New Story

I've put up the first chapter of the new story. The link is http://www.hckygrl87-lucky.blogspot.com

Hopefully you'll check it out.

Chapter 30

Okay, this is the last chapter for this story. I've already written a bunch of my next one and after a bit of proofreading will put it up in a couple days. I'll link it up in this blog, so check back if you're interested.





I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Life often moves in ways you least expect it to, and that’s half the fun of living it. If you had told me three years ago that I would be marrying Sidney Crosby I would have laughed in your face and told you to seek out some help. Now it felt like it was all I was ever destined to do.

After the first night I met Sidney at Sharky’s, fate seemed to be pushing us together. It was something I’d often thought about over the past year and it still didn’t make much sense to me. How was it possible to have all those coincidental meetings at the bar, in the office, at my house when his car blew a tire? I guess it was just one of those things I’d never know the answer to.

Ever since Sidney’s proposal I’d been in full on wedding mode. I’d been dreaming of my wedding day my whole life, and I was going to make sure that it was perfect, no matter what. I can admit I was probably a bit of a bridezilla at times, but you can’t really help it when you know exactly what you want, and you have since you were 7 years old.

Thankfully Sidney was a willing participant in the wedding planning. I was also thankful that he agreed with everything I wanted. I don’t know what I would have done if we’d disagreed about anything. He didn’t even complain when I was dragging him around to register for gifts. That was just another reason I loved him. In fact when I thought about it, that list just kept getting longer.

Obviously the first thing I did was find a dress. Like most people I already had an idea in my head about what I wanted it to look like and I wasn’t about to stop until I found it. I tried on way too many dresses before finding the perfect one. It was a strapless satin corset dress done ball gown style. There was very intricate beading on the bodice and along the lacing in the back. It was perfect.

I made Phoebe, Reagan, Sheila, and Taylor my bridesmaids. I put them all in lavender satin strapless tea length dresses with a simple belt around the waist. Light pinks and purples were the colors I chose since it was an early summer wedding. I’d also always dreamed of an outdoor wedding with a lake as the backdrop so I decided on the lake in Cole Harbour for the location.

“A toast before the wedding,” Sheila said handing me a flute of champagne. I gladly took it hoping it would calm my nerves. No matter how much you loved someone, or how perfect everything had worked out, you were still nervous on your wedding day.

“To Rory, our best friend who, despite numerous protests, finally listened to all of us and gave Sidney a chance,” Phoebe started.

“To Rory, for being the first one of us to fall,” Reagan continued.

“To Rory, for breaking tradition and letting us wear beautiful bridesmaid dresses instead of hideous ones,” Sheila said.

“To Lor, for becoming the sister I always wanted,” Taylor mimicked holding up a flute of what looked to be sparkling water.

“To Loralei, for making a mother jealous that she wasn’t half as beautiful on her wedding day,” my mother finished. Tears started to fall as I laughed at each of them and clinked my glasses to theirs. I wiped the tears away and made sure I hadn’t ruined my makeup.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without the help of all of you. Thank you all so much for sharing this with me today. I know I was a giant pain to deal with, and I’m glad I still have you here to celebrate this with me today,” I told them before finishing off the champagne. There was a knock on the door.

“Is everyone ready?” I heard my father ask as he opened the door. Phoebe handed me my bouquet and everyone filed out ahead of me. I smiled as I met my father’s eyes. “You look beautiful, pumpkin.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” I choked out when I saw the tears in his eyes.

I took a deep breath hoping to calm myself and hold back the tears that were already coming even before I’d stepped foot outside. When it was time I laced my arm with my father’s. My eyes locked on Sidney’s as soon as I saw him and I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face when I saw his expression change when he saw me. He smiled right back as I walked up the aisle towards him. I didn’t notice anyone else the entire walk.

The tears started coming as soon as I was standing opposite Sidney, looking into his eyes. Somehow I managed to hold them back pretty well and keep myself pulled together through most of the ceremony. That all ended the minute Sidney said his vows. We’d written our own like most people do. I honestly don’t think I’d ever heard anything so sweet and special in my life, and I doubted I’d ever hear anything like those words again.

It hadn’t quite felt like it was really happening the entire ceremony. It’s something you think you’ve prepared yourself for, but you’re never ready to experience something like that. I felt like I was watching myself from the outside until the moment Sid’s lips touched mine after those famous words, “You may kiss the bride.” He pressed his forehead to mine and smiled at me. It wasn’t until we were walking back down the aisle hand in hand as Mr. and Mrs. Crosby that faces went from being blurs to people I knew.

The reception was wonderful and full of family and friends. The only tables with assigned seating were for the wedding party and immediate family. Everyone else was free to sit where they wanted and mingle with whomever they felt like mingling with. They all had the option of a meat, seafood, or vegetarian dish and all the food was delicious.

The sound of silverware clanking against glasses was prevalent throughout the ceremony with everyone finding it funny to make Sidney and I kiss at the most inconvenient moments. I also found it highly amusing to watch tables of hockey players think they were being shoe checked the first few times it happened, since the clanking is the sign that someone got it. It’s priceless to watch that many guys check their shoes to see if someone had smeared butter on them from under the table. To my knowledge it only happened once, to Colby.

Tears were brought to my eyes again in both happiness and laughter as we listened to the speeches after dinner. We were even subjected to an impromptu speech from an obviously intoxicated Geno who probably only said half a dozen words in English. That may have been the funniest part of the night. I was honored at being welcomed to the family by Sidney’s parents and was glad that I would have them as in-laws.

When it was time Sidney and I shared our first dance. Soon after the dance floor quickly became the best place to hang out. Trust me, nothing is funnier than watching Colby and Max in a dance competition to Wreckx-N-Effect’s “Rumpshaker.”

All in all it was an amazing day, but I was glad when Sidney and I retreated to our suite for the night. I smiled when I saw the rose petals, candles, and bottle of champagne on ice when we walked into the room. I collapsed down onto the bed and took my shoes off.

“Was it everything you hoped it would be?” Sid asked me as he sat down next to me.

“It was more than I could have hoped for,” I replied and leaned in to kiss him.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” he told me as he gazed into my eyes.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I joked. He gave me a light shove and pretended to be offended.

“As amazing as today has been, I’m glad it’s over.” I shook my head at him.

“Oh, it’s not over yet,” I told him before pulling him into another kiss. He smiled and then groaned when he remembered the back of my dress and how he’d have to unlace it to get it off.

“You would make it this difficult to undress you,” he huffed as he got to work, leaving a trail of kisses along my back.

“It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t make you work for it,” I told him laughing. He rolled his eyes and laughed too.

“I love you, Sidney Crosby,” I said to him as I snuggled into his chest later that night, barely able to keep my eyes open.

“I love you too, Loralei Crosby,” he repeated causing me to smile for the millionth time that day. He kissed my cheeks, my forehead, and then my lips before we fell asleep in each others arms. I doubted there would ever be a more perfect day for the rest of my life.

Chapter 29

I couldn’t wait to get out of work, yet I was thankful that I was there and had something to do. Sidney came back to Pittsburgh today. Unless something happened he’d be home when I got there and I was excited to see him. The day seemed to drag on forever, and I’m sure it didn’t help that I kept an eye on the clock all day long. Nancy and Violet laughed at me most of the day, but I didn’t care.

The minute the last dog left my office I grabbed my stuff and ran out of the office calling a quick goodbye to everyone still there. I drove faster than I should have to get home and was lucky I didn’t see any police or else I would have had a speeding ticket for sure. When I pulled into the driveway I was disappointed to see that there weren’t any lights on in the house. Something must have happened and Sidney wasn’t home yet.

I sighed and got out of the car. I checked my phone to see if I’d missed any messages from him, but I hadn’t. I started to worry a bit, but told myself everything had to be fine. I unlocked the door and walked into the house. Almost as soon as I put my stuff down on the hall table I felt like something wasn’t right. I paused and listened, straining to hear any noise. After a few minutes of not hearing anything I began to wonder why I felt that way.

I walked further into the house but couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had been in the house while I was at work. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I listened again but still heard nothing. I began a search of the house looking to see if anyone was there. After I checked every room in the house and didn’t see anyone I began to relax and walked back to the kitchen to put the knife away. I made my way into the living room and froze when I saw the wrapped box on the coffee table.

Had I missed that when I searched the house before or did someone put it there while I was in another room? I listened again for another noise, but still heard nothing. I walked over to the box and saw a note on top. I picked up the note and read it, a smile spreading across my face.

Find the place where you would use this.

The note was in Sidney’s handwriting. I opened the box and found a towel sitting in it. Confused I picked up the towel and headed to the bathroom upstairs. When I walked in I noticed a note on the shower curtain. I took it down and read that one as well.

When you’re done with the shower make sure you dry your hair.

I was tempted to walk around the corner to where my hair dryer was but thought better of it. I undressed and got into the shower, but made sure to take the fastest one I could. When I was done I walked over to my hair dryer and found another note.

Get ready then go get dressed.

I shook my head laughing and did as he said. When I was done with my makeup and my hair I walked into the bedroom and over to the closet. I opened the door and didn’t immediately notice a note. Confused and wondering if I was supposed to go someplace else I took a harder look around the closet. I had a pretty meticulous way to organize my clothes and saw something out of place. When I pulled it out there was a note attached to a beautiful red dress.

Put this on and find shoes to match.

Again I did as I was told. When I walked over to my shoes I saw a note on top of a pair I’d never seen before.

I was informed that these were “to die for.” Now go downstairs and put on your white coat.

I walked downstairs and opened the hall closet and pulled out my white coat that was perfect for a late summer night. When I put it on I felt something heavy in the pocket. I pulled out a cell phone.

Hit 2, then talk.

I did as I was told and listened to the phone on the other end ring a few times. I had no idea who I was going to be connected to.

“Hello?” a male voice I didn’t recognize answered.

“Um, hi. This may sound a little strange but I was just told to call this number and wasn’t told anything else,” I said feeling a little stupid.

“I’ll see you outside in just a minute, Miss Robinson,” the voice said before hanging up.

What the hell was going on? I walked out the front door in time to see a limo pulling around the corner. I rolled my eyes and decided Sidney was just too much. Was it really necessary to put me through all of this just so I could see him again? The limo pulled to a stop in front of the house and the driver got out and opened the back door for me. I got in and found myself sitting alone in the back seat.

“Where are we going?” I asked the driver.

He simply smiled at me and closed the divider. I rode in silence wondering what Sid could possibly be thinking doing all of this. Wouldn’t it just have been easier to tell me to dress up and meet him someplace? When the limo stopped I waited for my door to be opened. As I stepped out I saw that we were parked outside of our favorite Italian place. I started to smile, but stopped when I saw that the restaurant’s lights were off.

I turned to ask the driver where I should be going but he’d already gotten back into the limo and was driving away. I looked around the street but didn’t see Sidney anywhere. At this point I was getting slightly annoyed. All I wanted was to see him and I was on some scavenger hunt trying to figure out where to go next.

I glanced back at the restaurant and noticed a small light flickering inside. It looked like candlelight and I decided to take the chance and try the door. To my surprise it was unlocked and I walked in. I looked towards the light and saw a table illuminated by candles. It was then that I noticed the figure standing next to the table.

“You look beautiful,” Sidney said. I walked over to him.

“How can you tell?” I joked wrapping my arms around him in a hug.

“You always are,” he replied. I looked up at him and pressed my lips to his.

“Was all of this really necessary?” I asked him when we pulled apart. He laughed.

“Not at all, but it was fun,” he explained. I laughed as he took my coat from me and put it down. We both sat at the table and almost immediately a waiter was at our table pouring us each a glass of wine.

“So you rented out the whole place for the night?” I asked him after the waiter walked away.

“I wanted to do something special tonight and since we’ve kind of made this ‘our’ place I thought it was perfect.” I smiled and agreed.

We talked about his trip and he laughed at me when I told him that I knew something was different with the house the moment I walked in, but that it took me forever to figure it out. The waiter returned a little later carrying plates out to us. I saw that I was looking at my favorite grilled Sicilian swordfish in salmoriglio sauce. We continued to talk as we ate until we were both full.

“I have one more thing. Hold on,” Sidney said. I was in no hurry to end the night and just smiled at him. “Shooter!” I laughed as I saw Shooter run out to us from somewhere in the back.

“You brought Shooter here?” I asked surprised as I began to pet him. “What have you got there?” I asked seeing that Shooter was holding something in his mouth. I reached for whatever the object was and he let go once I had a grip on it. My mouth fell open and I did a double take when I saw what was in my hand.

“You should probably open it,” I heard Sidney say a minute later as I continued to just stare down at the tiny box in my hand. My heart started pounding. Was this really happening? My breath caught in my throat when I saw the same ring I had been admiring at the jewelry store before he had left for the summer.

“Sidney, how?” I choked out unable to take my eyes off of it.

“I had it all planned. I told the salespeople to keep an eye out in case you made your way over to the engagement ring section. I called back later and found out that you’d liked that one.”

I looked up at him in shock. He’d been planning this for that long? He got up from his seat and walked over to me. I watched him take my hand and get down on one knee. Tears began to stream down my face before I even had a chance to hear a word he said.

“I spent a year in love with you from afar and another year struggling to prove to you that I’m worth trusting and loving. We’ve gone through so much since we’ve known each other and those trials have only proven that I love you more than anything else in this world. You told me once that I saved your life but really you’ve saved mine. You’ve given me something to look forward to everyday and something that makes me happy even when I shouldn’t be. I love you, Loralei Robinson, and I want nothing more than to have you be my wife. Will you marry me?”

I was crying too hard to respond. I hadn’t seen this coming even with the scavenger hunt and the private dinner. I tried more than once to tell him how I felt only to be unable to make a sound that wasn’t a sob. I gave up trying and pulled his lips to mine in response. The crying finally subsided by the time we ended the kiss.

“Yes,” I finally managed to whisper to him. He smiled and kissed me again while slipping the ring on my finger.

Chapter 28

I began to fidget as the plane touched down in Halifax. It felt like it took forever for the plane to taxi to the gate and another eternity before we were able to get off. The three weeks apart were over and I couldn’t wait to see Sidney. I followed the signs to baggage claim. When I finally got there I saw Sid standing against a wall in a corner and couldn’t contain my excitement any longer. I ran over to him unable to keep a smile off of my face and jumped into his arms. He lifted me off the ground when he put his arms around me. When he put me down I kissed him long and hard, not really caring what anyone might be thinking about the scene.

“Well, hello,” he said when we finally pulled apart.

“Hi,” I responded, beaming at him.

“How was your trip?” he asked as we walked over to the carousel where my luggage would be coming out.

“It took too long. I wanted to be here three weeks ago.” His smile grew, if that was possible and he pulled me closer to him and kissed me again. We collected my luggage and walked out to his car.

“So I know you just got here, but I thought you could cook some dinner for us tonight,” he said to me as we began to drive to his house. I laughed. “What? I missed your cooking.”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked. I could see by the look on his face that he had a request.

“Something with seafood,” he responded.

“Make a stop at the store,” I told him. I started sorting through ideas in my head as we drove there. I knew seeing fresh produce and the seafood section would ultimately make my decision for me.

I refused to tell him what I was making, which frustrated him. I ended up making some balsamic glazed salmon fillets with potatoes and broccoli on the side. Then I made some dessert that I popped in the oven to cook while we ate. The dinner turned out well and the berry crumble I made got me a mock proposal from Sid.

“Can I see?” Sidney asked glancing down to my side after we cleaned up the table. I knew he was referring to my scars from the gunshot and the surgery.

“It looks the same as the last time you saw it,” I told him shaking my head.

“There’s no way it looks the same,” he argued. I sighed and lifted my shirt so he could see them. He grinned, took the bottom of my shirt and lifted it completely off of me.

“Tricky,” I told him, giggling. He just grinned and carried me upstairs to his bedroom. He put me down on the bed and trailed kisses along my scars.

“They give you character,” he joked moving his lips up to mine.

“I didn’t have character before?” I asked pouting.

“Nah, you were pretty boring,” he replied sarcastically. I swatted him and then bit his lower lip.

“The scars brought a new attitude. I like it.”

“Shut up,” I said. I flipped him over and jumped on top, straddling him. I pulled his shirt off and kissed my way down his chest to his abs. “You’ve been slacking on the workouts, eh?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“You’re not serious.” I sat straight up and shrugged.

“It didn’t take much to flip you over, and you are getting a little soft,” I said squeezing a section of his abdomen between two fingers. In a swift move he flipped me back over underneath him and pinned me down.

“We’ll see who’s soft,” he growled into my ear. I was almost sorry I taunted him. Almost.

We spent the rest of the night laying curled up on a blanket outside looking up at the stars and talking. There was also a lot of kissing. We had a lot of time to make up for. We slept late the next day and stayed in until we headed out to his parents’ house for dinner.

“Loralei!” Trina called to me as she walked out the front door as we pulled up. Troy followed her outside and I gave them both a hug. They explained that Taylor was finishing up a camp session and would be home by the time dinner was ready. After talking for a bit Trina excused herself to get dinner going.

“Please let me help,” I said to her.

She accepted and I followed her into the kitchen while Sid and Troy grabbed a couple of beers and walked out onto the back porch. Trina poured us each a glass of wine and we chatted while we started dinner. She got to work on seasoning a roasted chicken while I began to cut up lettuce and vegetables for a salad.

“Hey, how long until dinner?” Sidney asked poking his head into the kitchen. Trina and I both glared at him without responding. He put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, I should know better than to question the cooks.” We laughed as he turned and walked back outside.

“Do they think we’re a factory in here pushing out food on demand?” Trina joked. I laughed along with her until we heard the front door open. Taylor came bounding into the kitchen.

“Hey, Loralei!” she said coming over and giving me a hug. I saw Sid and Troy make their way inside.

“Hi, Tay. Did you stone the boys today?” I asked.

“Of course,” she scoffed with a smile.

“That’s my girl.”

“How long until dinner?” she asked us.

“Probably about another 25 minutes,” Trina told her.

“Hey, how come you’ll tell her and not me?” Sidney asked.

His question was met by identical glares from Trina and I and he left the kitchen in defeat again. We had a good laugh at his expense as I refilled our wine glasses. When dinner was ready we brought it out to the table and enjoyed a good meal with good conversation.

The next day was my birthday and Sidney woke me up early that morning. Despite my protests he forced me out of bed to watch the sun rise and I was glad he had. It was beautiful and something everyone should see at least once in their lives. Once the sun was up we got dressed and went out for breakfast before taking a walk through downtown perusing the local shops.

He told me to pick out anything I wanted for my birthday and I did just that. I got a few books I’d been wanting to read and a painting I knew would look beautiful in our living room. After we were done we went back to his house and took a two hour nap thanks to the early wake up. When we woke up we went out on a friend’s boat and enjoyed the afternoon sun. Later that night he took me to dinner and again we spent the night cuddled up on a blanket in his backyard, Shooter lying near us.

“This was the best birthday ever,” I told him as I snuggled into his chest.

“Ever? Really?” I nodded and looked up at him.

“It was perfect. Thank you.” He kissed me. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispered as his lips crashed down on mine.

Sidney and I spent the rest of my week in Cole Harbour visiting with his friends and family. I enjoyed every second of my trip and was sad when the time came for me to fly back to Pittsburgh. I was flying up again in July, and then again in August for his birthday. Thankfully not long after that he was coming back to Pittsburgh for the season.

“Call me when you land,” Sidney said to me as he wrapped his arms around me. I held on to him like the world would end if I let go.

“I will,” I choked out not even bothering to try to stop the tears. When it came to him, I was a mess.

“Hey, enough with the crying. I’ll see you soon. The next few weeks will go by before you know it.” I nodded and looked up at him as he wiped the tears from my cheeks only to have them replaced with new ones.

“I’ll miss you,” I told him when I finally pulled away.

“I’ll miss you too,” he repeated and I turned and walked to security without looking back. I knew if I turned around I would never leave.