Chapter 15 Natalie
Chapter fifteen
Natalie
“Daddy’s going to score tonight.”
Maddie announces it with absolute authority while tugging on my hand as we step through the glass doors of the arena.
I glance down at her, trying not to laugh at the seriousness on her face.
“You sound very sure about that.”
“I wore my lucky socks.”
She lifts one sneaker slightly like she expects me to check.
I don’t see the socks, but the confidence alone feels powerful enough to change the outcome of a hockey game.
“Well,” I say solemnly, “in that case the opposing team should probably just go home now.”
Maddie grins.
The sound of the arena hits us before we even reach the seating level.
The low, electric rumble of thousands of people who came to watch something fast and loud and unpredictable.
Maddie squeezes my hand harder as we walk down the corridor.
She leans closer to me, eyes wide as the sound grows louder.
“Can you hear it?” she whispers, like the noise itself is something magical.
The crowd is already roaring inside the arena. Music thunders through the walls. It's all vibrating through the hallway.
“I can definitely hear it,” I say.
Maddie grins.
“Daddy loves this part,” she says knowingly.
Of course he does.
We reach the usher near the family section entrance. Maddie walks up to him with complete confidence.
“My dad’s a winger,” she tells him, pointing toward the ice like the evidence is obvious.
The usher chuckles.
“Is that right?”
“Yep.” Maddie nods proudly. “Gabriel Shelly.”
I ruffle her hair before she can start listing statistics.
“Best seat in the house then,” the usher replies, waving us through.
The arena opens in front of us like a bright, roaring bowl of noise.
Lights blazing.
Ice glowing white under the spotlights.
Fans everywhere wearing navy and gold jerseys.
A surprising number of them say SHELLY across the back.
Maddie spots it immediately.
“Look!” she says. “Daddy jerseys!”
“Lots of them.”
Her smile grows bigger.
We slide into the family section seats. Annabelle is already there, scrolling through her phone, and Mia sits a few seats down sipping from a cup.
Annabelle looks up and smiles.
“There they are.”
“Hi!” Maddie says, climbing into her seat and swinging her legs.
Mia leans over.
“Ready for the game?”
“Yes.” Maddie nods. “Daddy’s scoring tonight.”
Annabelle glances at me.
“Well, lucky socks are involved, so it’s basically guaranteed,” I say, winking at Maddie.
Maddie beams like she’s personally responsible for the outcome.
I pull my phone from my purse and check the screen.
A text lights up almost immediately.
Gabriel: You made it?
I smile.
Natalie: Yep. Maddie says you have to score.
The reply appears a second later.
Gabriel: No pressure.
A few minutes later, I glance down toward the ice where the players are skating through warmups.
Even from here I can spot him instantly.
Fast.
Focused.
The way he moves on the ice looks almost effortless, like speed is something he was born knowing how to control.
Maddie stands on her seat.
“GO DADDY!”
A couple fans nearby laugh.
One man in a jersey turns around.
“Is that really your dad?” he asks.
Maddie nods proudly.
“Yep.”
He gives her a thumbs-up.
“Well tell him good luck for us.”
“I will.”
She turns back to the ice immediately.
The arena lights dim for the player introductions.
The crowd rises to its feet.
Music explodes through the speakers.
The announcer’s voice booms across the arena.
“Starting at left wing…”
Maddie bounces in her seat.
“Here comes Daddy.”
The roar of the crowd grows louder as Gabriel skates out.
Even from across the ice I feel the shift in energy.
Fans cheering.
Camera lights flashing.
The sharp sound of skates cutting across fresh ice.
And somehow I feel proud.
Ridiculously proud.
Like I’m watching someone extraordinary and also somehow connected to him. And apparently the rest of the family section feels it too.
Annabelle leans forward, watching the players circle through warm-ups. “They look fast tonight.”
“They're always fast,” Mia says.
Maddie swivels toward them immediately, like she’s been waiting to join the adult conversation.
“My dad is the fastest,” she says proudly.
Annabelle smiles at her. “You might be a little biased.”
“No I’m not,” Maddie says. “I watch all the games.”
“Do you now?” Mia asks.
Maddie nods seriously. “I know all the players too. Daddy says Colby is the captain and Dex talks too much.”
Annabelle laughs. “That is… an extremely accurate scouting report.”
Maddie leans toward her. “Who is your favorite player?”
Annabelle points toward the ice. “Besides your dad?”
Maddie nods.
Annabelle pretends to think. “I like watching Eli. He’s calm. Very steady. But Bryce is my man so I watch him the most.”
Mia grins. “Goalies are always the calm ones.”
Maddie considers this like it’s important information.
“Daddy isn't calm,” she says.
I laugh softly. “No. Your dad is definitely not calm on the ice.”
Annabelle glances at me then, her smile softer. “You’re getting used to all this?”
She gestures toward the ice. The arena. The noise.
I follow her gaze across the rink where Gabriel glides through warm-ups, focused and controlled in a way that still surprises me sometimes.
“I think so. It’s different now that I’m watching Gabriel instead of just my brother. Totally different vibe for me,” I admit.
The truth is more complicated.
I used to sit in arenas like this as Mason’s sister. Someone visiting the team world from the outside.
Now I’m sitting as a wife.
With Gabriel’s daughter beside me.
With his name on the back of half the jerseys in the arena.
And somehow… it’s starting to feel normal now.
It feels right.
Maddie cups her hands around her mouth and shouts toward the ice.
“GO DADDY!”
Several nearby fans turn and grin.
“Looks like he has a fan club,” one of them says.
“He does,” I reply.
Maddie nods firmly. “I’m the president.”
We stand for the National Anthem and then I say to Maddie, "Here we go! Game time!"
The puck drops.
The game starts fast.
Skates carving across ice.
Sticks snapping passes back and forth.
The crowd reacting to every hit and near shot.
Maddie yells constantly.
“GO DADDY!”
“SHOOT!”
“NO THAT WAY!”
Annabelle laughs beside me.
“She’s coaching now.”
“She’s very involved,” I say.
On the ice Gabriel cuts across the neutral zone and sends a clean pass to a teammate.
The crowd reacts instantly.
Maddie stands again.
“THAT WAS GOOD!” she shouts.
The fans around us laugh again.
I glance toward the scoreboard as play suddenly stops.
A whistle.
The players glide toward the bench.
The arena broadcast screen flickers to the commentators above the rink.
Maddie leans forward curiously.
“Why did they stop?”
“Probably a penalty,” I say.
The announcers’ voices echo through the speakers.
“Another strong shift tonight from Shelly…” one commentator says.
“He’s having another great season,” the other adds. “Speed, consistency, leadership on the ice…”
Maddie sits up straighter when she hears his name.
Then the first announcer chuckles lightly.
“And judging by the way Shelly’s skating tonight… I’m hearing his wife Natalie and daughter Maddie are actually in the building.”
My entire body freezes.
For one full second I’m not sure I heard correctly.
Then the arena camera swings.
And suddenly the giant jumbotron screen lights up.
With my face.
And Maddie beside me.
The crowd cheers instantly.
Maddie gasps in delight.
“WE’RE ON TV!”
She waves enthusiastically at the camera like she’s been preparing for this moment her whole life.
I instinctively lift my hands to my face.
“Oh my god.”
Annabelle laughs beside me.
Annabelle grins. “Well… congratulations. Your not-exactly-private marriage just made the highlight reel.”
The camera lingers just long enough for the entire arena to see.
Maddie still waving.
Me trying not to hide behind my hands.
Then the screen cuts back to the ice.
My phone starts buzzing immediately.
Then buzzing again.
Then buzzing nonstop.
I glance down.
Texts are flooding in.
Dex: Gentlemen. The secret marriage era is over.
Gregory: Breaking news.
Another teammate: That was subtle.
Notifications from social media start stacking on top of each other.
Mentions.
Messages.
Tags.
The internet is definitely awake now.
I slowly lift my eyes toward the ice.
Gabriel is skating back into position.
For a moment he glances up toward the stands.
Toward the family section.
Toward me.
Our eyes meet briefly.
And I know instantly.
He heard it.
He knows exactly what just happened...
The puck drops again.
Seconds later Gabriel steals the puck along the boards and races toward the net.
The crowd rises.
Maddie jumps to her feet.
“GO DADDY!”
He cuts across the crease and fires a shot.
The net explodes.
The red light flashes.
The arena erupts.
Fans screaming.
Music blasting.
Teammates swarming him on the ice.
Maddie throws both arms in the air.
“THAT WAS FOR ME!”
I burst out laughing.
Annabelle claps beside me.
“Lucky socks,” she says.
“Obviously.”
My phone buzzes again.
More messages.
More notifications.
The entire arena now knows.
The internet definitely knows.
And strangely…
I don’t hate it.
Because watching him celebrate on the ice…
Watching Maddie bounce beside me with pure happiness…
It suddenly feels less like something private being exposed.
And more like something real finally stepping into the light.
The rest of the game flies by.
Fast plays.
Close saves.
Crowd roaring every time Gabriel touches the puck.
When the final buzzer sounds the arena erupts again.
Maddie grabs my hand immediately.
“Can we go see Daddy?”
“Yes.”
We head toward the players’ exit with the rest of the families.
Fans still buzzing about the game.
And apparently about the broadcast moment.
My phone keeps vibrating in my hand.
I don’t even bother looking anymore.
Outside the locker room hallway Maddie bounces impatiently.
“I’m going to tell him the lucky socks worked.”
“I’m sure he’ll want to hear that.”
She nods seriously.
Standing there in the arena hallway, surrounded by cheering fans and flashing phones and the energy of a game night…
I realize something.
Our life just changed.
Not just because the arena heard it.
Not just because the internet definitely heard it.
Because for the first time since all of this started, I’m actually excited to walk out there and greet my husband.
With Maddie bouncing beside me.
And Mason probably pretending he isn’t invested in the whole thing.
The locker room door swings open.
Players start filing out in waves, sweaty, loud, and still buzzing from the win.
Maddie grabs my hand tighter.
“Daddy!”
She launches forward the second the doors open.
Mason steps out first, still in partial gear, scanning the hallway. When he sees us, his mouth twitches.
“Kid,” he says, crouching slightly as Maddie barrels into him first instead of Gabriel.
“Uncle Mason!”
He lifts her easily. “You see that goal?”
“I told him to do it,” Maddie says proudly.
“Did you now?”
“I’m the president of the fan club.”
Mason snorts and sets her down, pulling me into a quick hug next.
“You okay?” he murmurs quietly.
“I’m good,” I tell him.
He nods once, stepping aside.
And then Gabriel walks out.
Hair messy.
Jersey half untucked.
Still breathing hard from the game.
He spots us immediately.
His entire face changes.
He walks straight toward us, dropping his gloves onto a nearby bench like nothing else matters.
“Hey,” he says, voice rough from the ice.
Maddie grabs his leg.
“Daddy you scored!”
“I noticed,” he says, laughing.
Then his eyes lift to me.
Soft.
Warm.
Certain.
He wraps one arm around Maddie and reaches for me with the other, pulling me in against his side.
“Here’s my girls,” he says easily.
The words hit somewhere deep in my body.
Not dramatic.
Not overwhelming.
Just… right.
Like something that had been slowly becoming true for weeks and finally found the right words.
Behind us, my phone buzzes again.
Another text.
Another notification.
The internet is still exploding.
But right now none of that matters.
Because standing here with Maddie between us and Gabriel’s arm around my shoulders, something settles into place.
What matters is this moment.
My husband.
His daughter.
Our life.
Gabriel squeezes my shoulder lightly and Maddie launches into a full play-by-play of his goal.
He laughs, looking between the two of us like he still can’t quite believe we’re both here waiting for him.
“Best fan club ever,” he says.
And suddenly I understand something I didn’t before tonight.
This life we rushed into.
This family we built faster than anyone expected.
It isn’t fragile.
It’s only just getting started.