“Say it back and I will.”
"I love you," Mallory says it so easily that it blows my mind. "I have for a very long time, you idiot. But I am still mad at you."
“I’ll fix that,” I promise as I deposit her next to my sister.
I skate over to my dad. He gives me the game puck and a giant hug while my mom holds Dylan. I hug each of them. And then I kiss Mallory.
As a reporter makes his way over to us, I scoop Dylan out of my Tenley’s arms and he comes gladly. I offer him the puck and he holds it in his little hands, staring at it intently, probably contemplating if he can chew on it.
"So, Tate, you sure know how to end a season," the reporter says. "How does it feel to beat your dad's long-standing league record by not one but two goals?"
“Great,” I say with a smile. “Almost as great as being a dad.”
Dylan squeals something indiscernible and shakes the puck in his hand.
The crowd erupts with laughter and cheers.
* * *
“Are you sure it’s okay to kick your parents out?” Mallory asks as I carry a sleeping Dylan upstairs to his room.
“Yes,” I say. “And besides, they should spend some time with Tenley. And Liv.”
Mallory doesn’t answer. I wait for her on the landing and then kiss the top of her head when she comes up the stairs to stand beside me. “Besides, I can’t grovel the way I want to with them here.”
She raises an eyebrow. “How exactly do you want to grovel?”
“With my tongue. And my dick,” I say as I open Dylan’s door.
“Please don’t say the d-word in front of your son,” Mallory warns. “It might end up being his first word.”
“Okay well we don’t want that,” I agree.
She laughs and we both start gently getting him ready for bed, trying desperately not to wake him. It takes a while but we manage to get him out of his clothes and into a onesie. He wakes momentarily but his eyes close as soon as we lay him down.
We turn on his nightlight and sneak out of the room, softly closing the door as we go. Once we’re in the hall I stare down at her. She stares up at me, her gaze tentative. “I know you’re not over it. I don’t expect you to be over it, but will you give me a chance to make it up to you?”
“What happened on the ice with Emmett?”
“He wanted me to fight him,” I explain. “He was begging me to punch him. Told me it was his fault the story got out, not yours. He said I was a jackass if I was going to hurt you over this.”
“And you wouldn’t punch him?”
“I wanted to, but I knew that it would hurt you,” I explain and I tuck a lock of her blonde hair behind her left ear. “And I’d hurt you enough.”
She looks down, at the small space between us. “Tate, I don’t blame you. You freaked out. I might have freaked out too. But what scares me is… I had fallen faster and harder than you. I let that happen. And I felt so… foolish when you left me with Crew. Like I was this burden you had to get rid of. And I won’t ever feel like that again. Ever.”
“I won’t let you. I promise.” I cup her face in my hands. “I am so sorry. And for the record, you may have fallen for me first but I fell hard, Mallory. I know I can manage Dylan on my own now. I know I can go on with my life and win this Cup this year and break a million records without you in my life. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to do anything without you. I don’t know when or how it happened but I fell for you, Mallory Echolls. And my life got exponentially better because of it.”
She tucks her head and presses her forehead to the center of my chest. I wrap my arms around her and dip my head and whisper, “Was that too much? Not enough? Again, I am absolutely clueless when it comes to this.”
“Well just like everything else, Tate, you’re pretty perfect at winning a woman back,” Mallory tells me and she grabs my waist and giggles before lifting her head. “But I am perfectly fine with you still groveling. With your tongue and your dick.”
“Shh!” I hush her and grin. “Don’t need Dyllie Bear yelling dick at the Stanley Cup winning game.”
She laughs but it’s cut short when I pull her into a kiss and then lift her up and carry her to my…ourbedroom. And half an hour later when she’s coming and panting my name I tell her I love her over and over and lose myself inside her. Only for the first time since she walked back into my life, I don’t feel lost at all.
Epilogue - Mallory
