“We don’t mind at all,” Tae tells her, stepping out of my hold to give her a quick hug.
Not wanting to chance Tae’s terrible balance, I wrap my arm over her shoulders again.
“Alright, Carter, count us down,” Alexa tells the cameraman before tapping in an ear piece.
“Three . . . two . . . one . . .”
“Thanks, Dylan. I may be biased, but I’m here with two of my favorite people on the ice tonight, Jackson and Taevin Wilson-Gray.” Alexa turns to face the two of us and asks, “Jackson, your team just won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, what does this moment mean to you?”
“Well, Lex, I’m not sure I have the words right now to properly express what this means to me and my teammates. We had a heartbreaking loss last season in the playoffs, and I think that had us coming into this season with a bit of a chip on our shoulders. We worked together, trained harder, and pushed ourselves to the brink so we could be here to experience this moment.”
I look down at Taevin and smile. “This season will always be my favorite for so many reasons. Obviously winning the Cup is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid, but this season is also the first one with my wife by my side. I’ve been telling her she’s my lucky charm for years, do you think it’s time she sides with me?”
Taevin buries her head against my chest until she realizes I’m still wearing my equipment and Alexa laughs before saying, “I’d think you’re valid in that statement, all things considered. I noticed your peach suit as you walked into the arena tonight. What inspired the bold fashion choice?” Alexa asks, shooting a wink at Taevin.
I adjust the Stanley Cup Champs hat I’m wearing to try to calm my rising emotions. “My wife. At the beginning of this season, Tae fought like hell to beat cancer. She inspires me everyday far beyond my fashion choices, but June happens to be uterine cancer awareness month and the official color is peach. You might have noticed my teammates wearing peach ribbons on their suit jackets as they walked in today too.”
“What does it mean to have your teammates’ support through this difficult time for your family?” Alexa turns the microphone back toward me.
Shuffling on my feet, I blow out a deep breath and consider my answer. “My teammates are an extension of my family. I’ll never forget the lengths they went to to support my wife and I over the past year. Without the understanding and support from theWolverines organization, my teammates, and the fans, I’m not sure I’d be on the ice tonight to hoist the cup over my head.”
“What a great way to bring awareness to uterine cancer. Taevin, how proud are you of your husband?” Alexa asks, holding the mic out in front of her.
Taevin looks up at me with stars in her eyes. “I’ve never been more proud to watch someone achieve their dreams. This moment for him is something I’ve wished and prayed for since I first watched him on the ice at a high school playoff game. His love for the game made me a lifelong fan.”
I go behind her and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “Ah, she’s being modest. It wasn’t my love for the game that made her a fan, it was watching me stretch my hip flexors on the ice in warmups.”
Tae’s cheeks heat with the most adorable blush, and I don’t waste a second giving her a chaste kiss on her cheek.
“One final question. Now that you’ve won the Stanley Cup, what are your plans this summer?”
I point to Taevin. “I’m planning on being her biggest fan at the two shows she’s performing this summer. Other than that, we’ll be spending as much of the offseason at the lake.”
“Good answer. Thank you both for your time. I’ll let you get back to celebrating!” Alexa smiles as she turns to face the camera again. “Alright, Dylan, back to you in the studio.”
I lift Taevin into my arms bridal style again and skate us toward where my brother and sister are standing near my mom. I pass by Kenna, Dakota, and Scarlett who are staring at us and smiling like they’re starstruck.
“Why are they looking at us like that?”
“Like what?” she asks.
“Like they’ve got hearts shooting out of their eyes or something.”
“Oh—” She chuckles. “Probably because I told them we were considering starting to look into surrogates and adoption.”
I look down at her, wearing the dopiest smile. “So does that mean what I think it means?”
She wraps her arms around my neck, running her fingers through the hair fanning out of my hat. “It means that I’m definitely ready to start adding to our family. I know that however and whenever that happens is out of our control, but I want to fill our house with sounds of little feet padding across the floors, fits of laughter, and squeals of joy. I want everything in this life with you, Mr. Wilson-Gray.”
I’m about to pull her in for a kiss when something snags my attention from the corner of my eye. A blur of curly, platinum blonde hair whirs by until my baby sister throws herself into the arms of Enzo Calvetti. He spins her around briefly until her lips crash against his.
What. The. Fuck.
Taevin
Two Years Later
Salt air floats through the open french doors of our overwater bungalow, accompanied by the calming soundtrack of the ocean lapping against the wooden stilts of our suite.
