex of my life.”
She keeps going to Calgary. “Stevie. Snuck her into my hotel room to watch movies with me all night.”
San Jose. “Stevie. Insane blowjob in the shower. Wore my T-shirt to bed.”
Next, she finds Vancouver. “Stevie. Came to my game. My favorite person to hang out with.”
Finally, she looks up at me. “What is this?”
“I told you. It’s the list of girls I see in those cities. It’s a little different now, but the concept is still the same.”
She focuses back on my phone, opening Los Angeles and then Seattle, finding them both blank. “There’s nothing in these.”
“That’s because we haven’t been there yet.”
She drops my phone on her stomach before crossing her arms over her face to hide. “Jesus. How are you real? Even when you’re caught being a fuckboy, you’re caught in the cutest way possible.”
She looks up at me, her eyes a little glossy.
“You’re my first choice, Vee. My only choice.” I brush her curls away from her freckled face. “Whether that’s in Chicago or any other city. It’s just you.”
She sits up, pulling my neck down at the same time her warm lips close around my mouth. I trail kisses across her jaw, cheek, and temple as she buries herself into my shoulder. My arm snakes around her, holding her tight as I continue to pet a sleeping Rosie on my other side.
“I’m obsessed with you, Zee.”
“That makes two of us.”
After a few minutes of stroking Stevie’s side, I feel her body get heavy in my grasp as she starts to doze off. Resting my head on hers, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would have this. I never thought I would feel as protected to be myself as I do with this girl. She allows me to be blunt, honest, and unapologetic and does so with absolutely no judgment along the way.
I never thought I would have my own family, but between the Doberman on her back who has quickly become my sidekick, and the curly-haired flight attendant under my arm, I’d venture to say I’ve got a little family of my own.
And as that realization sinks in, I’m hit with the reminder that I’ve had a family.
One that I miss.
“Vee?” I whisper, testing to see if she’s still awake.
She shifts, wrapping both her arms around my neck and burying her head in my chest. “Mm-hmm?”
I hesitate before blurting out, “I miss my dad.”
She stills in my grasp before tightening her arms around my neck. “You should tell him that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Stevie grabs my phone from the couch, holding it out for me. “When you miss someone, you should tell them.”
She slides down, settling her curls onto my lap once more, her eyes closed, leaving me with my phone in my hands. “And if he says something you don’t like, I’ll let you buy me ice cream, and we can bitch about it together.”