I gesture dramatically."And that's really saying something."
More laughter — Zach's teammates absolutely eating it up.
My voice wobbles, but I push through.
"You are my favorite person, my safest place, my biggest dream come true. And I didn't want to wait one more day to tell you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
I take a shaky breath, the kind that feels like it might turn into a sob if I blink too hard.
"So, Zach... will you marry me before I ugly cry in front of the entire Florida Panthers organization?"
The entire bar ERUPTED.
Zach, on-screen, instantly starts crying — real, wet, shiny-eye crying. And then he laughs through his tears and says:
"Baby, yes. God, yes. But—um—funny story..."
He reaches into his pocket.
Pulls out a velvet box.
And kneels too.
"I've been carrying this around for a month, waiting for the perfect moment. Turns out you beat me to it."
He opens the box to reveal a gorgeous, classic five-carat diamond that made half the bar scream.
Then he says,"Babe, I've rehearsed this speech in my head like... a hundred times. And somehow, none of those versions felt as right as this—me standing here crying after being proposed to."
He laughs,"You make everything better. Everything. Even the parts of life that suck. You make me brave. You make me stupid-happy. You make me want to be the kind of man who deserves you. You make my life feel like the good part of themovie, every single day. And I can't imagine any version of my future that doesn't have you in every frame."
Zach lifts the ring.
"Caroline Bernadette Pennington, Sugarplum, love of my entire stupid life — will you marry me so I can brag forever that my wife proposed first?"
Back on our couch, I slap a hand over my face.
"Oh my god, turn it OFF."
Zach kisses Sammy's head, smirking.
"Nope. Our son deserves to know his parents' origin story."
"IT'S NOT AN ORIGIN STORY, IT'S PUBLIC HUMILIATION."
Zach leans down and kisses the top of my head.
"And the best yes of my damn life."
My cheeks heat.
I groan and Sammy giggles like he understands the chaos he was born into.
Zach looks at me — soft, smug, utterly in love.
"Morning, baby."
Despite myself, I smile.
