When the team finally returned back to Newport Beach, they said their goodbyes and headed home for the night.  Brandon decided that he needed to check on his home and they would meet the next morning after morning skate for brunch.  Seraphina was glad for the space.  It had been an overwhelming past few days and she never really had a moment to process what had happened.  She kept a strong front up when she was around everyone, including Brandon and Katella.  She didn’t want them worrying about her when Brandon needed to focus on winning, on the game, and Katella needed to focus on her own life and quite possibly Negan.  She needed to keep her feelings to herself because she didn’t want them worrying about her.

Plus, she knew what was she was getting into when she accepted the offer her grandfather had laid out in his will and trust.

Actually, no.  That was a lie.  She had no idea what it really took to run a hockey team as a young female.  But she had a decision to make and there was no way she was going to sell the team, no matter how badly her uncles wanted to.  This was her grandfather’s legacy and she wasn’t going to give that up, especially after he entrusted it to her.

When she got to her bedroom, she threw on her pajamas and crawled into bed.  She grabbed a picture frame, sitting on her nightstand.  It was one of her grandfather’s official photos of himself, his last year before he was murdered by his accountant.  She liked keeping him close.  It made her feel safe.

Without warning, tears accumulated in her eyes and started to fall.  She knew these were the ones she had been holding back the past couple of days.  Now that she was finally alone, now that she was holding a picture of her grandfather, she was finally free to cry.  Her door was closed and she and Katella had rooms on the opposite ends of the house so Seraphina highly doubted Katella would even be able to hear her cry.

She didn’t try to stop herself, didn’t try to hide it.  She clutched the picture to her chest and hugged it like she was hugging him, like he hadn’t been taken from her too early, like he was still here with her, comforting her.  She hated that he was gone.  She hated that she couldn’t go to him for advice the same way he used to when he was alive.  She hated that he couldn’t pat her on the back and tell her everything was going to be all right.

After a good fifteen minutes, she felt the sobs slowly begin to stop.  The tears started to dry up, leaving her eyes sore and red.  The snot was quickly rubbed away from underneath her nose with the back of her hand.  Her hands still held the picture but her grip wasn’t as desperately tight.

A calm settled over her, like everything was okay. Everything would be okay. Phil Bambridge could run his mouth as much as he wanted to but that wouldn't change anything. She still owned the team. Her team would probably make playoffs, his definitely would not. He was lashing out, attacking the weakest link, and due to her gender, that weak link was her. But that could also be her strength. She was going to call him out on his bullshit but she needed to figure out how. She needed to figure out how to do it in a way where she wasn't playing his game, where she wasn't taking cheap shots and making accusations where she could bring a defamation lawsuit against him.

At that moment, her phone chirped.

You awake?

Seraphina felt her lips curl into a smile at Brandon's text. She responded with, I can't sleep.

Neither can I. It feels strange to have a bed to myself again.

Seraphina felt her cheeks turn red and warmth blossomed in her chest.

I don't like it, he sent her. I would rather share one with you.

I miss you, too, she texted him. And she did.

Brunch tomorrow?

She smiled. It was nice to be missed. It was nice to be texted first. It was nice to be in a relationship with someone she loved.

Wouldn't miss it for the world.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, Seraphina was still holding onto her grandfather's photo. She smiled as she stretched. Today was a new day. Today would be better than yesterday. She stepped into her shower and turned on hot water, letting the beads of water drop in her naked body and wash away any trace of tears and sadness and loss from yesterday. It woke her up and helped sharpen her focus. She had a few more days before the trade deadline and she wanted to see if there were any defenseman she could up pick up without sacrificing the core players on her team. She might be willing to part with a couple of draft picks depending on who was offered and how badly she needed them.

She blew her hair dry and pinned the bangs back before slipping on a navy blue dress with a matching belt she tied around her waist. She wore simple black heels and a white cardigan sweater due to the cold the morning promised.

Seraphina insisted that they meet at the Stuft Surfer, a diner on the beach, just off of Fifteenth Street. She loved that this mom-and-pop place was open, even when it wasn’t tourist season and the beach was still somewhat empty, even at ten o’clock in the morning. It was cold this morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was clear blue, however, so she didn’t think it would rain today, although this weekend promised some drizzles here and there. She managed to find a place to park on the street that didn’t require paying, even if it was a block away. Seraphina didn’t actually mind walking in heels but she avoided it when she could.

She would not be able to at the beach.

Brandon was already there, sitting at one of the benches just outside the diner, placed in the sand. When he saw her, he stood and strode over to her, giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

Seraphina felt her face warm under his touch. This was so weird – but weird in a good way. She wasn’t used to seeing Brandon this way. Brandon didn’t seem like the sort of guy who engaged in public displays of affection, even with someone he genuinely cared about. But apparently, she was wrong because whenever they were around each other, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. And she loved that. Even though they were supposed to keep things private, try to hide their relationship from the public because anyone could recognize Brandon Thorpe, they didn’t. Not when they were away from Sea Side, away from any hockey related place or event.

They headed into the diner and ordered their food. He wanted Juevos Rancheros while she ate ham and eggs with cheese on her eggs and breakfast potatoes. From there, they walked back outside and sat on a bench, facing the water crashing to the shore. It was so peaceful here. She closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath of fresh air.

“How are you?” Brandon asked from beside her.

Seraphina slowly opened her eyes and nodded her head, giving him a small smile. “Good,” she said. “And you?”

He nodded back. “Good,” he said. “I got a call from my sister last night. Apparently, she wants to come out and visit in a couple of weeks.” He paused. “She wants to meet you. I’ll make use dinner at my place.”

“You can cook?” Seraphina raised an interested brow. “I’m looking forward to it. Is she here just to visit or…?” She let her voice trail off, ripping her eyes away from the ocean and looking at Brandon’s chiseled profile.

“She’s here for an accounting conference,” he explained. “I guess she’ll be staying at a hotel up in Anaheim, but she wanted to come down and visit for a bit. She was insistent that I introduce you to her.”

Seraphina felt her cheeks turn pink. “I didn’t realize you had even told her about me,” she murmured, picking at her food and trying to keep the smile from slipping on her face. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies at the prospect that he had talked to his family about her. She hoped they liked her – she supposed it completely depended on what Brandon actually said – but the fact that he was talking about her to them at all told her that she was important to him.

He didn’t talk much, after all, and there was no way they could bring her up – at least, she thought they couldn’t.

“Of course I told them about you,” he told her. He paused, taking another bite of his food. Seraphina inhaled deeply, her eyes going back to the beautiful sparkling ocean. She loved it here. She loved the peacefulness the beach provided during the off-season, where only locals exercised and walked down cemented pathways. “I don’t think you realize just how important you are to me.”

Seraphina glanced over at him. “I feel the same way about you,” she said.

Once they were finished, they threw their plastic utensils and paper plates away. Without even speaking to each other, Brandon grabbed Seraphina’s hand and they began to walk down the pathway themselves, looking at all the multi-million dollar houses. The houses in Balboa were different sizes but all were big and modern. The actual space of land was small, but they built up. Some of these houses were three stories tall with barbeques on their roofs since there was barely any room for a backyard. The majority were rented out by tourists during the summer, and they were required to pay a crazy amount of money per week just to do so. Her grandfather had mentioned wanting to invest in a couple of pieces of the property before he died but he never got around to actually doing it.

“Doesn’t Drew Stefano live here?” Seraphina asked, picking her head up from his shoulder and glancing at him. “Not here, but down PCH in Balboa?”

Brandon shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said.

Seraphina rolled her eyes. “You really need to do a better job of getting to know your team,” she said, nudging him playfully. “You’re their captain. You need to lead and inspire.”

“Don’t I do that every night I go out there and play?” he asked.

Seraphina chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Would you ever live here?” she asked.

Brandon shrugged. “Too many people,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be closed off to compromising.”

Seraphina smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. “We should probably go,” she murmured. “You have your morning skate. I have to see if there’s anybody I can pick up for cheap before the deadline.”

Brandon nodded. “Five more minutes and then we’ll go,” he said. “Please.”

Seraphina felt her heart glow. “Five more minutes,” she agreed and placed her head back on his shoulder, taking a deep breath and surrounding herself with the aroma of the ocean and Brandon Thorpe. And for those five minutes, life was perfect.