Chapter 23
Emma
NHL Draft Day
Joey asked me to arrive early so everything is set up for the draft party. After meeting with Candy McCaffrey, I’m now truly excited for what the future holds for Joey and me.
Selling hockey-themed cupcakes at the Bruins stadium is a brilliant idea. On game days, I’ll bake the cupcakes at my bakery and transport them the two hours to the stadium. Families will reserve a party room, and I’ll know exactly how many cupcakes to make. Blake agreed to run the bakery for me on those days. I also just hired a new employee, Otto and Mia’s friend Nora, who got laid off from a crummy job. Maybe those two will see how good they are for each other as well.
Ding! Dong!
I ring the bell and within seconds a blonde head appears. She flings the door open, hops up and down, and announces, “We made you a ginger house!”
“A gingerbread house?” My brows crease quizzically. Maybe it’s a centerpiece for the food table?
“Yes!” she squeals. “So, Uncle Joey can—”
Chelsea appears out of nowhere and places a finger on the child’s lips. She whispers in Katie’s ear, the little girl stares at me, then nods solemnly.
“Come into the kitchen,” Chelsea says as Katie skips by her side. I follow the pair and the child’s eyes shine with excitement as she peeks at me over her shoulder. I didn’t realize she liked building gingerbread houses so much.
The kitchen is warm and smells of ginger. Scott, Joey, and Blake stand near the oven with coy looks on their faces, as if they’re hiding something. My eyes swivel to the gingerbread house sitting in the middle of the island. It’s massive, as far as gingerbread houses go, and looks kind of like a...fortress. Obviously, they used a lot of icing to get the pieces to hold together. A giggle threatens to escape, so I bite my tongue.
I pause, counting to ten, to get my amusement under control. “Wow! This house is, um, impressive.” I’m still somewhat confused as to how this creation fits into the draft party theme.
“We had trouble getting it to hold together, so Blake made extra icing,” Scott says in helpful voice. Joey and Blake toss me embarrassed looks. Everyone underestimates how difficult it is to use just the right amount of icing in order to get the gingerbread pieces to stick together.
“I see that.”
“I made the fairy!” Katie declares, pointing to the paper cut-out perched on the peak of the roof.
“She colored it, but didn’t stay inside the lines,” her brother says.
The little girl’s lips wobble at her brother’s criticism, but Chelsea comforts her daughter while sending her son a death glare.
Stepping closer to the house, I examine it from every angle. “The fairy is very pretty. I like the colors you used.” The cut-out is swirls of yellow, lime green, and pink crayon colors. Considering her outfit choices, I would expect no less from Katie.
Despite the overuse of icing, they’ve added a lot of nice touches. “Is this shredded wheat cereal?” I ask, referring to the thatched roof.
“That was Scott’s idea,” Joey replies.
I give the small boy a thumbs up. “Very creative! Let’s use that next year for the contest.” Scott beams.
Joey walks over and stands by me as I bend over to examine the structure, taking in all the details. There’s Teddy Graham chocolate bears stuck into the snowbanks. One side of the house has Goldfish crackers lining the wall. A few traditional gumdrops line the front walkway, one of each color.
“I love everything you used for decorations!” I exclaim. Five sets of eyes drill into me as I stand upright from my perusal position. I stare back at them for a few seconds, wondering what is going on. “What? Did I miss something?”
Katie looks like she’s going to explode, hopping up and down, and pointing to the front of the house. Chelsea puts her hands on her daughter’s shoulders to restrain her.
“Look at the front door,” Scott blurts. Everyone tosses him a glare as he sports a mutinous look on his face. “She wasn’t going to notice it!” he huffs.
Chuckling, I stand in front of the house and say, “What am I supposed to notice?” Did they put a pair of hockey sticks beside the door like we did on our contest entry?
Bending down, I peer closely at the two peppermint candy windows, the M&M embossed door, and the pretzel stick door mat. My eyes land on something stuck in the snowdrift off to the right. It glistens like a diamond and my breath catches. Standing, I gaze at Joey, puzzlement and excitement makes my heart pound.
He grins and pulls the object from the icing snowbank, then gets down on one knee. My hands fly up to cover my mouth, and I blink back tears.
“Emma, I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
A few tears trickle down my cheeks as I hold my breath. Is this really happening?
“Will you marry me?”
I stare wide-eyed at the gorgeous diamond ring, unable to speak.
Then, I squeal, fling my arms around his neck, and shout, “Yes! Yes! I love you, too! Of course, I’ll marry you!”
Joey grasps my hand and slides the beautiful ring on my finger.
Our audience applauds as Joey stands and yanks me into a sloppy kiss. We laugh and kiss for several beats while Katie dances around us singing about fairies. I guess those little sprites are good luck. Chelsea and Blake look pleased while Scott hovers off to the side looking a tad bit embarrassed.
“Was it a good surprise?” Joey whispers as he looks at me, his eyes filled with adoration.
“It was.” I smile and stare at the beautiful diamond ring on my finger. “Your use of gingerbread to pop the question was...perfect.” I lean against him as he snuggles me under his arm. “I love you, Josef Svenson.”
“Does this mean you’re going to be my Uncle Emma?” Katie asks.
I bend down and hug the little girl. “I’m going to be your Aunt Emma.”
My heart soars with joy.
~*~
The house is finally quiet, the last of our guests departed about five minutes ago. Joey and I sit on the couch, his arm around my shoulders, as I cuddle into him. The food table looks like a disaster area, but I’m too tired right now to clean it up. My adorable gingerbread house sits in the middle—we ended up using it for a centerpiece after all. I made a ring out of a twisty-tie and struck that in the snowbank. There’s no way I’m taking the gorgeous diamond off my finger. Blake retold the story of our engagement to anyone who asked about the house.
“Are you bummed you didn’t get the number one draft pick?” I stare at him with concerned eyes.
He shrugs. “I knew Boston didn’t have the first pick.”
“But you deserved to go number one!” I say with a little too much vehemence.
He places a finger over my lips. “Getting drafted by Boston is exactly what I wanted.”
“I feel guilty. You went lower in the draft because of me,” I mutter.
Nodding, he says, “Yes, and you’re worth it.” He squeezes me closer, then places a gentle kiss on my lips. We savor each other for a few long beats. “I’m very happy, Em.”
Extending my fingers, I gaze lovingly at the gorgeous ring. “I’m very happy, too.” A blissful sigh escapes. How did I get this lucky?
“Otto was pretty excited to be the number seven pick,” Joey comments.
“That was fantastic! He and Mia looked so happy.” New Jersey drafted Otto, so all of us will be within driving distance of each other. Too bad Levi and Bailey can’t move back to the east coast.
“When do you want to get married?”
“Sometime after Otto and Mia’s reception and before your hockey season starts.”
He chuckles. “Well, that really narrows it down.”
“I’ll let you know when to show up, how’s that?”
He laughs.
“Katie needs to be our flower girl.”
Joey grins. “She’ll love that! Don’t be surprised if she insists on wearing her princess outfit.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” I say with a giggle. “Can we figure out how to involve Scott? Will he feel left out?”
“Personally, I think the kid will be happy to be left out, but I can ask him to be ring bearer if that makes you feel better.”
I lay my head back on his shoulder. “I think he might like to be an usher.”
“You’re right. That’s a better choice.”
“Who’s going to be your best man?”
“Gosh, who do I pick between Levi, Otto, and Blake?”
“Flip a coin?” I suggest.
“How about maid of honor? How are you going to choose between Mia and Bailey?”
Sitting upright again, I say, “I think we should choose Chelsea since she’s family. Mia and Bailey can be bridesmaids.”
Joey nods, then leans his head on the back of the sofa and closes his eyes. He looks tired after our busy day. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.” Within in seconds, he’s out like a light, soft snores puff from his lips.
Smiling, I snuggle back against his warm chest. A quick nap sounds good, then we’ll clean up the mess. Happiness flows through me and I fall asleep knowing that Joey and I have a wonderful future ahead of us. I can’t wait to spend my life with the hunky goalie.