Page 69

I drag my hand across my face, leaving Cade to his phone call as I make my way toward the kitchen. It’s only when I open the door and see what’s going on that I freeze.

“Morning!” Madison chirps, plating breakfast for Dash and Henry. Scrambled eggs, whole-grain toast, fresh fruit and Greek yoghurt. Looks like she raided my fridge this morning.

Dash clears his throat. “Sorry for coming so early. Henry said he needed a final-check up with Cade before the game tonight, and we felt like he needed to be monitored.”

Henry rolls his eyes. “They act like I’m some toddler who can’t cross the street alone.”

“No. We act like you’re the idiot who broke my girlfriend’s heart once,” Dash growls. “So yeah, you need a leash and a fucking muzzle for that crime.”

“Please,” Henry scoffs as he stabs the eggs that Madison gave him.

“I hardly broke her heart. Do you know how many times she talked about you when we were together? Dash got a new mask today. What color is Dash’s foam roller?

Do you think Dash got hurt by the puck after last night’s game?

I wonder if Dash is ever going to break up with his girlfriend . ”

“Henry!” Madison shrieks, wide-eyed and embarrassed.

He glances between them and lets out a low chortle. “Oh, come on. Everyone in a fifty-mile radius knew you were pining over Dash but too chickenshit to tell your brother.”

“Doesn’t mean I want him knowing that fact.”

“I already knew,” Dash replies with a little smirk on his face.

“Still can’t believe Cade didn’t notice,” Henry says. “Speaking of, where is he? I need to make sure the swelling has gone down completely.

“He’s just on a call,” I say softly because it’s only a half-truth.

The whole truth? He’s in the bedroom strategizing with either Jeremy or Matty as they dismantle Luke’s shitty empire piece by piece.

The asshole who’s been pulling everyone’s strings is about to become the puppet, and if it means Jeremy walks free and Cade will never fight again?

I’ll happily let him scheme in the bedroom. “He’ll be out in a sec.”

“Oh, is he talking to our parents about their visit next week?”

The question sounds harmless enough, but the moment Madison says it, my stomach nosedives.

“No,” I say quickly, a little too tightly. “They’ve already talked.”

Let’s just say Cade’s parents weren’t exactly throwing confetti when they found out we eloped.

Shocked? Yes. Disappointed? Definitely. Thrilled that their son announced his marriage via a half-assed text and then ghosted them under the excuse of ‘a spontaneous honeymoon with spotty service’? Not so much.

He couldn’t even FaceTime them. Couldn’t look them in the eye and tell them the truth, and I get it, but still. It’s not the strongest opening chapter with the in-laws of the man I’m supposed to spend forever with.

“Don’t worry about them,” Madison says casually, reaching for Dash’s hand. “They hated the idea of me dating Dash until they realized how serious we were.” She exchanges a look with her boyfriend. “Plus, he’s a way better option than Henry.”

“Hey! That’s uncalled for,” Henry adds.

“We might’ve accepted you in our lives, Newman, but that doesn’t mean we forget easily,” Dash says.

“But what if that’s how they feel about me? Will your parents hate me because they think I rushed Cade into this?”

“Oh, please,” Madison scoffs. “We all know you can’t make Cade do anything.

That guy does what he wants when he wants.

” She loops her arm around my shoulders and yanks me into her side.

“Besides, I already know they’re going to love you.

How could they not? You’ve made Cade the happiest I’ve ever seen him. ”

The happiest she’s ever seen him? I feel like that’s a stretch since after we got married, he took a beating for me, but I guess I’ll take it as a compliment. “If you’re really worried,” Madison grins mischievously, “I could always tell them that Dash got me pregnant to distract them.”

Dash immediately spits his coffee across the table, hitting Henry.

“MADISON!” Dash chokes out.

“I'm joking, Big D,” Madison laughs. “Relax.”

“Your dad would literally kill me,” Dash says, wiping coffee from his chin while Henry glares at him.

“But think about it, wouldn't it be so much fun to have a mini us running around?” Madison continues with a wicked grin.

“Yeah, because what the world really needs is a human glitter bomb on goalie legs. That kid’s gonna break the sound barrier and three windows by preschool.”

“Don’t talk about my future child like that,” Dash grumbles.

“Future?” Madison says with a wistful edge in her voice. It’s obvious she’s completely gone for Dash, and I can tell by the way he looks at her, he is too.

“If Cade’s not talking to his parents, is it Coach McKibbon? I’m tired of covering for his ass.” Dash asks in an attempt to change the subject, I assume.

“No…” I drawl out, trying to think of something that won’t out Cade’s antics to Madison. “He’s talking to my lawyer, Ivy. She got a court date to start the adoption process of my little sister.” There. It’s not a lie. It’s the truth, and something I can’t stop thinking about.

“That’s incredible!” Madison practically runs over to me and hugs me tight. “I’m so happy for you, and I can’t wait to meet her. It’s like having another sister, which is a much-needed change.” She leans in and points her thumb over her shoulder. “I’m tired of hanging around with these hooligans.”

“Hey! I resent that comment,” Henry says.

“The only hooligan of the bunch is Erik. Cade made the right decision to move out. Erik was so loud, we essentially got a play-by-play of every move he did with his hookup last night.” His nose wrinkles.

“I’m pretty sure he used his nutcrackers in a less than wholesome way. ”

Dash coughs, causing Henry to slap him on the back. “Didn’t you hear it?” Henry asks.

“No. I was at Madison’s.”

“See. This is why I need a girlfriend. If Erik isn’t fucking someone loudly, he and Scotty are arguing over that stupid incident at that birthday party.”

“What happened there?” Madison asks, clearly intrigued.

Before I can hear the gossip, the breaking news banner scrolling across the TV catches my eye. There’s a picture of a burned building with a very familiar chicken joint in the background making my heart race.

“Could you turn that up?” I ask softly, pointing at the remote.

Henry grabs it, and suddenly the room fills with the anchor's voice: “Breaking news this morning: a local bar was destroyed in an overnight fire, and the owner has been arrested on federal charges…”

My coffee mug slips from my hands and shatters on the floor.

“The fire at Behind Closed Doors appears to have been caused by an electrical fault originating from an old computer in the basement,” the reporter continues.

“However, federal agents received an anonymous tip about financial irregularities at the establishment, leading them to investigate the owner's business practices. Luke McCabe was arrested this morning on charges of tax evasion, wire fraud, and money laundering after agents discovered severe discrepancies in his financial records…”

I stare at the screen, drinking in every detail of the destruction.

Ash. That’s all that remains of the place that felt like it stole my soul.

Beautiful, perfect ash. All those nights I lay awake wishing it would just disappear.

All those times I imagined what it would feel like to be truly free of it… It’s here and I’m numb.

“Oh my,” I whisper.

Madison looks around at us all, her brows furrowed while Dash and Henry have gone completely still, staring at the screen.

Inside, I’m trembling, only now able to take in the true meaning of it all. My eyes sting, and tears threaten to fall as I memorize every inch of Luke’s fallen kingdom.

“Okay, what's going on?” Madison asks slowly. “Why does everyone look like they've seen a ghost? It's just some random bar that burned down.”

Nobody says a word. Just Stanley whimpering over the broken mug and the reporter detailing Luke's extensive list of crimes.

Madison's eyes dart between us, taking in our reactions. “This isn't random, is it? This means something to you guys. Wait, were you involved? Does this have something to do with Cade’s injuries?”

That's when Cade finally appears, looking exhausted but relieved. His hair is disheveled, his shoulders look like they’re carrying less weight than they have in weeks.

“You saw,” he says to me.

I turn back to the TV, watching them show the wreckage again. Every beam, every brick, every trace of that place reduced to nothing.

“It's gone,” I say softly, my voice full of wonder. “It's actually gone.”

Madison stares between the TV and all of us, and I can see the pieces clicking together in her mind.

“Oh my goodness. How didn’t I see it? I knew you liked to fi—” She doesn’t finish the sentence because even in this small circle, Cade’s fighting isn’t something that’s spoken about out loud.

“I thought you stopped?” she asks Cade more tenderly this time.

“I did, but Savannah needed my help, and she’s more important than anything.”

Silence stretches between us as no one wants to answer the obvious answer hanging in the air.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped.” Madison crosses to me and wraps me in the gentlest, most protective hug.

“I’m not putting either one of you in danger.”

“And you also can’t keep a secret to save your life,” Henry adds.

“Henry,” Cade warns.

Madison pulls back with a dramatic scoff. “That is so unfair. I kept plenty of secrets. I didn’t tell anyone about Dash and me for, like, months.”

She looks around like she’s just proven a major point. Then her gaze flicks to Cade, and the grin falters. “Okay, yeah, that probably doesn’t help my case, but I also didn’t tell Mom and Dad you were marrying Savannah, so. There’s that.”

Dash rubs a hand over his face, and Madison folds her arms. “Look, I’m mostly trustworthy. I’d say sixty-forty. Seventy-thirty on a good day.”

“She’s rounding up,” Dash mutters under his breath.

“Okay, wow ,” she says, glaring at him.

Cade wraps his arm around my waist and presses a kiss to my temple before dropping the tension like only he can.

“Can I eat my breakfast now?” he asks. “Or are we planning to emotionally spiral until lunch?”

I blink, the shift almost jarring, but it’s also so him.

He’s never one to dwell on the bad stuff.

He just focuses on moving forward and he’s right.

We have so much to look forward to in this life we’re building together.

Luke can’t hurt me or anyone else for that matter.

So, yeah… it’s time to let go of the fear.

It’s time to move forward.

“Yes. Let's eat.”

The rest of the morning passes in a strange mix of relief and normalcy.

Madison doesn't push for details, just stays close and tells me all about the plans she has to make sure her parents love me and ways to make Adley feel comfortable when she gets here.

The guys clean up my broken mug and try to make everything feel normal.

When they finally leave, Madison hugs us both.

“I'm so proud of you,” she tells Cade quietly. “Both of you. Whatever you did, however you did it, I'm proud.”

After she's gone, Cade and I stand in our quiet kitchen with the remnants of breakfast and the knowledge that it's finally over.

“How do you feel?” he asks gently.

“Free,” I say, and I actually mean it. “That place is gone. Luke can't hurt anyone anymore, and we get to build whatever we want now.” I pause, a worry creeping into my mind. “What about Jeremy? Is he okay? Can anything be traced back to him?”

Cade’s expression softens with understanding.

“He’s safe, Pretty Girl. Matty made sure of it.

The way they set up the system, there’s no digital trail that leads back to Jeremy.

As far as anyone knows, it was just a hardware failure that wiped Luke’s files.

The feds got an anonymous tip from someone claiming they saw shady business practices. That’s it. Jeremy’s in the clear.”

Relief floods through me. “Good. He's been through enough.”

“He has. But now we all get to start over.” He looks at me and I just take a moment to see him. The man who fought for me, who chased away every nightmare, who wants forever with me… I love him and I will do everything I can to make sure he knows that every day.

“Scarred, but free and so incredibly grateful.”

He pulls me close, and I melt into him.

“You know what this means?” he asks, voice low, eyes locked on mine.

“What?”

“Tonight, I get to play hockey with my wife watching from the stands, and for once, I don’t have to worry about anything except the game.”

My throat tightens at the simplicity of it. The weight of what we finally have hits harder than any punch ever could. “And I get to sit there knowing we're both safe. That we can just… breathe.”

He smirks with that cocky, devastating kind of smile that still wrecks me. “Normal’s for other people, Pretty Girl. But safe?”

He leans in, lips brushing mine.

“Safe is everything.”

Hours later, I’m in the stands wearing Cade’s jersey with Madison by my side as my self-appointed game companion. The arena buzzes, and my heart flutters with excitement as I wait to see my husband in his element.

When the team skates out for warm-ups, I spot Cade immediately. He’s strong, confident, and in his element. When he passes our section, he finds me in the crowd and grins with that radiant smile that still makes my heart skip. He taps his chest twice and points at me.

I blow him a kiss, and Madison squeals beside me.

“You two are so sweet,” she says, grinning. “I love it.”

As the game starts and Cade takes position, I settle back with a smile that feels permanent. The scoreboard reads 0-0, but we've already won everything that matters.

This is my life now. This beautiful, messy, perfect life with the man who fought for me, who turned my nightmares to ash so we could build something incredible.

And the best part about it is, we get to build it together.

I get to live this dream every day, every game, and every ordinary moment that feels like a miracle forever.

The horn blares and the puck drops. Cade launches into motion, chasing his dreams under the arena lights, while I sit in the stands, knowing all of my dreams are coming true because of him.

Luke is gone. The bar is ash. And we're free to build something beautiful from the ruins.

Together.