"Thank you. For waiting. For being patient. For not giving up on me."
"Thank you for being brave enough to choose. That's all I needed."
They sat on the couch, holding each other, and Lucy felt something settle in her chest.
This was it. This was commitment. Not perfect, not without fear, but real.
And that was enough.
More than enough.
It was everything.
Chapter 25
August arrived with Tommy's first coaching clinic.
Twenty coaches from across New England descended on Timber Falls for a three-day intensive. Jake and Tommy had spent weeks preparing—creating curriculum, organizing practice sessions, booking the rink.
"Nervous?" Tommy asked the morning of day one.
"Terrified. What if they realize I don't know what I'm doing?"
"Jake, you won a championship in your first year. You know exactly what you're doing."
The clinic exceeded every expectation.
The coaches were eager, engaged, asking smart questions. Jake found himself in his element—teaching strategy, breaking down plays, sharing what he'd learned. By day three, several coaches asked if they could come back for advanced sessions.
"This is incredible," one coach from Maine said. "I've been coaching high school hockey for ten years and I learned more in three days than I have in the last five years combined."
After the clinic ended, Tommy and Jake sat in the empty rink.
"We did it," Tommy said. "The academy is real."
"We need to do more of these. Fall session, maybe winter intensives. Online courses for coaches who can't travel."
"You're thinking big."
"I learned from the best."
They spent the evening planning expansion. By the time Jake got home at 9 PM, he was exhausted but exhilarated.
Lucy was waiting with dinner—nothing fancy, just pasta and salad, but it was ready and warm and exactly what he needed.
"How was it?" she asked.
"Perfect. Better than perfect. Tommy wants to do another clinic in October, maybe start a regular program in the spring."
"That's amazing! Jake, you're building something really special."
"So are you. How was service tonight?"
"Busy. Mae had to turn away walk-ins. We're booked solid through September."
They ate dinner, and Jake felt grateful for this—coming home to someone who understood ambition, who celebrated success, who built dreams alongside his own.
"Lucy?" Jake said after dinner.
