Page 105 of Switching Skates

I turn to the glass and smack both palms on it as everything around us turns into one blurred celebration and cheer.

Mason locks eyes with me, and he takes off running on his skates, hard and fast.

Gliding on the ice, he jumps into the air and throws himself into the boards right in front of me.

I smack the glass repeatedly, continuing to jump up and down.

“You did it! You did it!” I scream over and over.

We bump fists through the glass, and that’s all the time we have before he turns to his team, every teammate barreling down the ice toward him.

I take back what I thought earlier. Thisis a dogpile.

But one that I’m sure Mason is happy to be a part of.

My mom and Cheryl hug each other and continue to cheer, the same as Maeve and me, as we all watch Mason living out his college dreams for the last time.

The next couple of days go by in a blur of team events and celebrations. I watch Mason in awe the entire time. This is only the start of his career, and I can’t wait to honor every milestone to come.

After a team dinner at NMU’s rink, Mason and I head back to the house for the night. Maeve’s staying over at Jackson’s place tonight, so we’ll have it all to ourselves.

Who knows how many nights alone we’ll have left here?

After devouring a homemade meal from Mason, I change into some cozy clothes before joining him in our spot.

Grabbing a blanket, I push the back door open and stroll onto the porch.

Mason’s face lights up when he sees me, as if he hasn’t seen me in months.

I plop down next to him, fluffing the throw blanket and laying it over our laps as I curl up into his side.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me even closer, planting a kiss on the top of my head as we look out at the setting sky, oranges and reds spanning the horizon.

His low voice wraps around my heart as he says, “I have a surprise for you tonight. Let’s call it an early birthday present.”

I sit up and glare at him. “I told you I don’t want anything.”

He smirks. “You knew that I was never going to listen to that. Besides, if it makes you feel better, this is also a gift for me.”

Okay. Well, now I’m way too curious to not find out.

I begrudgingly murmur, “What is it?”

He opens his arms, gesturing in front of him. “This.”

I look around, as if something magical is going to appear, but nothing does. “I don’t understand.”

“I bought the house from your mom,” he says casually as my jaw falls to the deck.

His words take the air from my lungs.

“What?”

He nods, wets his bottom lip, and smiles. “Well, you know that I got that big signing bonus with the North Stars, and I decided that there’s no place I’d rather put roots in than wherever you are. I know how much you love this place; I couldn’t watch you say goodbye to it. That would break my heart. So, like I said, it’s a gift for me too.”

I sit up straighter, my eyes starting to burn as he takes my hand in his. “Are you serious?”

Absolute joy radiates from every pore as he nods. “Yes.”