Chapter Two
Matt
Sixteen years was a long time to be pining over one person.
But if everything worked out in my favor, I’d only have to pine for three more years.
I’d been waiting rather impatiently for my twenty-fifth birthday, the day a certain deal would take effect.
“If we’re both single by the time we’re twenty-five, we’ll get married.”
El’s words, not mine.
But you know damn well I agreed to it.
Fifteen years old seemed like far too young of an age to be making an offer like that, and who the hell knew how much weight it still held in her eyes today, but I’d been gripping onto it as if it were my lifeline.
I was fine with being her back-up plan. More than fine with it, actually.
And when the day came that we were married— which it would, I’d swear on it— it would be the greatest high of my life.
Meanwhile, the second greatest high of my life was happening right now.
Following the lead of my teammates, I charged towards Cody, our goalie, as hockey sticks and gloves flew through the air, abandoned along the ice for the best reason possible.
With no regard for safety, we leapt into each other at the far end of the rink, and within seconds, the whole team was there. Some were jumping and cheering, others had tears in their eyes.
I was somewhere in-between.
Everything was so unbelievable that it was all swirling around in my mind like a tidal whirlpool.
A life’s worth of work had led up to this moment for our entire team. Some of us wondered if we’d ever experience this feeling at all, and now, here it was.
NCAA national champions.
Most of the Boston University players hung their heads as they made their way out of the rink. Others dropped to their knees or even laid on the ice, wallowing in their grief of the loss.
I couldn’t blame them. They’d just watched all their hopes and dreams get engulfed in flames within a split second.
After the end of regulation, our team had been all out of gas.
Saying we were playing on “E” was an understatement.
It truly wasn’t looking good for us, and Boston University definitely thought going into overtime that they had it in the bag.
But with a tied game and a trophy on the line, we somehow got our shit together, and of course, it was Crew with an assist from Lane that scored the winning goal.
I was sure the goal would’ve been more sentimental if this was their last game together, but they were both heading to Chicago to play for the Blackhawks after this.
So, even though they’d continue playing together, this was most likely the last game the rest of us would ever play with them. That’s why this win meant even more.
The goal sirens were still blaring, and we didn’t hurry to the next step, didn’t leave the group hug. Instead, we savored the moment together, soaking in every second of this victory.
There was no rush to get off the ice. No rush to grab the trophy we had previously been so desperate for. No rush to leave the sound of thousands of people screaming throughout the arena.
The euphoria was seeping into our blood like a drug, and we were all feeding off each other’s excitement.
Peeling away one by one, we skated through a maze of helmets, sticks, and gloves. Scanning the faces shouting through the glass, I looked for the one I wanted to see, searching briefly for my own jersey that I knew was draped down to her knees right now.
But El was nowhere to be found in the chaos.
Coach had his head in his hands when I reached him alongside the other boys. He hugged us all individually, full of pride as he congratulated us.
Cameras were surrounding us, capturing every moment. I couldn’t wait to see the footage later.
Custom-made hats were brought out, and we happily put them on, our first token of the championship win.
After everyone cut a piece of the goal nets to keep, and Lane accepted the trophy on our behalf before it got passed around for photos, we all retreated to the locker room, where t-shirts were waiting for us, along with a beaming Coach.
He held up a puck. “Game winning puck goes to Nicholas.”
Everyone hollered as Crew stepped up, laughing. Coach was the only person who refused to call him by his last name.
Coach Palmer was a hard-ass ninety-nine percent of the time. But beyond every insult, every correction, every burst of anger, lied a father figure.
We’d never seen him in this state of emotion before, not even after winning the conference title back-to-back.
Cedar U had won a handful of NCAA tournaments over the course of the school’s history, but none during Coach Palmer’s tenure. So, this was a new experience for all of us.
Coach was beaming so blithely that it looked like rays of sunshine were illuminating off him instead of his usual flames. Eyes sparkling and a proud smile temporarily tattooed on his face, he stood like a solider, glancing over each and every one of us.
“Just as a reminder, bus leaves tomorrow morning at eight a.m. sharp. And you will not be allowed on that bus unless you are absolutely, horrifically hungover,” Coach said with a sly smirk.
The locker room exploded in howls and claps, and after all the noise from tonight, my eardrums were starting to go numb.
Fanning his hands up and down, Coach signaled for us to hush. “Go take a minute to see your families. Be back in twenty for our post-game obligations.”
Coach’s wife and 3-year-old daughter were here somewhere, and I’d bet he was eager to see them, as was everyone else with their own families.
But I was the first one out the door.
Still in all my gear, minus my helmet and skates, I did my best to dodge reporters as I hiked through the arena, stopping once for a quick photo with Cedar U fans.
I knew that El’s family and mine were seated in section one-twenty, but when I got there, they were all gone.
An exasperated huff rolled off my chest.
People were still crawling around the arena, and I was trying not to draw attention to myself, which would’ve been much easier if I’d changed prior to sprinting out of the locker room.
“Mattie!”
Spinning around so quickly that I nearly fell into the seats, it felt like my heart went back to a steady, healthy beat for the first time all night.
There she was. My favorite person.
El was running down the steps, her sugar sweet smile drawing me closer.
“You’re a fucking champion!” she squealed, jumping into me.
I chuckled against her, overwhelmed by the luscious scent of her rose shampoo, a stark difference to how disgusting I probably smelled right now.
Setting her on her feet, I soaked her all in. The Cedar U logo took up her entire chest, black jersey nearly covering her knees, exactly like I knew it would be.
It’d been so long since I got to see her wear my jersey, and every time, it drove me absolutely nuts in the greatest way.
She was my best friend, so it made sense for her to rep my name and number. But of course, I wished she wore it for a little more than that.
With her caramel hair pulled into a low pony that was hanging over her small shoulder, El looked up at me like I was some sort of God.
“I can’t even believe it,” I said.
“You guys should all be so proud of yourselves,” she smiled, pulling me in for another hug.
“Oh, Matt!” a high-pitched voice rasped nearby.
Another voice I could recognize from anywhere. My mother.
Pride pouring out of her with the force of a hurricane, my mother squeezed carefully past El, arms wrapping so tightly around me that I was surprised she didn’t crush my lungs.
“Ah,” I groaned. “Mom, you’re hugging me really tight.”
“Oops, sorry, honey,” she drew back, grabbing the hem of my jersey and tugging it down to straighten it out. “I’m just so proud of you. We all are.”
“Thanks, Mom. Where is everyone?”
She gestured, “They’re around here somewhere. Let’s get a picture of you two though! With your matching jerseys.”
Switching places again, El and I wrapped our arms around each other’s backs and smiled for my vivacious mother.
I knew exactly what this photo was going to look like.
Me— with my damp, helmet hair and greasy-looking post-game skin.
And El— with her beautifully glossed lips and cheeks tinted pink like a porcelain doll. All pretty and polished like always.
“Aw,” Mom gushed. “You two would seriously make the cutest couple.”
“Mom,” I groaned, catching El’s awkward chuckle as she turned away.
This wasn’t new. My mother wanted us to get married. El’s father, Mac, would probably go into cardiac arrest if it ever happened.
They were absolute best friends, practically siblings, having been in each other’s lives since high school, but they were polar opposites when it came to the thought of El and me together.
I knew Mac loved me like a son, often acting as if I was the son he never had. However, and he would probably never admit it, but I was convinced he didn’t think I was good enough for his daughter.
I couldn’t disagree.
“Yeeeeeesssssss!”
Ah, geez.
My sister was always loud and obnoxious on a normal day; of course, she was extra deafening right now.
“Jade—”
“Congrats, brother!” her puny hand met my chest, pushing me so hard that I stumbled back a step.
For a girl that was the size of my pinky, standing at five-one, I had no idea where she got her strength from. It was beyond uncanny.
“Thanks, Jade.”
As the rest of our group appeared, I was relieved when someone finally suggested we switch locations. We stepped out of the actual arena and gathered in the corridor.
“So, are you going back to the hotel after this?” I asked Jade, even though I already knew the answer. Teasing was how I showed my brotherly love.
“Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled, arms crossed. “I mean, I’m assuming you guys are all going out and I can’t get in, so...”
I knew exactly what she wanted to hear. Unfortunately for her, the answer was— hell no.
“That’s true. Loser,” I pointed at her, chuckling.
Jade’s scoff slowly turned to a sappy smirk. “But I’m sure if I went with you, they’d let me in.”
“That was a nice try.” Jokingly, I swatted her lightly on the side of the head before backing away slowly. “Have fun at the hotel.”
“Asshole,” she grumbled at me.
Maybe I was a bit of an asshole for that. But in my defense, I was trying to have fun tonight, to celebrate our win, our hard work, and our final hoorah as a team. The last thing I wanted to do was babysit my eighteen-year-old sister at the bar.
Mac’s stern voice could put a skilled mercenary on edge. “Matt.”
Glancing over, his grin eased me, arms extending for a hug.
When I was growing up, this man was my idol. Even today, he still was in a lot of ways. With an unmatched personality and insane success as the owner of a supply chain company, he was what I’d always strived to be.
I wasn’t taller than Mac until I was sixteen, and now, I had a solid four inches on him, towering over him as he gave me a hug at lightning speed.
I didn’t blame him. I was repulsive right now.
“You played great,” he said. “We’re all very proud.”
Giddiness rode up my spine any time Mac said he was proud of me. It always meant a lot when anyone said it, like my parents or especially Coach, since Coach’s compliments were few and far between. But there was something about Mac’s approval that was always extra special to me.
“Thank you,” I nodded once.
“Congratulations, Matt,” Lo appeared from thin air, her fiancé, Ezra, trailing behind her.
“Lo,” I smiled, “thank you.” Twenty-four and finally settled into her new pharmacist job and engagement, Lo was already so successful. I knew El would follow in regard to her father’s and sister’s success, and I had no idea where I’d fall into that mix.
I offered a hug for Lo and a handshake for Ezra.
“Mattie!” El pranced over. Standing beside her dad, they were so different, yet so alike. She had all the looks of her mother, but the hardness and drive of her father.
“Yeah?”
“Are we celebrating later?”
“Of course,” I smiled. There was no way in hell I wasn’t bringing her out with us tonight.
With the few minutes left that I had, I spoke to my parents, and promised El that I’d come find her again as soon as possible.