Page 72 of Hate To Want You
He might not have been completely serious when he talked about me coming to all the family dinners in the future, but a part of me can’t help but wish for that to come true. I’ll even face talk of grandchildren.
Because with Max, I’ve found more than just love. I’ve found a future.
Epilogue
Max
The arena is packed. Makes sense, seeing as it’s the first home game for Jude’s team. They were introduced as league champions at the start, and when Jude skated out onto the ice, the roar became deafening. Guess he deserves it, seeing as he was named MVP after the final game last spring.
We’ve never been prouder to be his family than the moment we watched him lift the cup in the air. Pretty sure all of us Donnellys were crying from the box seats we managed to get for that game.
Just the same way we are now, from the box seats Jude got us for tonight.
“Gotta say, I didn’t expect to be living the life of luxury when we got together.” Heidi drops down into the seat next to me, passing over a beer. “Watching NHL games from fancy box seats is an unexpected bonus to our relationship.”
I chuckle then take a sip of my beer. “You’re welcome, except I can’t take credit. This is all Jude.” I lean in and kiss the side of her neck before whispering, “The bonuses I give you are not fit for public.”
“I’m looking forward to some of those bonuses when we get back to the hotel.” Her hand slides up my leg, dangerously high.
“Heidi,” I say warningly, covering her hand and moving it to a safer position. Wicked temptress that she is, she just giggles and leans her head down on my shoulder. I turn and press another kiss to the top of her head.
It’s hard to believe a year ago, she was nothing but a memory. A woman I’d once been attracted to but never had a chance with. And now she’s the center of my entire world.
She’s been looking at buying an apartment, and I’ve been trying to convince her to just move in with me. She says it’s too fast; I say it makes sense. We work together, we spend just about every single night together, it’s pointless for her to have a separate place just to store her clothes.
Jude’s team scores a goal, drawing our attention back to the game. The arena erupts in cheers, and we’re all on our feet, as well.
“Damn, this is gonna be a good season, I can feel it,” Sawyer announces, dropping his hands on my shoulders and shaking me.
“C’mon man, I almost spilled my beer,” I complain, but only half-heartedly. Because we all feel the same excitement. After last season’s championship win, Jude told me he was worried he’d never reach that high again. But seeing him tonight, flying across the ice with the large letterCemblazoned on his jersey, I have faith he will.
No matter how much I worry that every game could be his last. That’s a fear I’ll keep to myself, no matter what.
“How do I always forget how much more intense it is watching them barrel into each other live, as opposed to on the TV.” Mom sinks down in the seat next to Heidi. “It was so much easier when he was younger. Don’t get me wrong, the collisions still happened, but I don’t know, they weren’t as big or brutal back then.”
I bite my tongue. She’s right, it is a lot more intense watching a game live, in more ways than one. The energy is up as the crowd feeds off each other. But when it’s your family member on the ice, the stress is also up. Because out of everyone sitting in this box, I’m the one who’s all too aware that injuries happen way too often in professional sports. And that’s not only because I’m a doctor. That’s because I’m the only one that Jude confides in about his own injuries.
Only Heidi knows that in the championship final this spring, Jude had a fall that gave him yet another minor tear to his already battered ACL. He skated through it, and no one in our family knew until he called me to say he wouldn’t be meeting us after the game for a brief celebration. He begged me to lie and tell everyone he was tied up with the team, when in reality, he was being treated by the team doctors, given painkillers, and dropped off at his hotel.
The next morning, he made it to breakfast with us, and I saw the tight lines of pain around his eyes. But everyone else only saw the hockey star hero of our family. That’s the way he wanted it, and I respected his wishes. The doctor in me couldn’t help but try to talk with him about retirement, however, he wouldn’t even hear me out.
The buzzer sounds for the first intermission, and the team files off the ice to make way for the Zamboni. If Violet were here, she’d be enthralled. That big, slow machine is her favourite part of a game. But she’s back home in Dogwood Cove with Leo and Serena. They’re the only family members who couldn’t make it down to Montana for tonight’s game, but Leo’s texting all of us in the group chat, so I know they’re watching.
“He looks good, doesn’t he,” Mom says, leaning forward to look at me. “Strong. That extra training over the summer paid off, even if it did mean we didn’t have him home as much.”
“Of course, he does.” My dad is a man of few words, just like Jude. But when he speaks, those words hold weight. He’s standing behind my mom’s seat, his own beer in hand.
The intermission ends, and then Jude’s back on the ice with his team, flying on his skates as if he was born with them on his feet. The minutes tick by without another goal, just a flurry of activity too close to the Blaze’s net for my comfort, and then the puck goes flying down the ice, shot free by one of the defensemen on Jude’s team. Except there’s no one there for it. Play stops, and I lean back against my seat, only just realizing I’d been on the edge of it for the last several tense minutes.
A loud cheer goes up from the crowd, and I glance up at the jumbotron to see what has everyone excited, just in time to see a guy drop down on one knee in the aisle next to another guy, who I assume is his partner. The team’s mascot is dancing behind them, and everyone in their immediate vicinity has excited and shocked looks on their faces. The guy being proposed to nods, then they’re hugging, and the cheer gets even louder.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them, but good God, that’s my nightmare.” Heidi shudders next to me. “I would hate having all that attention and pressure on me. Like, he’s surrounded by strangers, being watched by millionsmorestrangers. What if he said no? Ugh.”
“Are you taking notes, brother? No public proposals.” Kat turns around in her seat in front of us, smirking at me.
“Maybe Hunter should be taking notes,” I fire back, glaring at her, hoping my nosy little sister gets the message. The last thing I need is a conversation about proposals right now. If Heidi’s hesitant to move in with me so quickly, she sure as shit isn’t going to be ready for me to propose marriage any time soon.
Not that it feels too soon for me. Nope, I’d marry her tomorrow if I thought she would say yes. The ring hidden in the top of my closet is proof of that.
The sound of someone slamming into the boards pulls our eyes back to the ice.
“Oh my God.”
My mother’s panicked cry confuses me for a second, until I scan the jerseys on the ice and don’t see the number I’m looking for. It’s in that second I realize with a sinking feeling in my gut that the player lying on the ice, surrounded by other players, is Jude.
And he’s not getting up.
