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“If I could change something, though, I’d move heaven and earth for you and Alek to be together.

You are two of my very favorite people in the whole world.

” He winked. “Well, besides my son. You are the perfect person to soften Alek’s icy-sharp edges and keep him balanced.

He’s way too hard on himself. And he is a true romance hero.

He would worship the hell out of you, all while he gave you the confidence to be your best self. ”

Sheridan was back to gulping in air again as Jamie leaned toward the camera.

“Promise me if you ever get the chance again, you’ll take it. I mean it,” he demanded. “Nothing would make my life more complete than seeing you both happy.”

A mumbled voice behind the camera had Jamie looking away.

“Be right there,” he said to someone before he focused his attention back to the camera.

“You know, I should send you this one.” He shook his head and waved his hand.

“Ah, you’re coming home for a visit before you leave for Spain.

We are going to talk about this in person, young lady.

” He jabbed the cigar in the direction of the camera again.

“Because it’s your turn now. One of us needs a great love like Mom and Dad had.

It may as well be you.” He groaned. “Will you take a breath! I’m coming! ”

Sheridan lunged forward when the camera went black.

“He knew,” she whispered before practically shouting it. “He knew!”

“Are you calling us?” Finn asked from the side of the pool. “Is it time to get out?”

She checked the phone. They still had ten minutes left.

“Yes,” she lied.

If she hurried, she might be able to catch Alek. She leaped up from the chaise and tossed each boy his towel.

“He knew, and he forgave me,” she muttered.

The two boys exchanged a bewildered look as they toweled off.

“Who knew?” Gunner asked.

“I have to tell Alek,” she responded.

“You can tell Alek at the game,” Finn said.

“Oh my gosh, the game.” She paced around the pool deck. “I can’t distract him before the game. He hates that.”

She plopped back down on the chaise.

“And what if he can’t forgive me?” She buried her face in her hands.

“My dad gives my mom chocolate when she gets like this,” she heard Gunner say. “Hurry. Do you have any M&Ms left?”

A small hand holding two M&Ms suddenly appeared beneath her bowed head. She sobbed out a laugh before looking up at Finn.

“See. I told you. Works like a champ.” Gunner puffed out his chest.

Her laughter came more easily now. She took the chocolate candies and popped them into her mouth before she pulled both boys into a hug.

“You’ll never know if he’ll forgive you if you don’t take a chance and ask him.”

The words had come out of Finn’s mouth, but it was definitely Jamie’s voice she heard.

What was in that pill the doctor gave her last night? Whatever it was, it was making her delusional.

You are worthy of your own joy, Sheridan. Always choose happiness.

Delusional or not, she could feel her brother’s words empowering her. She’d let him down, yet he’d forgiven her. Perhaps Alek would, also. He and Finn were right. She’d never know if she didn’t try.

She jerked up from the chaise. “I’m choosing happiness.”

“Yay!” both boys cheered.

“What happens now?” Gunner asked once they’d done a little happy dance.

Sheridan grabbed both their hands and tugged them in the direction of the conference room the team had commandeered. “We go find Alek.”

They raced inside, nearly tripping over Lori in the hallway.

“Are they still in there?” Sheridan asked her.

“Uh, no. They were headed outside to the bus a minute ago.”

“To the bus!” Gunner shouted.

Alek sat alone on the team bus. His stomach was still a bit queasy from last night’s bad decisions.

He’d already had the embarrassing conversation with Coach suggesting he put Jordan in goal despite it being Alek’s night.

Even if he felt better in the next two hours by some stroke of luck, he doubted he could concentrate on keeping the puck out of the net.

I’ll never, ever be able to forgive myself for Jamie’s death.

It wasn’t her fault. She should know that.

Hell, he should have told her that right then and there.

Except he’d been too absorbed in processing everything he’d learned in the past twenty-four hours to get the right words out.

Rather, he’d been sulking, thinking about all the time he’d lost with Jamie this past decade.

He needed to shoulder some of the blame, too. Alek had let his pride get in the way. He could have confronted Jamie. Or Madison. Especially Madison.

And, Christ, the things Sheridan had overheard him say.

He pinched his forehead so hard it was painful.

Much less than he deserved, however. The truth was, he’d encouraged Sheridan’s attention all those years ago.

He liked having someone who hung onto his every word.

Who smiled at him with such adoration when he was having a bad day. Who believed him to be faultless.

Alek slammed his fist onto the empty seat beside him. He didn’t deserve her.

“Is he going to be okay?” Junior whispered from a few seats back.

His teammates had been giving him a wide berth all afternoon. They were still tiptoeing around him as they found their seats on the shuttle.

“I’m fine!” he shouted. “Fan-fucking-tastic, in fact!”

He wasn’t. And every guy on the bus knew it. Only he wasn’t sure how to make himself whole again. He slammed his head back against the high seat back.

The doors closed, and the bus lurched as the driver put it into gear.

“For crying out loud, Ice-Berg,” Gus shouted from up front. “Did you tell her you loved her?”

A heavy silence fell over the bus. Everyone froze. Even the driver.

“Well? Did you?” Valentine demanded. “Maybe if you took your own advice once in a while, you wouldn’t be so hang-dog right now.”

“It’s not too late,” Picard threw in.

Alek felt like all the air was seeping out of the bus. He watched as Henrik moved in what looked like slow motion, reaching over the driver to grab the handle for the door and pulling it until it opened.

“Do it,” the big Swede commanded. “You are no use to us on the ice until you do.”

He did love Sheridan. Alek loved her with every fiber of his being. She’d admitted to loving him. Hell, she’d shown him in multiple ways. Yet, for some reason, he hadn’t been able to get out of his own way and take that final leap of faith.

“Are you willing to risk losing her?” Gus asked.

He shot from his seat. She wasn’t taking Finn to Spain. Neither were they “figuring out logistics later.” His makeshift family wasn’t splitting up because one or both of them felt guilty about what happened to Jamie. They’d work through that together. Not apart.

Alek stormed up the aisle to the front of the bus. He and Sheridan were meant for each other. And no way was he rolling over and letting her walk away.

His teammates remained quiet. Their silent confidence propelled him forward and down the steps—where he collided with Sheridan.

“Oh,” she cried when he slammed into her.

Alek gripped her elbows, steadying her so she didn’t tumble backward down the steps. Finn and Gunner waited on the curb wearing matching smirks. Lori swept in and guided both boys back into the hotel.

“I found you,” she said.

“I was coming back for you,” he said at the same time.

Her eyes were bright with enthusiasm. A marked change from the dejection weighing them down earlier in the day. He took some confidence from that.

“I have something to tell you,” she insisted.

“No.” He tugged her body up against his. “Me first.”

He could have kicked himself when her smile deflated slightly. Pressing his forehead against hers, he softened his tone.

“Were you serious when you said you loved me back then?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Do you—” He swallowed roughly. “Do you still love me now?”

“Yes,” she murmured. “Even more so.”

His chest felt like it was exploding when he kissed her. She laughed into his mouth while wrapping her arms around his waist. He would have stood there kissing her forever had Henrik not jabbed him in the back with a hockey stick.

“Don’t you have something to say to her, Ice-Berg?”

Sheridan pressed her palms to Alek’s chest and leaned back in his arms, arching an eyebrow at him as she did.

“I love you, Sheridan.” He surprised himself with the volume and ferocity of the words. “I was a fool not to tell you sooner. You and Finn make me a better person. And there is no one else I’d rather go through life with than you.”

“Well done,” Henrik said. “Finish this somewhere else. We need to get to the barn for a hockey game. You catch a ride with the ladies and the kiddies on the next trip. Put your skates on.”

Alek helped Sheridan down from the bus. A chorus of catcalls and wolf whistles filled the valet driveway when the bus pulled away.

“It’s about time,” Valentine called from an open window.

It was definitely about time for another kiss. Sheridan let him have his way with her mouth for several heartbeats before she pulled away.

“I have something to tell you,” she repeated.

“If it’s about you feeling guilty about what happened in the past, forget about it. There’s nothing to forgive. You acted out of love.” He dropped another kiss on her lips. “But if you need to hear it. I forgive you.”

“Thank you.” She kissed his chin. “That means a lot. But I’m talking about Jamie.”

Not this again. Alek was starting to get agitated. “No. You did nothing wrong. There is no way you caused that accident. You hear me? That’s all on that guy, Sergi.”

She nodded. “I know that now. This is about me not setting him straight about you and Madison. He figured it all out. At the reunion, one of the guys told him you’d bought Madison a ring and you had intended to propose.

And that I knew all of that.” She waved Finn’s phone in front of his face.

“He made a video for me. He said he wasn’t mad.

In fact, he wished things had worked out between us. ”

He dabbed his thumbs at the tears welling in her eyes.

“Jamie forgave me,” she whispered. “It’s all going to be okay.”

“It’s going to be better than okay, Sheridan. We are going to have the love Jamie wanted us to have. And we are going to shower that love on his son.”

“He’d like that.”

“What about you?”

“Mmm. I could get behind that after a little more convincing.”

Alek proceeded to convince her until they were nearly late for the game.