Love.
He did what he did for love. Fear had gotten in the way, but no more. The clock ran down... five... four... three... two... one.
Whistle!
He saw her face in an instant, impossible to believe in a crowd of this size. But the moment the game ended, he glanced up and locked in on a familiar freckled face. On some level, he must have known she was there the whole time.
She blew him a kiss, and although she wouldn’t be able to see behind his mask, he knew she’d know that he was grinning ear to ear. Because for one night, in one city, in one stadium, on a block of ice... love won. And of course it did. He chuckled as he skated in, toward victory, toward his team, toward his coach, and the arms of the woman who gave him the courage to risk everything.
Love always wins.
Chapter Twenty-One
Two months later
“Come on, come on, don’t be a stick in the mud!” Margot tugged Patch’s wrist with a playful jerk. “How can you resist this opportunity of a lifetime? We’re in a mountain meadow. There are wildflowers. The sun is shining. It’s Aspen. Now take my hand and let’s frolic.”
He grinned down at her as she cavorted beneath him. “With what? A hundred people watching?”
“They don’t care about us. They’re focused on the bride and groom.”
She turned over her shoulder and grinned. Breezy looked radiant in a strapless white dress that hugged her curves, her thick blonde hair drawn up into an elegant chignon. Jed was unable to take his eyes off her, much to the annoyance of the photographer who was trying to get a few shots as the guests milled around them, holding champagne flutes.
“Lucky for me, I’m more interested in the bridesmaid,” Patch drawled. “And I’m not going to skip, but Iwillwalk with you.” He bent and plucked a small, violet-colored blossom and handed it to her. “Besides I want to ask you something and this seems like the right time.”
“This sounds serious,” she said lightly.
“I’ve been waiting for the right moment. Hard when I haven’t seen you much the past couple of weeks. Our schedules have been crazy. Me on the road, you at work.”
She’d been taking a night class in small business management, in addition to teaching her yoga classes. She had the business plan developed for Sanctuary and Dusk had agreed to join forces, merging the Nirvana studio with her once they located a space.
“Yeah, time is flying. The season is going to be over soon. How are you feeling about it, O Captain! My Captain?”
Tor had made it official last week. Patch Donnelly was now the Hellions captain. It was a highly unusual choice picking a goalie, but the Hellions were shaping up to be an unusual team. Scrappy. Unpredictable. Playing more from their hearts than their heads.
“So far, so good. It’s going to help having Petrov as the on-ice captain. We’re figuring out our path forward, and adjusting to the new reality of life without Mister Hockey up there,” he nodded toward Jed West. “We won’t make the playoffs, but next year, it’s going to be a whole new level.”
“You had to go through growing pains.”
He grimaced. “I feel like my life is one big growing pain.”
“Hey!” she swatted his chest. “I’m part of that growth.”
“I’m not saying it’s not good.” He drew her in, and did the thing she loved, where he pressed his forehead to hers, held still, and they just breathed together. “It’s just not easy.”
“I’m so proud of you,” she said. “Those words don’t even come close to cutting it actually.”
“This morning I tried imagining what would’ve happened if I hadn’t gone to you for help.”
“And?”
“I felt like screaming.”
“You’ll never be lost again.” She reached up and fingered his Saint Anthony chain. “I’ve found you.”
He clasped his hand on hers. “So I did a thing,” he said. “And I don’t want you to be mad. Because I know this, you, me, is still early days, and I don’t want to scare you.”
“Do I look scared?”
