Chapter 33
It’s the end of March and Viktor’s birthday.
Usually Viktor doesn’t celebrate his birthday at all — he treats it like any other day, quiet and low-key, which is exactly why the entire team looked so confused when I called everyone over to his place for a barbecue.
I wore him down. Slowly. With lots of whining, kissing, and promises that it would just be the team and nothing crazy.
He finally gave in with a long-suffering sigh and a kiss to my forehead that said he was only doing it for me.
Unfortunately for him, I know nothing about barbecues.
Thankfully Mats is a master at them. As much as I still glare at him every time I remember him coming out of that bedroom with my sister on New Year’s — Lena is here now, glued to his side and laughing like an idiot at whatever that fucker is saying — I asked him to take care of the grill.
He’s been out there flipping burgers and looking way too pleased with himself.
“You good, Hollywood?” Damian appears out of fucking nowhere, startling me a little.
“Huh?” I ask, blinking up at him.
“You’ve been staring into the fire for the past ten minutes without moving,” Damian says, cane planted beside him.
I look up at him and narrow my eyes. It’s impossible this man doesn’t know what Viktor did. “Coach…” I start.
“Absolutely not, Cole,” Damian says immediately.
“You don’t even know what I wanted to say,” I huff, crossing my arms.
“I know it’s stupid,” Damian rolls his eyes.
I glare harder. “You know something, don’t you.”
Damian smirks, that scarred mouth twitching. “I know many things, Hollywood.”
“Mhm… such as?” I ask, leaning in a little.
“Are you questioning me?” Damian asks, one eyebrow raised.
“No, sir,” I pout, looking away.
The fire crackles between us as I go back to staring at it, mind still spinning. Viktor is inside grabbing more drinks, completely unaware of the silent interrogation happening out here. Or maybe he is. With him it’s hard to tell.
“Do you know something?” Damian asks.
“I know many things… sir,” I turn it back on him, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
Damian glares at me. “Such as?”
“Such as, if after playoffs Viktor and I silently move to a different country you shouldn’t be surprised,” I blurt before I can stop myself.
Damian actually slaps me upside the head firm enough to make me yelp. “Idiot. You’re not moving anywhere.”
I whine, rubbing the back of my head dramatically. “And why not??”
“Because there’s no reason for you to go anywhere. Besides… Elias would… murder you,” Damian says, smirking down at me.
“Why would I murder you?” Elias suddenly appears out of fucking nowhere, clearly catching just the last thing Damian said. Jesus, what is it with these two appearing out of thin air like hockey ninjas?
“No reason, Curls,” I grin, trying to look as innocent as a man who just suggested international relocation can look.
Elias narrows his eyes at both of us, suspicious. “You two are being weird again. Should I be worried?”
“Absolutely not,” Damian and I say at the same time.
Elias looks even more suspicious. “Mhm. Sure.”
The fire crackles between us as I go back to poking at it with a stick, heart still racing from almost spilling everything. Viktor is going to kill me if he finds out I’m out here interrogating his coach about potential murder cover-ups.
“I should… go find the birthday boy,” I excuse myself, already backing away from Damian and Elias.
Elias snickers at the word “boy” when Viktor is more mountain than boy, but I don’t stick around for the teasing. I run off to find my man.
I find him in the hallway with Roman, both of them talking in Russian. The second Viktor sees me his whole face softens. I attach myself to his side immediately, wrapping my arms around his waist and looking up at him with the biggest, sappiest smile I can manage.
“Happy birthday, big guy,” I purr up at him in my clumsy but improving Russian.
Viktor smiles and wraps one big arm around me, pulling me closer. “Thank you, little bird.”
“So… I wanna show you something,” I say, already tugging at his hand to pull him toward the bedroom.
“Cole… we have guests… which you insisted on. This is not the time for that,” Viktor says when he realizes where I’m leading him.
“Pervert,” I huff, cheeks heating as I close the bedroom door behind us once we’re inside. I let go of his hand just long enough to grab the envelope I hid earlier and push it into his hands. “Open it.”
Viktor looks down at the envelope, then back at me, one eyebrow raised. He opens it carefully.
Inside are two passports. Not real ones, obviously. But good enough. His says Victor Morozov. He raises an eyebrow at the spelling but doesn’t comment. The second one has my picture in it.
Oliver Morozov.
“Cole…” Viktor starts, but I’m already dropping to one knee, pulling out the small ring box I’ve been carrying around for weeks.
He freezes when he sees me there on the floor, ring box open, the simple black band with a thin silver inlay catching the light. The realization hits him — why both passports have the same last name. Why I did this.
I swallow hard, tears already prickling at the corners of my eyes as I look up at him.
“I love you,” I start, voice shaking but steady.
“I love you so much it scares the shit out of me sometimes. I know what you did. I know why you did it. And I’m still here.
I’m still on my knees asking you to spend the rest of your life with me because none of it changes how I feel.
You protected me when I needed it most. You held me through every panic attack, every spiral, every time I thought the world was ending.
You put my tongue piercing back in after every game like it’s the most important ritual in the world.
You make me mac and cheese when I’m sad.
You let me drag you to a birthday party you didn’t want because I asked.
You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Viktor Petrov.
I don’t care about the past. I don’t care what you had to do to keep me safe.
I just want forever with you. Please say yes.
Marry me. Be my husband. Let me be yours completely. ”
I’m crying now, tears slipping down my cheeks as I hold the ring box up to him with a trembling hand.
Viktor stares down at me for a long, heavy moment. Then he drops to his knees in front of me, cupping my face with both hands and kissing me like the world is ending and beginning all at once. “Yes,” he whispers against my lips. “Yes, my love. Always yes.”
I grin like a complete lunatic and tackle him, knocking us both back onto the floor as I slide the ring onto his finger with shaky hands. It looks perfect on him.
“So you wanna ditch Vance and go for… Morozov?” Viktor teases, scrunching up his nose at the name like it personally offends him.
“Hmm… I like Petrov better,” I say, threading my fingers through his short hair, tugging gently just because I can.
“Mmm… Even if Petrov means no running from the past anymore?” he asks.
I nod, pressing my forehead to his. “Yeah. You stopped running from your past to be with me, so I guess it’s only fair I also stop running from your past,” I tease, even as my voice cracks a little.
“That’s a good boy,” Viktor smirks, the words sending a shiver down my spine as he pulls me properly into his lap right there on the bedroom floor. “I love you, little magpie.”
I melt against him, arms wrapped tight around his neck, face buried in his shoulder as happy tears slip down my cheeks again. “I love you too. So much. Happy birthday, husband.”
We stay like that for a long time — tangled on the floor, rings catching the light, the party noise faint and distant outside the door.
“Damian definitely knows something though,” I mumble against Viktor’s shoulder, still wrapped around him like a koala.
Viktor snorts, the sound warm and fond. “Soroka, that man can smell lies from three countries away. I’d be surprised if he didn’t at least suspect.”
He kisses me again — slow and sweet — then starts getting up with me still in his arms like I weigh nothing. I wrap my arms and legs tighter around him, burying my face in his neck as he carries me through the house back toward the party.
The second we step back outside to everyone, I can’t hold it in anymore. “HE SAID YES!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
Obviously only Elias knows what Viktor said yes to — because he helped me pick the ring in secret. Everyone else looks confused as hell. Shane tilts his head like a confused golden retriever. Mats has a burger halfway to his mouth. Lena raises an eyebrow at me.
Elias, bless him, immediately screams in celebration like he just won the Cup again.
Viktor rolls his eyes and lifts his left hand to show the ring.
The team loses their minds — shouting, whistling, slapping each other on the back. Shane howls like a lunatic. Jace looks like he might cry from how happy he is. Even Damian has a small, rare smile on his face as he leans on his cane.
Lena tackles me the second Viktor sets me down, hugging me so tight I wheeze. “You absolute idiot. I’m so happy for you.”
Mats claps Viktor on the back hard enough to make him grunt. “About time, big guy.”
I’m grinning so wide my face hurts, tears still prickling at the corners of my eyes as I look up at Viktor — my fiancé — and feel the last of the fear start to settle.
We’re okay.
We’re really okay.