Page 50 of Puck Struck (Dirty Puck #3)

CAM

NINE MONTHS LATER

The team’s off-season training has been brutal, but worth it.

After our early playoff exit last year, everyone came back hungrier and more focused.

The past season was kind of like a redemption tour.

This time, we made it to the second round before falling to the Stanley Cup champions, the New York Renegades.

But that's hockey. Win some, lose some, get better, try again. And hopefully don’t lose to your arch rivals next time around.

I wait in my car outside the new sports medicine clinic where Logan just finished his first day as a graduate student intern. It's been six months since he started the program at UCSF, and watching him find a new passion has been nothing less than incredible.

He walks out of the building looking tired but satisfied, wearing blue scrubs and carrying a backpack full of textbooks. When he spots me, his face lights up with a smile .

"How was day one, Dr. Shaw?" I ask as he slides into the passenger seat.

"Graduate student intern Shaw," he corrects. "And it was perfect. Exhausting but perfect." He leans over and plants a kiss on my lips. "I worked with a junior hockey player today who's been playing through a shoulder injury for months. Sound familiar?"

"Did you tell him he was an idiot?"

"I told him he was risking his future for short-term gains. More diplomatically than that, obviously."

"Obviously."

He settles back in his seat, and I notice the ring glinting on his finger. The promise ring I gave him nine months ago after his surgery. It's simple platinum, and it matches the one on my own hand.

"How was practice?" he asks.

"Good. Ryan and I are finally clicking on that power play setup Coach has been drilling into us." I pull out of the parking lot and maneuver the car into traffic. "Speaking of which, he wanted me to invite you to his engagement party next weekend."

"Ryan's engaged? No shit.”

"Yep. To that teacher he's been dating. Apparently, cutting his father out of his life freed him up to have healthy relationships."

Logan snorts. "Who would have thought?"

The ride home passes quickly. Logan tells me about his coursework, the patients he's working with, how much he loves being back in a learning environment. I tell him about the team's preparation for next season, the new rookies coming up, and the way our chemistry keeps improving.

It's every bit domestic bliss, so normal, so right, and everything I never thought I'd have .

When we pull into the driveway, Ethan is already on the front porch, jumping up and down, his eyes sparkling, wide smile rivaling the late afternoon sun.

"Cam! Uncle Lo! Guess what?"

"What, buddy?" Logan asks as we get out of the car. He rushes over to us.

"I made the travel hockey team! Coach says I'm one of the best players he's seen for my age group!"

Logan's face breaks into a huge grin. "That's incredible, E. I'm so proud of you."

"Mom already signed me up and everything. My first tournament is next month. Will you come watch?"

"Wouldn't miss it," I tell him. "We'll both be there. See, all those skating lessons and practice sessions paid off big time. I told you you’d make it."

Ethan dances around in a circle ad runs back into the house.

"It’s hard to believe he was so sick less than a year ago," Logan says in a low voice.

"Kids are resilient. Plus, he had the best possible donor. It’s your liver that made him thrive." I give him a little elbow nudge.

"We had good doctors."

"We had a hero uncle who gave up his career to save his nephew's life."

Logan stops walking and turns to me. "I didn't give up anything. I gained everything that actually matters."

"Have I mentioned today that I love you?"

"Only about a dozen times." He grins. "But feel free to say it again."

"I love you, Logan Shaw."

"I love you, too, Cam Foster."

Inside, the house is filled with the scent of Tessa’ s famous lasagna.

My mouth waters. The woman has a serious gift.

She's also been dating Tate’s older brother, Mark, for eight months now.

We introduced them at a barbecue, they hit it off, and the rest is history.

He's become a regular fixture at family dinners.

He's good for her. Nice guy, respectful, patient, and absolutely smitten with both her and Ethan.

I thought it would be hard for Logan to handle since Tyler was his best friend, but he likes Mark, and he loves seeing Tessa happy.

"How's the future sports medicine professional?" Tessa asks when she sees Logan.

"Really happy. Really hungry.” He gives her a one-armed hug. "And proud of our hockey star here."

"I know! I already took the time off from work for his first tournament."

"We'll make it a family trip," I say. "Hotel, team dinners, the whole thing."

“It’s not that far away, Cam” Tessa says with a laugh. “They’re pee wees.”

“Still. We can give him the whole experience.”

"Really?" Ethan's eyes go wide. "That would be so cool!"

Later that evening, after dinner and homework and Ethan's bedtime routine, Logan and I head out to the back porch with beers, watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of orange and pink.

"I got a call from Rex today," I say, picking at the edge of the beer label.

"Good news or bad news?"

"Good news. Really good news." I take a gulp of beer. "The league wants to feature me in their diversity and inclusion campaign. Not to focus on my past. It’d be more about overcoming adversity and being authentic."

Logan raises an eyebrow. "How do you feel about that?"

"Proud, actually. A year ago, I thought my true story would be my downfall. Now it might help other kids who are struggling."

"That's huge, Cam."

"It is. And it got me thinking about something." I turn to face him. "What would you think about us doing some joint speaking engagements? You talking about sports medicine and injury prevention, me talking about mental health and overcoming adversity?"

"You want to do public speaking?"

"I want to help kids who are where we were. Kids who think they have to choose between their dreams and their integrity. Kids who are playing through injuries because they're afraid to lose their spot." I reach for his hand and lace my fingers with his. "We could make a difference."

"We could," he agrees. "I'd love to do that with you."

"Good. Because I already told Rex we'd think about it."

Logan laughs. "Of course you did."

The neighborhood settles in around us, the sound of crickets bleeping in the dusky night. My phone buzzes with a text from Carter, jarring us from the comfortable silence.

Team meeting tomorrow at 10. Season planning stuff. Also, Jack and I are engaged. Thought you'd want to know.

I show the message to Logan, who grins.

"Jeez. Looks like it's engagement season," he says.

"Speaking of which..." I stand up and walk inside. I kneel down next to my bag and rummage through it until I find what I’m looking for. I head back outside with a small velvet box in my outstretched hand.

Logan's eyes widen. "Cam...?"

"Relax. It's not what you think." I sit back down next to him. "I mean, it is, but not how you think."

I open the box. The porch light catches on the two new rings glittering back at us. Still simple, still platinum, but each with small diamond accents.

"Upgraded promise rings," I say. "Because I know we're not ready for marriage yet. You're still in school, I'm still getting my career on track, we're still figuring out what our life looks like long term."

"But?"

"But I want you to know that this is my forever.

You're my forever." I take his left hand, slipping off the old ring and replacing it with the new one.

"I promise to love you through whatever comes next.

Through championships and disappointments, through school stress and career changes, through family chaos and everything else life throws at us. "

Logan's eyes mist over as he takes my old ring and replaces it with its upgrade. "I promise the same things. To be your partner in everything. To build a life that makes us both happy."

"To build a life that makes us both happy," I repeat. "That’s all I want.”

"So," Logan says. "What does forever look like to you?"

"This. Family dinners and hockey tournaments and you coming home from the clinic covered in medical tape." I grin. "Maybe a wedding in a couple years, when you're done with school and I've got a few more seasons under my belt."

"Maybe kids?"

"Definitely kids. I want to give some kid the childhood we never had. The security, the love, the knowledge that they're valued just for existing."

"Not for what they can do or achieve."

"Not for what they can produce or earn or win. Just for being themselves."

Logan nods. "I want that too."

"And I want to keep helping kids at Play It Forward and at other organizations, speaking about our experiences, showing them that their circumstances don't define their worth."

"A family business?"

"A family mission." I lean into him and breathe in his fresh clean scent. "What do you want?"

"I want to finish school and become the best sports medicine professional I can be.

I want to watch Ethan grow up healthy and happy.

I want to see Tessa settled and content.

" He pauses, trailing a finger down the side of my face.

"And I want to marry you someday. Not because we have to, not because it's expected, but because I want to stand in front of everyone we love and promise to choose you every single day. "

"Every single day?"

"Every single day. Even when you leave wet towels on the bathroom floor."

"Even when you reorganize the pantry at midnight because you can't sleep?"

"Even when I reorganize the pantry at midnight." He drops a light kiss on my lips. "Especially then."

The sky darkens to an inky color, a chill sweeping through the night air.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for fighting for us. For not giving up when I tried to push you away. For seeing something in me worth keeping."

"Cam." I shiver at the intensity of his stare. "You saved my life. Before you, I was just existing. Going through the motions, taking care of everyone else, forgetting that I deserved happiness too."

"And what do you deserve?"

"This. You. A love that adds to my life instead of demanding sacrifices." He waves his hand around us. "A family that chooses each other every day. A future that feels like possibility instead of obligation."

"You've got all of that."

"No, we've got all of that," he corrects. "And we're just getting started."

Through an open window, Ethan’s laughter floats out to the porch while Tessa talks on the phone, probably to Mark, in an animated voice. Ordinary sounds of a family evening. A year ago, I couldn't have imagined this life. Couldn't have believed I deserved it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.

Now I can't imagine any other life.

"Ready to go inside?" Logan asks, holding out a hand to me.

"In a minute." I look up at our house, our home, the place where we've built something real and lasting. "I just want to remember this moment."

"What's special about this moment?"

"It's the first night of the rest of our lives. The first night wearing these rings, the first time we've talked about marriage and kids and forever like they're definites instead of maybes. It’s pretty awesome stuff and I want to soak it in."

"They are definites," Logan says. "At least, they are for me."

"For me too."

Logan holds open the door for me and I step into the foyer. Ethan walks in from the kitchen, immediately spots our new rings, and demands to see them up close. Tessa pretends to be surprised, but I can tell she already knew it was coming.

"Does this mean you're getting married?" Ethan asks in an excited voice.

"Someday," I tell him. "When we're ready."

"Can I be in the wedding?"

"You'll be the ring bearer," Logan promises. "If you want to be. "

"Yes! I've never been in a wedding before!"

A while later, Logan and I lie in our bed, in our room, in our house, and plan our future.

"A year and a half until you graduate," I say.

"Two more years until you're eligible for unrestricted free agency."

"We could have the wedding that summer. Between seasons."

"Beach or church?"

"Backyard," I say without even needing to think. "Here. With our family and the team and everyone who matters."

"Perfect." Logan traces patterns on my chest. I shiver from the tingles that explode over my skin at his touch. "Honeymoon?"

"Somewhere with gorgeous beaches and no hockey."

"Bora Bora?"

"Amazing."

We talk for hours, planning a wedding that's still years away, thinking about children who don't exist yet, imagining a future that feels as solid as the rings on our fingers.