“You said that?” I ask, surprised.
“Yes, Halsey.” Her hand smooths up my chest. “I can live without the new job, but I can’t fathom walking this life without you by my side.” I stroke her hair, staring at those beautiful eyes that captured me from day one.
“You chose me.”
“And I’ll choose you every single time.”
My heart swells, and I angle her head up, capturing her mouth with mine.
During the darkest time of my life, when I was walking through every day with no purpose and simply going through the motions, a sliver of light awoke the dead inside me. That lightwas Blakely. And the more I got to know her, the more I realized she was sent to me and meant to be in my life.
And I like to believe Holden had a big part in making that happen.
Epilogue
HALSEY
“Do you want me to come inside with you or wait in the car?” Blakely asks as she holds my hand.
“I want you there,” I say as I stare up at the large coastal house in front of us.
Visiting Hayden has been on my mind ever since Blakely and I started to get close. I wanted to share this amazing woman with my family, but after the incident with my mom, I had to step back and reassess if contacting my family would be healthy for me or if it would just put another hole in my heart.
So I put the idea on pause.
I focused on what mattered at the moment.
That was Blakely and the playoffs.
And now . . . Blakely and I are engaged, and we have another championship win under our belt.
I’m not going to say it was easy because it wasn’t. There were games when I thought we weren’t going to make it to the nextround, but time and time again, we were able to pull it together, string plays in a row, and attack the defense, confusing them with our quick, sly passes and scoring.
And the night we won the Cup, I looked over at Blakely, who was crying hysterically, tears of joy falling down her face, and I told myself she was going to be my wife.
The next day, I bought a ring, and that night, while we were out on the patio, staring up at the stars from the privacy of our apartment, I asked her to be my wife.
It was an immediate yes from her followed by a night I’ll never forget.
I thought winning the championship would be the pinnacle of my life, but I was so fucking wrong. Hearing Blakely say she wanted me to be her husband, that was it.
So now that I’m engaged and a small wedding is in the works for this summer—because I don’t want to wait like my “nitwit” friends—I know I need to do one more thing. And that’s speak to my brother.
I’ve mentally prepared for every scenario.
Blakely has told me over and over again that she’s here for me no matter what.
And we even planned to meet the boys at the cabin in Banff after so that I’m surrounded by those I love.
“Tell me when you’re ready,” she says.
I stare at the black door, the potted plants on the front porch adding a pop of color. “I’m ready.”
I open my door and meet her on her side, then I take her hand in mine.
She squeezes my hand, and we walk up to the house together.
“I love you,” she whispers.
