"Say 'PUCKS FOR PAWS!'" he yells.
"PUCKS FOR PAWS!" we all scream.
The camera clicks.
***
INSIDE WASHINGTON'S HOUSE, warm and chaotic and perfect, I finally check the final numbers.
Donations: $212,847
Adoption applications: 612
Businesses offering long-term sponsorship: 3
And someone, some beautiful, generous stranger on the internet, started a GoFundMe that's raised another $50,000.
We fucking did it.
People are everywhere, stripping off wet gear, wrapping themselves in blankets, gravitating toward the food and hot drinks. The energy is exhausted but euphoric, everyone talking over each other, reliving moments from the game.
I slip outside, needing just a moment to process everything, to let it all sink in.
The storm's still raging, snow falling thick and fast, but I don't mind. I stand there in the cold, looking at the rink we built, the lights still glowing, and I feel…
I don't even have words for what I feel.
"There you are."
I turn.
Ace is in the doorway, bundled in a coat, holding two mugs of hot chocolate.
He hands me one and comes to stand beside me, both of us looking out at the backyard that became a hockey rink that became something bigger than either of us could have imagined.
"You okay?" he asks.
"I just—" I gesture helplessly at everything. "This whole thing. It's insane."
"You're the one who made it happen."
I shake my head. "We made it happen. All of us."
We stand in comfortable silence for a moment, sipping our hot chocolate, watching the snow fall.
"Did you mean it?" I ask quietly. "What you said out there?"
"Every word."
I take a breath. This is it. Time to be brave.
"I need to tell you something," I say.
"Okay?"
"I'm not—" I stop, searching for the right words. "I don't do relationships. I've never wanted to. I like things casual, uncomplicated, fun. No strings, no feelings, no—" I gesture vaguely. "—all of this."
I watch his face fall slightly, his smile dimming, and I rush to continue.
