Bonus Epilogue #3
I’ll have to fuck him extra good to make up for it later.
Alexander
Three to two.
The score is too close. Closer than I’d like for the third period in the cup final. If the other team gets past Trenton, we’re going into overtime.
We can’t let that happen.
I bend low in the faceoff circle, every muscle in my body screaming after the last two grueling periods. The Sharks aren’t making it easy on us.
My pulse pounds in my ears.
Sweat drips down into my eyes as I blink to clear my vision.
I stare down my opponent, clenching hard on my mouthguard.
My fingers tighten around my stick.
I breathe in and out in slow, controlled breaths.
The puck falls from the referee’s hand, dropping onto the ice.
I snatch it before anyone has time to react.
The arena roars around me as I pass it to McKinley. Chance is on him in an instant, battling for possession of the puck.
McKinley shoots it back to me as I fly around the back of the net, looking for an opening. It’s too dangerous to pass it to anyone, so I keep it as I circle around the goalie.
My team works to keep the defenders off my back, but they’ve blocked half my shots all night. Frustration creeps its way into my bloodstream, coiling the muscles in my neck.
Breathe, Alex.
Focus.
Look for an opening.
Be patient.
Chance shoves me against the boards, but I maintain possession. I fly around the back of the net again, and then I see it.
Without thinking or hesitating, I take the shot.
I slap my stick against the puck and shoot it through the goalie’s legs.
He crouches down, dropping to his knees, blocking the puck with his pads.
Or at least, he tries.
The buzzer sounds, and I drop my stick, staring at the scoreboard.
Four to two.
That’s it.
We just secured the win.
With only three seconds left.
McKinley crashes into me first. “You fucking did it! You did it!”
Jason and the rest of my team surrounds me, slapping me with their gloves and sticks.
I fight to peer over my shoulder, looking for Trenton. He flies across the ice, tearing off his helmet, and crashes into us with tears streaming down his face.
We won.
I blink back the emotion blurring my vision.
We won the Stanley Cup for the second time.
After the formalities are over, the rink opens up and our families join us on the ice. Celeste and Kourtney each take Cassidy’s arms, leading her carefully onto the rink until Trenton is able to get to her.
“Daddy!”
My eyes pull toward the familiar voice, not as small and high-pitched as it used to be, but still a sound I’d know anywhere. Giuliana slides into me, her unruly curls bouncing, piled high atop her head. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight against me.
My very first baby.
My whole world.
“Daddy, you did it! You won!”
“Of course, I did. I had my good luck charm with me.”
She giggles, because she knows it’s true. I always win games whenever she’s in the stands.
Aarya finally makes her way to me, holding her phone in her hand. She jumps into my arms, and I squeeze her tight as I spin her in a circle.
“I’m so proud of you, my love.”
I set her down and press my lips against hers. “Thank you, baby.”
She holds the phone up so I can see. Annie, my old nanny and longtime family friend, is on FaceTime at home with a sleeping Zara in her arms. She tilts the camera and Matthias’ sleepy face fills the screen.
“Hi, my boy.”
He grins. “Da-da.”
“Congratulations, Alex,” Annie says.
“Love you, Annie. Give a kiss to my kids for me.”
After the call ends, I hoist Giuliana on my shoulders. “God, this gets harder every time I do it.”
“That’s because I’m older now.” She clutches onto both sides of my head as she pumps her fist in the air. “Goldfinches, baby! We won!”
Looking around at my teammates sharing this moment with their loved ones, I lose the control I have on my emotions.
I don’t take any moment in this life for granted. Especially not after almost losing everything. Waking up from a coma has given me a second chance at life, and I don’t plan on wasting it.
Before the team makes their way back into the locker room, we decide on where we want to celebrate after.
“I invited Landon and Ainsley,” Trenton says.
They’ve been hanging out a bunch over the last couple of months, and it makes me happy to know he’ll have some friends here while our team is on the road after he retires.
Aarya tilts her head. “They’re coming together? Don’t they hate each other?”
Trenton grins. “They’re dating now.”
My head tilts back as I laugh. “Now this is a story I have to hear.”
“Uh, babe...” Cassidy’s eyes are as wide as saucers as she tugs on Trenton’s hand.
Trenton glances down at his wife. “What’s the matter, Cass?”
She gestures to her jeans.
We all look down at the same time.
The denim around her crotch and thighs are tinted darker than the rest of her legs.
Like they’re wet.
Trenton’s eyebrows pinch together. “What happened?”
“My water just broke.”
THE END