Because he wanted to.
And somehow that matters more than any hit he took on the ice tonight.
Chapter ten
Gabriel
The steakhouse is loud enough to hear from halfway down the sidewalk.
Natalie pauses beside me outside the entrance and tilts her head toward the windows.
"That sounds… energetic," she says.
Energetic is one word for it.
Inside that private room are about ten professional hockey players who just found out I secretly got married.
I glance at her. "You ready?"
She smooths a hand down her dress and gives me a small smile. "I survived Mason growing up. How bad can it be?"
I huff out a quiet laugh.
"That’s a dangerous level of confidence."
She nudges my arm. "You married me. You're stuck with it."
Something warm hits me inside when she says that.
Before I can respond, someone inside yells my name.
"SHELLY!"
Natalie blinks and looks up toward the second-floor windows. "Did someone just shout your name from upstairs?"
"Yep."
"That's normal?"
"Unfortunately."
We step inside and walk through the busy restaurant toward the back. A narrow staircase leads upstairs to the private room the Outlaws reserve whenever the team comes here.
I push open the door.
The room explodes.
Chairs scrape. Someone pounds the table. A chorus of voices erupts all at once.
"HE BROUGHT HER!"
"SHELLY ACTUALLY DID IT!"
"LOOK ALIVE, BOYS!"
Dex jumps to his feet like he just won the lottery. "Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom have entered the building!"
Natalie freezes for half a second beside me.
