Faking It With The Hockey Star

Harper’s POV

Twenty minutes.

That was all the time I had.

I looked at myself in the mirror, then at the ticking clock, then right back at my reflection. "Okay. Okay. Calm down."

Justin was twenty minutes away, which meant I had exactly twenty minutes to make sure I looked and smelled like a woman who had been patiently waiting for her man to come home—not like someone who had spent the entire afternoon frantically running around the house like a lunatic.

I hurried into the bathroom.

I had already done my hair, my makeup, and everything else earlier, so all I needed was a quick shower. A very quick one.

I turned on the water and jumped in, making sure I didn’t waste a single second.

Armpits? Done.

Body? Done.

Everything else? Done.

I stepped out, dried myself off, sprayed body mist all over my skin, added a quick dab of perfume, and put on some lip gloss.

I checked myself in the mirror again. Good. Very good. I smiled at my reflection.

Then I looked at the clock. He was getting closer.

I quickly grabbed my clothes. For a second, my eyes drifted toward the hidden tote bag where I had stashed the outfit I had ordered earlier. I smiled secretly to myself.

No. Not yet.

Let him eat first. He had been traveling for hours. He had been at camp, probably exhausted, and knowing Justin, he was going to be completely starving. He needed to shower. He needed to eat. He needed to rest.

And then...

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh out loud. Then we would see.

I hurried downstairs and picked up my phone to check his location. He was getting closer by the second. My stomach fluttered wildly. I stood near the front door, practically bouncing on my feet. I couldn’t believe he was actually coming home. After all those days of hearing his voice through my phone screen, I was finally going to touch him and see his face.

My phone buzzed.

Ava: How’s the operation going?

I laughed, typing back fast.

Me: He’s almost here.

Another message popped in from Mia.

Mia: Good luck 😂

I shook my head, grinning.

Me: See you guys later.

Then I quickly texted Ava back.

Me: And please don’t look through our curtains.

She immediately replied.

Ava: WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?

I laughed.

Me: Nothing.

Ava: Liar.

I rolled my eyes and put my phone away. Then I walked over to the front windows and pulled the curtains completely shut. I checked them again just to be safe. No peeking from across the street. Absolutely not.

I was still standing there when I checked Justin’s location one last time. My eyes widened.

He was in the building.

"Oh my God."

I stared at the screen. A few seconds later, the location pin shifted. He was outside the door.

My heart started pounding against my ribs.

Then—Knock. Knock. Knock.

I froze. He was here.

I took one deep breath before hurrying to the door. I unlocked it and pulled it open.

And there he was.

Justin. My Justin.

He looked so incredibly good. His hair was slightly messy, his face carried the dark exhaustion of a long travel day, and he had his heavy bag slung over one shoulder. But the absolute second his eyes landed on me, his entire face softened.

I didn’t even think. "Oh, my baby!"

I threw my arms around his neck. He caught me immediately, pulling me tightly against his broad chest.

"Oh God," I whispered, burying my face into his neck. "I missed you so much."

He squeezed me harder, burying his face in my hair. "I missed you too."

I pulled back just enough to look up at him. "You look so tired."

"I am."

"You’ve had a long day."

"I’ve had a very long few weeks."

I smiled softly. "Well, you’re home now."

He looked down at me for a quiet moment. "Yeah."

Then he leaned down and kissed me. It was soft at first, almost like he was making sure I was really there in front of him. Then I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and kissed him back with everything I had.

When we finally pulled apart, I smiled up at him. "Come inside."

He stepped through the door, and I closed it firmly behind him. I had already turned on the water heater earlier because I had used up almost all the hot water while getting ready, and it needed time to heat back up for him.

Justin dropped his heavy bag near the couch.

I immediately pointed toward the hallway. "Go shower."

He looked at me, blinking. "What?"

"Go shower."

He raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Why are you rushing me into the bathroom?"

"I’m not rushing you."

"You’re literally pointing at the bathroom."

"Because you need a shower!"

He laughed softly. "I can smell that I need a shower."

"Exactly." I walked over and kissed his cheek. "I already turned on the hot water. Go."

He shook his head, smiling. "You’re bossy."

"Only because you’re stubborn."

He laughed again. "Fine." He turned and started walking toward the bedroom.

"Oh, and Justin?"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Don’t take forever."

He narrowed his eyes playfully. "Now I know something is going on."

"Nothing is going on!"

"Harper."

"Go shower!"

He chuckled and disappeared into the bedroom.

I smiled to myself. Perfect.

I hurried into the kitchen and started setting up his food. A few minutes later, I heard the shower running down the hall. I arranged everything on a plate and made sure the fresh pizza was ready to go.

When Justin finally came out, he looked so much more refreshed, though his eyelids still looked heavy. He walked toward the kitchen, and his eyes immediately went to the food spread out on the counter.

"God."

I laughed softly. "You’re hungry?"

"I’m starving."

"I figured."

He sat down at the counter. "I’m not eating anything healthy tonight."

I laughed. "Okay."

"I mean it, Harper."

"I heard you!"

"I want pizza. I want ice cream. I want that pie Grandma sent. I want anything and everything unhealthy."

I put his loaded plate down right in front of him. "After weeks of camp food, you deserve it."

"I really do." He picked up a slice of pizza. "This is exactly what I needed."

I smiled, taking a seat across from him. He took a huge bite and closed his eyes in pure bliss.

"Oh my God."

I laughed at his reaction. "It’s just pizza."

"You don’t understand. I’ve been eating whatever strict diet they gave us for weeks."

"Well, you’re home now."

He reached for another slice. "And Grandma sent the apple pie?"

"Yes, she did."

"Where is it?"

I pointed toward the warm oven.

He smiled, his eyes softening. "Your mother—sorry, your grandmother knows me too well."

"She’s your grandmother too now."

He looked up at me, pausing. "Now?"

I smiled sweetly. "You know what I mean."

He grinned and continued eating.

For a while, I just sat there watching him in silence. He was so deeply tired; I could see it in the way his shoulders had finally relaxed now that he was back in his own space. He ate, drank his water, and told me little stories about the grueling drills at camp.

Eventually, he leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone. "Oh."

"What?"

"I took some videos and pictures at camp." He unlocked his phone and started scrolling. "I don’t know if you can help me turn them into something I can post on Instagram?"

I smiled warmly. "Of course I can."

He handed me the phone. I started going through the camera roll—there were pictures of him on the ice, pictures with Mason, videos from intense drills, random shots around the training facility, and a few funny clips he had clearly taken just because he knew they would make me laugh.

I smiled softly as I scrolled. "These are actually really good, Justin."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We can definitely make something cute out of this."

I looked up from the screen. "Justin?"

No answer.

I frowned slightly. "Justin?"

Still nothing.

I turned completely toward him, and my heart instantly sank.

He was fast asleep.

His head had tilted slightly to the side, his eyes completely closed, one arm resting loosely over the arm of the chair.

I stared at him in utter disbelief.

Then I looked down at the phone in my hand. Then right back at his peaceful, exhausted face.

"Oh God."

I slowly lowered the phone to the counter. "Please don’t tell me my grand plan has failed."

I stared at my sleeping boyfriend. "He’s sleeping already?"

I let out a long, dramatic sigh, slumping slightly in my chair.

All that preparation. All those fragrant candles. All that detailed planning. And my man had come home, eaten half a pizza, and immediately passed out right in front of me.

I looked at him for another quiet second, my expression softening despite my disappointment.

"Oh, Justin..."

My carefully planned, romantic night was officially in deep danger.

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