Page 132 of Slap Shot Surprise
I laughed. “Are you serious right now?”
“Yes.” He pulled me close, nuzzling my neck. “It sounds so good to me.”
“It sounds good to me too.” My heart was beating so fast.
“My dad told me about this guy he knows up in Michigan who’s thinking of building a hockey training facility. He’s looking for someone to design and run the youth program.”
“And you’d do that?”
“Sure. I think I’d be good at it.”
“I know you would be. But what about a championship win?”
He shrugged. “I mean, that would be cool if it happened. But if it doesn’t, I had a good ride.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“Believe it.” He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “I can imagine my life without professional hockey. But I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“You have me, Joe. Body, heart, and soul.” I pressed my lips to his. “I just want you to have that championship ring too.”
“There’s another ring I’ve been thinking about that will mean more to me.”
My breath caught.
His phone buzzed, and we looked at it. His agent’s name was on the screen.
Trembling, I moved off his lap and stood up. “I’ll let you take this.”
He nodded and took the call, while I went into the bathroom. My legs were wobbly. My hands shook. What ring was Joe referring to? Although we spoke about the future a lot, we hadn’t really talked about getting married. I hoped we’d get there eventually, but living together was such a huge step, I felt like we should breathe for a minute before making that leap.
But what other ring could he mean?
Trying to remain calm, I looked at myself in the mirror, marveling at my reflection. Even now, nearly eight months later, sometimes it still caught me off guard that I was having a baby with the hot hockey player next to me on the plane. That we’d fallen in love. That somewhere along the way, he’d begun to imagine a life with me in which we watched our kids grow up on a piece of land we called our own. It was better than a dream.
When I opened the door, I didn’t hear anything. Not wanting to interrupt, I wandered down the hall toward the baby’s room. Inside, I looked at the rocking chair, at the wall where the crib would go, at the changing table we’d picked out together. The carpet was thick and soft beneath my bare feet. I walked over to the closet and looked at all the little clothes hanging there, a rush of excitement moving through me.
I turned and saw Joe leaning in the bedroom doorway, a familiar grin on his handsome face.
“They offered,” I said breathlessly.
“They offered,” he confirmed.
Letting out a squeal of excitement, I ran for him and threw my arms around his neck, feeling him sweep me off my feet. “Oh my God, this is great news! Congratulations!”
He set me down, but kept his arms around my back. “I haven’t said I’ll accept yet. They want a two-year extension, and I’m not positive I want to commit to two years. I told him I had to talk it over with my wife.”
My jaw dropped. “Yourwhat?”
“My wife. It just slipped out. And it sounded so fucking good.”
My eyes filled with tears as I began to laugh. “Joe Lupo! What does this mean?”
“It means I know what I want. It means you’re it for me, cupcake. It means I finally understand how my dad felt when he got that tattoo on his chest—you know forever when you feel it.” He cocked his head. “So what do you say? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Pulling his head down, I rose up on my toes and kissed his lips. “Yes, yes, yes! God, I’m so happy right now!”
Laughing, he kissed me back. “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring.”
