Epilogue
Bella
4 months later
I sit in the stands, the biggest smile on my face as I watch Braden and Lucas on the ice.
They’re both suited up in goalie gear, standing side by side in front of the net. Del, Xander, and Theo are also here. The three of them are taking turns shooting pucks at the goalies.
Del hits one, but Braden stops it with his stick. Xander hits one, and Lucas catches it with his glove.
Xander’s head falls back as he groans and laughs.
Braden nudges his shoulder. “Nice save.”
“Thanks.” Even through his helmet, I can see Lucas’s wide smile.
“Dude, this isn’t fair. It’s impossible to score on two goalies,” Xander jokes.
Braden pushes up his helmet and looks at Xander. “You’re one of the top scorers in the league. You should be able to get one past us.”
They all laugh. Braden puts his helmet back on and the guys take a few more shots. Theo manages to get one past Braden and Lucas. Theo lets out a cheer and all the guys laugh.
It’s been four months since Lucas’s bone marrow donation and his recovery has been a success. He spent another month in the hospital post-op, then he stayed at an outpatient clinic while doctors monitored his progress. Braden visited him often, and they texted almost every day.
After a few months of recovering at home, Lucas got the okay from his doctors to have a short session on the ice with Braden. Because his immune system is still compromised, he couldn’t play with the whole team. So Braden asked Del, Xander, and Theo if they’d be willing to join them, and they of course said yes.
Lucas pushes up his helmet to guzzle some water. I notice his blond hair is growing back thick on his head.
Del takes a shot at the net, but Lucas blocks it with his skate.
Del smiles. “Nice block.”
Lucas lets another wide grin loose. I smile seeing how happy he is. I glance over at his parents, who are sitting next to me, watching their son play hockey like a normal kid.
“He’s a natural at this,” I say to them.
His mom’s eyes go misty. “It’s such a joy to see him do this.”
His dad nods, a warm expression on his face as he watches his son on the ice. “This is amazing. So amazing.”
I take in Braden and Lucas, playing together, laughing together, joking together. My heart swells in my chest. Seeing Lucas healthy and seeing this moment finally happen means everything to Braden too.
I think about how often he checked in with Lucas and his parents to see how they were doing during his recovery. Braden has formed a bond with Lucas, and witnessing their friendship is so touching.
The guys finish up and skate over to us. We stand up and chat with them, then Lucas’s parents take photos of him with Braden, and then some with the rest of the guys. I take a photo of them all together.
“Thanks again. This was so awesome,” Lucas says to Braden.
Braden beams at him. “Of course, man. We had a blast with you.”
“Thank you for making this happen,” Lucas’s dad says to Braden.
“It was no problem.” He looks at Lucas. “Let’s do it again. Maybe next month?”
Lucas’s whole face lights up. “That would be so cool.”
Braden gives Lucas a hug and he leaves with his parents. Theo, Del, and Xander head to the locker room to get cleaned up.
Braden turns to me and pulls me against him. The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Sorry, I’m a little sweaty.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
He drops a kiss to my mouth. “You ready for tomorrow, pretty girl?”
I smile, excitement bubbling up in my chest. “So ready.”
“Holy crap. Did you see the line?” Lauren says as she looks at the entrance of my coffee shop.
I walk over to her, smiling so wide. “I know! I can’t believe it!”
A crowd of people stand outside the coffee shop. The line snakes all the way down the block and around the corner.
“That’s got to be at least a hundred people,” Lauren says.
“Way more than a hundred,” Ingrid says.
I turn around to her standing behind the counter of the shop. She smiles at Maya, who’s standing next to her, putting out coffee mugs.
I look between them. “Wait, how do you know it’s way more than a hundred?”
“I may have shared your grand opening on my social media accounts.” Ingrid flashes a giddy smile.
My mouth falls open. Before Ingrid was in charge of the Bashers’ social media, she was a famous influencer with millions of followers. Even though she’s focused on the Bashers, she still gets tons of engagement on her social media.
“Ingrid, are you serious?”
She nods. I run over and hug her.
Just then, Braden, Theo, Del, and Xander walk out from the back room. They’ve all been busy helping me stock and organize everything for the grand opening.
“I told pretty much everyone I know to come to your coffee shop today,” Xander says, smiling.
Theo grins. “Me too.”
Del nods once. “Same.”
Sophie pops out of the bathroom after stocking it with toilet paper, paper towels, and tampons. “I told everyone I know too,” says with a wide smile.
Lance walks in from the back. He’s cradling baby Alice against his chest. “I don’t know nearly as many people as you all do,” he says before turning to me. “But everyone I know is coming today too. ”
Happy tears prick my eyes. “You guys…” I shake my head, overwhelmed with emotion. I can’t believe all my friends showed up for me like this. “So many people are going to come here,” I say to myself.
I gaze around the space and take it all in. This is the cozy coffee shop of my dreams. Everything from the flooring to the dozen small tables and chairs to the bar along the wall is made of warm honey-hued wood. The decor is rustic and minimalist. There are pretty green plants in the corner and along a single floating shelf on the wall. And I hung up a few cool paintings I found in thrift shops.
Emotion bubbles up inside of me.
Braden walks over to me and wraps his arms around me. He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”
His voice is soft and low. I close my eyes, savoring his words, the loving look in his eyes, the pride in his voice.
I lean back and smile up at him, then kiss him.
I turn to everyone. “I can’t thank you all enough. This is…” I shake my head, still overwhelmed. “This is my dream come true, and it wouldn’t have happened without you.”
Everyone smiles at me. Braden shakes his head. “You’re the reason for all of this. We’re just the backup.”
They all say that Braden is right.
“Congrats, Bella.”
“You’re amazing, Bella.”
“Everyone is gonna love this place.”
“We’re thrilled for you.”
I walk over to the entrance and open the door. The crowd turns to me.
Heart pounding, I smile at them. “Welcome to Maizie’s Coffee, everyone!”
Two hours later, the place is packed. Every table and chair in the shop is taken and there’s a line of people out the door waiting to order.
I finish taking a customer’s order, then hand off register duties to one of the full-time employees I hired.
I restock the napkins, refill the container of lemon water, and put more freshly baked chocolate chip cookies into the display.
I spot Braden and his teammates standing in the back room, drinking coffee with Maya, Ingrid, and Sophie. I walk over to them.
“You guys are allowed to sit down. Especially after all the work you did helping me open this place,” I say to them.
Xander shakes his head. “We don’t want to take up a table from customers.”
I pat his arm. “That’s really nice of you guys.”
“Bella, honey!” I spin around and see my mom and dad walk in. Braden and I walk over and hug them.
“Honey, this is amazing!” Mom’s eyes are wide as she gazes around the crowded shop.
“First day and look at how well you’re doing,” my dad says.
I smile. “Thanks, guys. And thank you for coming today.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Mom says, holding my hand.
“Just like we wouldn’t miss one of this guy’s games.” Dad nudges Braden’s shoulder. Braden smiles.
My parents adore Braden. My mom thinks he’s the sweetest guy in the world, and my dad has become a hockey fan because of him. He always makes sure he’s home to watch Braden play during the Bashers’ games.
We visit with them for a few minutes before I jump back into coffee shop duties. I spot Braden taking out the trash and wiping down the tables. I mouth “thank you” at him. He winks at me. For the next half-hour, I’m busy whipping up coffee orders.
Ingrid’s mom Amy and her friends arrive and stand in line to order. I take a few minutes to chat with them and thank them again for all the support they’ve given me.
When the line is just a handful of people, I run to the back to grab a snack. Braden walks up to me carrying a massive vase of flowers.
I gawk at the huge assortment of pink roses, peonies, and Gerbera daises.
Braden looks around the flowers at me. “My dad had these delivered to you for today. He says congratulations.”
I smile. “That’s so nice of him. I’ll be sure to tell him thank you when we see him this weekend.”
Braden’s relationship with his dad has been slowly improving. They’ve talked on the phone a handful of times since they reconciled right after Braden’s surgery. And he’s come to Braden’s games a few times to cheer him on.
He accepted a coaching job with the AHL in Victoria, so navigating the distance has been difficult, but I can tell it means a lot to Braden to have his dad in his life. He’s visiting us next week and asked if he could take us and my parents out to dinner.
I make room on the back table for Braden to set the flowers down.
“Are you excited to see your dad?” I ask.
He lets a small smile breaks free. “Yeah. It’ll be nice to catch up with him.”
“Sam! My man!”
Xander shouting pulls our attention back to the main part of the coffee shop. We walk over to a table in the back where the guys are sitting and say hi to Sam.
“You should take a minute to rest,” Braden says as he pulls out a chair for me.
I tell him thanks and sit down, happy to take a breather.
Sam smiles at me. “Congrats on the grand opening, Bella. What a turnout. By the way, this is the best coffee I’ve ever had.” He takes a sip from his cup.
“Thanks. I still can’t believe it.”
Del turns to Sam. “So is it official?”
Sam nods and runs a hand through his wavy blonde hair. “Yep.”
The guys cheer and smack his shoulders.
“Welcome to Denver,” Del says.
“You’re gonna love being a Basher, dude,” Theo says.
Sam chuckles. “Thanks.”
Sophie turns to me. “Sam just got traded to the Bashers.”
I smile at him. “Oh, how cool. Congratulations!”
He tells me thanks.
“We’re gonna be unstoppable with you,” Xander says.
Del nods. “Our defense will be unbeatable.
Sam’s cheeks redden. “I hope so.”
I look up and see Dakota walk in. She gazes around for a second before spotting us and rushes over. She leans down and gives me a hug and tells me congratulations on opening my coffee shop.
Her brown eyes are wide as she gazes around. “There are so many people here.”
“It’s all because of these guys,” I gesture to the crowded table. I’m smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. This has been the most amazing day thanks to Braden and my friends.
“Where’s Lauren?” Dakota asks .
“She was here earlier with Lance, but they left because baby Alice was getting a little fussy with all the noise.”
Just then, I notice Del frowning at Dakota. “What’s that on your hand?” he asks, his tone hard.
Dakota’s smile fades as she glances down at her left hand. “Um…”
We all look. When I see a sparkly diamond on her left ring finger, I gasp.
“Are you engaged?” I ask.
She bites her lip, a nervous smile on her face as she nods.
“Jake proposed?” Sophie asks, her voice pitchy with surprise.
Dakota nods. She holds up her left hand. The whole table is quiet as we stare at her ring.
Xander, Braden, and Theo are all gawking with wide eyes. Del is glaring.
Sam gazes at the ring on Dakota’s finger, his brow furrowed, like his upset but trying to hide it.
It’s obvious everyone is shocked at the engagement news. Dakota has been on and off with Jake for the past few months. All of us thought they’d break up for good soon. Never in a million years did I think they’d get engaged.
Dakota’s smile starts to fade the longer the silence stretches. When she blinks, I can see the faintest hint of pain in her doe eyes.
Guilt hits. We all should be congratulating her…but we aren’t because none of us can stand Jake. He treats Dakota like crap. He never seems all that thrilled to be around her. He’s always annoyed or disinterested when we see them together. And he breaks plans with her constantly. He didn’t even plan anything for her birthday a couple months ago. She was so upset that she cried .
Just then, Sam clears his throat. He looks at Dakota, the corners of his mouth turning up in a tight smile.
“Congratulations, Dakota,” he says, the first of us to say anything.
A relieved smile appears on her face. “Thanks, Sam. That means a lot.”
A second later we all offer our congratulations. Even Del mutters an angry, “Congrats” to his little sister. It’s all pretty awkward, but Dakota ignores it and tells everyone thank you.
I notice Sam looking off to the side, his expression hard before he turns back to Dakota and forces another smile.
I instantly feel for the guy. The woman he likes and has feelings for just announced her engagement to another man.
“So when’s the big day?” Xander asks.
Dakota beams. “This fall. We don’t want a long engagement. I hope that you all can come to the wedding.”
We all say of course we’ll be there. Except Sam. I notice his knuckles are white as he grips his coffee mug.
His shoulders rise as he takes a slow, quiet breath. He nods once. “Of course I’ll come to your wedding, Dakota.”
My eyes widen for a second before I rein in my expression. This is going to be very, very interesting.
***
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