Her father walks beside her, but I barely see him. I only see her. The woman who changed my entire life with a ridiculous sign at my hockey game exactly a year and a half ago.
When they reach me, her father kisses her cheek and places her hand in mine. The way her body buzzes at the contact matches how I feel.
“Hi,” she whispers.
“Hi,” I whisper back, squeezing her hand.
The officiant begins speaking, but I barely hear a word she says. I'm too busy looking at my Angel and memorizing everything about the way she looks in this moment.
“Holden and Angelina have chosen to exchange their own vows,” the officiant says, and suddenly I feel everyone's eyes on me.
I clear my throat. I’m a professional athlete, who has been under scrutiny from the media and my fans more times than I can count. I’ve gone up against some of the best teams in the league and came out the other side, but I’ve never been more worried about messing up than I am right now.
As though she feels my uneasiness, Angelina squeezes my hand, and I remember why I'm here.
“Angelina,” I start, my voice sounding more confident than I feel. “A year and a half ago, you walked into my life holding a sign that informed an entire arena of hockey fans that someone who didn’t deserve you let you slip through their fingers, and you were in need of a date for Valentine’s day. I thought you were crazy, but I also thought you were bold as hell. You were so beautiful, and I couldn’t miss my opportunity to know that brave, spontaneous woman.”
She laughs, tears gliding down her cheeks.
“Then, when a couple of the guys on the ice skated over to you, you were looking at me.” My voice cracks at the memory. “From that moment, everything changed for me. You changed me. You made me believe that I could have more than just hockey. That I could have a life, a home, and a future that didn't end when I hung up my skates.”
I pause, swallowing hard. “I would have married you that very first night. Then, I wanted to marry you back in February on our first anniversary. I thought it would be romantic, but you had your heart set on a summer wedding. That’s when I realized it doesn't matter when we do this. It doesn't matter where we get married. All that matters to me is that you become my wife. That I get to spend the rest of my days loving you, protecting you, making you laugh, and probably driving you crazy.”
She's full-on crying now, and I am too.
“So here we are, by a lake in Maine in the middle of summer. It's perfect, because you're here with me. And in a few minutes, you're going to be my wife. That’s all I’ve dreamed of since the moment I met you.”
Angelina wipes her eyes, laughing and crying at the same time. I fight back the urge to pull her into me and kiss away all her tears.
“Holden,” she says my name with such reverence. “I made that sign as a joke. My friends dared me to do it after everything I went through. I didn't think anyone would actually notice it or me, but you did. You saw me through the crowd of people. You didn't just see some girl with a stupid sign… you saw me, the real me.”
She squeezes my hands tighter. “You've given me everything I never knew I needed. You've been patient with me, especially when I was scared of everything that came along with loving you in public. You've loved me through every doubt, every fear, every moment I thought I wasn't enough. You've shown me what it means to be loved completely, without conditions, without limits.”
Her voice steadies. “I would have married you in a courthouse or in Vegas or some random street corner in downtown Hudson. All I want is you. Every day with you feels like the new best day of my life. I can't wait to spend forever proving to you that saying yes to you was the easiest decision I've ever made.”
Her declaration completely wrecks me. I don't even care that everyone's watching the tears freely spill from my eyes or the way my bottom lip trembles. This woman owns every part of me.
The officiant smiles. “By the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
My hand is moving toward my wife before the officiant has the chance to finish her sentence. I pull Angelina into my arms and kiss her like my life depends on it. She is the air I breathe, and before her I was drowning.
She kisses me back just as hard, just as desperate to claim me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and the quiet peace around us erupts into cheers and applause. Someone behind me whistles. There’s the faint sound of a woman crying.
None of it matters when I have this woman in my arms with her lips pressed to mine. When we finally break apart, we’re both breathless and smiling like fools.
Leaning in, I press my forehead to hers and whisper, “Mrs. Wright.”
“Mr. Wright,” she murmurs back.
I’ve been waiting for this day since the moment I saw this woman on the other side of the glass wearing my name and number on her back. She was always meant to be mine, and now she is.
Bonus Epilogue Two
Kai
The cabin door closes behind us, and I feel like I can finally breathe. I was honored when Holden asked me to be his best man, and with my girl being the maid of honor, it was easy for me to agree.
However, we've been keeping a secret from our friends since a few days after the Stanley Cup win. Britt and I went away to celebrate the win on our own. That isn't a secret, but our friends don't know that we had a twenty-four hour layover in Nevada. While we were there, I finally sealed the deal with Britton Owens.
