Cade sees us coming and his face breaks into a grin. "Lucy! Good to see you again. Enjoy the game yesterday?"
"It was amazing." I smile, remembering how he'd waved at the stands during warm-ups. "You guys raised so much money."
"All thanks to your planning." He nods at Ryder. "She's a keeper, Blackwood."
"I know." Ryder's arm slides around my waist.
More teammates drift over. Alexei wraps me in another bear hug like he did after the game yesterday. Hayes immediately picks up where he left off teasing Ryder about finally settling down. Aparade of faces and names I'm starting to recognize, all of them welcoming, treating me like I'm already part of the family.
"They like you," Ryder murmurs in my ear during a lull.
"How can you tell?"
"Hayes only flirts with people he approves of. And Alexei hugs no one."
I lean into his side. "Your hockey family."
"Yeah." His arm tightens. "And now you've met them."
The night wears on in a blur of conversations and laughter. People keep coming up to congratulate us, saying they saw the press conference video. Hayes's girlfriend corners me to get details about how Ryder and I got together. Cade pulls Ryder aside for what looks like a serious conversation, both of them glancing my way.
Around eleven, someone turns down the music. The team captain, a grizzled veteran named Reilly, climbs onto the coffee table with a champagne flute.
"Alright, listen up," he shouts. "Before we get too drunk to remember midnight, I want to say a few words." He pauses. "Actually, someone else wants to say a few words. Blackwood, get your ass up here."
My stomach drops. Ryder squeezes my hand and kisses my temple. "Be right back."
He climbs onto the table beside Reilly, who hands him the champagne flute like a microphone. The room quiets. Someone whistles. Ryder takes a breath, and I see his hands shake slightly before he steadies them.
He finds me in the crowd, and his whole face softens.
"Hi," he says, and there's laughter, warm and encouraging. "I'm not good at speeches, so bear with me."
"You got this, Blackwood," someone shouts.
Ryder's mouth tips in that crooked smile. "Three weeks ago, I came back from injury thinking my career might be over. I was injured, angry, and pretty sure the best part of my life was behind me." He pauses, and the room is so quiet I can hear my own heartbeat. "Then I went home to Pine Hollow and reconnected with someone I'd known my whole life. Lucy Wright. My best friend's little sister. The girl who grew up to kick my ass at air hockey and refuse to let me feel sorry for myself."
My vision blurs. I press my hand to my mouth.
"Lucy Wright saved my life," Ryder continues, his voice rough. "Not because she fixed me. I'm still figuring that part out. But because she reminded me that life is more than what you've lost. It's what you choose to build with what's left."
Cade's hand lands on my shoulder, steadying.
"She's stubborn and competitive and has terrible taste in reality TV." More laughter, but Ryder's eyes stay on mine. "She makes me want to be better. Makes me want to stay and fight for what matters instead of running when things get hard. And I know I'm leaving for training camp next week, but I'm coming back. Every chance I get. Because home isn't a place anymore. It's her."
The room erupts in applause and cheers. Tears streak my cheeks, and I don't care who sees. Ryder climbs down and pushes through the crowd, and then his hands frame my face and his forehead presses to mine.
"I love you," he says, just for me. "In case that wasn't clear."
"You're an idiot," I whisper, but I'm smiling so hard my cheeks ache. "I love you too."
The countdown starts. Ten, nine, eight. The room pulses with voices, all of us shouting together. Seven, six, five. Ryder's thumb wipes away my tears. Four, three, two.
One.
He kisses me as noisemakers explode around us and champagne corks pop. The room cheers, but I barely hear them over the thunder of my pulse. His hands slide into my hair, and I grip his sweater, anchoring myself to him while the world spins away.
When we finally pull apart, breathless and grinning, Hayes is standing nearby with his phone out, definitely filming.
