Page 184 of Shots & Echoes

Sure, she got ejected.

But they won.

One of those goals was hers.

And then, as if she felt me watching, she turned.

Our eyes met through the sea of bodies, the weight of everything we’d fought through crashing over me in a single, breath-stealing moment. A slow, knowing smile curved her lips—a challenge, a dare, a promise all in one.

I pushed off the wall, weaving through the celebration without hesitation. The second I reached her, she was already moving, grabbing my wrist and tugging me through the locker room until we were hidden in the narrow space behind the lockers, away from the noise, from the eyes, from the world.

Just us.

Her back hit the cold metal, and I was on her in an instant—hands gripping her waist, lips crashing against hers, all adrenaline and desperation. She tasted like champagne and triumph, and I drank her in like she was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, deeper, as if she couldn’t get enough. I wasn’t sure I could either. The air between us was charged, heavy with everything we weren’t saying but both understood.

“Tonight’s yours,” I murmured against her lips, pressing another kiss to the corner of her mouth, to the curve of her jaw.

Her breath hitched, but she didn’t hesitate. “Ours.”

That one word sent something fierce surging through my chest—pride, possession, love, everything.

She pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, something unspoken flickering in her eyes. A question. A declaration. A vow.

“There’s no me without you.”

Fuck.

I crashed my mouth against hers again, pouring every ounce of feeling into that kiss—for every late night, every fight, every time we should have fallen apart but didn’t. This wasn’t just a celebration.

This was a victory.

And as the noise of the locker room roared on behind us, I knew one thing for certain—we weren’t just winning on the ice.

We had won each other.

Epilogue

From Penalty Box to Power Couple: Knox Callahan Breaks His Silence

By Kara Paige | June 18

Kara Paige:Coach Callahan, thank you for agreeing to this interview. I’m honestly shocked. Most of your press appearances involve one-word answers and a glare.

Knox Callahan:Then you should’ve stuck with one question.

Kara:laughsOkay, fair. Let’s address the elephant in the rink. You and Iris Evans. How long hasthatbeen happening?

Knox:shrugsLonger than your article will last in the algorithm.

Kara:That’s not an answer.

Knox:It’s the only one you’re getting.

Iris:from off to the sideHe’s trying to be mysterious. It’s not working.

Knox:You’re not helping, Red.