Alright, here is the next chapter. It's a tad short but of course there is more on the way. I have been extremely busy and next week is a week from hell, so there will probably not be a post until the weekend. I actually sat down this week and planned out what is going to happen in the upcoming chapters and I'm proud to say that as of now I have up to chapter 78 planned out (not written... planned out), but of course some events could change. Remember, I'm only going to Chapter 87 with this and I have a lot of stuff that needs to fit in. I hope to get this story done by the end of June because I will be heading off to college at the end of June, instead of the end of August like everyone else. But who knows if I'm actually going to finish by then, and I would like to start a new story after this... right now I'm thinkn a Letang story... but it's a little too early to say that definitively. Just wanted to tell you what was coming up, thanks for reading and LET'S GO PENS!!!!!!
Practice was at 11:00 for the guys and my session ended at 10:30 so I could have conceivably gone to watch practice. But my boyfriend's parents were coming over and the place wasn't the cleanest it's ever been. If you think one or two dogs make a mess, think about six. True I kept the house clean enough, but there were fur tumble weeds that would pass you every now and again. Needless to say, I spent two hours hastily cleaning up the house, making sure everything was presentable for Sidney's family. I flop on to the couch when I'm done, practice would be letting out in about half an hour. I glance over to see Flash, Hawk, and Sam playing a game of three way tug of war with some kind of dog toy that was once supposed to be something but with use was now unrecognizable.
"Sam, come," I say from my position on the couch.
The tugging stops for a minute as he perks his ears up and looks at me with a 'huh, me?'
expression.
"Come here," I say again.
This promps him to drop his end of the rope and come trotting over to me, his tongue hanging out in a happy smile as his stubby tail wags. I move to a sitting position and he stands in front of me, sitting automatically, like he was taught. He puts his head in my lap as I scratch behind his soft ears. I had put him through all the tests; he did well with kids, he was no longer food aggressive, he of course did well with other dogs, and he could follow all basic obedience commands and then some. He was ready to be adopted. I would have to put an add up tomorrow, boy was I going to miss him. I would make sure he went to a good home and to a family that would keep up with his training. But it would be different not having him around the house. And right now I had a job that needed to be done, and he is he perfect dog to do it.
"You're a good boy!" I smile and kiss him lightly between the eyes. He wags his tail and licks my face. "Alright, you're ready."
I get up and run to take a quick shower. I get out and put on a tshirt and jeans paired with my worn leather boots. I allow my hair to air dry which would add natural light waves. I apply a bit of make up and pick up the phone.
"Hey babe what's up?" Sid calls over the loud background noise.
"Hey, I'm assuming practice is over," I smile, grabbing my keys.
"Yeah for the most part, I figured I'd get off the ice earlier than the others so I could start interviews early so I could get home earlier. I just got off the ice so the guys are still messing around out there."
'Home?' I think, ' That's it, I was asking him as soon as his parents left.'
"Alright, umm... Did Taylor come to practice?"I ask.
"Yeah, why?"he asks.
"Well, I'm going to stop by and come find her ok?"
"Yeah sure fine. Anything else?"he asks.
"Nope that's it, I'm on my way out now," I say picking up my keys.
"Alright, I'll see you when you get here," he says.
"Alright, see you soon, bye," I say hanging up the phone.
"Sam! let's go!" I shout.
I arrive at the arena a about 15 minutes later and pull into a parking spot next to the Crosby's rental car.
"Sam I'll be back soon," I say reaching back to pet him before heading out the door. I had rolled the windows down and the back seats were down so that he had plenty of room and air. Plus the parking lot was fairly guarded, after all I was parking next to the Crosby's.
I maneuver my way around the arena until I get to the locker room, the guards outside the door knew who I was and waved me in. Most of the camera's had gone, except for a few still on Sid.
"Ace!" is said as a shout through out the room. I look to my left to see Army coming at me with out a shirt on and still sweaty from practice.
"Colby don't you dare, I just showered!" I shout holding up my arms to protect myself.
"Awwww... come on Ace! I haven't seen you in forever," he whines, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout.
"You can hug me when you're showered," I counter.
"Fine," he huffs.
"Can we head to your house after practice?" I hear Max ask from his stall. Damn he was hot, even with the black eye he was currently sporting.
"Sorry guys not today," I say.
"Awww..." I hear most of the players say, "why not?"
"Because my parents are coming over for dinner. Hi babe," Sid says coming up to kiss my cheek.
"Aww... isn't that cute, Bugs?" Ruuts says.
"It's fucking adorable!" he laughs.
I roll my eyes and turn to Sid.
"Hi, is your sister still here?" I ask.
"Good to see you too, yeah I just called her down here," he says with a smirks.
"Good," I say with a smile getting lost in those gorgeous hazel eyes.
I hear the door open behind me and immediately know who it is by the huge smile on Sid's face.
I turn to see the all the Crosby's in the locker room.
"Hey, guys!" I say cheerfully.
"Now?!" she asks taken back.
"Yup, now. I brought someone with me that I want you to meet. See ya boys," I say with a wave after lightly kissing Sid's cheek and walking out of the locker room.
"Umm... Caitlin are you sure about this?" Taylor asks jogging to catch up with me.
"Taylor, believe me you'll be fine."I walk out to the car and ask Taylor to stay behind the car.
"Alright Sammy, come on!" I say to the rottweiler in the car.
He jumps down from my jeep and I look to Taylor to see her immediately freeze up. She stands there as she sees Sam walking next to me. A look of fear present in her eyes.
"Taylor, this is Sam," I smile walking over to her.
She simply nods, but does not move as Sam comes over to her, his tail wagging and tongue flopping out of his mouth as if he is smiling. As his nose touches her thigh sniffing her, I see her ever so slightly flinch. From her body posture I see that she is very tense.
"Sam, come here," I say firmly.
Sam looks up at me and trots over so that I can clip a leash on his collar.
"Alright Taylor," I say handing over the leash to her, which she reluctantly takes with a slightly shaky hand, "Let's take a little stroll around the parking lot."
"Ummmm.... ok," she whispers.
We begin our walk around the parking lot, Sam obediently walking next to Taylor.
"So, how's your hockey going?" I ask.
"It's going good. I'm number one goalie on my team and my save percentage has been really good recently," she says keeping her eyes cautiously trained on Sam.
"That's great! I'm assuming you and the Lemieux's have been playing a few pick up games," I smile.
"Yeah, we always have some competitions when we get together, it's like and on going game," she smiles at me. "We all agreed that that poker game was a blast! Where did you learn to play poker so well?"
"My families always been big card game players, but I started playing poker in high school. I would always hang out with the guys. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of girl friends, but they can be a little too catty sometimes. So a night out watching the game and playing poker with the guys was always my time to chill out and relax."
"Yeah, Sid said that the guys often hang out at your house," she says looking over at me.
"Yeah, that's always a blast. A little crowded sometimes, but it's always fun. They actually would have come over today if you guys weren't coming over for dinner. So I should probably expect them tomorrow," I laugh.
"Do you think maybe, I could come sometime?" she asks shyly.
"Of course!" I say as we approach the car,"Oh and good job with Sam."
"Wow, I forgot I was even walking him," she says.
"See, you allowed yourself to let go. Think you could pet him now?"I ask.
"Yeah, I think I could," she smiles, reveling in her new found confidence.
"Sammy come here," I say calling him over from sniffing one of he car tires,"Alright Taylor, let him sniff you and just relax."
She holds out her hand which Sam sniffs, I can see that she is still a little tense. But as if sensing her nervousness, Sam gently licks her hand breaking the ice. She smiles and bends down to pet him, her hands running through his burly fur. She stops cautiously as Sam moves, but laughs when he flops onto his back exposing his belly for her to rub.
Sid's POV
"Hello, I'm back!" I call kicking off my shoes at the door. I hear music coming from the kitchen and my sister's and girlfriend's voice singing along.
"Hello?!" I smile coming into the kitchen. I laugh as I see Taylor singing into a wooden spoon to
"Walking on Sunshine" and Caitlin singing into a batter covered spatula.
"Sid!" Taylor says spotting me and giving me a hug.
"Hey!"Caitlin smiles coming over to kiss me quickly, "When did you get here?"
"Just now. What are you two doing?" I laugh as I wipe a smug of flour from Caitlin's cheek.
"Making pound cake for tonight. We're going to put whipped cream on the slices and top it off with strawberries!" Taylor says with a huge smile on her face.
"And that mouth watering aroma is...?" I ask, looking down at Caitlin's smiling eyes. They really were captivating when they shined.
"Oh, we put roast in the oven for dinner! Caitlin showed me what spices to use and how to use smell to make everything go together. And then later we're going to make mashed potatoes and green beans with almonds in them!" Taylor replies, I don't remember the last time she was so excited around my girlfriend. She was always happy with the Lemieux's because they were all her age, but she was always very reserved when I brought Victoria around. Now she was the complete opposite with Caitlin. She was excited and outgoing, I mean she was singing into a spoon.
"Hey Taylor, do you think you could let the dogs out," Caitlin asks her, never taking her eyes from me.
"Hun, Taylor isn't a big fan of..."I begin, I knew Taylor was always a little uncomfortable around dogs, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"Sure!" Taylor says just as enthusiastically as before. I turn, a little shocked, as she walks into the living room and calls all the dogs. She gives Sam a pat on the head and opens the door for them.
"I thought Taylor was nervous around dogs," I say turning back to Caitlin.
"She was," Caitlin says with a sly smile.
"Is that what Taylor talked to you about last night?" I ask walking up to her and pulling her into me.
"Maybe," she smiles.
"What did you do?"
"I brought Sam along this morning when I came to the arena. I had Taylor take him for a walk and as we walked she got more comfortable around him. Then when I knew she was comfortable around him, we came home and I introduced her to everyone else," she shrugs.
"You are amazing you know that?" I say my lips hovering over hers, "I don't think I have ever seen my sister so laid back with some one she has just met."
"Eh, it's the dogs not me," she shrugs, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.
"Nope, it's you," I say before connecting my lips with hers.
I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I look up to see Taylor standing there looking very uncomfortable.
"Sorry Tay," I laugh.
"Yeah, Yeah..." she smiles.
~Aeryn
Practice was at 11:00 for the guys and my session ended at 10:30 so I could have conceivably gone to watch practice. But my boyfriend's parents were coming over and the place wasn't the cleanest it's ever been. If you think one or two dogs make a mess, think about six. True I kept the house clean enough, but there were fur tumble weeds that would pass you every now and again. Needless to say, I spent two hours hastily cleaning up the house, making sure everything was presentable for Sidney's family. I flop on to the couch when I'm done, practice would be letting out in about half an hour. I glance over to see Flash, Hawk, and Sam playing a game of three way tug of war with some kind of dog toy that was once supposed to be something but with use was now unrecognizable.
"Sam, come," I say from my position on the couch.
The tugging stops for a minute as he perks his ears up and looks at me with a 'huh, me?'
expression.
"Come here," I say again.
This promps him to drop his end of the rope and come trotting over to me, his tongue hanging out in a happy smile as his stubby tail wags. I move to a sitting position and he stands in front of me, sitting automatically, like he was taught. He puts his head in my lap as I scratch behind his soft ears. I had put him through all the tests; he did well with kids, he was no longer food aggressive, he of course did well with other dogs, and he could follow all basic obedience commands and then some. He was ready to be adopted. I would have to put an add up tomorrow, boy was I going to miss him. I would make sure he went to a good home and to a family that would keep up with his training. But it would be different not having him around the house. And right now I had a job that needed to be done, and he is he perfect dog to do it.
"You're a good boy!" I smile and kiss him lightly between the eyes. He wags his tail and licks my face. "Alright, you're ready."
I get up and run to take a quick shower. I get out and put on a tshirt and jeans paired with my worn leather boots. I allow my hair to air dry which would add natural light waves. I apply a bit of make up and pick up the phone.
"Hey babe what's up?" Sid calls over the loud background noise.
"Hey, I'm assuming practice is over," I smile, grabbing my keys.
"Yeah for the most part, I figured I'd get off the ice earlier than the others so I could start interviews early so I could get home earlier. I just got off the ice so the guys are still messing around out there."
'Home?' I think, ' That's it, I was asking him as soon as his parents left.'
"Alright, umm... Did Taylor come to practice?"I ask.
"Yeah, why?"he asks.
"Well, I'm going to stop by and come find her ok?"
"Yeah sure fine. Anything else?"he asks.
"Nope that's it, I'm on my way out now," I say picking up my keys.
"Alright, I'll see you when you get here," he says.
"Alright, see you soon, bye," I say hanging up the phone.
"Sam! let's go!" I shout.
I arrive at the arena a about 15 minutes later and pull into a parking spot next to the Crosby's rental car.
"Sam I'll be back soon," I say reaching back to pet him before heading out the door. I had rolled the windows down and the back seats were down so that he had plenty of room and air. Plus the parking lot was fairly guarded, after all I was parking next to the Crosby's.
I maneuver my way around the arena until I get to the locker room, the guards outside the door knew who I was and waved me in. Most of the camera's had gone, except for a few still on Sid.
"Ace!" is said as a shout through out the room. I look to my left to see Army coming at me with out a shirt on and still sweaty from practice.
"Colby don't you dare, I just showered!" I shout holding up my arms to protect myself.
"Awwww... come on Ace! I haven't seen you in forever," he whines, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout.
"You can hug me when you're showered," I counter.
"Fine," he huffs.
"Can we head to your house after practice?" I hear Max ask from his stall. Damn he was hot, even with the black eye he was currently sporting.
"Sorry guys not today," I say.
"Awww..." I hear most of the players say, "why not?"
"Because my parents are coming over for dinner. Hi babe," Sid says coming up to kiss my cheek.
"Aww... isn't that cute, Bugs?" Ruuts says.
"It's fucking adorable!" he laughs.
I roll my eyes and turn to Sid.
"Hi, is your sister still here?" I ask.
"Good to see you too, yeah I just called her down here," he says with a smirks.
"Good," I say with a smile getting lost in those gorgeous hazel eyes.
I hear the door open behind me and immediately know who it is by the huge smile on Sid's face.
I turn to see the all the Crosby's in the locker room.
"Hey, guys!" I say cheerfully.
"Hello dear," Trina says, "Were you at practice this whole time?
"Nope, I just got here," I smile. I look over at Mr. Crosby who just looks at me with his normal frown.
"Hey, you wanted to see me?" Taylor asks.
"Yeah, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come back to the house with me?"I ask
"Ummm... yeah I guess I could do that," she says with a somewhat panicky look on her face and looking at her parents to okay it.
"It's cool Tay, I'll be back to the house soon," Sid says from behind me.
"Now?!" she asks taken back.
"Yup, now. I brought someone with me that I want you to meet. See ya boys," I say with a wave after lightly kissing Sid's cheek and walking out of the locker room.
"Umm... Caitlin are you sure about this?" Taylor asks jogging to catch up with me.
"Taylor, believe me you'll be fine."I walk out to the car and ask Taylor to stay behind the car.
"Alright Sammy, come on!" I say to the rottweiler in the car.
He jumps down from my jeep and I look to Taylor to see her immediately freeze up. She stands there as she sees Sam walking next to me. A look of fear present in her eyes.
"Taylor, this is Sam," I smile walking over to her.
She simply nods, but does not move as Sam comes over to her, his tail wagging and tongue flopping out of his mouth as if he is smiling. As his nose touches her thigh sniffing her, I see her ever so slightly flinch. From her body posture I see that she is very tense.
"Sam, come here," I say firmly.
Sam looks up at me and trots over so that I can clip a leash on his collar.
"Alright Taylor," I say handing over the leash to her, which she reluctantly takes with a slightly shaky hand, "Let's take a little stroll around the parking lot."
"Ummmm.... ok," she whispers.
We begin our walk around the parking lot, Sam obediently walking next to Taylor.
"So, how's your hockey going?" I ask.
"It's going good. I'm number one goalie on my team and my save percentage has been really good recently," she says keeping her eyes cautiously trained on Sam.
"That's great! I'm assuming you and the Lemieux's have been playing a few pick up games," I smile.
"Yeah, we always have some competitions when we get together, it's like and on going game," she smiles at me. "We all agreed that that poker game was a blast! Where did you learn to play poker so well?"
"My families always been big card game players, but I started playing poker in high school. I would always hang out with the guys. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of girl friends, but they can be a little too catty sometimes. So a night out watching the game and playing poker with the guys was always my time to chill out and relax."
"Yeah, Sid said that the guys often hang out at your house," she says looking over at me.
"Yeah, that's always a blast. A little crowded sometimes, but it's always fun. They actually would have come over today if you guys weren't coming over for dinner. So I should probably expect them tomorrow," I laugh.
"Do you think maybe, I could come sometime?" she asks shyly.
"Of course!" I say as we approach the car,"Oh and good job with Sam."
"Wow, I forgot I was even walking him," she says.
"See, you allowed yourself to let go. Think you could pet him now?"I ask.
"Yeah, I think I could," she smiles, reveling in her new found confidence.
"Sammy come here," I say calling him over from sniffing one of he car tires,"Alright Taylor, let him sniff you and just relax."
She holds out her hand which Sam sniffs, I can see that she is still a little tense. But as if sensing her nervousness, Sam gently licks her hand breaking the ice. She smiles and bends down to pet him, her hands running through his burly fur. She stops cautiously as Sam moves, but laughs when he flops onto his back exposing his belly for her to rub.
Sid's POV
I get home about an hour after Caitlin had showed up at the arena. I walk in the front door to be greeted by the dogs, of course, and the heavenly aroma of roast.
"Hello, I'm back!" I call kicking off my shoes at the door. I hear music coming from the kitchen and my sister's and girlfriend's voice singing along.
"Hello?!" I smile coming into the kitchen. I laugh as I see Taylor singing into a wooden spoon to
"Walking on Sunshine" and Caitlin singing into a batter covered spatula.
"Sid!" Taylor says spotting me and giving me a hug.
"Hey!"Caitlin smiles coming over to kiss me quickly, "When did you get here?"
"Just now. What are you two doing?" I laugh as I wipe a smug of flour from Caitlin's cheek.
"Making pound cake for tonight. We're going to put whipped cream on the slices and top it off with strawberries!" Taylor says with a huge smile on her face.
"And that mouth watering aroma is...?" I ask, looking down at Caitlin's smiling eyes. They really were captivating when they shined.
"Oh, we put roast in the oven for dinner! Caitlin showed me what spices to use and how to use smell to make everything go together. And then later we're going to make mashed potatoes and green beans with almonds in them!" Taylor replies, I don't remember the last time she was so excited around my girlfriend. She was always happy with the Lemieux's because they were all her age, but she was always very reserved when I brought Victoria around. Now she was the complete opposite with Caitlin. She was excited and outgoing, I mean she was singing into a spoon.
"Hey Taylor, do you think you could let the dogs out," Caitlin asks her, never taking her eyes from me.
"Hun, Taylor isn't a big fan of..."I begin, I knew Taylor was always a little uncomfortable around dogs, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"Sure!" Taylor says just as enthusiastically as before. I turn, a little shocked, as she walks into the living room and calls all the dogs. She gives Sam a pat on the head and opens the door for them.
"I thought Taylor was nervous around dogs," I say turning back to Caitlin.
"She was," Caitlin says with a sly smile.
"Is that what Taylor talked to you about last night?" I ask walking up to her and pulling her into me.
"Maybe," she smiles.
"What did you do?"
"I brought Sam along this morning when I came to the arena. I had Taylor take him for a walk and as we walked she got more comfortable around him. Then when I knew she was comfortable around him, we came home and I introduced her to everyone else," she shrugs.
"You are amazing you know that?" I say my lips hovering over hers, "I don't think I have ever seen my sister so laid back with some one she has just met."
"Eh, it's the dogs not me," she shrugs, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.
"Nope, it's you," I say before connecting my lips with hers.
I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I look up to see Taylor standing there looking very uncomfortable.
"Sorry Tay," I laugh.
"Yeah, Yeah..." she smiles.
11 Comments to "Chapter 54: Concurring Fears"