ASHLEY

The first period of the game was over.

Jamie, Kenneth Salas’s wife, had pulled her aside, explaining that Matthieu and Jeannie weren’t married, but they were going to fix that today in a very public display for everyone to see – and that shocked her.

She and Liam had been married for over a month now.

It had been a requirement of his contract.

But how had these two managed to avoid marriage or hide it and she realized it didn’t matter.

She wouldn’t have changed any of that month that they had taken getting to know each other.

Whether it was simple smiles, making coffee for each other, or simply caring for the other person – it was a strange feeling to have someone in your life who moved so fluidly beside you.

It wasn’t jarring or something she disliked, but rather, having Liam there felt like the best possible gift she had ever opened.

And it had from the very beginning. He was such a giving and tender person deep down inside, putting her above all others, treating her like his queen, and she loved every moment, every smile, every shared presence with him.

She awoke looking forward to sharing a cup of coffee with him, craved coming home knowing he would be there, and he’d become such a visceral part of her life without anything else, that it just felt almost ‘right’ that they were starting to delve into revealing a bit more of themselves to each other.

Love without intimacy was still love, but intimacy without love seemed painful or sad.

How could you share a part of your deepest being with someone and not feel it?

She wasn’t trying to judge or condemn, but falling for Liam brought a closeness that she never imagined.

Jamie turned, her hands flailing with frantic excitement as she looked at the immediate crowd around her. The air shifted, a red carpet unfurled in front of them like something out of a dream, and Ashley donned the plastic crown she had been given, holding her fake roses in her hand.

Jamie made everyone within earshot a ‘bridesmaid’ – even one man with his face painted with the white slash from the uniform on his face was wearing one of the fake silver tiaras.

“Your veil!” Jamie hissed, and Ashley saw Larsson’s wife was near tears. Yeah, she recognized the signs of someone about to flip their proverbial lid and made her way to the woman to talk her down off the ledge.

“Ohhhh my veil! Oh my gosh, now?!” Jeannie was practically shouting as Jamie rushed to her side to help. They two were slapping at each other’s hands, trying to take over, a cell phone clenched between her teeth, mumbling instructions.

Noobs , Ashley sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. She pushed past them and looked at Jeannie, Larsson’s ‘wife,’ directly in the eyes .

“Breathe,” she commanded, her voice low but resolute, cutting through the anxious hum in the air.

Ashley placed both hands gently on Jeannie’s trembling shoulders, anchoring her.

“Look at me. Listen to me. If this were a plane, I’d be telling you to put your tray table upright and fasten your seatbelt, but it’s not.

You are marrying your best friend, and he’s waiting for you – so let us help. ”

Jeannie nodded shakily, her chest rising and falling with effort as she tried to calm herself. The frantic blur in her eyes softened just enough to show she was listening.

Ashley smiled softly, her fingers deftly sliding the veil into place with care.

The delicate fabric trembled slightly in her grip—maybe from Jeannie’s nerves, or maybe her own.

She tucked a strand of hair behind the bride’s ear, her voice quieting as she leaned in, speaking almost as if revealing a secret.

“Liam always talks about the team being his extended family,” she said gently, meaning every word.

“So, let your extended family help you celebrate… and breathe. This is a moment of joy .”

Her voice caught slightly at the end, emotion swelling in her throat as she stepped back to give Jeannie space. The bride offered a watery smile, a flicker of strength returning to her face, and then she was gone—darting off, bouquet in hand, to take her place beside the goalie.

Ashley’s gaze drifted upward, pulled instinctively like the tide to the moon. And there he was.

Liam.

He stood on the ice in the distance, helmet now in his hands, golden hair matted to his forehead with sweat, catching the overhead lights like something out of a memory. He looked wrecked and radiant all at once. Her breath hitched .

That kiss.

That one kiss between them had changed everything—broken open something raw and real inside her.

It had unraveled walls she didn’t know she’d built and stitched together parts of her heart that had long been scattered.

If life were a video game, that moment would have been the sound of leveling up—of unlocking something extraordinary.

Even across the room, she could feel him. The taste of him lingered on her lips, sweet and electrifying. The warmth of his palms on her skin. The scent of him—soap, sweat, ice, and something she could only describe as home .

It wasn’t just chemistry.

It was gravity.

She wasn’t merely falling for Liam anymore.

She was falling in love with the man who had chosen her—not just once for the sake of a contract, but again and again. The man who made her feel seen and sacred. Who held her up with quiet strength and fierce loyalty. Who cared for her like she was something precious.

Vows were being spoken somewhere behind her.

She could hear Jeannie’s voice crack and the quiet response from her groom, but Ashley couldn’t look away.

Her eyes stayed locked on Liam’s across the ice, the hum of emotion inside her too loud to ignore, those feelings passing between them like an invisible wire.

And then, he smiled. That familiar, crooked little half-smile that always made her feel like she was the only person in the room. It curled up the edge of his mouth and lit his eyes like fire.

He straightened with purpose, chin tilting up. And then slowly—deliberately—he pointed .

At her.

Then at himself.

You and me.

Ashley’s breath caught. Her lips parted slightly. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Renewing their vows? Remembering their own? Or was this about something else entirely—about that kiss, that promise, that feeling that something had shifted between them?

He did it again. Finger to her. Then to his chest.

And then, lips barely moving, he mouthed a single word that sent shivers down her spine.

Tonight .

Ashley swayed slightly on her heels, her breath catching in her throat as the world tilted, not with motion, but with the weight of a single word. One small phrase that felt like a promise, a plea, and a thunderclap all at once.

Her fingers curled instinctively around the edge of the seat beside her, grounding herself as a rush of emotions surged through her—soaring anticipation, overwhelming awe, and a powerful, soul-deep certainty that settled into her bones.

They were speaking to each other without words, a silent, sacred conversation carved out of a public moment.

You and me – tonight.

Ohhh gosh! The thought thundered through her chest, but it wasn’t panic.

It was affection, pure and unfiltered. Her heart thrummed wildly, so full it felt as though it might crack open from sheer emotion.

Liam—her Liam—was looking at her in that way again, like she was the only person in the entire world.

And somehow, even in the middle of a crowded arena, he was making her feel known. Seen. Cherished. He had this r are, beautiful ability to strip away everything else and speak directly to her heart—and it was working .

She gave a small nod, her decision unwavering. There was no room for hesitation, not when love like this looked her in the eyes.

She saw his face soften with that familiar smile—sweet and just a little smug—before he raised his hands and formed a heart over his chest. A sob caught somewhere in her chest as her eyes burned, blurring with sudden tears.

It wasn’t just what he was doing—it was when he was doing it.

To anyone else watching, the moment coincided perfectly with the goalie’s vows.

“I do,” the man said, loud and proud for all to hear. But for Ashley, the real vow had come moments before, unspoken yet deeply understood.

Their gaze locked across the space, tethering them in a moment that belonged solely to them, wrapped in its own intimacy. As the crowd around them erupted into cheers and laughter, the wedding celebration officially underway, Ashley didn’t move. Couldn’t.

Her eyes were glued to Liam.

He was already skating toward her, his body gliding across the ice with power and precision. But this time, it wasn’t for the game or the fans. It was for her . His hockey stick lifted and pointed directly at her, like a knight seeking favor from his chosen one.

And she gave it—freely, openly, with her whole heart.

She lifted her hand and blew him a kiss.

A gesture that felt light and playful but carried the weight of everything they had shared lately—every conversation, every fear, every breakthrough.

He said he wanted this to be real between them, not some contract or agreement, but a real marriage.

From the very beginning, Liam promised to be ‘all in’ on this relationship – and now she knew what that meant.

Liam caught the kiss with a grin, held it to his chest, right over his heart, and then skated off to join the newlywed man. Ashley exhaled slowly, still clutching the bench, her fingers trembling. Her husband was doing his job. He was the captain, a leader, a player, a friend. And hers.

She had always understood that—his roles, his responsibilities, the way he split himself into a dozen pieces for the people who needed him. But now, she also saw the one role that mattered most in this moment.

He was hers.