Page 164 of Line Chance
“Not even a little,” I whisper back.
“Good,” he murmurs. “We’ll do it together.”
For a second, all I register is the shift in air, charged with something that feels like it’s already reaching for me. And then the sound rolls in like a rising wave of voices, chaotic joy filling the room before I even understandwhy.
Kyle steps out beside me, his hand sliding to the small of my back as if he knows my legs have forgotten how to work. I follow him into the light, and the sight waiting there stops me so completely I feel my pulse stutter. The entire family is gathered right there in the hallway.
Cooper with an arm around Ramona, both of them grinning like they’ve been holding this secret for months. Beau and Alise stand shoulder-to-shoulder, her head leaning against his as she wipes at mascara that never stood a chance. Michele and Cole are pressed together in that easy, unshakable way they always fall into, both clapping hard enough to bruise their palms. Ms. Mel stands at the center of all of them, tissue in hand, pretending she’s not crying even though her eyes are shining like she’s seeing something she prayed for.
Kyle barely has time to breathe before Ms. Mel pulls him into the kind of hug only a mother can give, swatting the back of his head and crying into his shoulder. “’Bout time you did something right,” she sobs, and he laughs into her hair.
Behind her, my own mother appears, flanked by Tiff and Maria on either side of her. Both are openly crying and filming everything.
My mom grabs my face with both hands. “Alycia… look at you.Mira lo que Dios te dio.”
She gives my cheeks a small squeeze before hugging Kyle, whispering something in his ear that makes his eyes go wide and his ears go red.
Behind them, a handful of teammates slam theirsticks against the ice, the thud reverberating through the glass. Draped across the hall leading to my office in Cooper’s unmistakably terrible handwriting is a banner stretched wide and crooked:“SHE SAID YES!”
I choke on a laugh, burying my face in Kyle’s shoulder before the tears spill. He wraps an arm around my waist, pressing a kiss into my hair. “Told you that you were never alone.”
“We’re really doing this?” I ask softly.
He nods, brushing his nose against mine. “We’re doing all of it, together.”
And for the first time in my life, I believe it with my whole heart.
