Page 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Blake

I exhale slowly, taking in this perfect moment.

The roar of eighteen thousand fans celebrating our playoff berth fades to background noise as Sophia stands before me on center ice. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold, her eyes bright with confusion and excitement.

Everything has changed since she stormed into my life. The win tonight. The playoffs ahead. My team stronger than ever. Even the media - I've finally owned my story, my past, everything that makes me who I am.

But there's one last play to make.

And this play?

It's the most important one I've ever made in my life.

I catch Coach Brody's eye from the boards, and he gives me that signature stiff nod. He's helped plan all this. My heart pounds as I lift the microphone and look into Sophia's eyes.

They catch the stadium lights, those golden flecks dancing as she tries to figure out what I'm up to. Her cheeks are pink from the cold air coming off the ice, and a few strands of blonde hair have escaped her usually perfect up-do.

She's wearing that black wool coat I love, the one that's perfect for this moment. Her jeans hug her hips, and my team scarf - green and gray stripes - is wrapped snug around her neck.

"Sophia Hart, you ruined my life in the best damn way possible..."

The crowd quiets, hanging on every word. Sophia's eyes widen.

Even confused and probably ready to kill me for this public display, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Coach Brody slides in silently behind me, pressing the small velvet box into my palm. The stadium spotlights zero in on us at center ice, creating our own private moment in front of thousands in the pitch black darkness of the stands.

"I think over the past few months, we've shown that no matter what problems might come our way, whether they're grumpy captains, snowball fights gone wrong, or the crazy world of hockey media..."

I take a steadying breath, because fuck , my heart is hammering harder than it did in the third period.

"Sophia, I know that you and I can face anything. And we're at our best when we do it together."

My voice grows husky.

"When you arrived here, I thought I was married to this game. To the only thing I ever truly gave a damn about."

Sophia is blinking fast. My smart girl has figured this all out. Of course she has. She would have known the moment I dragged her down here that this was my plan all along.

Time to wrap things up.

"So sweetheart, tonight, I want to make damn sure I don't ever let you go."

I drop to one knee, the roar of the crowd suddenly shifting from complete silence to a deafening explosion of noise.

Camera flashes explode around us like lightning. My teammates are banging their sticks against the ice. The entire world around me explodes into sheer euphoria, but I don’t hear a damn thing.

All I see is her.

My Sophia, the most beautiful woman in the world, standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Sophia, will you marry me?"

My heart stops as I wait for her answer. The longest seconds of my life stretch out between us.

Then Sophia launches herself at me with such force my skates nearly slide out from under me.

"YES!"

The force of her body hitting mine knocks the breath from my lungs, but I don't care. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off her feet, spinning us in a circle as tears stream down her face. Her laughter and excitement rings out across the arena, mixing with the thunderous cheers of the crowd.

Music blares from the speakers and more confetti rains down around us.

The emotion wells up in my chest.

She grabs my face between her hands and kisses me deep, right there at center ice. The taste of her tears mingles with her lips, and I pour every ounce of love I have into kissing her back.

My hands shake as I fumble with the ring box, pulling out the princess-cut diamond I spent weeks picking out.

The stadium lights catch the stones as I slide it onto her finger - a perfect fit.

The crowd's excitement suddenly shifts to laughter, and I turn to see Ridge the Hawk skating toward us, his comically oversized hawk head bobbing as he carries a massive champagne bottle.

"Oh my! Is this supposed to be happening?" Sophia asks, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"I didn't plan this part!"

The mascot nearly wipes out, his taloned feet slipping on the ice. Connor and Logan rush to steady him before he face-plants.

Sophia bursts out laughing against my chest as Ridge finally reaches us, triumphantly presenting the champagne.

The opening notes of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" blast through the arena speakers.

"Really?"

I shoot a look at the DJ booth where Big Mike gives me an enthusiastic thumbs up. The dramatic song choice is absolutely ridiculous, but somehow perfect for this moment.

Ridge attempts to pop the champagne cork, but his costume head keeps getting in the way. After a few more failed attempts, Ryder skates over to help, and when the cork pops, champagne sprays everywhere.

The crowd goes wild as Ridge dramatically mimes conducting the music, his wings flapping in time with Whitney's soaring vocals.

"This is insane," Sophia whispers, pressing her forehead to mine as champagne drips from our hair. Her ring catches the light, sending tiny rainbows dancing across the ice.

"Welcome to the family," I murmur, pulling her closer as Ridge leads the entire arena in an off-key singalong. My teammates join in, deliberately singing as terribly as possible while circling us on the ice.

The whole scene is completely unhinged - exactly what you'd expect from the Iron Ridge Icehawks. But looking at Sophia's radiant smile, feeling her body shake with laughter in my arms, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I pull her back into my arms, holding her tight against my chest as she examines her hand.

She kisses me again, slow and sweet this time, full of promises of happy days ahead. When she pulls back, there's that familiar spark in her eyes right before she slaps my chest.

"I can't believe you."

"You're going to be my wife." I brush my nose against hers. "Mrs. Maddox."

"I can't believe you did this!" She smacks my chest. "In front of everyone! What happened to keeping things private, huh?"

"Some things deserve to be shouted from the rooftops." I spin her again, loving how she clings to my shoulders. "Or center ice. Whatever works."

"Blake!" She laughs, the sound pure magic.

"You had to be difficult about it, didn't you? Swapping seats and throwing me off?"

"Me? Difficult?" She raises an eyebrow. "Says the man who just proposed in front of thousands people after spending months yelling at the cameras."

"I didn't yell. I growled ." I press my forehead to hers, sharing her laughter. "And it's all been worth it. You're worth everything."

"You do realize the media won't leave this one alone, don't you?"

I capture her hand, pressing it flat against my racing heart. "Let them have this one. Because after tonight, you're mine. Forever."

She grabs my jersey and pulls me down for a kiss. I sweep her into a dramatic dip, my arm strong around her waist as she arches backward. Her fingers thread through my hair, pulling me closer as she melts against me.

" Ladies and gentlemen! " Connor's voice booms through a stolen microphone. " We are witnessing history here at center ice! "

I feel Sophia's lips curve into a smile against mine, but I'm not done kissing her yet.

" Maddox has complete control of the play! " Connor continues his play-by-play fake commentary. " Look at that form, folks! The captain is showing us exactly why he leads this team! "

Logan joins in with crowd noise sound effects. "Wooooooooo!"

" The kiss continues! What stamina! What passion! This could go into overtime, folks! "

Without breaking the kiss, Sophia reaches up and yanks her Icehawks scarf free from her neck. In one fluid motion, she whips it backward, landing it perfectly over Connor's face mid-commentary.

"Mmmpph!" Connor's voice muffles under the fabric.

Ryder doubles over laughing. "Perfect shot! Sign her up for the team!"

The confetti keeps falling, creating a perfect snow globe moment as I hold my future wife in my arms at center ice.

The guys swarm us before I can steal Sophia away and take her home to seal this victory. And for once, I'm not talking about hockey.

Logan and Connor grab my legs while Ryder and Coach Brody lift my shoulders. I barely have time to wrap my arm tighter around Sophia before we're hoisted into the air.

More bottles pop around us, spraying champagne in golden arcs.

"Don't you dare drop us! I have a wedding to plan!" Sophia warns, but she's grinning so wide her cheeks must hurt.

Another bottle pops, this one wielded by Eli who's somehow made it onto the ice with Natalie and Mia. Eli raises the bottle in a toast, pride shining in his eyes as he watches his protégé finally get the happy ending he's been pushing for.

The guys bounce us higher, and Sophia squeals.

Amongst it all, her hand finds mine, squeezing tight as we float above it all - the ice, the team, the crowd, everything that brought us to this perfect moment.

"I love you, Blake Maddox," she screams from beside me.

"I love you more, future Mrs. Maddox."

And winning has never felt this damn good.