Epilogue #2
I remove my eyes from him long enough to glance down at the ice and make sure we’re still on a break in play.
We are. “I don’t like hockey, but I love Theo.
Also, I’m not an atheist, I’m agnostic. Google it.
You got me on the hippie vegetarian thing, but I would eat a steak if it would guarantee a Riptide win. ”
Dad wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes me to him. I don’t argue because I may be a grown-ass woman, but I’ll always be daddy’s girl. He kisses the top of my head. “I like him, kid. He’s a keeper.”
“He is.”
“But if he ever isn’t, then don’t keep him.”
I smile. “He’s nothing like Ryan, and I’ve learned my worth.”
“Good.”
The game starts up again, and I’m back to wringing my hands and praying to imaginary gods.
The Hawks lead the series three games to two.
If they win, they advance, and the Riptide’s season is done.
It can’t happen. It can’t. Theo deserves this.
Callan deserves this. Landon deserves this. Grady deserves this. Coach La—
The Riptide score. They tie the game with seven minutes left in the third!
I scream so much and so loudly that my throat hurts.
Randie is woken up by the crowd. She’d been sleeping in her Baby Bjorn on my mom’s chest. She starts to scream, and Rose Richard, who is beside my mom, offers to hold her and try to soothe her.
Mom gives her Randie and Rose’s face lights up.
I feel a small pang of guilt that this woman wants grandkids, and if I marry her son, we won’t give them to her.
But then I catch sight of Coach Larue’s eldest daughter a few rows down in front of us.
She’s sitting with her mom, who adopted her with Coach Larue and her adopted sister.
Her foster daughter, Violet, is sitting on her lap, eating a snow cone. Maybe we will give them kids one day….
The game goes to overtime, and after more bartering with the hockey gods, the Riptide captain Abbott Barlow scores, and the Riptide live to play again. “Oh my God, this series is going to kill me,” I groan.
I tell Theo the same thing when I meet him an hour later, after he’s all cleaned up and done his press interviews.
He looks exhausted, and I want to hug him, but he’s still battling with bruised ribs.
So instead, I cup his face, not even able to feel skin with that unruly beard on his face, and kiss him softly. “Good job, Luke_T.”
He grins. “Thank you, Summer_L. Let me say a quick hello to the parents and then let’s get the hell out of here.”
“You’re tired.”
“Yeah.” He pauses, and a smile spreads across his face that feels like something no one should see but me. “But not too tired.”
I grin. Callan walks out of the locker room at that exact moment. He glances between us and mutters, “Gross.”
Later at home, I let him peel me out of my clothes, including my very own jersey with his name and number on it, and I ride him so he doesn’t have to do any work.
His mouth, though, whispers and moans the dirtiest things about how hot I look on his cock and how warm my pussy is and how sexy my tits are, and well, it’s enough to bring me over the edge without even touching my clit. He comes hard and fast, too.
I lay beside him and kiss the tattoo on his arm. I still can’t believe he did that. I love it. I love him.
Cup Final…
Lola
Everyone around me is roaring. Screaming.
Cheering. I can’t find him on the ice because every single Riptide is out there.
Gear is strewn everywhere. The coaches are jumping up and down and hugging.
My mom has jumped into my dad’s arms. Luc Richard is being hugged by Devin Garrison, and they’re both… yup. Both are crying.
Callie Caplan is howling like a wolf at the moon, and Rose is hugging my shoulders, careful not to jostle Randie, who is in my arms. She’s staring at everyone like she’s not sure whether to laugh or cry by all this erratic behavior.
I kiss her head and fight tears. “Randie, your daddies just won the Cup! So did your Uncle. And your…. My Theo.”
She blinks and turns to look down at the ice. She doesn’t get it. To be honest, I don’t think I fully get it either. It’s surreal. It took seven games this round, but they fucking did it. Oh my God… I blink back more tears.
It feels like it takes forever, but we make our way down to the ice level, and they finally let us all out on the ice.
Mom had taken Randie for me so I can shuffle quickly across the ice to Theo.
He skates at me and scoops me up and swings me around.
God, he smells so gross, and he’s all sweaty, and I don’t even care.
“Ten out of ten! No, twenty out of ten! This is better than sex.”
“Nothing is better than sex,” he says, laughing. “Not with you!”
“You fucking did it!”
“I fucking did.” He kisses me.
His parents join us a second later, and I step aside so they can hug him. All three of them start crying, but I refuse to cry. I really want to, though. Theo wipes at his eyes and grabs my hand.
“We’re gonna have three days with the Cup in Silver Bay!” Theo says, like he just realized it. Every player gets a day with the cup, and most bring it back to their hometown, which means Silver Bay will have it three times between Grady, Conner, and Theo. “The town is going to lose its mind!”
His dad waves his hand. “Whatever they’re used to it. You forget you aren’t the first generation of greatness that town has seen. Your uncles and I won it on the same team, too.”
Theo rolls his eyes. “Well then, I’ll just have to win it again. And again. And again.”
“There’s nothing I want more than to be shown up by you, son.”
“I really gotta win a medal next winter so the town remembers there is more to life than hockey,” Harlow rolls her eyes.
Theo hugs me again. “The boys are gonna want to party for a while in the locker room, but I’d love it if you came out with us afterward.”
Party? I think of all the champagne and booze that gets consumed and sprayed in these celebrations. My expression must reflect my worry because Theo says, “Coach bought non-alcoholic cider for the locker room.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he says it was my teammate Gagne’s idea, and everyone agreed,” Theo’s eyes get misty again, and now so do mine.
“They love you,” I whisper. “I love you too.”
“I don’t deserve any of this,” He breaks down and buries his head in my shoulder, and I shove my hands into his messy hair, not even caring that it’s sweaty.
“Baby, you deserve all of this because you fought for it. You worked for it,” I remind him. “Like you worked for me.”
He sniffs. “I’m just overwhelmed. I can’t wait for tomorrow when things are boring again.”
“I can give you boring, baby.” I kiss him again.
“You’ve said that before and didn’t deliver, Casco,” Theo reminds me. “In fact, life has been anything but boring since I fell in love with you.”
“Not my fault, you make me wild,” I wink at him.
“Oh God, can you two stop verbally fornicating long enough for my sister to congratulate her twin, please?” Callan calls out.
I turn and hug my twin. “Good job, bro. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“She’s so supportive,” Callan rolls his eyes, but I kiss his cheek and grin at him.
“You did good. I always knew you would. And you did it with your hero, Landon. Mom and Dad lost it up there when the buzzer went. I’ve never seen them so proud,” I say, giving him what I never do —raw honesty and praise.
His eyes get wet, and he looks away, squeezing my shoulder. “Okay, take her back, Theo. I’m done.”
He skates off.
Theo laughs. “Go with Cal. Enjoy the hell out of this, Theo.”
“Can I enjoy the hell out of you later?” He asks, and his sexy, X-rated smirk is back.
“You better.”
I kiss him again, and when he skates off to the locker room with his team, I smile, knowing he’ll always find his way back to me.
.