Chapter Twenty-three

It was cold on the long drive to his house.  He lived in the middle of nowhere really and it was just the way he liked it. This was where he could just be Sidney, not The Kid or the Captain of the Penguins or the first round draft pick or the face of the franchise.  Here, he was just Sidney, a guy who liked to fish, a guy who liked to be with his family and his friends. She had snuggled up with him on the ride and fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.  She had been a little nervous when he told her where they were. Clearly she knew a trip home meant meeting his family at some point.  He was a little nervous about that himself.  Payton had gotten along well with Taylor when they’d met and his mom remembered liking her, but that was when she was just a photographer to them not his girlfriend.  His dad had been skeptical when Sidney told him about Payton.  His dad was a very focused man and the focus for his son was always hockey.  His dad mentioned Payton as a distraction more than once over the phone in the last couple of months.  Sidney hoped his feelings would change after meeting Payton.  He couldn’t imagine that they wouldn’t, having been completely won over by her himself.  He had complete confidence in Payton. He just hoped she liked his family, too. 

The morning sun was shining in his window now. She was lying next to him in his bed.  This is what he wanted when he decided to bring her home, waking up with her here.  He hoped she would like the solitude the way he did. She was always so busy in Pittsburgh though. It made him wonder. It was only a few days now, but what about the off-season.  Would she want to come home with him then, when her life was there? 

She stirred next to him, opening those big brown eyes with a smile spreading across her face.

“Good morning, Superman.”

“Good morning, yourself,” he said and wrapped her in his arms, smothering her with a kiss.

“I need to go run. Want to come?”

“Sidney,” she sighed and kissed his neck. “You know I can’t keep up with you. Do you have to go this morning?  I could think of another workout for you.”

“I won’t be gone long,” he groaned. “You could wait for me.”

“You better hurry,” she said watching his get out of bed and pull on a pair of sweats. “I might start without you.”

He raised his eyebrows at her and grinned. “Not until I get back.”

He leaned back over the bed and kissed her again and disappeared out the door.

Payton pulled on Sidney’s hoodie and stood in front of the window looking out over the back of the house.  She had to catch her breath.  She could see for miles. His property backed up to Grand Lake and she could see it peeking through the trees and beyond.  She could see the dock jutting out into the water and his jetski was already in the water.   The leaves on the trees fluttered in the breeze bright orange and red and yellow.   She moved away from the window and took in the room.  It had been dark last night when they got here. She only caught a sleepy glimpse of his home before he took her to his bed.  His room was beautiful.  The walls were a slate grey with a hint of blue, except for the wall across from the bed.  That one was paneled and shelved in ebony with a gorgeous rock fireplace in the middle.  She slid back under the covers which were slate grey to match the walls. There was a beautiful faux mink throw lain over the back of a chair in the corner.  She recognized it as one of the throws from their first date on the boat.  She remembered how warm it was snuggling under it with him. It made her smile that he’d brought it home. 

She slipped out of bed on a mission. She thought she had seen a wood pile for the fireplace when she was looking out the window. She went downstairs and out the back door. It was quite chilly on her bare legs, but in a few minutes she’s have a warm fire going and he would come back to a toasty room after his run.  She picked out a few dry logs and struggled with them to the back door.  She heard his voice from the kitchen. Somehow he’d beaten her back in the house. 

“Hey, Superman, could you give me a hand with this?” she called from the doorway, deciding he was better at heavy lifting than she was.

A tall man appeared in the room with Sidney.

 “Superman?” he said, lifting his eyebrows and looking over at his son who flushed beet red.

“Uh… Mr. Crosby, uh, well you know, he can fly… on the ice,” she stumbled, embarrassed.  She was incredibly grateful that Sidney’s hoodie fit her more like a dress as she stood barelegged in front of her boyfriend’s father. 

“Well, Superman,” he said with amusement, “you better go help her before she drops all that wood on the floor.”