I take Cara’s hand and lead her to the center of the room, where there’s a circle of petals. Over her shoulder, I see the loved ones I invited to share this moment, but I know she hasn’t noticed them yet. Right now, it’s only us two, and that’s all that matters.
I inhale, squeeze her hand, and then sink to one knee. Cara’s hand flies to her mouth as her eyes go wide. The lights, her excitement, and her love reflect off her beautiful green eyes.
“Cara,” I begin, willing myself to get through the speech as I rehearsed in my head. “From the moment I met you, I knew youwere the one. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and you know the whole team agrees.”
That pulls a nervous, wide-eyed giggle from her, which eases my nerves. I reach into my pocket with my free hand, pull out a velvet box, and pop it open.
“I can’t think of anything else in this world that would make me happier than to call you mine forever,” I tell her with total honesty. “I want to call you my wife, to be your husband, to celebrate what we’ve found together. Cara, will you marry me?”
“As if there’s any question,” she teases, thrusting her left hand out for me to slip the ring onto. “Of course I’ll marry you, Playboy.”
Then she throws herself at me just like she did after my game, and I thank God my balance is excellent from all my training on the ice because I manage to stay upright on my knee and wrap my arms around her. I pull us both upright and kiss her deeply, wanting to take it further, but I'm so aware of her parents, who are right there looking on. So, no, not in public, not right now.
“Oh, and one more surprise,” I whisper against her lips.
“How could it get any better?” she asks, but my answer is cut off by our family and friends rushing in and shouting,
“CONGRATULATIONS!”
Cara catches my eye as everyone crowds us, happiness beaming from her.
“You really are perfect, you know that? I love you so much,” she tells me, laughing as my teammates lift her up above their heads and cheer.
I steal my fiancée back from them, and everyone is laughing. “I love you too, princess. Forever.”
“Forever,” she agrees, her ring sparkles in the fairy lights.
When she kisses me, I know the rest of our days will be just as happy as this one.
EPILOGUE
JAKE
Six Months Later
The last six months of my life have been a whirlwind of celebration, love, and success. Seriously, I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure this is all real. I’m no longer just the Playboy of the Hawks; I’m one of the winners of the champion team, and the BlueHawks will go down in history as winning in the very first year they made it into the playoffs.
More importantly, though, I’m Cara’s husband. She’s my wife.
Allmine.
Fuck, I really am the luckiest guy in the entire world.
As though summoned by my thoughts of her, my wife strolls into our living room, her hands behind her back like she’s hiding something. I frown and go to stand up to figure out what it is, but she pins me with a look that has me raising my hands, "OK, Isurrender," and staying exactly where I am. “What are you up to, princess?” I ask, suspicious but also intrigued.
“I have a present for you,” she says, her smile giving her away. This is more than just a present, I’m sure of it.
“But it’s not my birthday,” I say, thinking back rapidly through the calendar to ensure there’s not a celebration I’ve missed. But I come up empty, only deepening my confusion.
“You look so concerned,” Cara laughs, shaking her head. “I promise you’ll like it.”
“I can’t stand the suspense,” I tell her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her down onto the sofa with me. She squeals, wriggling out of my grasp.
“Okay, okay,” she laughs. “Here.”
She hands me a box wrapped up with a bow, and I take it from her, giving it a shake to see if I can figure out what’s inside. She looks at me with amusement, but I see the impatience in the way she’s fidgeting, and the slight hint of nerves in the way she’s eyeing the gift. She pulls in her top lip and bites it, her eyes focused on the box in my hands.
I slip off the ribbon and pull open the box, reaching in to pull out…
