So This Is War

“Babe,” Levi calls out when he enters the apartment.

“Right here.” I’m in my chair where I’ve been working on a drawing for Patty all day. I was struggling with the angle, but after staring at her vagina for two hours straight, I figured it out.

“Oh.” Levi laughs and kicks off his shoes before walking up to me with a gift bag in hand.

They got home from their away game late last night and had to report to the stadium today for some light training. Levi texted me from the ice bath, explaining to me the anatomy of his man parts and how they shrunk into nothing while he iced his body.

Something I didn’t need to read, but it was entertaining to say the least.

The one thing that Levi never fails to do is make me laugh or roll my eyes, and he’s done a lot of that in the past few days. He hasn’t let me sulk or question. Instead, he’s made me feel loved and protected—cherished—like he does every day.

He leans and cups my cheek before kissing me on the lips. “You smell fucking amazing.”

I smile. “Thank you. Sandie brought me a new perfume because she thought I needed some cheering up.”

“Well, tell her thank you.” He sniffs along my neck. “Jesus Christ, that is . . . that’s making me hard.”

I chuckle and set my iPad down. “I think I can take care of that for you,” I say as I move my hand between us, but he stops me.

“Hold that thought.” He holds up the gift bag. “I got you something.”

“You did?” I take the bag from him and ask, “Is it that vibrator we were looking at the other day?”

“No, but I did order it, and it’s been shipped. Counting down the days for that to arrive.” He taps the bag. “This will be better, though.”

“Better than the Magician? That’s what it was called, right?”

He nods his head. “Yup, better than the Magician.”

“How could anything be better than the Magician?” I open the bag and look inside to find a jersey. “Levi,” I say on a gasp as I pull it out. A full-on Agitators—women’s cut—jersey and on the back . . . it says Posey. I squeeze the shirt to my chest in a hug and say, “Oh my God, I love it. Thank you.”

“There’s one more thing.” He nods at the bag, so I look inside.

At the bottom is a ticket. I pull it out, and it’s for tomorrow’s game. “What’s this?” I ask.

He takes my hand. “Will you cheer me on at tomorrow’s game officially as my girlfriend?”

“Are you serious?” I ask.

He nods. “Yes. Dead serious. I want you there, representing me. I want to look up in the stands and see your face. No more hiding, no more secrets. Tomorrow, I want it to be about us.”

I tilt my head to the side as I stare at the most handsome, caring, and loving man I’ve ever met. “Yes, Levi, of course I will.”

A large smile spreads across his face as he loops his hand behind my head and brings me in for a kiss. When he pulls away, he says, “Winnie and Ollie will be sitting next to you. Everyone knows who they are, so if people see you between them with my jersey on your back, it’s like announcing to the world that you’re mine.” He lifts my wrist and kisses my bracelets.

“Possessive much?” I tease.

“When it comes to you . . . yes.”

Then he lifts me and carries me to the dining room table, where he spreads me out.

“Now, excuse me while I feast.” He pulls down my pants and thong. “I’m fucking starving.”

“HAVE you ever been to a game before?” Winnie asks.

“Did you really just ask her that?” Ollie says while we carry our pretzels and drinks down to our seats. “She’s the coach’s daughter. Of course she’s been to a game.”

“I meant as Posey’s girl. Maybe she hasn’t, you don’t know,” Winnie counters as she shuffles down our row and finds our three seats. “She could have been banned from all games like she was banned from all penises on the ice.”

“And look how that turned out,” Ollie says with a wink.

I chuckle. “Yes, I’ve been to several games, but I’ve never sat three rows back, and I’ve never cheered on a boyfriend.”

“Ooo,” Winnie says while bumping her shoulder with mine. “This is so exciting. I feel like I go feral at games.”

“She does,” Ollie says as she takes a bite of her pretzel. “It can be scary at times.”

I look out toward the ice, where the boys stretch and warm up. It takes me a second, but I spot Levi over with Eli. They’re both stretching their hip flexers and chatting it up. I glance around the arena, taking in the energy and, for the first time, fully appreciate the love for these men. Grown men cheer, children wave their hands, and women toast their beers. There are signs asking for pucks, telling the players how much they love them, and even a few proposals. There’s one for Levi that makes me chuckle.

It truly is a sight to see, and I can understand why someone like my dad would revel in such impassioned energy all the time. It’s addicting.

Speaking of Dad. He’s behind the bench in his standard black-on-black-on-black attire, hands behind his back, looking out over the rink. Sterling, his assistant, talks to a few players on the bench while the staff prepares for the game around them.

But my eyes remain fixated on my dad, as I take in the stoic yet intimidating set of his shoulders. The way he casually observes but is calculating every little advantage in his head. He’s conniving and smart, one of the many reasons the Agitators are the team to beat this year.

“You okay?” Winnie asks.

“What? Oh yeah. Just thinking.”

“About your dad?” Ollie asks, mouth full of pretzel.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“Have you spoken to him since everything went down?”

I shake my head. “No, and that’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it. It sucks, but like Levi has said, it’s his loss if he doesn’t want to be a part of my life.”

“He’s right,” Ollie replies. “And I don’t say that very often.”

“It’s taken me a second, but I’m coming to terms with that train of thought.”

“Good,” Winnie says. “If anything, you’ve gained a whole bunch of brothers and sisters.”

I smile. “I can get on board with that.”

“I CAN BARELY TALK,” Winnie says, her voice hoarse.

I rub my ear. “Yeah, and I think I can barely hear.”

“Glad you were the one in the middle,” Ollie says as we walk toward the players’ locker room. “Usually I’m the one with a ringing in my ear after a game. Told you she was loud.”

“Like, way louder than I ever could have imagined.” I glance at Winnie. “You’re so small. How do you do it?”

“Blessed with powerful lungs, I guess,” she answers.

“It was a good game, though. I will admit that,” Ollie says. “Do you think Posey got in that fight because you were watching? He was barely checked into the boards, and it looked like he lost his cool.”

“I don’t know,” I say. “But it was really hot.” I bite the corner of my lip, recalling the fight. Levi was hardly touched, but he got the other player a few times in the ribs and once on the face. Levi went to the penalty box with a sweaty head of hair and a ripped jersey, while the other player went in with a bloody nose and a dazed expression.

“Posey could have given him a few more wallops. I think he held back. He was showing off but not being barbaric about it.”

“I’m sure it will aid in tonight’s festivities,” Ollie says.

“Most definitely.” Winnie winks just as the locker room door opens, and Silas pops out, looking fresh from the shower. When he spots Ollie, he walks right up to her and wraps her up in his arms before placing a big kiss on her lips.

“Need you, babe,” he says, barely loud enough for us to hear. And then he whispers something in her ear that makes her cheeks flush.

She twiddles her fingers at us. “Got to go. Talk to you later, ladies.”

“Bye,” Winnie and I say together with a laugh.

When they’re gone, Winnie leans over and whispers, “Bet they do it in the car in a parking lot somewhere.”

“Seriously?” I ask.

Winnie nods. “Yup, they’ve been into this voyeur, almost getting caught situation lately. I don’t know. I prefer the privacy of my own home where Pacey can bend me over the counter.”

I laugh just as the door opens again, and this time, it’s Levi. He’s wearing the same green suit he showed up in, but unlike the image I saw of him on social media, walking into the arena, this time, he has a smile on his face as he spots me.

He scoops me up into his arms, spins me around once, and plants a huge kiss on my lips. When he pulls away, he groans quietly. “Fuck, I love seeing you here, waiting for me in my jersey. It feels like everything is right in the world.”

I cup his cheek. “Everything is right in the world.” Then I stand on my toes and kiss him one more time before pulling away. “Ready to go home?” I ask.

“Ready.”

I turn toward Winnie. “Thanks for tonight. My ears will never be the same.”

“Anytime.” She winks, and then, hand in hand, Levi and I start heading toward the parking lot, but stop when we see my dad staring back at us.

I knew this would happen at some point, but I wish it didn’t happen tonight. Not when we’re both on such a high from the game.

Dad crosses his arms over his chest. “Wylie, may I have a word?”

That doesn’t sound great.

“Uh . . . sure,” I say as I look up at Levi. He nods and then leans down and gives me one more kiss before he encourages me to go with my father.

I head toward his office, but my dad moves toward the rink instead.

“Where are you going?” I ask him.

“Follow me,” he says. So I do as I’m told and follow him through the players’ tunnel and onto the bench, where he takes a seat.

He leans his forearms on his thighs as he stares out at the ice. Uneasy and unsure of what he’s going to do, I keep some distance from him and prepare my heart for whatever he has to say.

After a few seconds of silence, he says, “Did he get you that jersey?”

I look down at it. “He did.”

Dad slowly nods his head. “Seems like he really cares about you.”

“He does,” I answer. “We, uh, we actually have known each other longer than what you might think.”

Dad glances over at me. “How so?”

“We met a year prior at a hotel bar. It was when I caught a ride with you to visit Sandie in college. Levi and I got to talking, and well, I didn’t let him know who I was out of fear that he’d stop talking to me. It was honestly one of the best nights. I felt an immediate connection with him, which surprised me because I too had a preconceived idea of who he was. But when I saw you come into the bar, I bolted before I could tell him my name. I only recently found out that he’d felt the same attraction, as he spent the better part of a year looking for me. Using a private investigator and everything. He was so shocked when he then found out I was your daughter in your office a few weeks ago.”

Dad runs his hand over his bald head. “What a moron.”

I don’t know why, but that makes me laugh. “He can be at times,” I say, “but he’s a loveable moron.”

“Did he tell you what he and his teammates have been doing these past few days?”

“No,” I say, brow pinched. “What did they do?”

Dad sits up, and I watch his strong, usually tense jaw relax. This genuine conversation is the first we’ve had in a long time. “His teammates went on some sort of Posey campaign where they chatted him up with letters to me and personal conversations, telling me what a great guy he is. How he’s the backbone of the team. How he would do anything for anyone.”

“They’re right,” I say.

“Well, I didn’t believe them,” Dad says, making my heart sink. “Not until Posey came to me himself.”

“He did?” I ask.

Dad nods. “When we were in Nashville. He showed me a picture you were working on, one of you and me.” My cheeks flame with embarrassment.

“I’m not done with that one yet. I was actually kind of practicing. It’s not my best⁠—”

“It nearly made me cry,” Dad says, stunning me. He then looks out at the ice again and quietly says, “Your mother was an artist, Wylie. She was incredible. It was one of the things that I fell in love with. She could see the beauty in everything . . . well, everything but me.” He lets out a deep sigh, and I inch closer toward him as I comprehend how vulnerable he’s being. When I’m close enough, I place my hand on his back. “I was a fool back then. She wanted to paint around the world, and I wanted to build my career, make something of myself. She tried to live a simple life with me, being the coach’s wife, but it wasn’t enough. She told me I wasn’t enough, and it cut me. She wanted to leave, and I told her she could, but if she left, she wasn’t to ever come back. And her relationship with you was terminated. She cut me so I wanted to cut her. Little did I know, she would take the deal.”

“Dad, I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “It was my own fault. My own selfish fault.” He looks at me now. “When you told me you wanted to drop everything and pursue art, I had this sick, boiling feeling erupt inside me that it would happen all over again. That my world would crumble around me, and I’d lose another thing I loved so much.” He scratches his beard as his eyes meet mine. “Little did I realize I was losing you just like I lost your mom, and I’m ashamed to say that it wasn’t until Posey showed me his undying loyalty toward you that I realized my head wasn’t on straight. He was right. I was losing the best thing to ever happen to me out of fear that . . . well, I’d lose you like I lost your mother.”

“Dad,” I say as I take his hand in mine. “I would never intentionally leave you like that. We might have had our ups and downs, but you’re my father, and I will always love you. I just . . . I wish that you would treat me more like your daughter and less like your prisoner.”

“I know. I’m sorry. There’s no excuse for my behavior. But I do need you to know that I was trying to hang on to you and ensure that you’d always be there by my side.”

“I get that, and I’m sorry if I scared you in any way. Please know, though, I want to have a relationship with you, Dad. A healthy relationship. I want to hang out. I want to have dinner where it’s just you and me, and we chat about what’s going on in our lives. I want a connection. And I hope you could maybe open your heart to that.”

“I can,” he says. “I want to.” He wraps his arm around me and pulls me into a hug. “And I’m sorry for everything I put you through. You deserve better.”

“I deserve a father who wants the best for me. I know that’s you, even though you lost sight of that for a moment.”

“I did, but I think I figured it out.” He squeezes me. Thank God. I am so thankful he’s softened his heart and actually wants what I want. Wants to love me and keep me in his life. “Now, about that boy. You’re telling me that you love somebody who might possibly love bologna more than you?”

I let out a laugh and curl in closer to my dad. “I do. And I’m willing to play second fiddle to lunch meat if it means I can be with him.”

“Well,” Dad says. “If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is.”

DAD GIVES me one more hug, then heads toward his office while I go to the players’ parking lot, where I know Levi waits for me in his car. He texted me to let me know.

When I spot his car, I rush over to the passenger side and hop in when he sees me.

“What did he⁠—”

He doesn’t even get a second to finish his sentence as I lean over the center console and kiss him wildly. I kiss him for loving me. For making everything right for my dad. For believing in me. And for not letting one man’s bitterness change the trajectory of who he is.

My dad’s awful words, not to mention the way he handled the situation, could have deterred anyone into writing him off, but instead, Levi chose the high road because he knew how important my dad was to me. Instead of cutting him out of my life, he went out of his way to patch things up, and that’s why I will forever and always love this man.

When I pull away, I cup his cheeks. “You are the best thing to ever happen to me. You are my rock, my strength, my everything, and I’m so beyond grateful you have chosen me.”

He studies me for a moment, confusion laced through his expression.

“How could I have chosen anyone else?” he says. “You were clearly made for me.”

I smile and stroke my thumb over his cheek. “My dad told me what you did for me, for us.” I shake my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you did that, Levi.”

“I love you, Wylie. I’d do anything for you.” He laces our fingers together. “Please tell me that you were able to come to some sort of understanding.”

I nod. “More so. He apologized. Explained to me that my mom left him to be an artist, and well, he didn’t handle it properly, but he was scared I was going to do the same.”

“Makes sense,” Levi says.

“But either way, I told him about the job. He was a little uneasy about what I would be drawing, but he did tell me I did beautiful work. He congratulated me, then gave us his blessing. Called you a good guy.”

“Did he now?” Levi says, puffing his chest.

“Oh yes, seems like he might be a fan. Then again, not sure he’d ever show it.”

“I’ll take a secret fan as long as you remain my number one.”

“Always,” I say as I lean in again. “Forever and always, Levi.”

“Never forget it,” he says as he kisses me again, and this time, the kiss bounces all the way down to the tips of my toes.

After ditching him at a bar, never in a million years did I imagine I’d end up here—being loved and cherished by Levi Posey. I was looking for one night of fun, and he’s offering me an endless eternity of love.