'Appy Thanksgiving from my favorite boys! I was at the game against Vancouver on Saturday and they showed the first part of this video (with Sid and Max and Dupuis) and I was hoping they would post it for everyone else to see! Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Chapter 74
The next morning, Lauren met Jordan at Starbucks. She smiled when she saw him sitting at a table in the corner, her passion tea already waiting for her. “You remembered my drink?” she asked, surprised.
Jordan chuckled. “You have one of these teas in your hand like every other day. Occasionally I pay attention to more than just your hotness.”
Lauren blushed. “That’s sweet…I think.”
“So, I’ve been thinking about this thing with Sid.” Jordan said, no longer skirting around the reason they were there.
“What he said really hurt. Does he really think I’m afraid of being with him?” Lauren said, pain evident in her eyes.
“I know it did. He shouldn’t have said it. I’m not sure if he even realized what he was saying or not. That was very un-Sid-like last night.”
“Jordan, if he really thinks the reason that I didn’t say yes right away is because I’m afraid of being with him, then I don’t know what the hell we were even doing together all this time.”
“I know that’s not why you didn’t say yes right away. And you’re probably going to get mad for me even asking this, and Sid would surely kill me if I knew I was bringing this up with you, but if he hadn’t asked you to move in…if he had proposed instead…what would you have said? Would you have said you needed some time to think?” Jordan asked quietly.
“Of course not. I love him and I want to marry him someday.” Lauren said without hesitation.
Jordan’s lips curved into a small smile. He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Okay…so what you’re saying is that you’re willing to marry him, but not move in with him?”
“I never said I didn’t want to move in with him! I just wanted a little time, as in a couple of days, to process everything. I didn’t even know he’d been looking at houses again – we hadn’t talked about it. I was just caught off guard…and after everything that happened, I’m not too keen on surprises anymore.”
“Have you told him all of that?” Jordan asked, gently resting his hand on her arm.
“I tried to…I thought I did…but then last night he just freaked…Jordan, he was so angry.” Lauren said, tears stinging her eyes.
“I know. But now he’s had some time to calm down. I think you should talk to him.”
“What if he doesn’t want to listen? He certainly didn’t seem to care about anything I was saying last night…”
“You let me worry about that.”
“Jordan, I hate for you to have to get pulled into Sidney and I’s problems. It’s not fair to you.” Lauren said.
“I told you – don’t worry. When two of my best friends are this upset, I’ve got to at least do something to fix things. I’m going to try and talk to him this afternoon.”
Jordan kept his word and convinced Sidney to call Lauren after practice. “Hey.” He said quietly.
“Hey.” She responded, hoping he couldn’t hear the quivering in her voice.
“Listen, I uhh….I talked to Jordan. Can I come over? I really think we need to talk.” His voice was calm, and Lauren relaxed a little, figuring he was thinking rationally.
“Sure…okay. I’ll see you in a little while.”
About twenty minutes later, Sidney knocked on Lauren’s front door. Her mom let him in and quickly disappeared, giving them some privacy in the living room.
Both of them stood awkwardly for a minute before Sidney spoke up. “I’m sorry.” He said, looking into her eyes.
“Sidney, did you mean what you said? Do you think I’m afraid to be with you?”
“No….god no…I don’t even know what the hell I was thinking when I said that. Lauren, I love you, and I just want to be with you as often as I can. I want to take care of you and protect you and love you forever. I thought the house was perfect for us and I was excited for you to see it. I should’ve talked to you about it first. We can wait…I can wait…until you’re ready…until the time is right for both of us.”
Lauren took his hand into hers. “Sidney, I love you too. I know I already said this, but it really did just catch me off guard, that’s all. I don’t want you to read anything more into it.” She looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he would understand the deep meaning of her words.
“I’m really sorry. I was a jerk last night. Will you forgive me?” Sidney said, biting his lip.
“Yes, you were a jerk last night, but yes, I will forgive you.” She said with a smile.
“Can I kiss you now?” Sidney whispered shyly.
Lauren chuckled. “I would like that very much.” She said as he leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips.
Jordan chuckled. “You have one of these teas in your hand like every other day. Occasionally I pay attention to more than just your hotness.”
Lauren blushed. “That’s sweet…I think.”
“So, I’ve been thinking about this thing with Sid.” Jordan said, no longer skirting around the reason they were there.
“What he said really hurt. Does he really think I’m afraid of being with him?” Lauren said, pain evident in her eyes.
“I know it did. He shouldn’t have said it. I’m not sure if he even realized what he was saying or not. That was very un-Sid-like last night.”
“Jordan, if he really thinks the reason that I didn’t say yes right away is because I’m afraid of being with him, then I don’t know what the hell we were even doing together all this time.”
“I know that’s not why you didn’t say yes right away. And you’re probably going to get mad for me even asking this, and Sid would surely kill me if I knew I was bringing this up with you, but if he hadn’t asked you to move in…if he had proposed instead…what would you have said? Would you have said you needed some time to think?” Jordan asked quietly.
“Of course not. I love him and I want to marry him someday.” Lauren said without hesitation.
Jordan’s lips curved into a small smile. He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Okay…so what you’re saying is that you’re willing to marry him, but not move in with him?”
“I never said I didn’t want to move in with him! I just wanted a little time, as in a couple of days, to process everything. I didn’t even know he’d been looking at houses again – we hadn’t talked about it. I was just caught off guard…and after everything that happened, I’m not too keen on surprises anymore.”
“Have you told him all of that?” Jordan asked, gently resting his hand on her arm.
“I tried to…I thought I did…but then last night he just freaked…Jordan, he was so angry.” Lauren said, tears stinging her eyes.
“I know. But now he’s had some time to calm down. I think you should talk to him.”
“What if he doesn’t want to listen? He certainly didn’t seem to care about anything I was saying last night…”
“You let me worry about that.”
“Jordan, I hate for you to have to get pulled into Sidney and I’s problems. It’s not fair to you.” Lauren said.
“I told you – don’t worry. When two of my best friends are this upset, I’ve got to at least do something to fix things. I’m going to try and talk to him this afternoon.”
Jordan kept his word and convinced Sidney to call Lauren after practice. “Hey.” He said quietly.
“Hey.” She responded, hoping he couldn’t hear the quivering in her voice.
“Listen, I uhh….I talked to Jordan. Can I come over? I really think we need to talk.” His voice was calm, and Lauren relaxed a little, figuring he was thinking rationally.
“Sure…okay. I’ll see you in a little while.”
About twenty minutes later, Sidney knocked on Lauren’s front door. Her mom let him in and quickly disappeared, giving them some privacy in the living room.
Both of them stood awkwardly for a minute before Sidney spoke up. “I’m sorry.” He said, looking into her eyes.
“Sidney, did you mean what you said? Do you think I’m afraid to be with you?”
“No….god no…I don’t even know what the hell I was thinking when I said that. Lauren, I love you, and I just want to be with you as often as I can. I want to take care of you and protect you and love you forever. I thought the house was perfect for us and I was excited for you to see it. I should’ve talked to you about it first. We can wait…I can wait…until you’re ready…until the time is right for both of us.”
Lauren took his hand into hers. “Sidney, I love you too. I know I already said this, but it really did just catch me off guard, that’s all. I don’t want you to read anything more into it.” She looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he would understand the deep meaning of her words.
“I’m really sorry. I was a jerk last night. Will you forgive me?” Sidney said, biting his lip.
“Yes, you were a jerk last night, but yes, I will forgive you.” She said with a smile.
“Can I kiss you now?” Sidney whispered shyly.
Lauren chuckled. “I would like that very much.” She said as he leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Spreading a little holiday cheer...
I saw this little gem over at The Sidney Crosby Show and I just had to share it with all of you! Warning: do not drink anything while you are watching this. I laughed so hard I cried! Enjoy!
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/xHq2BZKf2lxCnF7nBo6C
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/xHq2BZKf2lxCnF7nBo6C
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Chapter 73
**Thanks for all the great feedback everyone! I love hearing what ya'll think, good or bad! Your comments always spark ideas. Please remember to keep voting for the all-star game! You can text "Pens" to 81812 to vote for all 5 Penguins who are on the ballot!**
Chapter 73
Lauren met Liz for lunch the next day. She explained the previous day’s events. “So, you don’t want to move in with him?” Liz asked, scrunching up her nose.
“No, I didn’t say that. In fact, I love the idea of living with him. It’s just scary. This is a big step, you know?”
“Is it really, though? I mean, you practically live with him now anyways…why would make a difference if you two finally had your own space?”
“I don’t know...I think I’m going to say yes. I just needed some time to think about it. He was so heartbroken, though.”
“Can you blame him?”
“No.” Lauren said quietly. “But can he really blame me for wanting a little time to think about it.”
“I suppose not, but here’s the real question: why do you even need any time to think about it?” Liz asked pointedly. “He didn’t seem to need any.”
“I know. I just…I don’t know…it was just so sudden…” Lauren said.
Liz changed the subject and they spent the rest of their lunch chatting about other things, but Lauren couldn’t get her mind off Sidney and moving in with him and their future together.
When she got home from lunch, Lauren called Sidney, knowing he would be laying down for his pre-game nap soon. “Hey.” She said when he answered.
“Hey.” He responded, his emotion flat.
“I just wanted to call and say hi before you take your nap. I’m going to ride to the rink with Vero tonight, so I won’t see you before the game.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after, then?” He said.
“Of course. I love you, you know that right?”
“I love you too. I’ll see you later babe.”
After their call ended, Lauren took a quick nap of her own and then showered and got ready and drove to Marc and Vero’s. Vero was already waiting in her car, so she got out and locked her car.
“Hey lady!” Vero said cheerfully when Lauren slid in the passenger seat.
“Hey.” Lauren said softly.
“Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong?” Vero asked, concern evident in her voice.
“Sidney took me to look at a house yesterday. A house for the two of us.”
“That’s wonderful!” Vero said, and then noticed Lauren’s grim expression. “Or not? What’s wrong?”
“I told him I needed time to think about it.”
“Oh, I see.” Vero responded quietly. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think I want to move in with him, but I just needed some time to process everything.”
“That makes sense. Did you tell him that?”
“Yeah, and he said he understood, and I know he really does, but I could also see how disappointed he was.”
“Yeah, but he loves you. He’ll wait until you are ready.”
“How did you know you were ready to move to Pittsburgh with Marc?” Lauren asked.
“Well, let me start by saying that I don’t think you should compare our situation to yours. I’ve known Marc for so long – we practically grew up in each other’s houses. And I had time to prepare for us to move. We knew he would be drafted somewhere, so we had a long time to think about it. So, I guess I got to take some time to ‘process’ everything too. I loved him and I knew I didn’t want to be away from him.” Vero explained.
“I love Sidney – God knows I love that man more than anything.”
“And like I said, Sidney loves you too. So I’m sure that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.” Vero assured her as they pulled into the parking lot.
The Penguins played a great game and while Sidney managed two assists, he still seemed a little ‘off’. Lauren couldn’t help but blame herself for his lackluster presence on the ice.
After the crowd had cleared out, Vero and Lauren headed down to the locker room. They hung out in the lounge for a while until eventually Marc came out. “'Ello pretty girls!” he grinned, leaning down to kiss Vero.
“So what is the plan for the evening?” Vero inquired, knowing that after their win tonight the guys would want to go out somewhere.
“Well, I sort of invited everyone back to our place. Is that okay?” he asked, biting his lip.
Vero shot him a dirty look, but after a moment she couldn’t pretend anymore and her face broke out into a smile. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
“How much longer do you think Sidney will be?”
“Not too much longer. He was heading to the showers when I came out.” Marc said, flopping down on the couch next to Vero.
“Did he seem okay today?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah, he was a little subdued. He told me about the house thing.”
“How mad is he?” Lauren asked, afraid of the answer.
“He’s not mad at all! Especially not at you. He was just…disappointed. And he’s a little upset with himself because he thinks he rushed things.”
Before Lauren could say anything else, Sidney emerged, tie in hand. “Hey.” He said with a smile, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
“Is it okay if we go to Marc and Vero’s for a little bit to hang out with everyone?” He asked.
“Of course. That sounds fun.” Lauren was happy to see he seemed a little less upset than when she had last seen him.
“Okay. I just have to talk to a few more people and then we can go.”
“We’ll see you in a little bit?” Vero asked as her and Marc stood to leave.
“Yeah, we’ll be there.” Lauren said, waving as they left.
A while later, Sidney was done inside so they headed out to the parking lot. Just as he usually did, he tossed Lauren his car keys as they stepped outside. She headed to the car while he went to sign autographs for a while. When the crowd dwindled, he slid in the driver’s seat and he drove them to Marc and Vero’s. On the way there, they talked about the game for a while, but the majority of the ride was silent. Vero had called and ordered food, and it was delivered just as Sidney and Lauren arrived.
Since everyone else was usually done before Sidney, they were the last ones to arrive. People were scattered throughout the living room and dining room, eating and drinking and talking. Sidney and Lauren stepped into the kitchen found Jordan sitting at the counter, talking on the phone and eating. Lauren and Sidney grabbed some plates and were getting some food when finally Lauren broke the silence between them. “Sidney, are you going to stay mad at me until I make a decision.”
“I’m not mad.” He answered tersely.
“Right.” Lauren answered, obviously not convinced. “That’s why you’ve barely spoken to me in two days.”
By then, Jordan had finished his phone call and was looking back and forth between them nervously. “Should I leave?” he asked.
“No, it’s fine. We were just discussing how I’m not mad that Lauren doesn’t want to move in with me.”
“Don’t you dare twist my words around like that, Crosby. You know that’s not what I said – all I asked for was a few days to process everything.”
“And all I asked for was for the woman I’m in love with to want to be with me.”
“Sidney, let’s not do this right now.” Lauren said, trying to remain calm.
“No, Lauren, I want to know why you really won’t say yes. What are you really afraid of? Better yet, why are you so afraid of me?” Sidney spat angrily.
“Is that what you think?” Lauren asked incredulously.
Sidney remained silent, his eyes smoldering.
Lauren could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she didn’t want him to see her cry. “If that’s what you think,” she said quietly, “then I think this conversation is over and I think it’s time for me to go.” She said, turning and disappearing down the hallway and out the front door.
Sidney stood there for a moment, staring at the place where Lauren had been standing. Jordan watched him for a minute then spoke up.
“Are you just going to stand there?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sidney answered flatly, his eyes not moving from the spot on the floor.
“Uhh, you need to go after her.”
“Why? She’s the one that said she should go.” Sidney said petulantly.
“Are you serious right now, man? Do you really think she’s afraid of you? Do you really think this is about you?”
“What other explanation do you have, oh wise one?” Sidney spat sarcastically.
“Uhh, maybe her life turned upside down when she was raped. And maybe she’s a smart girl, so she thinks about big decisions before she makes them.”
“But I didn’t have to take time to think about it before I asked her to move in with me. I knew for sure I wanted to live with her.” Sidney countered.
“Look, I know you’re not used to this, but maybe for once it’s not all about you. Now if you’re not going to go after her, I’m at least going to make sure she makes him home safely.” Jordan said, grabbing his jacket off the back of the bar stool he had been sitting on.
He slipped into his jacket and dug for his keys in his pocket. As he was leaving, he stopped and turned around to face Sidney again.
“Think about what I said. Maybe this isn’t about you. Maybe it’s about her.”
Jordan tried calling Lauren, but she wasn’t answering. He sped up the interstate towards her house, hoping that’s where she had gone. Jordan was relieved when he pulled in her driveway and saw her car parked there. His heart wrenched when he saw her sitting in her car, her face in her hands.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when he quietly knocked on her passenger window. She looked at him for a moment, bewildered and confused, then unlocked the doors. Jordan opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. She chuckled as he reached under the seat, looking for the lever to slide the seat back so he would have more room for his long legs.
“Hey.” He said quietly.
“Hey.” She answered. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to make sure you made it home okay. You were pretty upset when you left.”
“I love him. I really do.” Lauren said, choking on a sob.
“I know you do.” He said, gently rubbing her shoulder. “He loves you too.”
“Does he really think I’m afraid of him? That I’m afraid to be with him? Does he really think that’s why I didn’t say yes right away? Because I was planning to say yes – I really just needed a little bit of time.”
“He’s not thinking clearly right now. Not that that is any excuse for what he said to you.”
“What should I do?”
“Well, right now, I think you should go get some sleep and not worry about it anymore tonight.”
“And then what?”
“And then in the morning, I think you should meet your favorite blond hockey player for breakfast at Starbucks before he goes to morning skate. And then we’ll figure things out from there.” Jordan said, hoping to coax a smile from her.
Lauren smiled. “I think I can do that.”
“Good.” He said, grinning. He got out of the car and went around to open her door for her. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder as they walked up towards her house. When they got to her front door, Lauren turned and faced Jordan, pulling him into a tight hug.
“You’re a good guy, Jordan. Thank you.” She said quietly, her cheeks till pressed against his chest.
“Sid’s a good guy too, even though he’s being a bigger ass than his actual ass right now.”
Lauren laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast?” She asked.
“It’s a date.” Jordan grinned, and Lauren smiled at their little joke. “Good night Lauren.” He said, kissing her forehead before she went inside.
Chapter 73
Lauren met Liz for lunch the next day. She explained the previous day’s events. “So, you don’t want to move in with him?” Liz asked, scrunching up her nose.
“No, I didn’t say that. In fact, I love the idea of living with him. It’s just scary. This is a big step, you know?”
“Is it really, though? I mean, you practically live with him now anyways…why would make a difference if you two finally had your own space?”
“I don’t know...I think I’m going to say yes. I just needed some time to think about it. He was so heartbroken, though.”
“Can you blame him?”
“No.” Lauren said quietly. “But can he really blame me for wanting a little time to think about it.”
“I suppose not, but here’s the real question: why do you even need any time to think about it?” Liz asked pointedly. “He didn’t seem to need any.”
“I know. I just…I don’t know…it was just so sudden…” Lauren said.
Liz changed the subject and they spent the rest of their lunch chatting about other things, but Lauren couldn’t get her mind off Sidney and moving in with him and their future together.
When she got home from lunch, Lauren called Sidney, knowing he would be laying down for his pre-game nap soon. “Hey.” She said when he answered.
“Hey.” He responded, his emotion flat.
“I just wanted to call and say hi before you take your nap. I’m going to ride to the rink with Vero tonight, so I won’t see you before the game.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after, then?” He said.
“Of course. I love you, you know that right?”
“I love you too. I’ll see you later babe.”
After their call ended, Lauren took a quick nap of her own and then showered and got ready and drove to Marc and Vero’s. Vero was already waiting in her car, so she got out and locked her car.
“Hey lady!” Vero said cheerfully when Lauren slid in the passenger seat.
“Hey.” Lauren said softly.
“Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong?” Vero asked, concern evident in her voice.
“Sidney took me to look at a house yesterday. A house for the two of us.”
“That’s wonderful!” Vero said, and then noticed Lauren’s grim expression. “Or not? What’s wrong?”
“I told him I needed time to think about it.”
“Oh, I see.” Vero responded quietly. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think I want to move in with him, but I just needed some time to process everything.”
“That makes sense. Did you tell him that?”
“Yeah, and he said he understood, and I know he really does, but I could also see how disappointed he was.”
“Yeah, but he loves you. He’ll wait until you are ready.”
“How did you know you were ready to move to Pittsburgh with Marc?” Lauren asked.
“Well, let me start by saying that I don’t think you should compare our situation to yours. I’ve known Marc for so long – we practically grew up in each other’s houses. And I had time to prepare for us to move. We knew he would be drafted somewhere, so we had a long time to think about it. So, I guess I got to take some time to ‘process’ everything too. I loved him and I knew I didn’t want to be away from him.” Vero explained.
“I love Sidney – God knows I love that man more than anything.”
“And like I said, Sidney loves you too. So I’m sure that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.” Vero assured her as they pulled into the parking lot.
The Penguins played a great game and while Sidney managed two assists, he still seemed a little ‘off’. Lauren couldn’t help but blame herself for his lackluster presence on the ice.
After the crowd had cleared out, Vero and Lauren headed down to the locker room. They hung out in the lounge for a while until eventually Marc came out. “'Ello pretty girls!” he grinned, leaning down to kiss Vero.
“So what is the plan for the evening?” Vero inquired, knowing that after their win tonight the guys would want to go out somewhere.
“Well, I sort of invited everyone back to our place. Is that okay?” he asked, biting his lip.
Vero shot him a dirty look, but after a moment she couldn’t pretend anymore and her face broke out into a smile. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
“How much longer do you think Sidney will be?”
“Not too much longer. He was heading to the showers when I came out.” Marc said, flopping down on the couch next to Vero.
“Did he seem okay today?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah, he was a little subdued. He told me about the house thing.”
“How mad is he?” Lauren asked, afraid of the answer.
“He’s not mad at all! Especially not at you. He was just…disappointed. And he’s a little upset with himself because he thinks he rushed things.”
Before Lauren could say anything else, Sidney emerged, tie in hand. “Hey.” He said with a smile, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
“Is it okay if we go to Marc and Vero’s for a little bit to hang out with everyone?” He asked.
“Of course. That sounds fun.” Lauren was happy to see he seemed a little less upset than when she had last seen him.
“Okay. I just have to talk to a few more people and then we can go.”
“We’ll see you in a little bit?” Vero asked as her and Marc stood to leave.
“Yeah, we’ll be there.” Lauren said, waving as they left.
A while later, Sidney was done inside so they headed out to the parking lot. Just as he usually did, he tossed Lauren his car keys as they stepped outside. She headed to the car while he went to sign autographs for a while. When the crowd dwindled, he slid in the driver’s seat and he drove them to Marc and Vero’s. On the way there, they talked about the game for a while, but the majority of the ride was silent. Vero had called and ordered food, and it was delivered just as Sidney and Lauren arrived.
Since everyone else was usually done before Sidney, they were the last ones to arrive. People were scattered throughout the living room and dining room, eating and drinking and talking. Sidney and Lauren stepped into the kitchen found Jordan sitting at the counter, talking on the phone and eating. Lauren and Sidney grabbed some plates and were getting some food when finally Lauren broke the silence between them. “Sidney, are you going to stay mad at me until I make a decision.”
“I’m not mad.” He answered tersely.
“Right.” Lauren answered, obviously not convinced. “That’s why you’ve barely spoken to me in two days.”
By then, Jordan had finished his phone call and was looking back and forth between them nervously. “Should I leave?” he asked.
“No, it’s fine. We were just discussing how I’m not mad that Lauren doesn’t want to move in with me.”
“Don’t you dare twist my words around like that, Crosby. You know that’s not what I said – all I asked for was a few days to process everything.”
“And all I asked for was for the woman I’m in love with to want to be with me.”
“Sidney, let’s not do this right now.” Lauren said, trying to remain calm.
“No, Lauren, I want to know why you really won’t say yes. What are you really afraid of? Better yet, why are you so afraid of me?” Sidney spat angrily.
“Is that what you think?” Lauren asked incredulously.
Sidney remained silent, his eyes smoldering.
Lauren could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she didn’t want him to see her cry. “If that’s what you think,” she said quietly, “then I think this conversation is over and I think it’s time for me to go.” She said, turning and disappearing down the hallway and out the front door.
Sidney stood there for a moment, staring at the place where Lauren had been standing. Jordan watched him for a minute then spoke up.
“Are you just going to stand there?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sidney answered flatly, his eyes not moving from the spot on the floor.
“Uhh, you need to go after her.”
“Why? She’s the one that said she should go.” Sidney said petulantly.
“Are you serious right now, man? Do you really think she’s afraid of you? Do you really think this is about you?”
“What other explanation do you have, oh wise one?” Sidney spat sarcastically.
“Uhh, maybe her life turned upside down when she was raped. And maybe she’s a smart girl, so she thinks about big decisions before she makes them.”
“But I didn’t have to take time to think about it before I asked her to move in with me. I knew for sure I wanted to live with her.” Sidney countered.
“Look, I know you’re not used to this, but maybe for once it’s not all about you. Now if you’re not going to go after her, I’m at least going to make sure she makes him home safely.” Jordan said, grabbing his jacket off the back of the bar stool he had been sitting on.
He slipped into his jacket and dug for his keys in his pocket. As he was leaving, he stopped and turned around to face Sidney again.
“Think about what I said. Maybe this isn’t about you. Maybe it’s about her.”
Jordan tried calling Lauren, but she wasn’t answering. He sped up the interstate towards her house, hoping that’s where she had gone. Jordan was relieved when he pulled in her driveway and saw her car parked there. His heart wrenched when he saw her sitting in her car, her face in her hands.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when he quietly knocked on her passenger window. She looked at him for a moment, bewildered and confused, then unlocked the doors. Jordan opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. She chuckled as he reached under the seat, looking for the lever to slide the seat back so he would have more room for his long legs.
“Hey.” He said quietly.
“Hey.” She answered. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to make sure you made it home okay. You were pretty upset when you left.”
“I love him. I really do.” Lauren said, choking on a sob.
“I know you do.” He said, gently rubbing her shoulder. “He loves you too.”
“Does he really think I’m afraid of him? That I’m afraid to be with him? Does he really think that’s why I didn’t say yes right away? Because I was planning to say yes – I really just needed a little bit of time.”
“He’s not thinking clearly right now. Not that that is any excuse for what he said to you.”
“What should I do?”
“Well, right now, I think you should go get some sleep and not worry about it anymore tonight.”
“And then what?”
“And then in the morning, I think you should meet your favorite blond hockey player for breakfast at Starbucks before he goes to morning skate. And then we’ll figure things out from there.” Jordan said, hoping to coax a smile from her.
Lauren smiled. “I think I can do that.”
“Good.” He said, grinning. He got out of the car and went around to open her door for her. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder as they walked up towards her house. When they got to her front door, Lauren turned and faced Jordan, pulling him into a tight hug.
“You’re a good guy, Jordan. Thank you.” She said quietly, her cheeks till pressed against his chest.
“Sid’s a good guy too, even though he’s being a bigger ass than his actual ass right now.”
Lauren laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast?” She asked.
“It’s a date.” Jordan grinned, and Lauren smiled at their little joke. “Good night Lauren.” He said, kissing her forehead before she went inside.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Chapter 72
**Sorry for the long wait! It's that time of the semester - I'm up to my ears in papers and projects and conference proposals and a big project at work to boot - and I'm preparing for a conference in a few weeks (that will occur the week right before I take my finals - sheesh). Anyways, I'm afraid there probably won't be regularly updates over the next few weeks, but I'm going to try and write as often as I can! In the mean time, make sure you check out all the great stories I've got listed in my blog roll!**
Chapter 72
A few days later, Lauren watched Sidney practice and then they grabbed lunch together. “I want to take you somewhere.” Sidney said as they left the restaurant.
“Where?” Lauren asked.
“You’ll see when we get there.” Sidney said.
They drove back to Sewickley and Sidney turned down an unfamiliar street. He pulled up to a house where there was a woman leaning up against the car that was parked in the driveway.
“Whose house is this?” Lauren asked, admiring the gorgeous home in front of her.
Sidney went around to her side of the car and opened the door and helped her out. The woman approached them with a smile.
“You must be Lauren. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The woman said, extending her hand. “I’m Claire.”
Lauren looked back and forth between Sidney and Claire. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Claire’s my real estate agent.” Sidney explained. Lauren raised her eyebrows in surprise, starting to realize what they were doing there.
“Shall we go inside?” Claire said, leading the way towards the front door.
Sidney noticed Lauren’s somewhat bewildered expression. “We’ll be right in – just give us a minute.” He said to Claire.
“Of course.” She said with a smile, opening the front door and stepping inside.
“I’m sorry. I think I should have told you about this before, but there was never a good time. I looked at this house a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to tell you about it, but then everything happened and I didn’t think about it for a while and now I want you to see it.” Sidney said, holding Lauren’s hands in his.
“Sidney, it’s okay. I was just confused. And I didn’t know you were looking at houses again.”
“I wasn’t. But then Claire called me about this one, and I came and looked at it and now I want to know what you think of it.”
“Well, let’s go then.” Lauren said, squeezing his hand as they walked into the house.
The house was as beautiful on the inside as it had been on the outside. The rooms were large and airy, but still had a cozy feel to them. The kitchen was state-of-the-art and had beautiful granite countertops. Lauren’s dad’s company owned a granite tile company, and she made a mental note to ask him if they had done this house.
There were five bedrooms on the second floor, which seemed like a lot at first, but then Lauren remembered that Sidney’s family would need rooms to sleep in when they came to visit. Sidney watched Lauren’s face intently as they walked through each room, taking in her reactions to everything. When they got back to the kitchen, where they had started their tour, he looked at her expectantly. “Well, what do you think?”
“Do you like it?” she countered. Claire’s phone rang and she stepped into the other room to take the call.
“I care more about what you think.”
“It’s beautiful. There’s plenty of space and everything is really nice and the location is great. And I love the yard. It’s so private, yet there’s plenty of room out there.”
“I’m so happy to hear you say that because I really like this place.”
“Are you going to buy it?”
“Only if you like it. You see, I want this to be our house. What do you think about that?”
“I think that’s a pretty serious request.”
“Yes, it is. I’m very serious about this. I want you to move in with me.”
“Sidney, sweetheart, please don’t read too much into this,” she paused, pursing her lips together in thought. “But I just need a little bit of time to process this.”
“Oh.” Sidney’s smile disappeared.
“No, Sidney, really. You have no idea how much this means to me. It’s just big, ya know? And I definitely think we’re ready for that, but I just need to let it sink in.”
A meek smile appeared on Sidney’s face. “Yeah, I guess I was just hoping you’d say yes right away. But I can wait.”
Lauren could tell he was still disappointed. “Sidney, I’m going to say yes to moving in with you. I’d say yes even if you said you were moving to Alaska or something. You know I’d follow you anywhere. I just need some time to think.” She said, resting her hands on his chest.
Sidney let out a heavy sigh. “I know.” He kissed her forehead softly. “Ready to go, then?”
“Yeah.” Lauren said quietly, knowing he was disappointed.
The drive back to the Lemieux’s house was very quiet. Sidney was lost deep in his thoughts. He knew that Lauren liked to think through big decisions before settling on anything. For the most part, he was the same way. But with anything that had to do with her, he never really had to think too much about it. All he needed to know was that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He tried not to show it, but he had been crushed when she didn’t immediately agree to move in with her. It made him worry that she might not say yes when he finally got the chance to propose to her. Sidney wasn’t sure he could handle the heartbreak of that.
When they arrived back at the Lemieux’s house, they stood in the driveway for a moment, each of them staring awkwardly at the ground. “Well, I should probably go.” Lauren said quietly.
“Yeah…okay…see ya.” Sidney responded awkwardly.
Lauren bridged the gap between them and put her hand on his chest. “Sidney, I’m sorry about today. I just wasn’t…I didn’t expect you to…I don’t know…it was just very sudden. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. I love you.”
“I love you too. You just didn’t exactly give the response I was hoping for, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. But I understand. Take your time.”
Lauren leaned up and kissed his cheek before getting in her car and pulling out of the driveway.
Chapter 72
A few days later, Lauren watched Sidney practice and then they grabbed lunch together. “I want to take you somewhere.” Sidney said as they left the restaurant.
“Where?” Lauren asked.
“You’ll see when we get there.” Sidney said.
They drove back to Sewickley and Sidney turned down an unfamiliar street. He pulled up to a house where there was a woman leaning up against the car that was parked in the driveway.
“Whose house is this?” Lauren asked, admiring the gorgeous home in front of her.
Sidney went around to her side of the car and opened the door and helped her out. The woman approached them with a smile.
“You must be Lauren. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The woman said, extending her hand. “I’m Claire.”
Lauren looked back and forth between Sidney and Claire. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Claire’s my real estate agent.” Sidney explained. Lauren raised her eyebrows in surprise, starting to realize what they were doing there.
“Shall we go inside?” Claire said, leading the way towards the front door.
Sidney noticed Lauren’s somewhat bewildered expression. “We’ll be right in – just give us a minute.” He said to Claire.
“Of course.” She said with a smile, opening the front door and stepping inside.
“I’m sorry. I think I should have told you about this before, but there was never a good time. I looked at this house a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to tell you about it, but then everything happened and I didn’t think about it for a while and now I want you to see it.” Sidney said, holding Lauren’s hands in his.
“Sidney, it’s okay. I was just confused. And I didn’t know you were looking at houses again.”
“I wasn’t. But then Claire called me about this one, and I came and looked at it and now I want to know what you think of it.”
“Well, let’s go then.” Lauren said, squeezing his hand as they walked into the house.
The house was as beautiful on the inside as it had been on the outside. The rooms were large and airy, but still had a cozy feel to them. The kitchen was state-of-the-art and had beautiful granite countertops. Lauren’s dad’s company owned a granite tile company, and she made a mental note to ask him if they had done this house.
There were five bedrooms on the second floor, which seemed like a lot at first, but then Lauren remembered that Sidney’s family would need rooms to sleep in when they came to visit. Sidney watched Lauren’s face intently as they walked through each room, taking in her reactions to everything. When they got back to the kitchen, where they had started their tour, he looked at her expectantly. “Well, what do you think?”
“Do you like it?” she countered. Claire’s phone rang and she stepped into the other room to take the call.
“I care more about what you think.”
“It’s beautiful. There’s plenty of space and everything is really nice and the location is great. And I love the yard. It’s so private, yet there’s plenty of room out there.”
“I’m so happy to hear you say that because I really like this place.”
“Are you going to buy it?”
“Only if you like it. You see, I want this to be our house. What do you think about that?”
“I think that’s a pretty serious request.”
“Yes, it is. I’m very serious about this. I want you to move in with me.”
“Sidney, sweetheart, please don’t read too much into this,” she paused, pursing her lips together in thought. “But I just need a little bit of time to process this.”
“Oh.” Sidney’s smile disappeared.
“No, Sidney, really. You have no idea how much this means to me. It’s just big, ya know? And I definitely think we’re ready for that, but I just need to let it sink in.”
A meek smile appeared on Sidney’s face. “Yeah, I guess I was just hoping you’d say yes right away. But I can wait.”
Lauren could tell he was still disappointed. “Sidney, I’m going to say yes to moving in with you. I’d say yes even if you said you were moving to Alaska or something. You know I’d follow you anywhere. I just need some time to think.” She said, resting her hands on his chest.
Sidney let out a heavy sigh. “I know.” He kissed her forehead softly. “Ready to go, then?”
“Yeah.” Lauren said quietly, knowing he was disappointed.
The drive back to the Lemieux’s house was very quiet. Sidney was lost deep in his thoughts. He knew that Lauren liked to think through big decisions before settling on anything. For the most part, he was the same way. But with anything that had to do with her, he never really had to think too much about it. All he needed to know was that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He tried not to show it, but he had been crushed when she didn’t immediately agree to move in with her. It made him worry that she might not say yes when he finally got the chance to propose to her. Sidney wasn’t sure he could handle the heartbreak of that.
When they arrived back at the Lemieux’s house, they stood in the driveway for a moment, each of them staring awkwardly at the ground. “Well, I should probably go.” Lauren said quietly.
“Yeah…okay…see ya.” Sidney responded awkwardly.
Lauren bridged the gap between them and put her hand on his chest. “Sidney, I’m sorry about today. I just wasn’t…I didn’t expect you to…I don’t know…it was just very sudden. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. I love you.”
“I love you too. You just didn’t exactly give the response I was hoping for, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. But I understand. Take your time.”
Lauren leaned up and kissed his cheek before getting in her car and pulling out of the driveway.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
This is just a friendly public service announcement reminding you to get out there and vote for the 2009 All-Star Team!
And if you don't know who to vote for, I can recommend a few flightless birds for you, as in:
1. Sidney Crosby
2. Evgeni Malkin
3. Ryan Whitney
4. Sergei Gonchar
5. Marc-Andre Fleury
You can vote more than once, so get out there and VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!
You can also vote by texting the player's last name to 81812 (standard text messaging rates apply.)
NOTE: You can also vote for all 5 Pens by texting "Pens" to 81812.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Chapter 71
**So, this is a little break from Sidney and Lauren, just because I love Marc and Vero so much! Hope you all enjoy it - no fears, the stars of the story will be back next chapter!**
Chapter 71
“Wake up, mon amie!” Marc said cheerfully, planting kisses all over Vero’s face. She scrunched her nose up, refusing to open her eyes.
“I thought today was a day off. Why are you waking me up so early?” She said, her eyes still closed.
“Because we have plans.” Marc said, and Vero cracked an eye open to find an excited grin on Marc’s face.
“We do? What are our plans?”
“I can’t tell you that. It’s a surprise. But we’ve got to get going.” He said, throwing the covers off and tugging on her arms until she got up out of bed.
“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” she eyed him carefully.
“A good one, I promise. It’ll be fun. Lauren assured me you would like it.”
“Lauren knows what the surprise is?” Vero said, reaching for her phone on the nightstand, but Marc intercepted it and held it above his head, much to Vero’s protest.
“Just because I woke you up this early doesn’t mean you can wake her up. Besides, she’s sworn to secrecy.”
“Oh, I bet I could get her to tell.” Vero said. “Us women stick together.” She explained, matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, she thought you might say that. She promised she would break that woman code thing in this instance. She promised that you would like it.”
“Well, if Lauren said so, then I will go.” Vero said, heading for the bathroom.
“So you’ll take Lauren’s word, but not mine?” Marc asked, chuckling.
“Yep.” Vero said simply, standing in the doorway with her toothbrush.
“Oh, and you don’t need to take a shower before we go.” Marc said, putting some clothes into his suitcase.
“Excuse me?” She asked quizzically.
“Just trust me.” He said, planting a kiss on her forehead as he brushed past her to grab his own toothbrush. “Oh, and make sure you pack your swimsuit.” He said through a mouth full of toothpaste.
“Pack? I need to pack? And my swimsuit?” Vero said, growing more and more confused.
“Yes, we’re going away for the night. And yes, chèrie, you will want to bring your swimsuit.”
“You’re lucky I love you are cute, otherwise I’m not sure how easily I would go along with this mysterious plan of yours.” Vero said, pulling her suitcase out of the closet.
A little while later, Marc had loaded their bags in the car and after a trip to the Starbucks drive-thru, they hit the highway.
“So, we’re going north. What else am I allowed to know?” Vero asked curiously. She was starting to get excited about this spur-of-the-moment trip. It wasn’t often Marc got the chance to slip away like this.
“Well, all I will say is that this is just the appetizer. Something much better is waiting for us at our destination.” Marc said, holding up his Starbucks cup.
“The only thing better than Starbucks is Tim Horton’s.” Suddenly, Vero’s eyes shot open even wider. “Exactly how far are driving, Marc-Andre?” she asked firmly.
“Not as far as you think. We didn’t bring our passports, remember?” Marc said, winking at her.
Vero suddenly remembered Lauren mentioning that she loved having two Tim Hortons’ in Erie when she was going to school there. “We’re going to Erie?” She guessed.
“Yes.” Marc answered, offering up no other information other than the constant grin on her face.
“What are we going to do there?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Humph.” Vero said, crossing her arms across her chest and staring out the window.
“I love you, Vero.”
Vero turned to face him, caught slightly off guard by the sudden change of topic. “I love you too, babe.” She said, linking her fingers through his. “I’m excited for out day together, no matter what we’re going to do.”
When they pulled up at their destination, Vero got a big smile on her face.
“What exactly is this place?” Vero said, looking at the giant tubes that were coming out of the side of the building.
“It’s called Splash Lagoon. Lauren said she always wanted to come here. One of her friends used to be a lifeguard here.” Marc said as he carried their bags in.
“So, all those tubes are slides?” Vero said, her eyes lighting up.
“Yep.” Marc grinned like a little boy.
“Oh this is going to be a fun day!” Vero said, skipping towards the front desk.
They checked in and quickly changed into their suits.
Vero and Marc spent the day laughing like little kids, splashing each other in the pool and racing each other down the slides. Marc loved seeing Vero smile so much. After the incident with Jimmy, Vero hadn’t been herself and he was always worrying about her lately. He hadn’t seen her this relaxed in a while, and he was glad he got to spend this time with her, just the two of them.
A few people had recognized him, but they were really good about giving them their space. That didn’t mean they weren’t snapping pictures of him from the side of the pool, and he rolled his eyes when he thought about how many pictures of him in his swim trunks would be posted on the internet that night.
When they got tired, Marc and Vero headed up to the room and Vero climbed in the shower. She had been in there a minute or so, she poked her head out of the curtain.
“Marc? Are you coming?” She said, a smile playing on her lips.
Marc looked at her, unsure of what to say. “Are you sure? I mean, just with things...I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to…”
“Marc, I know what you mean. But I love you. And I can’t promise I won’t be weird for a while, but I want to try. And right now I want you to get your cute butt in here.”
Marc grinned as he stepped in the shower, wrapping her up in his arms.
“I love you. You know that?”
Vero leaned back against his chest. “Yeah, I do. I love you too. Thanks for being so understanding lately. I’m sure I haven’t been easy to live with.”
Marc smirked. “How would that make it any different from the way things have always been?”
Vero playfully elbowed him in the stomach. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
“But seriously, life hasn’t exactly been normal lately. I’m just glad you seemed like you had fun today.”
Vero turned around to face him. “Are you kidding? I had so much fun today! I haven’t had that much fun in years. It reminded me of that time when you and I had that cannon ball contest that one summer. Do you remember? We were probably only 11 or 12.”
“Of course I remember. You had that pink and blue bathing suit – I thought you looked so hot.” Marc said, closing his eyes and recalling the memory.
“I’m glad to see that that is what you remember about that day.” She said, rolling her eyes and leaning up to kiss him.
They quickly washed up because Marc had told her their day wasn’t over yet. They quickly got dressed and ready to go and headed back out to the car. A few minutes later, they arrived at a little restaurant right downtown. “Lauren said she loves this place.”
“Two Friends Italian Market.” Vero said, reading the sign. “That’s a cute name.”
They found a table in a corner inside and opened the menu. After a few minutes, they agreed to split a calzone and ordered a couple of side salads as well. They enjoyed a quiet dinner and headed back to the hotel.
When they got back to their room, both of them collapsed onto the bed, their muscles aching from spending all day swimming and sliding at the indoor water park. They changed into some sweats and crawled under the covers, flipping channels until they could agree on a show to watch. Vero curled up against Marc and rested her head on his chest.
A little while later, Marc looked down at her and smiled at her steady breathing. Even after all these years, he never grew tired of watching her. He always thought she was strikingly beautiful and he could never figure out how he got so lucky. A woman like Veronique Larosee could have had any man she wanted, but she had picked him, the skinny, dorky hockey player from down the street. If she hadn’t looked so peaceful, he wouldn’t have woken her up right then to propose to her. But instead, he kissed her forehead softly and pulled her closer against him, tucking the sheet gently under her chin and closing his eyes, images of her filling his head as he fell asleep.
Chapter 71
“Wake up, mon amie!” Marc said cheerfully, planting kisses all over Vero’s face. She scrunched her nose up, refusing to open her eyes.
“I thought today was a day off. Why are you waking me up so early?” She said, her eyes still closed.
“Because we have plans.” Marc said, and Vero cracked an eye open to find an excited grin on Marc’s face.
“We do? What are our plans?”
“I can’t tell you that. It’s a surprise. But we’ve got to get going.” He said, throwing the covers off and tugging on her arms until she got up out of bed.
“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” she eyed him carefully.
“A good one, I promise. It’ll be fun. Lauren assured me you would like it.”
“Lauren knows what the surprise is?” Vero said, reaching for her phone on the nightstand, but Marc intercepted it and held it above his head, much to Vero’s protest.
“Just because I woke you up this early doesn’t mean you can wake her up. Besides, she’s sworn to secrecy.”
“Oh, I bet I could get her to tell.” Vero said. “Us women stick together.” She explained, matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, she thought you might say that. She promised she would break that woman code thing in this instance. She promised that you would like it.”
“Well, if Lauren said so, then I will go.” Vero said, heading for the bathroom.
“So you’ll take Lauren’s word, but not mine?” Marc asked, chuckling.
“Yep.” Vero said simply, standing in the doorway with her toothbrush.
“Oh, and you don’t need to take a shower before we go.” Marc said, putting some clothes into his suitcase.
“Excuse me?” She asked quizzically.
“Just trust me.” He said, planting a kiss on her forehead as he brushed past her to grab his own toothbrush. “Oh, and make sure you pack your swimsuit.” He said through a mouth full of toothpaste.
“Pack? I need to pack? And my swimsuit?” Vero said, growing more and more confused.
“Yes, we’re going away for the night. And yes, chèrie, you will want to bring your swimsuit.”
“You’re lucky I love you are cute, otherwise I’m not sure how easily I would go along with this mysterious plan of yours.” Vero said, pulling her suitcase out of the closet.
A little while later, Marc had loaded their bags in the car and after a trip to the Starbucks drive-thru, they hit the highway.
“So, we’re going north. What else am I allowed to know?” Vero asked curiously. She was starting to get excited about this spur-of-the-moment trip. It wasn’t often Marc got the chance to slip away like this.
“Well, all I will say is that this is just the appetizer. Something much better is waiting for us at our destination.” Marc said, holding up his Starbucks cup.
“The only thing better than Starbucks is Tim Horton’s.” Suddenly, Vero’s eyes shot open even wider. “Exactly how far are driving, Marc-Andre?” she asked firmly.
“Not as far as you think. We didn’t bring our passports, remember?” Marc said, winking at her.
Vero suddenly remembered Lauren mentioning that she loved having two Tim Hortons’ in Erie when she was going to school there. “We’re going to Erie?” She guessed.
“Yes.” Marc answered, offering up no other information other than the constant grin on her face.
“What are we going to do there?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Humph.” Vero said, crossing her arms across her chest and staring out the window.
“I love you, Vero.”
Vero turned to face him, caught slightly off guard by the sudden change of topic. “I love you too, babe.” She said, linking her fingers through his. “I’m excited for out day together, no matter what we’re going to do.”
When they pulled up at their destination, Vero got a big smile on her face.
“What exactly is this place?” Vero said, looking at the giant tubes that were coming out of the side of the building.
“It’s called Splash Lagoon. Lauren said she always wanted to come here. One of her friends used to be a lifeguard here.” Marc said as he carried their bags in.
“So, all those tubes are slides?” Vero said, her eyes lighting up.
“Yep.” Marc grinned like a little boy.
“Oh this is going to be a fun day!” Vero said, skipping towards the front desk.
They checked in and quickly changed into their suits.
Vero and Marc spent the day laughing like little kids, splashing each other in the pool and racing each other down the slides. Marc loved seeing Vero smile so much. After the incident with Jimmy, Vero hadn’t been herself and he was always worrying about her lately. He hadn’t seen her this relaxed in a while, and he was glad he got to spend this time with her, just the two of them.
A few people had recognized him, but they were really good about giving them their space. That didn’t mean they weren’t snapping pictures of him from the side of the pool, and he rolled his eyes when he thought about how many pictures of him in his swim trunks would be posted on the internet that night.
When they got tired, Marc and Vero headed up to the room and Vero climbed in the shower. She had been in there a minute or so, she poked her head out of the curtain.
“Marc? Are you coming?” She said, a smile playing on her lips.
Marc looked at her, unsure of what to say. “Are you sure? I mean, just with things...I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to…”
“Marc, I know what you mean. But I love you. And I can’t promise I won’t be weird for a while, but I want to try. And right now I want you to get your cute butt in here.”
Marc grinned as he stepped in the shower, wrapping her up in his arms.
“I love you. You know that?”
Vero leaned back against his chest. “Yeah, I do. I love you too. Thanks for being so understanding lately. I’m sure I haven’t been easy to live with.”
Marc smirked. “How would that make it any different from the way things have always been?”
Vero playfully elbowed him in the stomach. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
“But seriously, life hasn’t exactly been normal lately. I’m just glad you seemed like you had fun today.”
Vero turned around to face him. “Are you kidding? I had so much fun today! I haven’t had that much fun in years. It reminded me of that time when you and I had that cannon ball contest that one summer. Do you remember? We were probably only 11 or 12.”
“Of course I remember. You had that pink and blue bathing suit – I thought you looked so hot.” Marc said, closing his eyes and recalling the memory.
“I’m glad to see that that is what you remember about that day.” She said, rolling her eyes and leaning up to kiss him.
They quickly washed up because Marc had told her their day wasn’t over yet. They quickly got dressed and ready to go and headed back out to the car. A few minutes later, they arrived at a little restaurant right downtown. “Lauren said she loves this place.”
“Two Friends Italian Market.” Vero said, reading the sign. “That’s a cute name.”
They found a table in a corner inside and opened the menu. After a few minutes, they agreed to split a calzone and ordered a couple of side salads as well. They enjoyed a quiet dinner and headed back to the hotel.
When they got back to their room, both of them collapsed onto the bed, their muscles aching from spending all day swimming and sliding at the indoor water park. They changed into some sweats and crawled under the covers, flipping channels until they could agree on a show to watch. Vero curled up against Marc and rested her head on his chest.
A little while later, Marc looked down at her and smiled at her steady breathing. Even after all these years, he never grew tired of watching her. He always thought she was strikingly beautiful and he could never figure out how he got so lucky. A woman like Veronique Larosee could have had any man she wanted, but she had picked him, the skinny, dorky hockey player from down the street. If she hadn’t looked so peaceful, he wouldn’t have woken her up right then to propose to her. But instead, he kissed her forehead softly and pulled her closer against him, tucking the sheet gently under her chin and closing his eyes, images of her filling his head as he fell asleep.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Chapter 70
The next morning, Lauren went to her doctor’s appointment and sure enough, Sidney had been right and the doctor removed her stitches. Lauren thought the scars still looked pretty bad, but her doctor was very pleased at how they were healing and he said they would only continue to get better in the next few weeks. She got back to the Lemieux’s only a few minutes before Sidney got home from practice.
When he walked into his bedroom, she was sitting on the bed flipping channels.
“Well?” he looked at her expectantly.
“You were right, Dr. Crosby. No more stitches!” she grinned. He leaned down and kissed her.
“I like being right.” Sidney said, looking quite pleased with himself. “Can I see?” he asked.
She nodded and lifted her shirt up and peeled back the bandage. “Oh that looks good.” Sidney said, leaning down to get a closer look.
“Eh. I still think it’s ugly.” Lauren said, scrunching up her nose.
Sidney kissed the delicate skin near her scar and then leaned up to kiss her lips. “Trust me, you’re totally rockin’ that scar, beautiful.”
“If you say so.” Lauren said, rolling her eyes.
“I do.” Sidney said, stealing another kiss. “Now, let’s go. Alexa’s waiting downstairs.” He said, pulling Lauren to her feet.
“Where are we going?” Lauren asked as she followed him downstairs.
“Today is Sidney Crosby’s lucky day. He has a date with two very amazing girls.”
“Since when does Sidney Crosby speak in the third person?” Lauren responded.
“Aren’t you cute, Miss Sarcasm. Don’t rain on my parade.”
“Man, you are so cheesy sometimes.” Lauren said, leaning up to give him a peck on the cheek.
When they got into Sidney’s car and they started down the driveway, Lauren turned around to look at Alexa. “Do you know where we’re going?” she inquired.
Alexa shook her head. “Sidney said it was a surprise.” Lauren looked back over at Sidney, who was grinning to himself and tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel.
Lauren knew they were driving downtown, but still didn’t know where they were going yet so she just looked out the window, enjoying the beauty of the city. Maybe she was biased, but she always thought Pittsburgh had one of the prettiest skylines she had ever seen. It was definitely way prettier than even the New York skyline.
Sidney pulled into a parking lot and Lauren saw the sign across the building. “The children’s museum?” Lauren asked, a smile forming on her lips. He nodded as they all got out of the car.
Sidney took Lauren’s hand and smiled when he felt Alexa grab his other hand as they walked into the museum. Lauren was surprised to find the place empty, save for a few staff members and some interns who were working on a new exhibit. “I figured if we just came on a regular day things might get a little crazy and we wouldn’t actually get to spend time together. So I called the museum and they said they were doing some work this afternoon and that it wouldn’t be open to the general public.”
Lauren nodded her head in understanding and the three of them started to walk through the museum. It wasn’t long before they arrived at one of Lauren’s favorite parts. It was a re-creation of the set of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, which had been one of her favorite shows growing up. Lauren wandered around, watching the videos on the TV and pushing the button to operate the trolley.
She turned around when she heard Alexa giggling. She found Sidney and Alexa playing with the puppets in the Neighborhood of Make Believe. Sidney had the King Friday puppet and was talking in a deep voice, causing Alexa to squeal with delight. She held Henrietta Pussycat and responded in a high-pitched voice.
Lauren sat down on a bench and just watched them for a while, unable to keep a smile off her own face. She pulled her camera out of her purse and snapped a few pictures of the two of them, lost in their own imaginary world. It amazed her that just this morning, Sidney was probably Mr. Professional-and-politically-correct as he gave post-practice interviews, but here he was, only hours later, playing puppets with a little girl and having just as much fun as she was, if not more. Moments like this, when he could just relax and have fun, were few and far between. Sidney’s eyes found hers, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come play!” he said, flashing her that adorable, crooked grin.
She laughed and joined them by the castle. “You can be Queen Sara.” Alexa said, handing her the puppet.
“Why, Queen Sara, you are looking especially beautiful today.” Sidney said in his “King Friday” voice. Lauren and Alexa giggled and Sidney just winked at Lauren as they continued to play.
After a little while, they left Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and wandered through the rest of the museum. They had a lot of fun and it made Lauren happy to see how excited Alexa was about getting so much of their undivided attention. By 5:00, they were all starving. “How about we go get some dinner?”
“That sounds wonderful. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Lauren said.
“Me too!” Alexa chimed in.
Lauren smiled at Sidney as her hand disappeared into his and they walked back out to Sid’s SUV. He navigated through the city and Lauren squealed with delight when she realized where they were going. “Mmm, I love the Spaghetti Warehouse.”
“I know.” Sidney grinned.
Sidney held Alexa’s chair out for her and then held Lauren’s out for her as well. After dinner, they ordered dessert and while they were waiting, Sidney gave Alexa some change so she could go make a pressed penny. She skipped away from the table and Lauren put her hand over his.
“Thank you for today.” She said quietly, staring into his hazel eyes.
“Did you have fun?” he asked, running his thumb over her hand.
“Yes. Today was perfect. Alexa and I are two very lucky girls.” Lauren said, grinning.
“Oh, I’d say I’m the lucky one.” He said, leaning over to kiss her softly on the cheek.
After they ate their dessert, they went back to the Lemieux’s. Nathalie made them some hot chocolate and the four of them sat at the kitchen counter and Alexa told her mom all about their day. Pretty soon it was time for Alexa to get ready for bed.
“Can I stay up, Mom?” Alexa said, pouting her bottom lip.
“I’ll tell you what, kiddo. Go get your jammies on and brush your teeth and I’ll come tuck you in.” Sidney said.
“And tell me a story, too? Like you used to?” Alexa pleaded.
Sidney knew he couldn’t resist those puppy-dog eyes. “You drive a hard bargain, Lex. Pick one out and I’ll be up in ten minutes.”
“It sounds like you three had a pretty good day.” Nathalie said, chuckling as she heard Alexa thumping up the staircase.
“It was a lot of fun. Just what I needed.” Lauren replied.
“You deserve some fun in your life.” Nathalie said with a warm smile.
“I better not keep Alexa waiting.” Sidney said with a smile. They said goodnight to Nathalie and went upstairs.
As expected, Alexa was sitting up in her bed, waiting patiently. Lauren smiled when she saw the book Alexa had pulled off the shelf. “Goodnight Moon is one of my favorites.” She said, leaning down to hug Alexa. “Goodnight. Thanks for coming with us today – I had a lot of fun!”
“You’re not staying for the story?” Alexa asked.
“No, I’ll let Sidney have you all to himself for a little bit.” Lauren said with a wink. She walked out and heard Sidney began to read. Lauren stood outside Alexa’s door for a few minutes, listening to Sidney read the story. Nathalie came down the hallway and smiled when she saw Lauren.
“He’s great with her. He’s going to make such a great dad someday.” Nathalie said.
Lauren nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, he will. He really loves kids. I can only imagine how crazy in love he’ll be with his own kids.”
“Well, even if he loves them half as much as he loves you, they’ll be the luckiest kids in the world.” Nathalie said, giving Lauren’s arm a gentle squeeze as she continued on down the hallway.
Lauren listened for another moment before heading up to Sidney’s room. She changed into a pair of Sidney’s boxers and a t-shirt and brushed her teeth before climbing into bed. She flipped channels until Sidney came in and she turned the TV off. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed next to her.
“What do you have there?” he said, pointing to the book she held in her hand.
“Oh, I grabbed this off Alexa’s shelf. It’s one of my favorites.” Lauren explained.
“The Giving Tree? I think I might’ve read that in school when I was little.”
“Yeah, you probably did. Shel Silverstein’s a pretty famous author.”
“Will you read it to me? I think I deserve a bed ime story too.” Sidney asked, pouting his bottom lip.
“Sure.” Lauren said, smiling. Sidney wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as she began to read.
When she finished, Sidney looked over at her with a smile. “I like that story.”
“Me too.” Lauren said, setting the book on the nightstand. I used to get a copy for each of the classes I worked with at the end of my time at each school. It was to thank them for all they gave me and taught me.”
“I don’t think I could ever thank you enough for everything you’ve given me.” Sidney said, kissing her hair.
When he walked into his bedroom, she was sitting on the bed flipping channels.
“Well?” he looked at her expectantly.
“You were right, Dr. Crosby. No more stitches!” she grinned. He leaned down and kissed her.
“I like being right.” Sidney said, looking quite pleased with himself. “Can I see?” he asked.
She nodded and lifted her shirt up and peeled back the bandage. “Oh that looks good.” Sidney said, leaning down to get a closer look.
“Eh. I still think it’s ugly.” Lauren said, scrunching up her nose.
Sidney kissed the delicate skin near her scar and then leaned up to kiss her lips. “Trust me, you’re totally rockin’ that scar, beautiful.”
“If you say so.” Lauren said, rolling her eyes.
“I do.” Sidney said, stealing another kiss. “Now, let’s go. Alexa’s waiting downstairs.” He said, pulling Lauren to her feet.
“Where are we going?” Lauren asked as she followed him downstairs.
“Today is Sidney Crosby’s lucky day. He has a date with two very amazing girls.”
“Since when does Sidney Crosby speak in the third person?” Lauren responded.
“Aren’t you cute, Miss Sarcasm. Don’t rain on my parade.”
“Man, you are so cheesy sometimes.” Lauren said, leaning up to give him a peck on the cheek.
When they got into Sidney’s car and they started down the driveway, Lauren turned around to look at Alexa. “Do you know where we’re going?” she inquired.
Alexa shook her head. “Sidney said it was a surprise.” Lauren looked back over at Sidney, who was grinning to himself and tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel.
Lauren knew they were driving downtown, but still didn’t know where they were going yet so she just looked out the window, enjoying the beauty of the city. Maybe she was biased, but she always thought Pittsburgh had one of the prettiest skylines she had ever seen. It was definitely way prettier than even the New York skyline.
Sidney pulled into a parking lot and Lauren saw the sign across the building. “The children’s museum?” Lauren asked, a smile forming on her lips. He nodded as they all got out of the car.
Sidney took Lauren’s hand and smiled when he felt Alexa grab his other hand as they walked into the museum. Lauren was surprised to find the place empty, save for a few staff members and some interns who were working on a new exhibit. “I figured if we just came on a regular day things might get a little crazy and we wouldn’t actually get to spend time together. So I called the museum and they said they were doing some work this afternoon and that it wouldn’t be open to the general public.”
Lauren nodded her head in understanding and the three of them started to walk through the museum. It wasn’t long before they arrived at one of Lauren’s favorite parts. It was a re-creation of the set of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, which had been one of her favorite shows growing up. Lauren wandered around, watching the videos on the TV and pushing the button to operate the trolley.
She turned around when she heard Alexa giggling. She found Sidney and Alexa playing with the puppets in the Neighborhood of Make Believe. Sidney had the King Friday puppet and was talking in a deep voice, causing Alexa to squeal with delight. She held Henrietta Pussycat and responded in a high-pitched voice.
Lauren sat down on a bench and just watched them for a while, unable to keep a smile off her own face. She pulled her camera out of her purse and snapped a few pictures of the two of them, lost in their own imaginary world. It amazed her that just this morning, Sidney was probably Mr. Professional-and-politically-correct as he gave post-practice interviews, but here he was, only hours later, playing puppets with a little girl and having just as much fun as she was, if not more. Moments like this, when he could just relax and have fun, were few and far between. Sidney’s eyes found hers, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come play!” he said, flashing her that adorable, crooked grin.
She laughed and joined them by the castle. “You can be Queen Sara.” Alexa said, handing her the puppet.
“Why, Queen Sara, you are looking especially beautiful today.” Sidney said in his “King Friday” voice. Lauren and Alexa giggled and Sidney just winked at Lauren as they continued to play.
After a little while, they left Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and wandered through the rest of the museum. They had a lot of fun and it made Lauren happy to see how excited Alexa was about getting so much of their undivided attention. By 5:00, they were all starving. “How about we go get some dinner?”
“That sounds wonderful. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Lauren said.
“Me too!” Alexa chimed in.
Lauren smiled at Sidney as her hand disappeared into his and they walked back out to Sid’s SUV. He navigated through the city and Lauren squealed with delight when she realized where they were going. “Mmm, I love the Spaghetti Warehouse.”
“I know.” Sidney grinned.
Sidney held Alexa’s chair out for her and then held Lauren’s out for her as well. After dinner, they ordered dessert and while they were waiting, Sidney gave Alexa some change so she could go make a pressed penny. She skipped away from the table and Lauren put her hand over his.
“Thank you for today.” She said quietly, staring into his hazel eyes.
“Did you have fun?” he asked, running his thumb over her hand.
“Yes. Today was perfect. Alexa and I are two very lucky girls.” Lauren said, grinning.
“Oh, I’d say I’m the lucky one.” He said, leaning over to kiss her softly on the cheek.
After they ate their dessert, they went back to the Lemieux’s. Nathalie made them some hot chocolate and the four of them sat at the kitchen counter and Alexa told her mom all about their day. Pretty soon it was time for Alexa to get ready for bed.
“Can I stay up, Mom?” Alexa said, pouting her bottom lip.
“I’ll tell you what, kiddo. Go get your jammies on and brush your teeth and I’ll come tuck you in.” Sidney said.
“And tell me a story, too? Like you used to?” Alexa pleaded.
Sidney knew he couldn’t resist those puppy-dog eyes. “You drive a hard bargain, Lex. Pick one out and I’ll be up in ten minutes.”
“It sounds like you three had a pretty good day.” Nathalie said, chuckling as she heard Alexa thumping up the staircase.
“It was a lot of fun. Just what I needed.” Lauren replied.
“You deserve some fun in your life.” Nathalie said with a warm smile.
“I better not keep Alexa waiting.” Sidney said with a smile. They said goodnight to Nathalie and went upstairs.
As expected, Alexa was sitting up in her bed, waiting patiently. Lauren smiled when she saw the book Alexa had pulled off the shelf. “Goodnight Moon is one of my favorites.” She said, leaning down to hug Alexa. “Goodnight. Thanks for coming with us today – I had a lot of fun!”
“You’re not staying for the story?” Alexa asked.
“No, I’ll let Sidney have you all to himself for a little bit.” Lauren said with a wink. She walked out and heard Sidney began to read. Lauren stood outside Alexa’s door for a few minutes, listening to Sidney read the story. Nathalie came down the hallway and smiled when she saw Lauren.
“He’s great with her. He’s going to make such a great dad someday.” Nathalie said.
Lauren nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, he will. He really loves kids. I can only imagine how crazy in love he’ll be with his own kids.”
“Well, even if he loves them half as much as he loves you, they’ll be the luckiest kids in the world.” Nathalie said, giving Lauren’s arm a gentle squeeze as she continued on down the hallway.
Lauren listened for another moment before heading up to Sidney’s room. She changed into a pair of Sidney’s boxers and a t-shirt and brushed her teeth before climbing into bed. She flipped channels until Sidney came in and she turned the TV off. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed next to her.
“What do you have there?” he said, pointing to the book she held in her hand.
“Oh, I grabbed this off Alexa’s shelf. It’s one of my favorites.” Lauren explained.
“The Giving Tree? I think I might’ve read that in school when I was little.”
“Yeah, you probably did. Shel Silverstein’s a pretty famous author.”
“Will you read it to me? I think I deserve a bed ime story too.” Sidney asked, pouting his bottom lip.
“Sure.” Lauren said, smiling. Sidney wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as she began to read.
When she finished, Sidney looked over at her with a smile. “I like that story.”
“Me too.” Lauren said, setting the book on the nightstand. I used to get a copy for each of the classes I worked with at the end of my time at each school. It was to thank them for all they gave me and taught me.”
“I don’t think I could ever thank you enough for everything you’ve given me.” Sidney said, kissing her hair.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Chapter 69
The next morning, Lauren felt more relaxed about heading into court knowing Sidney would be right there beside her. As they walked into the courtroom, Sidney squeezed Lauren’s hand and sat down beside her on the bench. When they brought Jimmy in, Sidney had to let go of Lauren’s hand because he got so angry at the sight of him and he was afraid he might break Lauren’s fingers. Lauren watched him take a few deep breaths, and that seemed to calm Sidney down. He put his arm around her shoulders and she rested her hand on his thigh.
“Madam foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?” The judge asked.
“Yes, your honor. We, the jury, find the defendant, Mr. James Peters, guilty on all accounts.”
Lauren and Sidney couldn’t hide their relieved expressions upon hearing this. Sidney leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Duly noted. The court thanks you for your service.” The judge replied. “The court will take a recess, and sentencing will resume this afternoon.”
They stood up and Sidney pulled Lauren into his arms. “I love you.” He whispered, and she smiled and took his hand as they walked out of the courtroom.
As they stepped out of the courthouse, they were greeted by a throng of reporters. Apparently, word had spread that Sidney was in town and had attended the trial that morning. “I’m going to have to answer a few of their questions. Why don’t you guys go on ahead and Dad and I will catch up with you in a few minutes?” He whispered into Lauren’s ear. She nodded and watched him head off in the direction of the reporters, with Troy following closely behind him.
“Sidney, how is the trial going?”
“It’s going well. It’s nearly finished.” Sidney replied.
“How long are they going to put him away for?”
Sidney knew that with the multiple charges he had been convicted of, a life sentence wasn’t a possibility, but he could get put away for a very long time. “Sentencing has not begun yet, so I have no idea what will happen with that. My biggest concern is making sure that nothing like this happens again.”
“How is Lauren doing?”
“She has an amazing amount of strength, and our family and friends have been very supportive.”
“Will she return to school?”
“That’s a personal decision she will have to make. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get going.” Sidney replied quickly as him and Troy headed down the street towards the café everyone else was eating at.
When they arrived, Sidney’s eyes lit up when he saw Lauren waving them over their table. The café was fairly crowded, and Sidney was receiving glances from all directions, but luckily, everyone seemed to understand that this wouldn’t be the most appropriate time to interrupt their favorite hockey star.
The lunch hour seemed to pass quickly, but Sidney was glad to see Lauren more relaxed and smiling quite a bit. He knew there would still be rough times, but it was good to see things turning around for the better.
They returned to court and the sentencing went rather quickly. This judge was a tough one, and gave the maximum sentence for all charges. Lauren, Sidney, Vero, Marc, and all of their families let out a collective sigh of relief. They know there’s the possibility of Jimmy being released for “good behavior” in less time, but they would worry about that when the time came. When court was adjourned, Sidney pulled Lauren into a tight hug, lifting her feet off the floor and she buried her face in his neck. After a moment, he set her back down and they each made rounds, hugging their families. After Lauren’s mom hugged her so tightly she thought for sure her stitches would bust, Lauren found Sidney again and he pulled her into his arms. He rested his forehead on hers so he could love into her eyes. “Let’s go home, baby.”
She responded with a wide grin and took his hand as they walked out of the courtroom.
Outside, the media was waiting for them again. Sidney was bracing himself for the flood of questions when Troy tapped his shoulder. He nodded his head toward the reporters and said, “I’ll take care of them. You two go on ahead.” Lauren gave Troy a hug and Sidney waved toward the crowd as they got into the waiting car.
Their families had gone ahead in other cars, so Sidney and Lauren were alone. Sidney wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him, relaxing her body against his. “I’m so glad that is over.” She said.
“Me too. I hate that you had to go through most of it alone. I hate that you had to go through this at all.”
“Sidney, I didn’t have to go through it alone. You were always there, even when you weren’t actually there. I missed you a lot, though.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you too.” They rode the rest of the short ride to the hotel in relative silence, enjoying each other’s company and each of them processing the feeling of relief that they were experiencing.
The next morning, Sidney’s parents flew back to Nova Scotia, and everyone else flew back to Pittsburgh. Lauren and Sidney slept most of the flight home and a car was waiting for them outside baggage claim. They stopped at the Lemieux’s first to drop Sidney’s things off and then they were headed to Lauren’s parents’ house. When they saw the car pull up, Nathalie and all of the Lemieux children came running out the front door to greet them. Sidney and Lauren laughed as the kids latched onto them. Even Nathalie couldn’t help but throw her arms around the two of them.
“I am so glad you two are back. We missed you.” The kids hauled Sidney’s bags inside as Nathalie ushered everyone into the house.
“We missed you too. All of you.” Lauren said, ruffling Alexa’s hair.
“Lauren! I drew a new picture for you!” Alexa said, running out of the room and returning a moment later.
Lauren lips curled into a smile as she looked at the drawing. Sidney was standing behind her with his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. “It’s beautiful, Alexa.” Sidney said.
“Yes it is.” Lauren agreed. The picture showed Lauren, Alexa, and Sidney holding hands and walking somewhere that looked like a park. All of them had big smiles on their faces and Lauren couldn’t help but smile too.
“Another beautiful masterpiece, Alexa. Thank you.” Alexa grinned wildly and then went off into the other room to play.
“She missed you guys. She was worried too, even though I’m not quite sure she fully understands what happened.” Nathalie explained.
“I missed her too. And I’m glad she’s young enough to keep her innocence through all of this. She just has so much joy in her life and I’d hate to see that ever spoiled.” Lauren said. “I should do something special with her soon.”
Sidney grinned at her. “That sounds like fun. Can I come too?” Sidney asked, sounding like a hopeful little child.
“Of course. She’d love that. She adores you. So do I.” Lauren said, kissing his cheek.
They stayed and talked with Nathalie for a while and then drove to Lauren’s house to drop off her stuff. They hung out with her brother and parents for a while and then went back to the Lemieux’s for the night.
They laid in bed for a while, just relaxing and talking. “So you go back to the doctor tomorrow?” Sidney asked.
“Yeah, and as long as he thinks everything looks okay, he’s going to take my stitches out.”
“I think he will. They looked really good when I looked at them yesterday.”
“Thank you for the prognosis, Dr. Crosby.” Lauren giggled and Sidney rolled his eyes.
“No problem.” He grinned, kissing the top of her head. “Do you have any other plans tomorrow?”
“Nope, that’s it. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I have practice till around noon, but then I was hoping we could spend the day together.”
“I’d like that. I feel like we haven’t gotten to ‘hang out’ in a long time.”
“I agree. Night, babe.” Sidney said, pulling her tighter against his body.
“Night, Sidney.” She said, snuggling her head against his chest as they both fell asleep.
“Madam foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?” The judge asked.
“Yes, your honor. We, the jury, find the defendant, Mr. James Peters, guilty on all accounts.”
Lauren and Sidney couldn’t hide their relieved expressions upon hearing this. Sidney leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Duly noted. The court thanks you for your service.” The judge replied. “The court will take a recess, and sentencing will resume this afternoon.”
They stood up and Sidney pulled Lauren into his arms. “I love you.” He whispered, and she smiled and took his hand as they walked out of the courtroom.
As they stepped out of the courthouse, they were greeted by a throng of reporters. Apparently, word had spread that Sidney was in town and had attended the trial that morning. “I’m going to have to answer a few of their questions. Why don’t you guys go on ahead and Dad and I will catch up with you in a few minutes?” He whispered into Lauren’s ear. She nodded and watched him head off in the direction of the reporters, with Troy following closely behind him.
“Sidney, how is the trial going?”
“It’s going well. It’s nearly finished.” Sidney replied.
“How long are they going to put him away for?”
Sidney knew that with the multiple charges he had been convicted of, a life sentence wasn’t a possibility, but he could get put away for a very long time. “Sentencing has not begun yet, so I have no idea what will happen with that. My biggest concern is making sure that nothing like this happens again.”
“How is Lauren doing?”
“She has an amazing amount of strength, and our family and friends have been very supportive.”
“Will she return to school?”
“That’s a personal decision she will have to make. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get going.” Sidney replied quickly as him and Troy headed down the street towards the café everyone else was eating at.
When they arrived, Sidney’s eyes lit up when he saw Lauren waving them over their table. The café was fairly crowded, and Sidney was receiving glances from all directions, but luckily, everyone seemed to understand that this wouldn’t be the most appropriate time to interrupt their favorite hockey star.
The lunch hour seemed to pass quickly, but Sidney was glad to see Lauren more relaxed and smiling quite a bit. He knew there would still be rough times, but it was good to see things turning around for the better.
They returned to court and the sentencing went rather quickly. This judge was a tough one, and gave the maximum sentence for all charges. Lauren, Sidney, Vero, Marc, and all of their families let out a collective sigh of relief. They know there’s the possibility of Jimmy being released for “good behavior” in less time, but they would worry about that when the time came. When court was adjourned, Sidney pulled Lauren into a tight hug, lifting her feet off the floor and she buried her face in his neck. After a moment, he set her back down and they each made rounds, hugging their families. After Lauren’s mom hugged her so tightly she thought for sure her stitches would bust, Lauren found Sidney again and he pulled her into his arms. He rested his forehead on hers so he could love into her eyes. “Let’s go home, baby.”
She responded with a wide grin and took his hand as they walked out of the courtroom.
Outside, the media was waiting for them again. Sidney was bracing himself for the flood of questions when Troy tapped his shoulder. He nodded his head toward the reporters and said, “I’ll take care of them. You two go on ahead.” Lauren gave Troy a hug and Sidney waved toward the crowd as they got into the waiting car.
Their families had gone ahead in other cars, so Sidney and Lauren were alone. Sidney wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him, relaxing her body against his. “I’m so glad that is over.” She said.
“Me too. I hate that you had to go through most of it alone. I hate that you had to go through this at all.”
“Sidney, I didn’t have to go through it alone. You were always there, even when you weren’t actually there. I missed you a lot, though.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you too.” They rode the rest of the short ride to the hotel in relative silence, enjoying each other’s company and each of them processing the feeling of relief that they were experiencing.
The next morning, Sidney’s parents flew back to Nova Scotia, and everyone else flew back to Pittsburgh. Lauren and Sidney slept most of the flight home and a car was waiting for them outside baggage claim. They stopped at the Lemieux’s first to drop Sidney’s things off and then they were headed to Lauren’s parents’ house. When they saw the car pull up, Nathalie and all of the Lemieux children came running out the front door to greet them. Sidney and Lauren laughed as the kids latched onto them. Even Nathalie couldn’t help but throw her arms around the two of them.
“I am so glad you two are back. We missed you.” The kids hauled Sidney’s bags inside as Nathalie ushered everyone into the house.
“We missed you too. All of you.” Lauren said, ruffling Alexa’s hair.
“Lauren! I drew a new picture for you!” Alexa said, running out of the room and returning a moment later.
Lauren lips curled into a smile as she looked at the drawing. Sidney was standing behind her with his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. “It’s beautiful, Alexa.” Sidney said.
“Yes it is.” Lauren agreed. The picture showed Lauren, Alexa, and Sidney holding hands and walking somewhere that looked like a park. All of them had big smiles on their faces and Lauren couldn’t help but smile too.
“Another beautiful masterpiece, Alexa. Thank you.” Alexa grinned wildly and then went off into the other room to play.
“She missed you guys. She was worried too, even though I’m not quite sure she fully understands what happened.” Nathalie explained.
“I missed her too. And I’m glad she’s young enough to keep her innocence through all of this. She just has so much joy in her life and I’d hate to see that ever spoiled.” Lauren said. “I should do something special with her soon.”
Sidney grinned at her. “That sounds like fun. Can I come too?” Sidney asked, sounding like a hopeful little child.
“Of course. She’d love that. She adores you. So do I.” Lauren said, kissing his cheek.
They stayed and talked with Nathalie for a while and then drove to Lauren’s house to drop off her stuff. They hung out with her brother and parents for a while and then went back to the Lemieux’s for the night.
They laid in bed for a while, just relaxing and talking. “So you go back to the doctor tomorrow?” Sidney asked.
“Yeah, and as long as he thinks everything looks okay, he’s going to take my stitches out.”
“I think he will. They looked really good when I looked at them yesterday.”
“Thank you for the prognosis, Dr. Crosby.” Lauren giggled and Sidney rolled his eyes.
“No problem.” He grinned, kissing the top of her head. “Do you have any other plans tomorrow?”
“Nope, that’s it. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I have practice till around noon, but then I was hoping we could spend the day together.”
“I’d like that. I feel like we haven’t gotten to ‘hang out’ in a long time.”
“I agree. Night, babe.” Sidney said, pulling her tighter against his body.
“Night, Sidney.” She said, snuggling her head against his chest as they both fell asleep.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Chapter 68
They arrived at the courthouse the next morning and took their seats. It wasn’t long before they put Jimmy on the stand to question him.
“Mr. Peters, is it true you broke into Miss Somers’ hotel room?”
“Yes, I was hoping to surprise her.” He said with an evil grin. Lauren could feel the knots building in her stomach.
“Is it true you tied Miss LaRosee to a chair and proceeded to assault Miss Somers?”
“I couldn’t have her interfering with what was meant to be.” Jimmy said, pointing at Vero. “And then Lauren and I proceeded to make love.” He continued. Lauren’s breath caught in her throat and Vero grabbed her hand. Was he seriously saying this? Seriously?
“So you believe the sexual intercourse was consensual?”
“Of course it was. We were meant to be together.”
“Miss Somers sustained multiple stab wounds and severe bruising and was hospitalized for her injuries. If it was really consensual, why did you tie them up and assault them?”
“Sidney Crosby ruined my life. He ruined my career before it even began. It was only right that I should have something of his. I can’t play hockey anymore, so I couldn’t take that from him. So I took the one thing that means the most to him.”
“So that is why you assaulted them and raped Miss Somers?”
“We will forever be a part of one another.”
Lauren couldn’t have felt more relieved when they finally broke for lunch. She couldn’t stand to listen to Jimmy’s crap anymore. When they got outside, she immediately called Sidney.
“Hey beautiful.” He answered cheerfully.
“Hey.” Lauren responded in a very annoyed tone.
“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. What happened?” Sidney asked, his voice suddenly taking on a concerned tone.
“Jimmy just pissed me off. He told such stupid lies this morning – it was making me sick.” Lauren said, disgusted.
Sidney was a little taken aback by her frankness – he hadn’t seen this fiery side of Lauren in a long time. “What did he say?” Lauren filled Sidney in on what Jimmy had said. “He said WHAT?!” Sidney asked furiously.
“Yeah. Exactly. Sidney, do you think he’s really that delusional?”
“Apparently. Lauren, I’m sorry you had to listen to that scumbag. I wish I was there with you so badly.”
“I wish you were here too. But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there late morning. I gotta go – I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you, Lauren.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
They returned for the afternoon session of court, and luckily, they were done questioning Jimmy so Lauren didn’t have to listen to him anymore.
They broke around 4:30 and everyone headed back to the hotel. They had made a reservation in the hotel restaurant and the staff was gracious enough to set up a private room for all of them to eat in, so they had no disruptions, and nobody staring at them while they ate their food. After dinner, Vero and her parents headed home and everyone else headed to their hotel rooms. Lauren wanted to take a bubble bath, but she wasn’t allowed to submerse her body in water yet, so she had to settle for a long, hot shower instead.
After she got out of the shower, she put on her pajamas and pulled her hair back into a clip. She spent some time reading emails and reading all the messages people had left her on Facebook. She was amazed at the outpouring of positive thoughts and well wishes and support that she got from not only her friends, but from thousands of people she had never met. She responded to emails for a while, but then she got tired, so she shut her computer down and curled up in bed to watch TV. For whatever reason, they weren’t televising the Penguins game, so Lauren couldn’t watch it. After a little while, Leanna came in and crawled into her own bed. Lauren could feel herself getting more and more tired, so she called Sidney to say goodnight. She wasn’t all that surprised that she got his voicemail.
“Hey baby. I just wanted to call and say goodnight before I fell asleep. I just got the text saying you guys won tonight – I’m very proud of you. I’m always proud of you, though. I love you – call me when your plane lands here tomorrow. I miss you a lot and I can’t wait to see you.”
Lauren fell asleep and a few hours later, she was awoken by the sound of Leanna’s phone ringing. She could hear Leanna get out of bed and leave the room. A few minutes later, Lauren saw Leanna come back into the room and then she saw a familiar shadow in the doorway behind her.
“Sidney?” she asked, confused and trying to figure out if she was really awake.
“Yeah, babe, it’s me.” He said quietly, putting his bag down and shedding his jacket.
“What are you doing here?” she said, still confused.
Sidney smiled. “I’m here to see you, silly girl. I just came a little earlier than you thought.”
“How did you get in here? Wait, he was who called you just now?” she asked, turning towards Leanna.
“Yep. He called me this afternoon to tell me he was flying out right after the game.”
“You two are so sneaky.” Lauren said, grinning. Sidney leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips before retreating to the bathroom to change. A moment later, he emerged in a t-shirt and shorts and Lauren pulled back the blanket so he could crawl into bed next to her.
He pulled the blankets up around them and she settled into his arms, resting her head against his chest. He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. “See? Isn’t this better than waiting until tomorrow?”
“Of course it is. This was a great surprise.” She turned her head to face him and his lips met hers in a sweet kiss.
“I love you.” He whispered against her lips.
“I love you more.” She whispered back, before settling back down against his chest.
Meanwhile, Marc was quietly letting himself into Vero’s parents’ house. They had given him a key many years ago and he was glad he wouldn’t have to wake them up. He had told them he was coming, but Vero wasn’t expecting him until late the next morning. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her screaming when he entered the house through the kitchen. She had been sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea, and wasn’t expecting anyone to come into the house, especially in the middle of the night.
“It’s me.” He said, quickly taking her in his arms and trying to calm her down. “I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to frighten you. What are you doing up, anyways?”
Vero rested her head against his chest, happy to see him but still quite shaken up by his surprise entrance. “I couldn’t sleep. I seem to have too many thoughts running through my head these days. I thought you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow morning.”
“Sid and I decided to fly out as soon as the game was over. And why didn’t you call and talk to me if you couldn’t sleep?”
Vero looked at him with a guilty expression. “I thought you’d be sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Don’t you know that you can always call me, no matter what time it is? Trust me, I will never mind being woken up by the sound of your voice.” Marc said, running his hand gently over her cheek.
Vero smiled and leaned into his palm. “I’m glad you’re here.” She whispered.
“Come on, let’s go to bed.” Marc said, picking up his bag and taking her hand as they went upstairs.
They slipped quietly into her bedroom and Vero pulled the sheets back on the bed as Marc quickly shed his clothes, leaving on only his boxers. Vero couldn’t help but laugh when she saw them. She had bought those boxers for him for his birthday, kind of as a joke. They were white and had a Lucky Charms print all over them. “What?” he asked innocently. “My real lucky charm gave these to me, and she said that whenever she couldn’t be there, I should wear these as a substitute.”
“This lucky charm of yours sounds like a crazy woman.” Vero said through her laughter.
Marc crawled into bed and pulled her into his arms. “Maybe. But I kind of like her. In fact, I’m sort of in love with her.” He said, kissing her forehead.
“Sort of?” Vero snorted.
“By ‘sort of,’ I mean she’s the one thing that keeps my world turning.”
“I love you, Marc. Thanks for coming tonight.”
“I love you too, angel.” He said, tucking the blanket under her chin before they both fell asleep.
“Mr. Peters, is it true you broke into Miss Somers’ hotel room?”
“Yes, I was hoping to surprise her.” He said with an evil grin. Lauren could feel the knots building in her stomach.
“Is it true you tied Miss LaRosee to a chair and proceeded to assault Miss Somers?”
“I couldn’t have her interfering with what was meant to be.” Jimmy said, pointing at Vero. “And then Lauren and I proceeded to make love.” He continued. Lauren’s breath caught in her throat and Vero grabbed her hand. Was he seriously saying this? Seriously?
“So you believe the sexual intercourse was consensual?”
“Of course it was. We were meant to be together.”
“Miss Somers sustained multiple stab wounds and severe bruising and was hospitalized for her injuries. If it was really consensual, why did you tie them up and assault them?”
“Sidney Crosby ruined my life. He ruined my career before it even began. It was only right that I should have something of his. I can’t play hockey anymore, so I couldn’t take that from him. So I took the one thing that means the most to him.”
“So that is why you assaulted them and raped Miss Somers?”
“We will forever be a part of one another.”
Lauren couldn’t have felt more relieved when they finally broke for lunch. She couldn’t stand to listen to Jimmy’s crap anymore. When they got outside, she immediately called Sidney.
“Hey beautiful.” He answered cheerfully.
“Hey.” Lauren responded in a very annoyed tone.
“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. What happened?” Sidney asked, his voice suddenly taking on a concerned tone.
“Jimmy just pissed me off. He told such stupid lies this morning – it was making me sick.” Lauren said, disgusted.
Sidney was a little taken aback by her frankness – he hadn’t seen this fiery side of Lauren in a long time. “What did he say?” Lauren filled Sidney in on what Jimmy had said. “He said WHAT?!” Sidney asked furiously.
“Yeah. Exactly. Sidney, do you think he’s really that delusional?”
“Apparently. Lauren, I’m sorry you had to listen to that scumbag. I wish I was there with you so badly.”
“I wish you were here too. But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there late morning. I gotta go – I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you, Lauren.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
They returned for the afternoon session of court, and luckily, they were done questioning Jimmy so Lauren didn’t have to listen to him anymore.
They broke around 4:30 and everyone headed back to the hotel. They had made a reservation in the hotel restaurant and the staff was gracious enough to set up a private room for all of them to eat in, so they had no disruptions, and nobody staring at them while they ate their food. After dinner, Vero and her parents headed home and everyone else headed to their hotel rooms. Lauren wanted to take a bubble bath, but she wasn’t allowed to submerse her body in water yet, so she had to settle for a long, hot shower instead.
After she got out of the shower, she put on her pajamas and pulled her hair back into a clip. She spent some time reading emails and reading all the messages people had left her on Facebook. She was amazed at the outpouring of positive thoughts and well wishes and support that she got from not only her friends, but from thousands of people she had never met. She responded to emails for a while, but then she got tired, so she shut her computer down and curled up in bed to watch TV. For whatever reason, they weren’t televising the Penguins game, so Lauren couldn’t watch it. After a little while, Leanna came in and crawled into her own bed. Lauren could feel herself getting more and more tired, so she called Sidney to say goodnight. She wasn’t all that surprised that she got his voicemail.
“Hey baby. I just wanted to call and say goodnight before I fell asleep. I just got the text saying you guys won tonight – I’m very proud of you. I’m always proud of you, though. I love you – call me when your plane lands here tomorrow. I miss you a lot and I can’t wait to see you.”
Lauren fell asleep and a few hours later, she was awoken by the sound of Leanna’s phone ringing. She could hear Leanna get out of bed and leave the room. A few minutes later, Lauren saw Leanna come back into the room and then she saw a familiar shadow in the doorway behind her.
“Sidney?” she asked, confused and trying to figure out if she was really awake.
“Yeah, babe, it’s me.” He said quietly, putting his bag down and shedding his jacket.
“What are you doing here?” she said, still confused.
Sidney smiled. “I’m here to see you, silly girl. I just came a little earlier than you thought.”
“How did you get in here? Wait, he was who called you just now?” she asked, turning towards Leanna.
“Yep. He called me this afternoon to tell me he was flying out right after the game.”
“You two are so sneaky.” Lauren said, grinning. Sidney leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips before retreating to the bathroom to change. A moment later, he emerged in a t-shirt and shorts and Lauren pulled back the blanket so he could crawl into bed next to her.
He pulled the blankets up around them and she settled into his arms, resting her head against his chest. He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. “See? Isn’t this better than waiting until tomorrow?”
“Of course it is. This was a great surprise.” She turned her head to face him and his lips met hers in a sweet kiss.
“I love you.” He whispered against her lips.
“I love you more.” She whispered back, before settling back down against his chest.
Meanwhile, Marc was quietly letting himself into Vero’s parents’ house. They had given him a key many years ago and he was glad he wouldn’t have to wake them up. He had told them he was coming, but Vero wasn’t expecting him until late the next morning. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her screaming when he entered the house through the kitchen. She had been sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea, and wasn’t expecting anyone to come into the house, especially in the middle of the night.
“It’s me.” He said, quickly taking her in his arms and trying to calm her down. “I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to frighten you. What are you doing up, anyways?”
Vero rested her head against his chest, happy to see him but still quite shaken up by his surprise entrance. “I couldn’t sleep. I seem to have too many thoughts running through my head these days. I thought you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow morning.”
“Sid and I decided to fly out as soon as the game was over. And why didn’t you call and talk to me if you couldn’t sleep?”
Vero looked at him with a guilty expression. “I thought you’d be sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Don’t you know that you can always call me, no matter what time it is? Trust me, I will never mind being woken up by the sound of your voice.” Marc said, running his hand gently over her cheek.
Vero smiled and leaned into his palm. “I’m glad you’re here.” She whispered.
“Come on, let’s go to bed.” Marc said, picking up his bag and taking her hand as they went upstairs.
They slipped quietly into her bedroom and Vero pulled the sheets back on the bed as Marc quickly shed his clothes, leaving on only his boxers. Vero couldn’t help but laugh when she saw them. She had bought those boxers for him for his birthday, kind of as a joke. They were white and had a Lucky Charms print all over them. “What?” he asked innocently. “My real lucky charm gave these to me, and she said that whenever she couldn’t be there, I should wear these as a substitute.”
“This lucky charm of yours sounds like a crazy woman.” Vero said through her laughter.
Marc crawled into bed and pulled her into his arms. “Maybe. But I kind of like her. In fact, I’m sort of in love with her.” He said, kissing her forehead.
“Sort of?” Vero snorted.
“By ‘sort of,’ I mean she’s the one thing that keeps my world turning.”
“I love you, Marc. Thanks for coming tonight.”
“I love you too, angel.” He said, tucking the blanket under her chin before they both fell asleep.
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