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auburn

As we stepped into Austin’s apartment right after the game, I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight before me. “I cannot believe you set up a whole party for Ledger,” I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around Austin’s as he guided me farther inside.

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with pride. “Well, I can’t take much credit. Nova helped me with the basic planning, and then the party planner took care of the rest.”

Taking in the scene around me, I was amazed by the transformation of the space. Austin’s modern apartment was decked out in Ravens colors, with streamers cascading from the ceiling and balloon arches framing the room. In the center, a massive charcuterie table had my stomach rumbling.

Turning to Austin, I smiled, feeling a surge of affection for him. “You’ve outdone yourself, Austin. This was so kind and unexpected.” When Austin had asked me to come by his apartment first, before Ledger did, I was hesitant, but this was truly a surprise.

“I know he hates these kinds of things and told the team not to make a big deal of it, but winning his last pro game, it was something he should celebrate.”

“You didn’t know he was going to win.” I laughed.

Austin shrugged. “Losing deserved to be celebrated too.”

“I’m so proud of you for doing this for Ledger,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I know this isn’t the most comfortable situation you’ve been in?—”

He paused, turning me toward him. “Stop, Mom. At this point, we’re family and bound to be around each other.”

My smile widened, and I pulled him into a warm embrace. “I’m glad you’re here to share it with me.”

“Me too, Mom.”

My emotions were bubbling up, threatening to overflow, but the door swung open just as I was about to lose control. Stassi, Damien, and Alex walked in.

“Damn, Hart. This is impressive—all this just for Cole?” He chuckled, knowing Ledger would hate the fuss and attention but also knowing that deep down, he’d secretly be thrilled.

“Thank you guys for coming.” I walked over to my new friends and gave them a big hug. Inside, my feelings were in a whirl, but it wasn’t that old fear driving me to bolt. Instead, it was something anchoring me down. Love, joy, pure happiness, all mixed in there. It was a new feeling for me to have, but something that I welcomed.

The rest of the team, including Coach and Ledger’s parents, all piled in, and I pulled my phone out, practicing my acting skills. The plan was that I would feign an emergency at Austin’s apartment and hopefully, knowing Ledger, he’d come running down to help.

“Ledger?” I asked frantically when he answered.

“Sunshine?” His voice was panicked at my tone. “What’s wrong?”

“Can you come down to Austin’s apartment? There’s a pipe…bursting…water.” Everyone behind me was holding in their laughter.

“Already down the hall with some tools,” Ledger said, his voice ragged as he fumbled with the elevator button. I hung up, and within a few minutes, there was a banging on the door.

“Open up,” Ledger cried from the other side of the door.

Everyone was huddled in the living room and a hallway separated the entrance of the apartment and the main room, so it’d take Ledger a few moments to actually see that this wasn’t a plumbing emergency.

I walked to the door, slowly opened it, and Ledger practically pushed past me before I grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn back toward me.

I pressed my lips to his, taking in his long black hair. The beard was back after I’d insisted that it looked good. He was in his Ravens team shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair was still dripping wet from what I presumed was the shower.

“What’s wrong?” Ledger asked in panic.

I shook my head, trying my best not to burst into laughter. “I want to tell you how much I love you,” I murmured.

His face softened, his eyes wide, and his mouth parted as if waiting for me. His mouth met mine softly, and I could taste him as he pressed himself to me. “I love you too, Sunshine.”

I grabbed his hand and guided him into the living room while he clutched the red toolbox in the other hand. Once he realized there were decorations, his eyes darted to mine, then back to the crowd gathered in the room.

At least a hundred people were stuffed like sardines into the apartment. There were families, kids, his teammates, his parents, and myself. He fought tears and blinked rapidly.

A resounding “Surprise!” echoed in the apartment as people immediately came over to hug Ledger. We were surrounded by the people we loved the most. There was no urge to look back at the door or the familiar panic bubbling up. All that filled me was the warm feeling of being surrounded by love.

Ledger glanced back at me as he guided me around the room, holding my hand. We spent the next hour ensuring he personally thanked everyone who came, including all the kids. When we were finally able to take a breath, Ledger took me toward where the makeshift bar was and handed me a water as he grabbed a beer.

“I can’t believe you did this,” he said in awe. I shook my head just as Austin came out of the crowd toward us.

“No,” I said, opening my arms for Austin. “He did.”

Ledger’s lips curled into a smile as he grabbed Austin from me and brought him in for a hug. A hug that he held for a long time. He whispered something inaudible in his ear, and Austin pat Ledger a few times on the back. When they pulled away, both had teary eyes.

“I know you hate these sorts of things but?—”

Ledger shook his head. “No. This was special. I would’ve never asked to have done this, but I appreciate this more than you know.”

The three of us exchanged a look before Ledger grabbed my hands, interlacing his fingers in mine.

“I know that the way this happened may not have been the best way, but I’m glad you’re in our lives, Ledger,” Austin finally said, and the wetness hit my cheeks.

“Should we tell them?” Ledger asked the two of us, and we nodded.

“They’re our family, after all,” Austin added. It felt like my heart could burst with happiness, like I could leap into any chasm of joy.

This life, this family, it was beyond anything I’d ever imagined. They were always there for me and the one person missing didn’t feel like she was missing much at all. Even though Austin told me that he’d extended the invitation to my mother, and she’d declined, I was glad. I wasn’t sure if there was anything to fix between us, nor was I sure I wanted to.

Austin whistled, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Mom, Dad, mind joining us up front?” Ledger beckoned, and Sue and Pete stepped forward.

I squeezed Ledger’s hand, feeling the warmth of connection. As everyone gathered, Ledger took a deep breath, his eyes shining with gratitude and excitement.

“Wow, what a turnout,” he began, his voice filled with emotion. “I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today. It means the world to me to see all of your familiar faces, celebrating this milestone with me.”

He paused, a smile spreading across his face as he continued. “Retirement might sound like the end of one chapter, but for me, it’s the beginning of a whole new adventure. I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be starting my journey as a youth coach, and even though I won’t be on the rink with the Ravens anymore, I’ll still be working with them indirectly, nurturing the next generation of players.”

Turning to Austin, he said, “I may not love the attention on me, and never asked for this party, but this is the best way to celebrate my retirement. Thank you, Austin. Thank you for throwing this incredible party.”

But then, his gaze softened as he looked at me. “And to Auburn, my love, my life, my Sunshine,” he said, his voice catching slightly. “Thank you for being my rock, for supporting me every step of the way. I couldn’t have done any of this without you by my side.”

As murmurs of congratulations and clinking glasses filled the air, Ledger couldn’t help but share one more piece of news, a secret that had him bubbling inside with excitement.

“But wait, there’s one more thing,” he declared, his voice brimming with joy. “Getting to be the youth coach isn’t the only new adventure I’ll be going on this year. Auburn is expecting.”

His hand went to my stomach protectively as the room erupted in a combination of cheers and howls. Pete and Susan were the first two people to come up to us and give us a hug.

“Congratulations, dear,” Susan said.

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but the last few weeks I’ve been so nauseous it’s been hard to drive anywhere, so it was harder for me to get to visit you guys.” My lips twisted empathetically, but she pulled me deeper into her hug.

“I’m so excited to be a grandma,” she squealed as she pulled away before going over to Austin and giving him the same kind of hug.

“What the fuck? How could you not tell me?” Emma’s familiar voice crooned from the other side of the room. I jumped up and leaped into her arms.

“You made it!” I shouted as I held her in her arms.

“Yeah, just in time to hear some big announcement that you’re pregnant.” She pulled me away and touched my stomach.

“I’m only twelve weeks,” I said, patting on the still-soft skin.

“I’m so proud of you, friend.” She pulled me back in, and I let her hold me like she did when we were kids. But this time, I wasn’t crying in her arms because I was sad. I was crying because I was overwhelmed with the life that I had.

“You deserve all of this,” she added before we both pulled away again. “Does Austin know?”

We both looked behind us where Austin and Nova were talking quietly in the corner of the room. They had formed a tight friendship throughout the season. I liked Nova; she was hard working and determined, but mostly because she cared for Austin and watched out for him.

“Yeah. I told him almost immediately. I promised him there’d be no secrets, but with my age, I also knew there was a greater risk, so I didn’t want to announce it to anyone else.”

“I’m glad you told him.” She nodded and linked her hand in mine as we walked over to where Ledger stood with Alex and Stassi.

“Congrats, Auburn,” Stassi exclaimed, pulling me into her arms. “We’ll have to get working on having a permanent best friend night.” She elbowed Alex in the side, and he huffed out a chuckle.

While everyone continued their conversations around us, Ledger wrapped me in his arms. His chest pressed into my back as he snaked his arms around my chest, cradling my stomach.

I turned my head so I could see him, brushing against the hair on his beard. “It’s moments like this when my scars don’t feel so ugly.”