Chapter 15 Ryder #2
I send it across to Alexei who buries it top corner. The crowd explodes.
I skate back to center ice and look up at the stands. Lucy is jumping, hands above her head, face split in the widest smile I've ever seen. Emma's laughing beside her. And a few rows back I spot Connor, not cheering but not scowling either.
Progress.
The first period blurs past. Back and forth. Nothing too rough. Just good hockey played by guys who love the game. Hayes gets a breakaway and dangles the goalie before sliding it five-hole. The crowd loves it. He skates past our bench and shoots me a grin.
"This is fun. You should retire here."
"Focus, Matthews."
"I am focused. Focused on that brunette in section B who keeps staring at me."
I glance over and spot Natalie. She's definitely looking at Hayes, though whether it's interest or disdain I can't tell from this distance.
"That's Lucy's best friend. Touch her and die."
"Noted."
Second period starts and I'm feeling good. Shoulder's holding up. Legs feel strong. We're up three to two and the energy in the building is electric. During a TV timeout, I skate over to the section where Lucy is sitting. She leans forward against the barrier.
"You're killing it out there."
"How much have we raised?"
"Forty thousand. With the silent auction, maybe fifty."
I whistle. Triple what she was hoping for. "You did that."
"We did that."
The ref blows the whistle. I have to get back. But before I skate away I catch her eye and mouth three words: I love you.
She presses her hand to her mouth, then mouths back: I love you too.
Someone behind her definitely notices. I see phones come out. Cameras pointed our way. By tomorrow morning this moment will probably be all over social media.
Good. I want them to see.
Third period we pour it on. Cade scores. Alexei gets another. Hayes sets up a beautiful passing play that ends with me burying the puck glove side. The crowd goes insane and I can hear Lucy's voice above all of it, screaming my name.
Final buzzer sounds. We win seven to four. The team mobs each other at center ice and the announcer comes on over the PA.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to today's incredible turnout and the generosity of our players and sponsors, we're thrilled to announce that we've raised over fifty thousand dollars for Pine Hollow Children's Hospital."
The crowd erupts. I skate over to the barrier near Lucy's section one more time. She's crying. Happy tears streaming down her face. I reach over the boards and she leans down, close enough that we can touch hands.
"You did it," I tell her.
"We did it."
"All you, Luce."
Then one of the organizers is waving me over for the press conference and I have to go. But I hold her gaze for one more second, memorizing the joy in her face, before I skate away.
***
The press area is set up near the locker rooms. Basic folding table with three chairs. Microphones. Handful of local reporters and one guy from ESPN who must have drawn the short straw for human interest stories.
I sit between Cade and Alexei. Answer questions about the game, about how the shoulder feels, about whether this changes my timeline for returning to Boston.
"Feels great," I tell them. "No issues today. I'll be back with the team next week for practices."
"What about contract talks?" someone asks. "Word is Boston offered you a five-year extension."
"We're in discussions. That's all I can say right now."
More questions about the game. About the money raised. About what it means to give back to the community. Standard stuff that I can handle without thinking.
Then a woman in the second row stands up. I recognize her from the Boston sports beat. She covers the Bruins but she also loves digging into personal drama.
"Ryder, your ex-girlfriend Sienna has been vocal on social media over the past few weeks. She's made some allegations about your relationship and your character. Do you have any comment?"
The room goes quiet. Cade tenses beside me.
I lean forward into the mic. Take a breath. Let it out slow.
"I'm not going to litigate my past relationship in the media.
What I will say is that those allegations are false.
Anyone who actually knows me knows that.
" I pause. Let that land. "But honestly, I'm not interested in talking about the past. I'm focused on my future.
My career. My recovery. And building a life with someone who actually matters to me. "
The reporter's eyebrows go up. "Are you saying you have a new girlfriend?"
I glance toward the back of the room where Lucy is standing with Emma. She's watching me with wide eyes. Knows what I'm about to do. We talked about this last night. I asked if she was ready for people to know. She said yes.
Time to prove I mean it.
"Yeah. I do."
The room explodes with questions. Everyone shouting at once. Hands in the air. Cameras flashing.
I stand. "That's all I'm saying about my personal life. This event was about raising money for kids who need it. We raised fifty thousand dollars today. That's what matters. Thank you."
I walk out before anyone can follow up. Cade and Alexei are right behind me.
"That was either really brave or really stupid," Alexei says.
"Probably both."
"The internet's going to lose its mind."
"Let it."
I head down the corridor toward the locker rooms but Lucy intercepts me halfway. She's breathless. Eyes bright.
"You just told the entire world about us."
"Should've done it sooner."
"Ryder, the press—"
"I don't care about the press. I care about you." I take her face in my hands. "I'm done hiding. I'm done being scared of what people think or what Connor thinks or what anyone thinks. You're mine and I'm yours and I want everyone to know it."
She blinks up at me. "You sure about this?"
"Never been more sure of anything."
"Okay." She smiles. "Then kiss me."
So I do. Right there in the corridor with reporters probably watching and cameras probably rolling. I kiss her like I've wanted to kiss her since the first moment she smiled at me in her bookshop. Deep and slow and thorough. Her hands fist in my jersey. Mine slide into her hair.
When we finally break apart, she's flushed and breathing hard.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
Footsteps echo down the hallway. I look up and see Connor standing there, Emma at his side. He's watching us with an expression I can't quite read. Not fury. Not approval either. Something in between.
Emma is grinning like she just won the lottery.
Connor walks closer. Stops a few feet away. Looks at me. At Lucy. Back to me.
"You meant what you said. About proving it."
"Every word."
He nods once. "Okay. I'm trusting you, Blackwood. Don't make me regret it."
"I won't."
Connor's jaw tightens like he wants to say more. Then he just shakes his head and walks past us toward the exit. Emma squeezes Lucy's shoulder as she follows.
"He'll come around. Give him time."
Then we're alone in the corridor. Lucy looks up at me with so much love in her eyes it makes my chest ache.
"You really did it."
"I told you I would."
"I know. But hearing it and seeing it are different things." She leans into me. "What happens now?"
"Now we go home. Have dinner with your family. Try not to let Connor glare me to death." I kiss her forehead. "And tomorrow we figure out the rest."
"That simple?"
"That simple."
We walk out of the rink hand in hand. The parking lot is full of people heading to their cars. Several of them wave. A few stop to congratulate me on the game. One older woman I recognize from the bookshop hugs Lucy and tells her she always knew we'd be perfect together.
Small towns. Can't keep a secret to save your life.
But as I open the car door for Lucy and she slides in with that smile still on her face, I realize I don't want to keep secrets anymore. Don't want to hide what she means to me or pretend this is anything less than the most important thing in my life.
Tomorrow I'll deal with the fallout. The media. The questions. The attention.
Tonight I just want to be with her.
We drive home through snow-dusted streets. The sun is setting. The sky is purple and orange and impossibly beautiful. Lucy reaches over and takes my hand.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For today. For the game. For everything."
"That's what you do for people you love."
She squeezes my fingers. "I love you too."
Simple words. But they change everything.