“That’s good to hear.” This is Alex now, coming over to stand next to his husband. “Because we’re not going to scare you away.”
“I don’t scare easy.”
“Then welcome to the family, Troy.” Alex shakes my hand.
“Thanks. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
And it’s true. There might be some growing pains as we navigate our new normal, but this is our future. With our families at our side.
It’s all we could have ever asked for because we never knew if it would happen.
Romeo and Juliet have nothing on us.
True love with Angie?
It’ll be the easiest thing in the world.
Chapter Thirty-Two
TROY
“Fucking champs, baby!” Randy jumps over me as he reaches for another shot.
“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?” I sip on my beer, watching the team celebrate around me.
“C’mon, cap. Don’t be a party pooper.”
The bar is packed with wall-to-wall people. No doubt everyone told everyone they know in town that we were celebrating at the bar in the lobby of our hotel. It’s not the place where a rowdy group of hockey players should be. Glass shelves line the wall, backlit with bottles of expensive liquor. Colorful tiles cover the walls that match the glass-blown lamps hanging down from the ceiling. Yellow stools line the bar.
“Not being a party pooper. Just taking it easy.”
“Fucker.” He shoves off me before joining a group of juniors at the bar. I’m sure he is trying to convince them to go out to a club.
It’s just after ten. It’s not even that late, but the adrenaline from the game is starting to wane. The last thing I want to do is head out into the frigid Minneapolis night.An early spring cold front swept through, and it snowed overnight, causing Angie and her family to get in late.
Thank God they made it for the game. I don’t know if I would have been able to play as well as I did if she wasn’t there.
“We’re heading out.” Dad claps me on the shoulder.
“Already? You really are getting old.”
“Love you too, son.” He pulls me in for a hug. “Don’t overdo it tonight.”
“I won’t.”
“We’re so proud of you, Troy.” Mom drops a kiss on my cheek, then pulls back. I don’t let her get far, wanting a hug from her.
“It’s all because of you two.”
Emotion clogs my throat, not for the first time tonight. I don’t know where I would be without her and my dad. Sutton supported me every step of the way. If Dad wasn’t there, she was. Early morning practice, late night games, and everything in between.
This win is as much theirs as it is mine.
“You sweet, sweet boy. I love you.” Tears well in her eyes.
“I love you, Mom and Dad.”
“We love you,” Dad says, his voice tight.
