Page 51

Chloe

I finally make it to my seat, seconds before the game begins.

Bri turns to me with wide eyes.

“You made it!”

“Barely,” I tell her, blowing out a breath.

“Are you doing okay?” she asks with compassion in her gaze.

“I’ll be better after tonight,” I tell her honestly.

“ we win,” Stephanie yells over the crowd.

I point at her.

“Yes. That.”

I take a moment to look around the arena at the thousands of screaming fans.

It’s been a long time since the Green Thunder took home The Cup.

And tonight, if they do, it will end the twenty-four-year drought.

I take a breath and try to steady my nerves as Teddy takes the mic.

“Green Thunder fans, tonight is the night you’ve been waiting for.” Thunderous applause surrounds us, and I can’t stop my smile.

I’ve been to some pretty amazing games over the years, but the excitement in this arena tonight is beyond anything I’ve ever been a part of.

“Welcome to game seven of The Cup finals! Tonight, we will witness history and end this drought and bring the Cup home where it belongs.” I join the cheering and try to quell my nerves.

“And now, let’s welcome the team that will do it. Your Green Thunder!”

The flames shoot and lights flash all around the arena as Teddy begins announcing each of our players.

I stare down at them as pride fills my chest.

They’ve had an incredible season, going 64-14-2, the highest in the league.

Whether or not they win tonight, they have every right to be proud.

Of course, tonight would be the icing on the cake.

It’s been a tough series with Indianapolis.

We thought we had them in game six, but they pulled off a win at the end.

So now, it’s game seven.

I wouldn’t tell the guys this, but I’m kind of glad they lost in game six.

This way, we can be home for game seven.

The home crowd will make all the difference in this game, and it will make winning even better when they do it at home.

I still can’t believe we’re even playing Indianapolis for the finals.

I would have never guessed they’d make it this far, but they really turned their season around.

Even though I don’t like them, I can respect the fact that they had a really good season as well.

And now, it will all come down to one final game.

I rub my hands together in anticipation.

“How was Gunner today?” Bri asks loudly.

“Silent.”

Bri nods.

“So was Aiden. He’s totally locked in and ready.”

“Sebastian hasn’t stopped talking for a week straight,” Stephanie says with a grin, and we laugh.

“What about Rico?” Bri asks Amber.

“He’s been quiet most of the time. He’s ready, and I’m ready for the stress to be over. Even my arm pits are sweaty! I’m so nervous, and I don’t even have to do anything but watch!”

I can’t help but laugh.

“I hear you, but there’s nothing to be nervous about. They’ve got this.” I am absolutely confident.

I don’t think it will be easy; they’ll have to play their hearts out tonight.

But I know they will, and I know they’ll take home The Cup.

That’s exactly what I told Gunner when he stopped into my office briefly this morning.

He kissed me deeply and held me a moment.

“You nervous?” I asked him.

He met my eyes.

“Ready.”

“You’ve got this, Big C. Play your game, and you guys will walk away with The Cup tonight.”

He pulled me in tightly and kissed me thoroughly.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll see you after the game.”

He kissed me one more time and was gone.

I haven’t seen him since then; but I wasn’t expecting to.

Luckily, I’ll be going home with him tonight; so I’ll be able to spend some time with him then.

I was back to living at Gunner’s for a little bit.

They were working on the main sewer line beneath the road in front of my house for the last few days, and I’m without power.

So, it was back to Gunner’s for a few days.

I didn’t mind, really.

I missed being at his house, but it’s been good to have my own place again.

My agent was able to sell my house quickly, and I’d found another house to rent that wasn’t far from Gunner’s.

Thankfully, we’d moved past all the craziness with Jenny.

She’d met with both of us and apologized so many times for everything she’d put us through.

She was pressing charges against her boyfriend for a litany of things that would keep him in prison a long time.

Because of that, Gunner and I decided not to press charges.

It kept me out of the courtroom and able to move on with my life.

I’d been living in my new house since February.

I knew it was for the best, even though I much preferred to stay at Gunner’s.

We didn’t need to spend that much time together, or things would escalate faster than we wanted.

We both knew we loved each other and were taking our time dating and getting to know each other even better.

During hockey season, it was hard to do much more than that anyway as we were both so busy.

As great as this season has been, I’m ready for it to come to an end.

getting my blood work back in January, I met with one of the team doctors.

Nothing was wrong with my blood work, which was good news.

I could tell Gunner was relieved.

But the doctor talked to me about the stress in my life and how I needed to make some changes.

I wasn’t ready to hear it at first, but the more I thought about it and processed it with Gunner, I realized he was right.

The stress of my job had made me really unhealthy, and that stress was manifesting itself in food allergies and stomach problems.

I came to the conclusion that I needed to make some big changes.

I’m actually really excited about the changes and this next stage of life.

I’ve started transitioning from PR agent to an actual sports’ agent.

I’ve been taking classes on the side and have been loving them.

I will be taking classes full time once hockey season ends.

In the meantime, I’ve been training a girl that will be my replacement.

In some ways, I’m kind of sad, but I’m really excited at the opportunity that has presented itself.

The woman that several of the guys on the team use as their agent is looking to retire.

When she approached me and told me she thought I should be the one to take her place, I was floored.

I’d never really considered it.

But after a lot of talking to her and Gunner and research, I decided it may not be as hard as I thought it would be.

And Gunner, Aiden, Rico, Sebastian, and Zac have all already told me they will take me on as their agent.

It’s too good an opportunity to pass up.

I focus back on the ice as the guys prepare for the puck to drop.

I swear it goes almost quiet for just a moment, and then the puck drops, and the arena explodes with sound again.

“Here we go,” I mutter to myself.

I quickly find Jason Knight and make sure to keep him in my line of sight.

Gunner knows to keep his distance from him tonight, but I hope he’ll be able to.

Those two have tangled this entire series, and I’d like to see it end tonight.

It’s probably a foolish thing to hope for, especially when Jason hits Zac hard less than a minute into the game.

I shake my head; it’s going to be a rough game.

The first period passes without either team scoring.

I shake out my hands that are cramped from clasping them together so tightly.

Amber blows out a long breath next to me.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Yeah.” Her answer is less than enthusiastic.

She always gets so tense during these games, feeling the same pressure that Rico does.

Of course, it’s not on him alone whether we win or lose; but it’s hard for him to accept that.

I know tonight will be no different.

“He’s kept them out so far,” I remind her.

Amber nods.

“Yeah.” That’s all she says, and I let her get back to her worrying.

I’m pretty sure we all do.

Bri and Stephanie look just about as sick as I feel, and Stephanie rubs her belly nervously.

The second period starts, and I don’t sit once.

They keep us on the edge of our toes the entire time.

The second period ends in a draw.

“I can’t believe nobody’s scored,” Bri says loudly.

“I can’t wait any longer,” Stephanie gasps.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“I’ll go with you,” Bri says, and the two of them start down the row.

Needing to do something to keep myself busy so I don’t lose my mind, I post some videos and pictures from tonight.

I can feel the crowd getting antsy.

The first two periods have been a disappointment.

Not only have there been no scores, but it’s been a pretty tame game.

I have a feeling both sides have been warned to focus on scoring and not fighting.

I watch our guys and wonder how they’re feeling.

I’m hoping they’ll let loose this period; they have to.

I’m more nervous for the third period than I was for the start of the game.

I watch as Gunner sits on the bench staring at an iPad, looking at game footage.

I wait a beat and then push past Amber.

“I’ll be right back.” She doesn’t question me, and I quickly start making my way down to the ice, hoping I can get there in time.

As much access as I have, I can come and go; but I’ve never approached the team during a game, except for the time I got Aiden for the baby.

Guess I’m going to destroy that tonight .

At least, I can’t get fired for it; I’m already leaving that position behind.

I get close to the glass and knock on it hard.

Zac sees me and I point to Gunner.

He grabs Gunner’s jersey and points to me when Gunner turns to him with a scowl on his face.

Gunner turns to me, and instant concern fills his face as he stands and walks to me.

I stare up at him and regret telling him over and over again to not fight tonight.

I take a deep breath, knowing I only have seconds.

“Are you okay?” he mouths over the noise.

This guy.

He’s in the biggest game of his life, and he’s worried about me.

I lock my eyes on his.

“Stop playing careful.” I mouth the words, so he can easily read them.

He frowns.

“I’m sorry. Ignore what I said before the game. Play your game. Go after Jason.” He studies my face a moment and then nods.

“Win this thing.” He doesn’t respond in any way, and I don’t expect him to.

I turn to walk up the stairs, but I only make it a few steps when a fan stops me and points behind me.

I turn back to Gunner, who’s standing right where I left him.

I love you, he mouths to me.

I can’t stop my grin.

I love you too.

I blow him a kiss and wave.

He turns away and strides back to the bench.

By the time I get back to my seat, it’s time to start.

The puck drops before I even get to my seat.

There’s an audible gasp, and then the crowd goes wild.

I spin around, trying to see what I missed.

My eyes shoot to the jumbotron, and I watch the replay of Gunner shoving Jason into the boards and skating off with the puck.

I can’t help my grin.

I turn and make my way back to my seat as quickly as possible.

I move past a wide-eyed Amber and stand next to her in time to see Zac shoot the puck to Aiden.

Aiden and Seb both fly towards the net.

Aiden shoots, and their goalie deflects it.

But Gunner comes around the back of the net and fights it in.

The horn blares, and the flames fire up.

Score !

All five sticks raise in the air, and they huddle up.

I take a deep breath.

That’s one.

Amber turns to me, wide-eyed.

“What’d you say to him?”

“I told him to stop playing careful.”

Amber nods slowly and then grins.

“I approve.” Then she whistles loudly, and I cheer with her.

Not even a minute later, Rico comes up with an absolutely spectacular save.

Amber’s jumping up and down, grabbing my arm.

I scream with the rest of the fans as it’s replayed over and over again on the jumbotron.

He basically did the splits and caught the puck with his glove in a full body extension.

How he can contort his body that way, I have no idea; but the fans approve.

One of their guys gets Zac cornered at the wall, but Aiden’s there in a flash.

Together they get the puck out of there and past center ice where Dylan takes it and sends it to Seb.

Gunner and Sebastian fail to get it in, and the other team send it back up the ice.

Rico keeps it out with Aiden’s help.

And then Aiden, Sebastian, and Gunner are all skating for the goal.

Zac and Dylan join them as they brutally fight it out at the net.

I think it’s Zac that gets it in.

The horn goes off, and the fans erupt.

When Sebastian scores off an assist from Gunner a few minutes later, I can’t keep the smile off my face.

And when Aiden brings it home and scores not long after that, I know it’s over.

The game is ours.

It doesn’t matter that there’s two minutes left.

And when the buzzer goes off, signaling the end of the game, the arena loses its mind.

The guys throw their helmets in the air, and the entire team joins them on the ice.

The girls and I are a mix of screaming and tears.

In the midst of it all, I try to keep my mind and keep taking photos and video.

“I have to get down there to take video,” I shout over the crowd.

Amber backs out of the way, wiping her eyes, and I slide past her and make my way down to the ice.

I take as many photos as I can and then start the journey to get to where I can go out through the hallway.

I’ll need to be out on the ice for pictures and video when they do the awards ceremony, which is why I brought my boots with a rubber sole.

Thankfully, the other team is gone by the time I get to the ice.

The celebration is in full swing, and I can’t keep the smile off my face as I walk out onto the ice.

Stan sees me and comes over and hugs me tightly.

“Congratulations,” I tell him, beaming.

He beams at me and then goes over to join the other staff.

I stand out of the way, busy taking pictures and video of the guys while they get everything set for the awards ceremony.

Teddy keeps the crowd pumped up while they’re waiting.

“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for the entrance of The Cup.” The crowd cheers as two men in suits and white gloves carry the huge cup out onto the ice and over to the table that’s been set up.

Stan takes the microphone, and the crowd quiets.

“What a night!” The crowd goes wild again, and he just smiles.

“It’s a great night to be a Green Thunder fan, isn’t it?” He talks a little about the year the Thunder has had and thanks the coaching staff.

“And now, it’s time for what you’ve been waiting for.” I can’t help but turn to look at my guys.

There’s nothing but smiles coming from that end of the ice.

I take a few quick pictures and turn back to Stan.

“Gunner Coftman, Captain,” he says turning to the team.

“You have the honor of hoisting The Cup.” I feel my eyes tear up as I watch Gunner skate over to Stan.

They lift it together, and I move to get a good photo.

And then Stan releases it, and Gunner hoists it over his head and takes a lap; and the crowd goes absolutely wild.

The lights fly across the ice, and the crowd cheers.

Gunner skates over to Aiden and passes it off, and the crowd cheers as Aiden holds it above his head and skates.

And then Sebastian has it and is definitely more demonstrative than the first two, earning a laugh from me.

Sebastian skates it over to Rico.

Rico smiles and lifts it above his head, turning around in a circle as the crowd cheers.

The cup passes to each player, and I get photos of each of them.

And then there’s a hand on my back.

I grin wildly as I spin around and throw myself into Gunner’s arms.

His arms wrap around me and pull me against his sweaty chest.

“I’m so proud of you,” I shout to him above the noise.

He grins down at me and kisses me wildly.

Then he pulls back and stares into my eyes, going serious on me.

“I want to ask you something.”

I stare at him in confusion until he drops to one knee.

My eyes widen in shock, and the rest of the world fades away.

He pulls out a small black box and flips it open and holds it up to me.

“I was wondering if maybe you’d consider spending the rest of your life with me.”

I cover my mouth with my hand, in absolute shock.

“Are you serious?” I shout to him above the noise.

He smirks.

“The ring and the knee would suggest that I am.” He stares into my eyes.

“I don’t want to do life without you by my side.”

I can’t even process this, but I know what my answer is.

“Then don’t,” I tell him simply.

His smirk widens into a full-blown smile.

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s an absolute yes!”

He pulls out the ring I wore before, the one he had designed just for me, and slips it onto my finger.

Then he stands to his feet and pulls me in for a kiss.

As soon as his lips hit mine, I hear the shift in the crowd and hear Gunner’s teammates.

When I pull back smiling, his teammates have gathered around us, whistling and cheering; and the crowd has picked up on it too.

Gunner smiles sheepishly at me.

“I thought everybody would be too busy celebrating to notice.”

“It’s fine. Let’s give them something more to celebrate.”

He grins and takes my hand and lifts it up in the air, earning a roar of approval from both the audience and his teammates.

The guys gather around us, offering their congratulations.

I congratulate each of them on their win as well.

The rest of the night is a blur, and it takes hours for us to get out of there.

Of course, the party continues afterward at a restaurant the organization rented out for the night.

There are awards handed out, speeches made, and coaches and players honored.

It’s an amazing night, one I will never forget for many reasons.

When Gunner and I leave hours later, we walk hand-in-hand to his truck, exhausted but fulfilled in absolutely every way.

I smile at the summer breeze and soak it in.

“Will you go with me to Grandma May tomorrow so we can tell her? I mean, she will already know because of the spectacle on the ice; but I want to show her the ring in person.”

He squeezes my hand.

“Of course.”

I look down at my ring in the light of the parking lot lights.

“It’s gorgeous, Gunner.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He squeezes my hand again.

“When are you thinking of getting married?” I ask as he opens his truck door for me.

“Next month?” he asks.

I laugh.

“Wait, are you serious?”

He shrugs.

“Kind of.”

I wait for him to walk around the truck and climb in.

“You can’t be serious. There’s no way we can pull off a wedding in a month.”

“Okay.”

“I mean, right?”

He reaches over and takes my hand in his.

“Chloe, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Tomorrow wouldn’t be soon enough for me, but I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer.”

My mind whirls.

“We can’t pull it off that soon. I need a dress. We need a venue, a preacher, cake, invites, rings, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, tuxes...”

“Or we could do a small ceremony at Grandma May’s nursing home for just the three of us and my mom and brother,” he interjects.

I fall silent and let his words settle.

It’s actually a really good idea.

I’ve never really been one of those girls that dreamed of their wedding their entire life—mostly because I didn’t see myself marrying.

Well, until Gunner ruined that for me.

The idea of not having the pressure of a big wedding, of trying to pull everything off on top of classes and everything else I have going on, is a pretty good thought.

I think about it the rest of the way to his house.

When he parks, neither of us make a move to go in.

I turn to him.

“It’s actually a really good idea.”

He faces me.

“Only if you want that. If you want a huge wedding with all the bells and whistles, we can have that too.” He kisses my hand.

“I just want you to be happy.”

“Well, I’ve never needed bells and whistles to make me happy.”

He smiles.

“You don’t have to make a decision tonight.”

I didn’t make the decision that night, but it started that night.

And the next day, when Grandma May hugged me so tight, I thought I might cry, I knew that Gunner’s idea was the right one.

So almost a month later, to the day, I stood next to Gunner in a white summer dress in front of Grandma May, Greyson, and Gunner’s mom while a preacher led us through the vows.

And when Gunner kissed me, it was as his wife.

He wrapped his arm around me as we turned to face our family.

We cut a small cake and celebrated in the gazebo out on the nursing home lawn.

Of course, the team wouldn’t hear of not celebrating with us.

So, we have a venue booked for tomorrow night to celebrate with pretty much the entire Green Thunder organization.

And then it will be off to Hawaii for Gunner and me.

I have no idea how he got it all booked so fast, but I’m so excited for it.

“Okay, you two,” Grandma May says.

“It’s time for your dance.”

“Our dance?” I question.

She nods and points to Greyson.

He gives her a smile and does something on his phone.

Moments later, Can't Help Falling in Love fills the air. I turn to Grandma May with a tearful smile. “This was the song that was played at her and Grandpa Jim's wedding,” I tell Gunner.

He gives me a soft smile and opens his arms to me. I step into them and lay my head on his chest. Neither of us say a word; we’re just content to be in this moment together. When I know the song is drawing to a close, I look up at my husband. “I love you so much.”

His eyes soften. “I love you too.” He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me gently. This kiss is different than some of the ones we shared before—passionate kisses. This one is more of a promise, the promise of forever.

“Can we go home now?” he asks in a low voice against my ear.

I pull back and grin up at him. “Let’s go, Big C.”

We walk hand-in-hand to our family members and give hugs. When I bend down to hug Grandma May, she squeezes my hand. “You take good care of our boy.”

I smile. “I plan to.”

“He smiles at you the way Grandpa Jim used to smile at me,” she says with an unusually tender expression on her face.

“Yeah?”

She nods. “It’s the smile that promises forever.”

I swallow down the emotion clogging my throat. “I was just thinking that.”

She squeezes my hand again. “You cherish that love; a love like that only comes once in a lifetime.” I nod and wipe my watery eyes.

“I will,” I promise. I lean down and kiss her weathered cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Precious Girl.” She pulls back. “Now, go teach that boy a thing or two in bed.”

And just like that, the tender emotion is gone. “Grandma May!!”

She grins, just as I feel a warm hand on my spine. “I think she has the right idea,” a low voice says against my ear.

I smile broadly. “I do too, Husband.”

His eyes heat, and then he’s walking me towards his truck faster than I can keep up with. “No taking off any clothes until you get home,” Grandma May calls out loudly.

I don’t even bother turning around. “Goodbye, we love you all.”

To a chorus of love and well wishes, we walk to his truck. Gunner opens the passenger door for me, and I face him before the door closes. “How fast does this thing go?”

Gunner gives me that sexy smirk of his. “Really fast.”

I laugh as he closes my door and jogs around to his side of the truck. Almost five years ago, I would have given anything for this man to even notice me. And now, I’m his wife. Crazy how life happens sometimes. I didn’t even know what all was in our future, but I knew we would be together to face it. And there was no person I’d rather brave this beautiful life with than the man beside me.

“Ready to go home?” Gunner asks.

I smile and lean my head against the seat. “Ready.”

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