Page 35

Natalie

FIVE YEARS LATER

The house is quiet. Too quiet.

Which means Hunter Brody is up to something.

I roll my eyes as I follow the sound of dramatic sighs echoing from the kitchen. Sure enough, I find my husband standing in front of the corpse of his beloved smart fridge, arms crossed, looking like he just lost the Stanley Cup in Game 7.

"Still mourning?" I tease, leaning against the counter.

Hunter lets out a long, suffering groan and presses a hand to his chest. "Natalie, I don't think you understand. We had a bond. She knew my schedule. My meal plans. My—”

I bite back a grin. “You mean she exposed all your dirty little secrets?”

Hunter throws up his hands, ignoring me. "And now she's gone. Just… died. Gave up on life. Can’t help but feel sabotage was involved.”

“Oh, yeah, I totally plotted against the fridge,” I deadpan.

He eyes me suspiciously. “You were always jealous of our connection.”

I smack his chest. “Oh my God.”

He catches my wrist before I can move away, pulling me against him. His lips brush my forehead, the humor in his voice softening.

"Well, she lasted five years with us, baby. And if we're being honest… she probably saw too much.”

I laugh against his chest, so damn full of love for this ridiculous man.

Because this is us.

A mountainside house straight out of a luxury retreat. Snow-covered peaks overlooking the beautiful town of Iron Ridge, the place I still get to call home each and every day.

Hunter has given me the life I always dreamed of, but never thought possible.

And now, on his birthday, I finally have one BIG surprise for him.

I slide away from his arms and grab the carefully wrapped package from the counter. My hands shake a little as I hold it out.

Hunter quirks an eyebrow, his expression shifting to something curious, then teasing. “You already gave me a gift this morning, baby.”

My cheeks heat at the memory. “Just open it, birthday boy.”

He tears into the wrapping with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning. I lean back and watch when he pulls out the leather-bound scrapbook I've been working on for months, my heart pounding as his face softens.

“What’s this?”

“Just… look.”

Hunter carefully flips through the pages.

At first, it’s just childhood hockey clippings that his mother kept. Yellowed newspaper articles of his first big wins, old team photos, his parents' careful notes scribbled in the margins as they recall their own memories.

Then as he flips the pages, the images and clippings move to his college career, then the page where I've inserted his first pro contract, the blue ink where he signed a pre-agreement now slightly faded on the page.

And then, he flips the page and I see how deep his swallow goes.

The headline that changed everything.

HUNTER brODY: CAREER-ENDING INJURY FORCES RETIREMENT.

His jaw tenses slightly, his thumb tracing the brittle paper. I move towards him, sliding my hand over his arm as stalls for a moment, but then keeps going.

"How long did this take you?" Hunter's voice comes out rough as he flicks more pages.

The next section? His return.

IRON RIDGE HIRES brODY AS HEAD COACH.

I lean into his side, resting my chin on his shoulder. "A few months. Your mom helped track down a lot of the early stuff. Your dad had this whole box of memorabilia in the attic he'd forgotten about." I smile against his shoulder. "Even Wes pitched in - he had some photos from your Vancouver days that no one else had copies of."

His head snaps up. "Wes helped?"

"Mmhmm. Eli too. He had a whole collection of Iron Ridge articles stored away at Ridgeview."

Hunter blows out a breath and shakes his head.

"I've been waiting for you to notice your pile of clippings has been shrinking," I say, nudging him as he stares a little longer at the picture of him in his office on his first day at the Icehawks. "Guess we've both been pre-occupied lately. With everything that's been going on and all."

I watch Hunter flip through more pages, my heart swelling as I remember our wedding by the river in Boston.

The way his eyes lit up when he saw me in my dress, how his hands shook as he slipped the ring on my finger.

His parents crying in the front row while my mother actually smiled - a real, genuine smile that's becoming much more common these days - as she squeezed my father's hand.

It's amazing how much has changed since Mom and Dad moved into my old apartment. Mom's found a new joy in tending to Grandma's renewed place, filling the rooms with bright flowers and taking pride in decorating the place in a way that makes the whole place feel alive.

And Dad?

He's discovered a whole new side of himself, especially during post-game nights when he and Hunter huddle over stats and plays together. Sometimes I catch them laughing together in that deep, genuine way that used to be so rare in our family.

The apartment that once held so many tense memories has become a place of healing, of second chances. I do miss living there, but maybe that's what my parents needed all along… a fresh start in a place filled with love instead of obligation.

But the past year hasn't been easy.

After stepping back from the Icehawks to focus on our IVF journey, I've missed the chaos of game days and the thrill of being part of the team.

But Hunter... he's been my rock through every appointment, every hormone injection, every disappointment of not getting what our hearts truly desire.

Our very own happy little family. Filled with love and joy and happy memories.

Hunter holds my hand during the procedures, brings me tea when the meds make me nauseous, and never once complains about the schedule changes or the way our life revolves around fertility clinic visits.

Even with the pressure of unsuccessfully defending their Cup title and the seasons that have followed that magical Stanley Cup triumph, he's there for every important moment.

And today, that's what this is all about.

I get to give him the biggest thank you the world has ever seen.

Hunter's fingers trail over each page with reverence until he suddenly stops, a soft smile spreading across his face.

"This one. This is my favorite page."

And there it is. The moment that changed everything.

Our Stanley Cup kiss.

The black-and-white image of him lifting me off my feet at center ice, confetti falling around us, my hands clutching his face like I was never letting go.

The photo captures every detail - the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, how my engagement ring caught the arena lights, the pure joy radiating from both of us.

The newspaper headline below reads "IRON RIDGE CLAIMS FIRST STANLEY CUP" but the photographer caught something more intimate than just a victory celebration.

He caught the exact second I knew, without a doubt, that Hunter Brody was my forever.

Hunter's thumb traces the edge of the photo, lingering on where our bodies meet in the frame. His other hand finds mine, squeezing gently as he takes in the memory frozen in time.

"Hell of a journey, huh?" He shakes his head, chuckling softly.

I swallow hard, my heart racing as I think about what comes next. "It's not over yet."

I step closer, reaching for the hidden slip tucked into the back cover. His brows furrow as he pulls out the small white pregnancy test… and he freezes.

The room goes silent.

I can hear the wind outside. The faint hum and crackle of the fireplace. My own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Hunter stares at the pregnancy test, like his brain can’t quite compute it.

I force myself to breathe.

“We did it, Coach.” My voice wobbles. “We’re having a baby.”

His head snaps up so fast I swear I hear a crack.

I watch as Hunter's eyes dart between the test and my face, his hands trembling slightly. The leather-bound scrapbook slides forgotten onto the kitchen counter. Even his favorite damn fridge is a long lost memory now.

"You—wait." His voice cracks, something I've never heard in five years of living together. "You're—?"

I grip the edge of the granite countertop, heart thundering against my ribs.

After months of disappointments, negative tests, and tear-stained pillowcases from both of us, I understand his disbelief.

He stares at the test again, then back at me, then returns to the two pink lines that changed everything. The same two lines I've been staring at for hours, afraid they might disappear if I looked away too long.

"Happy birthday, Daddy, " I say, wiping at the tears falling down my face.

His transformation hits.

Hunter Brody—my fierce, unshakeable husband who stares down NHL legends without flinching, who commands an entire hockey franchise with a single look, who survived career death and clawed his way back to the top only to knock back Team USA to have a family of his own—crumbles before my eyes.

His shoulders drop. The carefully maintained wall of control splinters. Those deep gray eyes I fell in love with fill with tears.

"Baby," he whispers, and I've never heard such raw wonder in his voice. His hand reaches out, hovering over my still-flat stomach like he's afraid to touch it. "You're serious?"

The awe in his expression steals my breath. This is the man who once told me he didn't deserve a family of his own. The man who thought his shot at happiness ended with a knee injury twenty years ago. Now he's looking at me like I've handed him every dream he never dared to voice.

I step closer, taking his trembling hand and pressing it against my abdomen. "Eight weeks," I whisper. "Dr. Martinez confirmed it yesterday. I wanted to wait until your birthday to—"

"This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten.”

I laugh, my hands covering his. “Well, get ready, Coach.”

His brows pull together. “For what?”

I smirk. “Because this baby is going to be born right in the middle of playoffs.”

Hunter throws his head back, groaning. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

I tiptoe my fingers up his chest and lay my hand on his cheek. Leaning up on my toes, I press a soft kiss to his cheek, then move to his ear, whispering softly, "Maybe it's time we had that retirement party you keep talking about."

Hunter grins and pulls me into his arms. "You know what, I think that's a damn good idea."

Five years ago, I thought was supposed to end up alone. Or worse, stuck in a hollow, loveless marriage like my parents.

But then Hunter came along.

And now, I have everything.

A love that’s real. A family that’s ours. And a forever that was always waiting for me…

Right here in Iron Ridge.