Epilogue
Alie
Christmas in New York is pure magic. If I hadn’t grown up here, I would almost say it seems staged. Like someone turned up the saturation on the entire city and shook a snow globe.
Lights drape across Central Park, and carriages roll past, wrapped in garland. The air smells like roasted nuts and cinnamon.
Tonight, we brought Seraphina to Wollman Rink to ice skate. She looks adorable in her tiny white coat and pink knit hat, cheeks flushed from the cold air.
We lace up inside the warming tent. Liam helps Sera with her tiny skates like he’s handling fragile glass. He’s so gentle and careful with her. And there’s an undercurrent of awe in everything they do together. Like he still can’t believe she’s real.
The rink glows under white lights strung around the perimeter. The skyline glitters behind it.
We step on the ice slowly, Sera gripping both of our hands.
“Mommy, twirl,” she demands, tugging on my hand.
Liam lets go of her other hand, and I take her hands in mine and spin us slowly in a circle.
Liam stands beside us, hands shoved into the pockets of his coat, watching the rink like he’s memorizing the moment. He looks calm. Almost … too calm.
“You sure you want to be doing this?” I tease. “We’re in the playoffs, and you can’t get injured.”
He smirks. “Baby, I’m an elite athlete.”
“You’re a football player.”
“Exactly. Elite.” He winks.
Sera tugs on his hand. “Daddy skate!”
He looks down at her like she’s his world. Because she is. We both are.
“Okay, but if I fall, don’t laugh.” He looks at her with a brow raised.
She covers her mouth with her hand, giggling.
“No laugh, Daddy.” But she shrieks when he pretends to wobble dramatically.
“Daddy fall!”
“I’m not falling.” He laughs, steadying her.
I watch them for a moment. Seeing the way he bends slightly. The way she trusts him without hesitation. It makes my chest tighten.
Just six months ago, this was fragile at best.
But now … it feels solid. We’re solid.
We skate together in a slow circle around the rink, Sera insisting on trying to glide on her own. But she only makes it three seconds before Liam scoops her up mid-wobble.
“I got you,” he says softly, kissing her cheek.
After a while—two laps—Sera gets tired and wants hot chocolate.
We find a bench. Liam comes back with our hot chocolate and sits with Sera between us.
Just like the scene on a postcard, snow starts to fall.
It’s big, soft, puffy flakes. Sera leans forward and catches snow on her tongue and giggles when she gets one, then takes a drink of cocoa.
Liam brushes some of the snow off her hat.
“You having fun, sweetheart?” he asks her.
She nods excitedly, whipped cream mustache on her lip.
Liam isn’t teasing Sera about the whipped cream mustache. He isn’t cracking one of his usual jokes. He just keeps looking at me like he’s memorizing something.
“You cold?” he asks me.
“No, I’m okay,” I say, shaking my head, then taking a sip of my own cocoa. Since it’s snowing, it’s fairly warm for a New York winter evening. Plus, I’m wearing my red coat tonight because it’s Liam’s favorite.
“Are you sure?” he asks again.
“Yes … ”
Then he stands and holds out his hand. One for me, one for Sera.
“Come with me, girls.”
Sera looks at me, then at Liam.
“Okay, but I’m not done yet.” I lift my cup.
“I’ll get you another one.”
The air suddenly feels quieter, like the whole rink is holding its breath. My stomach flips. I don’t know why, but something feels different.
Liam doesn’t joke the way he usually would. His hand tightens around mine, and he keeps glancing between Sera and me like he’s making sure we’re both right where he wants us.
We step onto the ice, snow falling around us, glittering against the lights.
“Liam,” I whisper, feeling suddenly nervous, “what are you doing?”
He takes my hands in his and looks at me with pure love.
“I’ve spent most of my life chasing things,” he says quietly. “Wins. Contracts. Being the best.”
I swallow.
“And then I found out I’d already missed the most important thing.”
My hands start to shake.
“Sera,” I whisper.
“And you,” he says, pulling me closer.
Everything seems too quiet, and I swear I can feel my heartbeat in my ears.
“I can’t get that time back,” he continues. “But I promise not to miss anymore.”
Tears sting my eyes.
“I won’t miss another Christmas. Or another birthday.”
I lift my gloved hand and wipe at my falling tears. “Liam…”
“I love you,” he says firmly. “I love you in a build-a-life way.”
My breath leaves me in a shaky exhale.
Then he drops, shakily, to one knee on the ice.
“You okay, Daddy?”
Leave it to a child to change the tone, making us both laugh.
I faintly hear someone nearby gasp, but I don’t look. Because all I can see is him.
He pulls off his gloves and takes a small velvet box from his coat pocket, then opens it. The ring catches the lights, making it sparkle.
“I want to marry you, Aliette Grant,” he says. “I want to be your husband every day for the rest of my life.”
His voice softens, like he’s trying to hold in his emotions.
“Will you marry me?”
I’m full-out crying now, and I can’t stop it. And they aren’t pretty tears. They’re overwhelming, shaking tears.
“Yes,” I breathe.
He blinks like he’s trying to make sure he heard me right.
“Yes,” I say again, louder.
The rink erupts in applause when they see him remove my glove and slide the ring onto my finger.
It fits perfectly.
He stands quickly and pulls me in for a kiss. Soft at first, then turning deeper. And when we finally pull apart, it’s because our daughter is tugging on my hand.
She’s watching us, wide-eyed and curious.
I laugh through my tears and show her my ring.
“Pwitty!” she gasps.
Liam kneels down to her level. “I have something for you too.”
He pulls out another box and opens it to show her.
“Mommy and I are going to get married,” he says, watching for a reaction.
She smiles and blinks.
“But I want to make a promise to you too, sweetheart.” He pulls out a dainty gold necklace with three hearts inside one another.
“I promise that you and Mommy are always in my heart, every day, even when I have to go away for work.”
She throws her arms around him, then me. And then somehow, we end up on the ice in a messy, mittened group hug while strangers clap, probably recognizing Liam at this point, and take photos we’ll possibly see on social media.
Once we turn in our skates, we walk through the park with Sera bundled between us.
I can’t stop staring at my ring as it glitters under the streetlights.
“You planned this, didn’t you? To do this here?” I ask.
“I did.”
“At Christmas.”
“Felt … like the perfect place and time, don’t you think?”
He stops walking and faces me.
“I’ve never been surer about anything in my life.”
Sera interrupts, tugging on his hand, “Daddy, carry me.”
He leans in to kiss me before picking her up effortlessly.
I watch the way she rests her head on his shoulder and his ease with her.
This is ours.
“Hey/” He takes my hand.
I look up at him.
“Merry Christmas, Vixen,” he whispers.
I smile.
“Merry Christmas, Blitzen.”
Snow keeps falling, and everything feels like it’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
A FEW DAYS LATER
LIAM
The first thing I notice when we walk into the facility on Monday is that everything looks the same. Same building. Same routine. Yet everything feels different.
I have Sera in my arms, and Alie’s hand in mine. I can’t help but rub my thumb over her ring every few minutes. Just to make sure it’s there. That this is real.
We drop Sera off at the nursery, and then I walk Alie to her office and linger a little too long with a kiss that could cause some trouble. She eventually shoos me out, and I make my way down to the locker room and drop off my bag.
The minute I walk into the weight room, I notice Aaron talking to one of our linemen, who’s also his client.
We’ve avoided him for the most part, and Alie was serious when she told him that any communication would be business only, and not through her.
Her father has honored that request, too, and from what I’ve heard in hushed conversation, the family friendship between the Grants and Muldoons has been strained.
Sera has asked about him a few times, but she’s still so young, so I’m not sure that she’ll have any memories of him at all.
I wanted to bring Alie down later and make an announcement to my teammates together, but having Aaron in the room, I’m feeling like now’s the perfect time to announce our engagement. Just to dig that knife a little deeper into his heart.
Aston spots me and walks over to me. “Well? Did you do it?” he asks.
I nod, and a slow smile stretches across my face. “I did.”
“That’s all I get? I want the details. I saw a few pictures on social media, but you need to give me a play-by-play,” he says, waving his hand toward him.
I made the mistake of telling Aston about my plans to propose. He insisted on helping me look for rings and wanted in on the plan for how I was planning to propose. But he actually turned out to be a big help. And I know he’s excited for me, us.
“Hold up. I’m going to make an announcement, and then I’ll tell you.” I nod toward Aaron, and Aston follows my gaze.
“Vicious, man. I love it.” He holds out a fist to me.
I put my fingers to my mouth and whistle.
Someone turns the music down.
“Hey, everyone, I have an announcement to make.”
My teammates stop what they’re doing and turn their attention to me.
“Some of you may have seen some pictures of me on social media with Alie and Sera.” I look around and see some of the guys nod. “Well, Alie and I got engaged this weekend!” My smile is genuine because I’m a fucking sap when it comes to her and Sera.
Congratulations are called out, and a few guys come up to hug me, including Saint and Brody.
“I’m happy for you, man. Congrats,” Saint says, slapping my back.
“Thank you. We’re really excited.”
“Congrats, Pitzy,” Brody says. “When’s the wedding?”