31. Epilogue
Epilogue
Blaze
Eight months later…
“And that’s it, folks, the Glaciers are headed to the playoffs to compete for back-to-back Cups!” the announcer booms across the rink as I skate out, joining the massive team huddle. It’s been one heck of a season thus far.
“Can’t believe that you blocked that shot.” Cam smacks me on the head, bursting into prideful laughter. “I guess you still have some time to go before retirement.”
I smack him back, shaking my head as I spit my mouth guard free. “Yeah, no thanks. I’m not retiring anytime soon. I have at least another decade.”
“Yeah? What does Addy think about that?” Kade asks as we skate toward the edge of the rink, where friends and family are making their way toward the ice.
“I think she’ll be happy no matter what,” I tell him, spotting my girlfriend in the crowd. She’s got on my jersey, as per usual—and so does the rest of her family, which has unofficially adopted me as one of their own. Even her dad is wearing a jersey with my name on the back.
It’s excessive.
But I’m good with it.
“Hey, baby,” I call out as she picks up her pace, a massive smile on her face.
“Hey, Twenty-Six.” She jumps into my arms, not even caring that she might knock both of us over in the process. She plants a kiss on my cheek and squeezes me tightly.
“I’ll never get tired of seeing my last name on your back,” I whisper.
“I’ll never get tired of wearing it.” Addy laughs and drops down. “So, Mom said you had something for us to do tonight? We’re not going to the party like usual?” She looks up at me with fresh curiosity.
I drape my arm around her. “Yeah, no party tonight.”
She narrows her eyes. “What’re we doing?”
I plant a kiss on her nose. “Maybe you should just wait and see. You don’t always have to know what I have planned.”
She hums, then shrugs. “Okay, then.”
“Okay.” I wink. “See you soon.”
“Love you,” she calls after me as I skate away, my heart pounding in my chest with nerves already.
“Love you, too,” I reply, trying to swallow the way I feel light in the head. Tonight is huge , and while I’m almost one hundred percent sure Addy will say yes, there’s always the possibility she might change her mind.
Never mind the fact she talks about having kids all the time now.
She started using a generative app that predicts what kids will look like, and I swear, she saves them and sends them to Penny and her sister more than she wants to admit.
Someday, our kids are going to be so confused when they see those.
I shake my head as I make my way off the ice and into the locker room to strip down.
“Tonight’s the night, yeah?” Dylan asks me, raising a brow. “You think she’ll say yes?”
“Y’all should be married already,” Cam grumbles, rolling his eyes. “You could’ve been married a decade ago.”
I shrug. “If only.”
“I’m excited for you,” Kade chimes in, tossing his stuff into his bag. “Won’t be long before we’ll have a bunch of kids running around the rink. I think that’ll be awesome.”
“Why does everyone always assume that I’m going to marry Addy, and then bam , there’ll be kids?” I chuckle.
“Have you seen those little pictures Addy sends?” Kade bursts into a fit of obnoxious laughter. “I swear they never end. She’s so determined to figure out what your kids will look like since you have polar-opposite features.”
“She’s just… ambitious.” My face heats up. I can’t wait to build a family with Addy, and the grace she’s extended to me over figuring out how to be in a relationship has been incredible. However, I learned pretty quickly that I really was already boyfriend material. Funny how that works.
I spend the next twenty minutes taking a quick shower. I change into a pair of dark-wash jeans and a plain white T-shirt. We aren’t fancy, and we like it that way—most of the time. I double-check the ring is in my pocket and head out of the locker room, meeting Addy in the hallway.
“Hi,” she greets, batting her pretty lashes. “Where to?”
“The car?” I play dumb. “Where else?”
“Oh my gosh, are you going to tell me what we’re doing? What if I’m not dressed right?” She grabs my hand and lets me lead her out into the parking lot.
“You’ll just have to see.” I head straight for my Jeep and open the door for her.
“Ugh.” She pretends to huff as she climbs in. She folds her arms across her chest in the most adorable way, pretending to be annoyed as I jog around to the driver’s side and climb in. She’s going to be so confused by where we’re about to go. But I can’t help it. It’s just too perfect.
We ride in silence as I navigate across town, finally pulling into a dimly lit parking lot—the same one where I told her I loved her for real.
She makes a funny face as I pull into a spot and put the car in park. “Blaze, are we going to some kind of party?”
“No.”
“Okay, this is just too weird. Why are we in a parking lot?”
I take a deep breath, roll down the windows, and grab my phone. I navigate to “Somebody to You”—the revamped version. The same song I’ve always dedicated to her. “Come on.”
“Blaze, what are we doing?”
“We’re dancing,” I tell her as I jump out. She reluctantly follows suit, and I meet her in the space in front of the Jeep. I pull her to me, and we start dancing in the headlights, in the middle of a desolate parking lot.
Addy giggles in my arms as I spin her in circles, neither one of us the most skilled at what we’re doing. I take a long, deep breath as the song comes to a close, and I tug her into me, giving her a kiss.
And then I drop to one knee.
Her eyes grow wide as I dig out the little black box in my pocket. “Oh my gosh…” Tears instantly begin to fall, and I haven’t even said anything yet.
“Adeline Harper Williams,” I begin, clearing my throat. “I was going to ask you to marry me at the hockey rink, but that seemed a little too cliché, so … I brought you to the very place where I finally made things right between us. I’ve spent my whole life wanting a family and a place to call home. And you’ve become just that. I love you. And I want to make a home with you. Will you marry—”
“ YES! ” Addy shouts before I can even finish.
I burst into laughter as she throws her arms around my neck, planting a kiss right on my mouth with a force that nearly takes me to the ground. I deepen the kiss as the song starts to repeat, knowing I’ll never get enough of her.
Forever.