He tilts my chin up gently. “Annabelle?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m in all the way.”
"You just were," I giggle.
"Seriously."
I calm down. “Me too.”
He kisses me once as if to seal a deal. “Then that’s our plan.”
Wrapped in his arms, skin still vibrating with aftershocks, heart still pounding, I think...
Yeah. It is.
Chapter twenty-two
Epilogue- Bryce
Afew months later…
If you'd asked me months ago whether I'd be standing in a locker room half-naked, drenched in champagne, and not even pretending to be pissed about it, I would’ve told you to get drug tested.
But here I am.
A playoff win under our belt. Round One dominated. Nashville Outlaws are charging toward the Cup.
Dex is whooping loud enough to wake the dead, Eli is sprint-sliding across the tile in his socks banging into everything, Gabriel is chugging from the bottle like it's holy water, and Colby is shaking up champagne like he's about to baptize the media crew.
Coach Hale is pretending to be annoyed, but the man’s grin is splitting his face in half. Cameras flash. Reporters yell. Pandemonium reigns.
And right in the middle of it... Erwin Hacker, billionaire owner of the Outlaws, stands soaked, his suit ruined, hair plastered to his forehead like someone dumped him into the hydro tank.
The mic hits my chest before I can dodge.
“Bryce Blackhorn! Two goals tonight, one assist. How’s it feel to take Round One and move closer to the Cup?”
Champagne trails down my jaw. I wipe it with the back of my hand.
“Feels like winning never gets old. Look at that! Vargas just tried to butterfly-save a champagne cork, so yeah, vibes are high.”
Eli throws both hands up like he just won a Grammy. “Hey, anything airborne is my jurisdiction.”
Laughter cracks the room open. Reporters lean in.
Then everything stops.
Because Annabelle walks in.
Hair curled, Outlaws jersey draped over her shoulders, confidence in her stride. She dodges a flying cork like she trains for this mayhem. Someone whistles. Someone else drops a camera.
My heart just fucking launches.
I move toward her without thinking.
I wrap my arm around her waist, pull her in tight so there's no question, so the world hears it.
