Anna squeezes my arm, eyes bright with adrenaline.
“It’s amazing dating a hockey player, isn’t it? I will never get over this rush.”
“There’s nothing like it,” I agree, still breathless from screaming at the ice.
Delaney leans forward between us, her expression adorably confused. “Wait—sorry to interrupt—but did you just say you weredating Miles?”
I smile. “Yeah.”
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaims, her mouth falling open. “All this time, I thought you two were just friends.”
“We were… for a long while,” I say with a shrug. “But we became official a couple of months ago.”
She shakes her head, grinning. “That makes total sense. Iknewyou two would end up together. I’m shocked Max didn’t mention it, but honestly”—she gestures toward Caroline, who’s now awake and sitting up in her stroller, happily chewing on the edge of her blanket—“we’ve been a little preoccupied with our tiny human.”
I laugh. “Totally understandable. I’m not offended you’re not tracking every detail of my love life.”
Laney laughs softly and pulls me in for a warm hug. “Well, I’m really happy for you two. It’s a fun family to belong to, isn’t it?”
“It sure is,” I say, my chest swelling.
And she’s right.
This team—these women, these friendships, these chaotic hockey nights full of nerves and joy—they’re my family. I didn’t grow up with one of my own. For so long, the only person I ever considered family was Anna.
But now… now I have this big, wild, supportive, loving group wrapped around me like a net I never knew I needed.
And it’s incredible.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
MILES
We stumble through the front door close to two in the morning, still buzzing with the kind of pure, wild adrenaline that only comes from winning the Stanley Cup. Miranda is still wearing my number sixteen jersey—my name stretched across her back, the hem brushing her thighs—and she looks like every dream I’ve ever had. Her hair is wild from dancing at the Fire Station, her cheeks flushed, her smile loose and unguarded.
I swear I’ll never get over the sight of her like this.
It’s intoxicating.
We’re both laughing as the door clicks shut behind us, our hands intertwined, the echo of celebration still clinging to our clothes.
As fun as the celebration tonight was, I love being here, in our home together. It’s quickly become my favorite place on earth.
The truth is, this house never felt like home until she moved in.
Tonight, the high of winning is unreal. It’s a rush you can’t bottle, can’t recreate, can’t explain unless you’ve lived it. But even that rush isn’t as powerful as the feeling I get when Miranda looks at me with so much love in her eyes.
We toe off our shoes, and Miranda immediately tugs on my hand. “I have a surprise for you,” she says, her eyes sparkling.
“Oh yeah?” I tease, letting her pull me into the kitchen.
“Yes.” She bounces slightly on her toes, still buzzed from the night. “I, um… I got this earlier today. You know… in anticipation.”
She opens the refrigerator and pulls out a tall, elegant bottle of champagne. The label is vintage, embossed gold, clearly something expensive.
“It’s from the year you were born,” she announces proudly. “Supposedly a very good year.” She winks.
