Page 125 of Game Misconduct

“From the moment I saw you in that Michigan bar in nowheresville, Ohio, I knew you were the one for me. Our journey was full of twists and turns, and a fair bit of heartache, and I’m so, so grateful you gave me a chance. Gave us a chance. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Reaching for the ring box, I barely manage to get it open. My sweaty palm soaks the velvet as I hold it out to her.

It’s a pear-shaped diamond with four smaller stones on either side. Elsy and Vanessa assured me she’d love it, and Ceci sent me the link to her Pinterest board.

If she hates the ring, I’ll get her another one. As many as she needs. The ring itself isn’t as important as what it symbolizes: that she’s mine, and I’m hers, and we belong to each other.

“Will you marry me?”

Tears streak down her face as she whips her head in a yes.

“I need to hear it. I need the words.”

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she says, the microphone booming her words to the seventeen thousand fans in attendance.

What sounds like the entire arena bursts into cheers and applause.

But I ignore it.

Bex hauls me to my feet and I pull her into my arms, needing to feel her body against mine. She throws her arms around my neck, holding me close for a moment before she pulls back, kissing me.

I’m still holding the microphone and the ring box. The announcer eases the mic out of my grasp, and I fumble for the ring, slipping it from the pillow and onto her finger. She doesn’t even glance at it before pulling me into another hug.

Mine. Mine, mine, mine. The words beat in my chest on a primal level.

I kiss her again and again and again.

Someone crashes into me, and then another, and before I know it, my teammates have swarmed us in a group hug.

“So happy for you!” Gonzo shouts. He’s still my best friend on the team, and I’m lucky to consider the rest of my teammates family, too.

“All right, all right,” the announcer calls.

Everyone shuffles back into place. I need to fulfill my end of the bargain, so I whip off my jersey—my very last jersey—and sign it before handing it off to Bex.

She clutches it to her chest, my ring glittering on her finger.

Somehow, we make it through the rest of the tradition. Once the last man is down to his base pads, we lift our hands and wave to our fans. The ones who make it possible for us to do what we love. The ones who support us through good times and bad. In sickness and in health.

I seek out Bex, and she’s grinning back at me, her eyes bright.

“I love you,” she mouths, and I tap my chest, right over my heart.

Skating over to her, I wrap her up in my arms.

Where she belongs.

This chapter in my life is over, and I’m ready to move on. To find myself after hockey. To start a podcast with Whitney. To start a family.

Together, Bex and I will embark on this new journey. Wherever we go, I know she’ll be by my side.

When I walked into that Michigan bar in Ohio, I had no idea what my life would become. The drama we’d have to wade through. How much we’d have to fight.

But we’ve battled. We’ve come out on the other side.

Because I’m hers. And she’s mine. And we have forever.