Epilogue
One Year Later
Bryce
“Bryce, you’re here,” Sandy calls out as I enter the SOAPs’ section of the arena. “I thought you couldn’t make it tonight?”
“I switched shifts with someone.” I give hugs all around to the other partners of Bodie’s team members as I chuckle inwardly at Sandy. She practically begged me to take off work and come tonight.
These women have accepted me with ease over the past year.
I was so worried about coming to Bodie’s first game, and he insisted I sit in the WAG section.
After meeting his teammates and coming out almost immediately to them, he was confident I wouldn’t have any issues—and he was right.
Some of these women have saved me from complete boredom on away-game weeks.
Shortly after my arrival last year, they took it upon themselves to petition the team management to officially rename their section and box seats SOAPs.
Management didn’t even think twice about it.
The guys come out for warm-ups, and some of them come up to the glass to wave to their families.
It’s the cutest thing to see these big guys be so sweet for their kids in front of the crowd.
Bodie mentioned it last week and asked if I’ve thought about having a baby any time soon.
We decided we weren’t ready yet but are hopeful for one in the future.
“How is married life?” Lisa is the first to acknowledge what we did while in Vegas this past weekend. “You are wild, but I’m so happy for you both.”
“Wait, what did I miss?” Stacey chimes in, and I laugh at their nosiness.
“Bryce surprised Bodie while the team was in Vegas, and they got married at one of those fancy places.”
“Yeah. No Elvis impersonators in sight.” I chuckle.
I’m suddenly bombarded with half a dozen wives and girlfriends with more hugs and congratulations.
“Ladies, thank you. Really, it was a spur-of-the-moment idea.” I remember boarding the plane and having a tornado brewing in my stomach. “I didn’t know if he would say yes, but I took a chance.”
“Are you kidding? Of course that man said yes. He thinks you shoot fireworks out of your ass.” Sandy’s husband, Tanner, is the closest team member to Bodie. I had told her my plans so I could find where Bodie was when I arrived at the hotel.
“Sandy, the kids. Shhh.” April covers her daughter’s ears with her headphones.
“Oh my. I’m sorry April,” Sandy whispers.
“Now you whisper.” I laugh along with April and the ladies. They really are a fun crowd.
Once the game starts, we get into our normal routine of anxious messes until the Tornadoes start scoring goal after goal and leading 5-1 by the end of the second period.
When the guys come back from the second intermission with fire in their eyes, we know this game is in the bag.
The ladies start packing up after the win, but Sandy turns to me with hesitation. “Hey, can we hang out for a bit and talk?”
“Sure, what’s going on?” The wariness in her eyes makes me worried. “Are you okay?”
“Not here. Give me five minutes to pee and freshen up. Meet me in the tunnel?”
“Okay, sure.”
We part ways, and I go hang out in the tunnel near the guys’ locker room. When it’s been ten minutes with no sight of her, I go to call her and stop when a text comes through.
Sandy
Hey. Can you come to the conference room on the second floor? I got caught up talking to one of the entertainment reps.
Me
Sure. Be right there.
Bodie hasn’t come out of the locker room yet, so I still have plenty of time to get up there. When I arrive at the door to the conference room, Bodie comes running down the hall.
“Hey, Oz. What are you doing here?” He hugs me, and I’m wondering the same thing.
“I was going to surprise you after the game, but Sandy wanted to talk and asked me to meet up with her here.” His squinting eyes and tilted head tell me he’s as confused as I am.
“Tanner told me we were having a team meeting in here.”
I shake my head and open the doors.
“Surprise!” Bodie stumbles backward at the unified shout from the entire team and their significant others.
“What is this?” I ask, still in shock.
“Since you numbskulls went and got hitched with no one around, we’re throwing you a reception,” Tanner says as he walks up to me with my mother.
“Mom?” I scoop her up into my arms.
“Hi, baby. You didn’t think I’d let you get away with this, did you?” She slaps me on one shoulder as Calisse walks up next to her and smacks the other one.
“Yeah. What the hell were you guys thinking?” I see Calisse’s eyes focus behind me with knitted brows. I turn to find Bodie still outside the door, surrounded by some of his teammates, staring at me.
“I think he needs me. Be right back.”
I walk up behind him and squeeze him tightly. When he lets go of the air that seemed to be trapped in his lungs, I finish counting and kiss his cheek. “I love you, beautiful,” I whisper in his ear as the guys around us chatter with the rest of our newfound family members.
“I love you, Oz. Thanks.”
“Of course.”
“What’s wrong with you fellas? Get in here and party some.”
“Mom? Dad?” Bodie runs into his mother’s arms while his father comes my way.
“Now, Bryce. You know I love you, but if you ever think of doing something spontaneous like that again, we’re going to have a conversation.” Bodie’s father pats me on the back in a half-hug, a grin on his face.
“Yes, sir.” I return the embrace with a smile.
The party gets underway, and everyone is having a great time. About forty minutes later, the team’s coach comes in with a box.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?
” He waits for everyone to quiet down. “We’re so lucky to have Bodie Foster on our team.
He’s done some incredible work over the past year, but unfortunately, we need to make a change.
” There are a couple gasps in the room, and a horrible feeling runs through my body.
But when I look over at Sandy with a big smile on her face, the fear subsides.
“Since these damn fools went and got married, we had to make a rush order for this,” Coach says as he hands the box to Bodie.
My husband opens the box like a kid on Christmas, then holds up his new jersey and reads it aloud.
“Foster-Coleman.” When the tears well up in his eyes and he looks over at Tanner, his buddy closes the distance and gives him a big hug.
I hear Bodie whisper, “You told them?” as the partygoers begin to clap and cheer.
We haven’t told anyone else that Bodie wanted to hyphenate our names.
Bodie finds his way to me, holding up the jersey. “I’m really yours now.”
I smile at this beautiful man and tell him what we always knew but just needed a small push to figure out. “No, Bodie. You were always mine. We were meant to find each other. In this life, and the next.”
He nods as his tears finally spill over, and I take him into my arms to get the twenty seconds I’ve come to need just as much as I need him.