Chapter 49

Karen got up and helped Sidney up going inside. Sidney led Karen into the living room and told her to stand in the middle of the floor. He went to put some music on and then came back over to Karen, bringing her close to him and they started dancing to the music. Their eyes never left each other as the song played on. When it was over, Sidney leaned in and kissed her with a very soft passionate kiss. Karen broke away and pulled away from Sidney. She smirked at him and slowly walked backwards towards the stairs.

“Just where do you think you’re going?”

“Upstairs and if you give me 5 minutes you might like what you’ll see.”

Karen went upstairs and got undressed. She put her hair up in a ponytail and jumped in the shower real quick. She came out, dried off and put on a sheer white baby doll with a rose print and spaghetti straps that crossed in the back along with a matching thong. She let down her hair and fluffed it looking in the mirror satisfied. Karen opened the door and saw Sidney sitting on the bed. He hadn’t seen her yet as he was taking off his shoes and socks. Karen stayed in the doorway and waited for him to look up. When he did, he about fell off the bed when he saw her standing there.

“Wow baby, you look beautiful.”

“I guess you like what you see” she said walking over to him.

Sidney brought his hands up and caressed her body. “I definitely like what I see.…it just brings out how beautiful you are to me.”

Karen smiles and blushes a little at what Sidney said. She leaned down and kissed him. “You can’t possibly be this charming?”

“Yeah well, it’s a side I keep to myself until I find someone special to show it to.”

“I’m one lucky lady then.”

“That you are but don’t you want to know how many other ones there have been?”

“Nope, they were in your past and they have no bearing on our relationship. They are in the past aren’t they?”

“Of course they are. My eyes are only on you.”

With that said Karen pulled Sidney up to her and kissed him with everything she felt. Sidney picked her up and placed her on the bed. He got completely undressed before lying down beside her and Karen turned to him. Sidney felt his way up her thighs and hooked his thumbs in her thong, bringing it down her legs and taking them off. He crawled back up her body, kissing his way up. Karen soon felt a wave of cool air being blown over her mound, making her shiver with anticipation. Sidney kept moving up until he was laying completely on top of her.

"Um, aren't you forgetting something?" Karen said pointing to the baby doll.

"I'm thinking about leaving it on. Kind of a turn on."

"So, now that your home, the freakiness comes out?"

"Its always been there, hiding deep down...you just help bring it out."

"Well then Crosby, show me what you can do."

Karen wrapped her legs around his hips, giving him all the room he needed. Sidney slid inside her with ease and stayed still for a minute. He began to thrust his hips in an upward movement without moving out of her. Karen arched her back, pressing her breasts into his chest. Sidney came all the way out, then pushed himself back into her going as deep as he could. He continued until he had Karen begging him to go faster. She grabbed ahold of Sidney's hips and helped him pound into her until she released her orgasm, moaning his name. Sidney felt her muscles tighten around him and drew out his own orgasm. Their lips soon found each other expressing all the love they had. Sidney rolled off of Karen, pulling her to him as their sweaty bodies held on to one another falling asleep.

Two days later and it was Sidney’s birthday. They were still in bed, Karen woke up first and looked at Sidney still sleeping. She leaned up to him and kissed him on his lips until he woke up.

“Mm, morning baby.”

“Morning. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you. Do you know this is exactly how I wanted to wake up today?”

“Really because I could’ve woken you up a lot better, but if that kiss was exactly what you wanted, we can get up and get ready for all your friends and family.” Karen started to get up but Sidney pulled her back down to the bed and climbed on top of her.

“You’re not going anywhere until you give me what I really want.”

“And want do you really want?”

Sidney didn’t answer her instead he kissed her with the most passionate kiss they have ever shared. Karen’s hand instantly went to his boxers and removed them. Sidney kicked them off the rest of the way and went to remove Karen’s shirt and underwear before lying back down on top of her. Sidney lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around his hips to allow him to get closer to her. As he kissed her, Sidney grinded into her to get things heated up between them. When he was ready Sidney slid into her, feeling her wetness cover him. He began thrusting into her increasing the heat and making Karen whimper. Sidney let a low moan escape his lips as his own orgasm neared. Karen whispered in his ear to go faster and he obliged pounding into her. Karen couldn’t hold on any longer and moaned out her release. Sidney kept going drawing out his orgasm and filling her up. He brought his lips back own to hers with another mind blowing kiss.

“Now that was what I exactly wanted.”

“Good because that was what I wanted too.”

“I wish we could just do this all day today. Talk about a memorable birthday.”

“Well since that is not an option, we have things to do before everyone shows up.”

“Mom and dad are bringing the majority of the food and drinks. Everyone else will just bring themselves. There really isn’t anything else to do except…go swimming.”

“You want to go swimming at 10:38a?”

“It’ll be fun. Please?”

“Ok, let’s go swimming.”

They got up and got ready. Karen had a shirt on over her suit before Sidney saw her. After they got down to the pier, Karen took off her shirt and Sidney just stared at her.

“My god baby, I thought you looked incredible naked but that bikini is slowly coming into the number one spot.”

“You’re insane.”

“Yeah but you love me anyway.”

“Even as much as I try not to I still do.” Karen jumped into the water and started swimming out. Sidney watched her and jumped in swimming after her. They played around in the water for awhile. When they had enough fun, they swam back over to the pier. Sidney got out and reached down and pulled Karen up. They stood there holding one another and soon their lips found each other.

Troy, Trina and Taylor were pulling up to Sidney’s house and got out. As Trina and Taylor put the food away, Troy went in search for Sidney. He looked and saw him kissing Karen on the pier. The closer he got he saw Sidney’s hand roam up to Karen’s chest. He cleared his throat making Sidney and Karen pull apart.

“Hey dad, I didn’t think you guys would get here until after noon.”

"It is, quarter after 12 to be exact. Karen, nice to see you again" a hint of disgust and disappointment in his voice.

“You too Troy” she said forcing a smile.

Sidney dried off the best he could before he walked over to his dad and gave him a hug.

“Happy birthday son.”

“Thanks. Where’s mom and Tay?”

“They are in the kitchen getting the food put away. Could I talk to you for a minute Sid? Alone?”

Troy gave Karen a look and she knew what it meant.

“I’m going to go get changed.” Karen said wrapping the towel around her and walking off the pier. Sidney grabbed her and gave her a kiss before she left them alone to talk.

“I hope you guys don’t plan on doing that in front of everyone today.”

“Doing what dad, showing affection for my girlfriend?”

“I just think it would be best that you keep the touching to a minimal today that’s all.”

“Fine.” They stayed there and talked for a few more minutes before they headed inside.

Karen was heading into the kitchen when she saw Trina putting away the food.

“Afternoon Trina” Karen said with a sincere smile.

“Karen, how are you?”

Karen picked up on a tone that wasn’t there the other day when they met. “I’m good. Wow, all that food looks incredible.”

“Thanks but you can put away the fake sincerity.”

“I’m not being fake Trina, everything looks wonderful. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You can help by breaking it off with Sidney the day you head home.”

“What?” Karen asked somewhat shocked.

“I didn’t realize Troy was right about all this. After you go home, Sidney is going to need to focus on training before and after he gets back to Pittsburgh. It’ll be a lot easier if you weren’t in the picture.”

“If Sidney doesn’t want me in the picture, then that needs to come from him and only him.”

“Well rest assure before he returns, it will come from him.”

“Do you and your husband ever like any girl your son dates?”

“Not when it interferes with his career.”

“I don’t interfere with his career. I have my own job, my own money and I am as independent as they come. Sidney knows this and I only get to see him on weekends. I am not hurting his career by any means.”

“You wouldn’t see it, but we do. You might want to take these next few days to just accept it so when you leave it won’t be so hard.”

“Wow, makes you wonder.”

“Wonder what?”

“Exactly at what age does Sidney’s life actually belong to him? Excuse me.” Karen walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs. She went into the bathroom and got her bathing suit off stepping into the shower. She turned on the water and stood under it, silently crying.

Sidney had come into the kitchen and was greeted by his mom. She wished him a happy birthday and he went to go change. As he got upstairs he heard the shower going and was going to join Karen but when he reached for the door, it was locked. Sidney was about to knock but instead he went to the guest room and jumped in the shower there. When he was done and went back into the bedroom, Karen was looking through her clothes deciding what to wear.

“How come you locked the door when you got your shower?”

“Sorry I didn’t realize I did.” Karen said softly.

“Hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, just figuring out what to wear.” Karen found a t-shirt and a pair of shorts suitable for the day. Not like it mattered anyway since the tone of the day had already been set. She walked past Sidney to go back into the bathroom when he caught her arm.

“Don’t let how my dad was get to you ok?”

Karen let out a small smile and nodded her head. Sidney let her go but couldn’t shake the feeling that something else had to be wrong.

Sidney walked into the bathroom and gave Karen a kiss “I’ll be downstairs, come down when you’re ready.”

“Ok.”

Sidney kissed her again and left. Karen just sat down on the edge of the bathtub and cried again. She didn’t know how she was going to get through the day but had to for Sidney. She picked herself up and finished getting ready.

Meanwhile, Sidney was downstairs greeting all his friends and relatives that came for his birthday. He was anxious for them to meet Karen and was getting worried when she wasn’t downstairs yet. As he was about to go up to get her, Karen came walking down the steps. Sidney walked over to her and gave her a reassuring smile. He took her hand in his and went around the house introducing her to everyone. Karen was surprised that there were a few people that were nice to her but she could pick out the ones Troy or Trina got to before meeting them. Karen just played it off and smiled telling herself this was for Sidney.

A little while later, everyone began to eat and sit around to talk. Karen nibbled on a little bit but didn’t feel like joining anyone, especially Sidney. She walked out to the backyard where Sidney had some lounge chairs and sat down. She couldn’t stop the thoughts of what Trina told her and they just replayed in her head. Taylor was getting some food from the kitchen when she saw Karen sitting outside. She walked over to Sidney who was talking to his friend Jack Johnson.

“So where’s Karen at? I haven’t seen her since you introduced us” Jack asked concerned.

“I’m not sure. She was in the kitchen getting some food but I thought she would have come to sit with me.”

“I know where she is” Taylor said sitting on Sidney’s lap “she’s outside sitting by the lake alone.”

“Why did she go out there?”

“Probably because of what mom said to her, she didn’t want to be near us.”

“What are you talking about Tay?” Sidney asked confused.

“I was heading back into the kitchen when I heard them talking. Mom told Karen that you need to focus on training and she would be a distraction for you when you went back to Pittsburgh. Why does mom and dad hate her so much Sid?”

“I don’t know Tay. I need to go talk to her.”

“Why don’t you let me go?” Jack said standing up. “Let her have someone on her side to confide in.”

“Do you mind?”

“No. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

Sidney watched Jack walk away and went to the window. He saw her sitting there and it looked like she was crying, but he really couldn’t tell. He saw Jack walk up to her then turned away when his grandmother called him.

“Hi Karen”

Karen wiped the tears from her cheeks and forced a smile “hey Jack, what are you doing out here?”

“To tell you the truth, it was getting a little stuffy in there and some air sounded good. When I saw you were out here, I figured it was the best place to be.”

“I don’t know about that.” Karen looked at him with seriousness “why did you really come out here Jack?”

“Taylor told Sid that she overheard your conversation with Trina. She said she heard Trina tell you that you were a distraction and Sid needed to focus on his training. Then she asked him why they hated you so much.”

“What was his answer to that?”

“He didn’t answer her because I don’t think he wants her to know what’s really going on.” Jack looked at her “what is going on?”

“If I tell you, you can’t tell Sidney.”

“I won’t.”

“She told me that I needed to break up with Sid the day I go home so he can focus on his training before he goes back himself.” Karen let the tears fall again “I can’t do that because I love him too much but I’m afraid that they’ll have him do it when he does go back.”

“Wow, I can’t believe she asked that of you.”

“Yeah I know. When I first met her the other night we hit it off and I thought she would maybe get Troy to back off and let us be happy, but it just went the opposite way. Why do they hate me so much? Can’t they just see that I love him for him?”

“Apparently not”

“You’re one of his best friends Jack, what do I do?”

When Jack looked into her eyes he saw all the hurt Sid’s mom and dad had given her. He also saw the love she had for Sidney and knew it was genuine. “Just love him like you already are.”

A minute later, Taylor came over to them “Karen? Did you send Sid a package in the mail?”

“Yeah I did, why?” Karen said wiping her eyes.

“Because someone just delivered a big package for him and he’s inside opening it. I thought if it was from you, you might want to be in there when he opened it.”

Karen got up and smiled at Taylor “thanks.” She walked past her and went to the house, trying to compose herself before walking inside. When she got to the living room she heard Sidney and the familiar voice of Troy.

“Wow, I can’t believe she did this?” Sidney opened the box to reveal a framed Steve Yzerman jersey signed by him and pictures of both Sidney and Steve surrounding it. The picture in the middle of the bottom row was from Game 1 when Mario and Steve came out to drop the puck.

“I can. All she had to do was drop your name and look what she got out of it.”

"Actually, the jersey was mine" Karen said as everyone turned and looked at her “it was the last game my dad and I went to before he died and I got Steve Yzerman to sign it after the game. But it’s nice to know that you think I have an ulterior motive for a present for his birthday Troy.” Karen left the room and couldn’t stop the tears. She went upstairs and soon everyone heard the door slam shut.

“Damn it dad. You couldn’t give me one day without making her feel this way.”

“I’m sorry Sid but when I first saw it I figured she had to have used you to get everything to put this together. I didn’t realize…”

"No you didn’t dad. You haven’t once realized how much I love her or realize how much she loves me. This present came from that love that she has for me. Out of all days, you had to do this today." Sidney shook his head and went upstairs to check on Karen. When he got to his room, he opened the door slowly and saw her standing by the window, staring out it. He walked over to her and stood directly behind her. Karen felt him behind her and leaned into him as his arms wrapped around her. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not the one that should be sorry.”

“I know” he whispered.

That was the last thing he said as he continued to hold her. Sidney turned her around and held her to his chest as she cried. A few minutes later Karen let go of Sidney and sat down on the bed. “I don’t know what else to do here. I mean this is it, they don’t like me. There is literally nothing else I can do to change that.”

Sidney sat down beside her and it killed him that she was hurting. He decided to change the subject to get her mind off what happened.

“Where did you get the idea to put that together for me?” he asked grabbing her hand to hold.

“I figured you would like to have that since he was one of your faves. It serves better purpose behind glass to be displayed than hanging in a closet. The pictures were just shots I had of both of you during games. The handwritten note however was from Steve directly. I told him what I was putting together for you and he more offered to write you a note than have me ask him for it. You should be flattered that your heroes are fans of yours.” Karen looked into his eyes when she said the last part.

“I am but I love that my biggest fan is you. Thank you for my gift, I love it and I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Sidney brought his hand up and caressed her cheek bringing her closer to him. Their lips met for a kiss that neither of them wanted to end. But it did end when there was a knock at the door.

“Sid?” Taylor said peeking her head in the door.

“Yeah Tay, what it is?”

“Mom wanted me to come get you. They wanted to bring out the cake because they weren’t going to stay too much longer so you and your friends could have some fun without all the adults around.”

“Tell her we’ll be down in a minute.”

“Ok.”

Karen got off the bed and walked to the bathroom to freshen up.

“Karen?” Taylor asked stopping her “I think your present to Sid was really nice.”

“Thanks Taylor” Karen said giving her a smile before continuing on into the bathroom.

Taylor had left and Sidney laid down on the bed for a moment until Karen came out of the bathroom. When she did, she saw him on the bed and walked over to him.

“You ready?”

Sidney put his hand out and Karen took it helping him up. He got up and grabbed Karen around her waist and held her. He felt her relax in his arms as he kissed her head. Karen looked up into Sidney’s eyes and leaned up to him, offering her lips to him. Sidney obliged and brought his lips down to hers for a loving kiss. Karen would have loved for it to last all day, but she pulled away and gave Sidney a smile. He placed a kiss on her forehead and they walked out the room and downstairs hand in hand.

His mom had everyone outside, since it was the easiest with how many people were there and brought out the cake. They all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Sidney and he blew out the candles. Everyone got a piece of cake and sat around for a little bit longer.

Around 6p, all the relatives had made their way out and it was Sidney, Karen and a lot of the guys Sidney played Junior Hockey with. Karen knew she could relax more around them and just loved watching Sidney be around his friends.