Chapter 26 - Nate
I left for the rink today with a smile on my face because of her. She sent me a selfie on the back of a horse, with the rolling pastures and mountains in the background, letting me know she is thinking of me and cannot wait to see me on the ice tonight.
My smile held all the way to the rink when I patted my pocket, thinking about the gift I had for Tessa, and didn't drop until Jamie came running up, asking for confirmation that Tessa would be at the game and verifying her seat number.
Home openers always feel different, that charged mix of nerves, anticipation, and expectation.
You can feel it before you even hit the tunnel. The fans pounding on the glass, the energy that lights me up from within, the music and the excitement.
But tonight, there’s something else in the air.
Her.
When I step out for warmups, I scan the lower bowl automatically, a ritual I don’t admit to anyone, where I casually scan the season seats I bought for my family.
The ones that, lately, sit empty or are filled with unfamiliar faces.
But tonight, I am not looking for them, I am looking for her. It doesn’t take long.
There she is.
Tessa.
Section 104, row two. My jersey hugs her body, the number “19” and my last name on her back like a brand.
But that isn't what makes me almost stumble on the ice.
Because she isn't alone. My whole damn family surrounds her, Eli, Kenzie, Mom, and Dad, all jammed together, faces lit with the kind of pride that hits you square in the ribs.
I didn’t know they were coming.
Tessa must’ve convinced them.
I love her so fucking much. It's like she can make the impossible possible.
Kenzie waves something glittery and so her, a homemade sign that says, “Captain of My Heart.” I catch Tessa laughing at it, shaking her head, cheeks pink.
I don't think; my body moves like it knows where it belongs.
Before I know it, I am up against the glass, a gloved hand banging on it, with a grin taking over my whole face.
This close, I can see that my family is in my jerseys and team gear too.
The seats in front of Tessa are still empty, so she climbs over them ungracefully, eliciting a snort from Kenzie, and places her hand where my glove is.
Her smile makes my chest swell; it makes everything else disappear.
"You going to score a goal for me, Captain?"
"For you? Anything!" And I mean it.
A flash to my left brings me back to reality.
So, I wave to my family and get back to warming up.
By the time the anthem ends, my gloves are already damp.
I skate to center ice, Reeves to my right and Anders to my left.
I lock eyes with the player across from me, showing him exactly what he is in for. This is my arena.
The puck drops, and it’s all muscle memory and a team that knows how to play together. My heart is hammering with adrenaline. The crowd feels alive. Every check, every shift, every push feels sharper. We play hard. Switching things up, keeping them guessing.
Then it happens, a clean breakout from our zone. Colby finds McKenna on the rush; they try to charge the rookie, but he chips it back across to me, and that is all I need.
Wrist shot.
Far side.
Top shelf.
The light flares with the goal horn, and the crowd goes wild.
I find her instantly. Tessa’s on her feet, hair loose around her, waving both hands over her head, bursting with excitement. Eli’s high-fiving Kenzie. Mom looks like she might be crying. Dad’s standing, arms crossed but proud. I skate right for her, pointing so she knows that was for her.
The camera pans just in time to catch it, all of it, blasted across the Jumbotron in real-time: Captain Carson’s First of the Season and the girl who stole his heart.
The crowd goes wild.
They start chanting my name, but I swear I can only hear one voice, hers.
After the game, the press gauntlet starts. We shower, suit up, and file into the media room. The lights are blinding, the air too warm, the microphones shoved in close.
I smile. Answer everything they throw at me.
About the team. The season. The goal.
Then, because they all know.
The questions shift to her.
Even the questions that aren't directly about my personal life feel coded for her.
She’s become the shorthand for everything good about me.
And I let it happen.
I tell myself it’s fine, that I can have it all. She will understand that this is all a part of being with someone who plays sports at this level.
But when the interviews finally wrap, the static under my skin doesn’t fade.
I find her near the player exit. She is a vision, cheeks pink, eyes bright, in my jersey, a dark blue that could almost be purple, that sets off the colour of her hair. She’s standing beside my mom, laughing at something Eli said.
The picture they paint is so beautiful, in the most ordinary way, that it nearly undoes me.
She sees me before I can call out. That smile again, the one that starts small, builds, then takes over her whole face.
“Hey, Captain,” she teases when I reach her.
“Hey, Red.”
And just like that, I forget the cameras, the pressure, the world around us.
I grab her, pull her in, and kiss her right there in front of everyone, my family, teammates, the media. It’s not planned, probably not smart. But it’s real. It's us.
Her hands clutch my suit jacket, and when she kisses me back, the noise fades.
Kenzie whistles. Someone behind us whoops. I think it’s Petrov.
I pull back, forehead resting against hers. “I missed you.”
“I think you are getting a little attached,” she murmurs, smiling.
“I think you might be stuck with me.”
She laughs softly. That sound will kill me someday.
Flashes go off to our side, and Tessa stiffens in my arms. Her eyes drift to the press, and I squeeze her, "Just ignore them."
She huffs, but her eyes meet mine again, "Easier said than done. Not sure how you handle this all the time."
"You get used to it," And I really hope she will.
She gives me a small reassuring smile, but I am not sure if it is for her or me. "Are you able to join us for dinner? I thought maybe we could take your family out."
A few more flashes go off, and Tessa instinctively steps in closer to me.
"I have a few more things I need to do before I head out."
"Ok, ah... I can just take them out. Call me later?"
Shit, I said that wrong, she thinks I don't want to see them tonight. "No."
'No?"
“Go with my family to my place instead,” I say. “I am sure everyone is tired after a long day. You would all probably be more comfortable in the privacy of my place. Order dinner, make yourself at home. I’ll meet you there in an hour or so.”
She hesitates. “Will the doorman let us in?”
That’s when I reach into my suit pocket, reaching for the key that I had made for her yesterday. Small, silver, attached to a leather horse keychain I had made just for her.
I was supposed to give it to her tonight, alone. Quietly. I had a whole thing planned out.
But she’s standing here with my family waiting behind her. The way she makes me feel is like the world might finally make sense, and it feels like the only right time.
Like, I don't want to wait for anything with her.
I take her hand and press the key into her palm. “Now you can let yourself in whenever you want.”
She looks down, frowning for a second, like her brain’s catching up to what just happened. Then her breath hitches. Her eyes lift to mine. “You’re giving me a key to your place?”
“Yeah.” My throat tightens. “I told you, I would move you in if you let me.”
For a second, she doesn’t say anything; she just stares at the key, thumb tracing the small horse charm. Then she whispers, “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
She lets out a shaky laugh and wraps her arms around my neck, whispering against my ear, “Nate, this is crazy. Are you sure?”
And that’s when the flashes start. When people start calling out our names, that's when the questions start. I fucking forgot they were there.
Tessa pulls her arms away and wraps them around herself, like she too forgot we were in public, like she needs to protect herself from this moment.
I tighten my arm around her. “Ignore them,” I say lowly. “Just look at me.”
And she does. Her big dark blue eyes lock on mine, and she gives me a nod. Like she's telling me she's here with me, she trusts me.
I move her away from the media group and leave her with my family.
By the time I make it out of the building, the night’s cool, but my blood’s still running hot. The city lights stretch across the windshield as I drive home, pulse syncing to the beat of my blinker.
When I walk into the penthouse, the sound of laughter greets me. Kenzie is on the couch with Mom, talking animatedly. Eli is at the big floor-to-ceiling window talking with Dad.
And Tessa, barefoot in my hoodie, hair pulled up, is working her way around the kitchen pulling out plates and cutlery.
The sight of her in my space waiting for me to come home feels bigger than the goal did.
She looks up when I step in. “You’re home,” she says softly.
I nod, throat tight. “Yeah. I’m home.”
I cross the room in three strides, pull her up into my arms, and kiss her like I’m trying to sear it into memory.
When we finally break apart, she leans her forehead against mine, smiling. “You okay?”
“Better now,” I admit.
I place my hand on the back of her neck and press another hard kiss to her lip, before wrapping myself around her and soaking in the moment. The sound of my family in the background feels like some kind of peace I didn’t know I was missing.
When was the last time they were all here?
Dad and Eli join us in the kitchen, Dad pulling me in for a hug, telling me I played a great game. Mom and Kenzie join us when the food arrives, my mom promising me she wanted to help Tessa in the kitchen, but she was banished to the couch.
The evening is perfect.
And I know exactly why.
Later, when everyone’s gone and the apartment is quiet, I carry her to bed. The lights are low, the city spilling in soft, gold, and blue through the windows.
I have this desperate need to be inside her, connected.
It’s not wild or desperate. It’s slow. Reverent.
We make love.
Every kiss is an apology for the things I haven’t told her yet.
Every touch is a promise I might not be able to keep.
When she finally falls asleep, head on my chest, I lie there listening to her breathe.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand.
A message from my GM.
"Great job tonight, both on and off the ice. You’re exactly what we needed, and she’s exactly who we needed. The kiss walking out of the tunnel. The Key. Brilliant Nate. Keep it up, Captain."
The words make my gut sour.
I look down at Tessa, and the guilt slides in cold and sharp under my ribs.
I press a kiss to her hair and whisper,
“I will figure this out, fix this. I promise.”
But even as I say it, I’m not sure if I’m still talking about the team…
or about us.