I look over at Eric, who shakes his head. “Nice speech,” he deadpans when we walk out after the guys. We get out there and I look up to the suite, just like I have done each game. I see Victoria right away. Our eyes meet, and she gives me the smile I’ve grown to search for in every room. Right next to her stands her father, wearing Jaxon’s jersey. Ariella is on the other side of her with Jagger on her hip as she points to the bench. The team has flown everyone’s family down and rented out five suites to make sure we are all here. The lights go down as they play the pregame video. I look up, watching the Jumbotron as they show how Florida got here and the last three games we won, and I can’t help but smile.
The anthem is sung and the crowd is deafening as the puck drops. After we win the face off, I swear I hold my breath every single time the puck is in our zone. When Kirby intercepts the pass and starts to skate up the ice with Jaxon, he passes the puck to Knox, who skates it into the zone and then shoots it on the net, but it’s deflected as the defenseman grabs the puck and tries to clear the puck out of their zone. Except Jaxon intercepts it and he winds his arm back and aims at the net and it goes in. The horn blares behind the net and our bench gets on their feet. The rest of the crowd puts their heads back as Jaxon skates over to the bench, giving everyone a high-five as they replay it on the Jumbotron.
It doesn’t take them much to get even with us, the puck bouncing over Sammy’s pad. The crowds roars out and we feel the floor move under our feet. “Even score, guys. We aren’t out of it yet,” I snap.
We start the second period and when Knox gets a shot at the goal, we are all watching as their goalie saves it. Five minutes later, he gets the puck again, skating it into the zone and around the defensemen, snapping it back and it flies into the net. The bench erupts as he’s congratulated on the ice. We end the second period leading by one.
The guys get on the ice at the start of the third period, and Florida is out for blood. They push hard and it pays off for them when they score two minutes into the third period. For the rest of the period, it’s back and forth, each of us having a chance but being shut out. “Figures,” I say right before we get on the ice for overtime, “that you guys would not only force a game seven, but you would take it into overtime.” I shake my head. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’d really like to shut this team up and tell everyone who doubted us to go fuck themselves.”
We get back out there and I look up, seeing Victoria hasn’t moved once since the game started. With her all-black outfit and custom jacket with my name in purple on the back, one hand is across her stomach, the other is folded up and covering her mouth.
Everyone is on their feet, not one person is sitting down as the puck drops. Two minutes into overtime, the puck flies over Jaxon’s stick and they get a breakaway of sorts. I close my eyes, not willing to watch, and when I don’t hear the crowd go crazy, I open them and see Sammy getting up, tossing the puck in his glove. I sigh, the lump in my throat getting bigger. I watch the replay on the Jumbotron.
The face-off starts off in our zone which immediately leads to a shot on the net, where Sammy blocks it with his blocker. One of the Florida players tries to catch it midair, but it falls in front of Knox, who takes it and starts to move out of the zone, Owen and Aaron skating up with him. It’s three on two by the time they enter the zone. I get up on the bench to see the play. Knox passes it to Owen, who skates it in and passes it to Aaron, who shoots it on the net but it’s blocked. However, Knox is right there in front, waiting for the rebound and he puts it in.
I don’t even hear the horn going off, all I see is Knox and Aaron jumping in the air. Helmets, gloves, everything flies. The bench is cleared off and all I can do is put my hands on top of my head. “We fucking did it.” I look up to the suite, seeing Victoria with tears in her eyes as she holds her hands in the air, yelling.
Our eyes meet for just a second as she points to me, and I point back at her. Everything feels like it’s going around in a circle, and I’m just standing in the eye of the hurricane.
Ken is beside me going nuts, giving me a hug as he’s handed a baseball hat that says “Stanley Cup Champions.” “I knew you could do it!” he cheers and I laugh.
“No, you didn’t.” I laugh as I’m handed my own hat.
“No, I didn’t,” he concedes as I look over and see the carpet coming out.
I finally get on the ice as I walk to the team and Jaxon spots me. “Guess you think you’re big shit now that you got a Stanley Cup.”
“Knew I was big shit the minute your sister gave me the time of day.” I wink at him, and he pushes my shoulder as we line up to shake hands with the other team. When I get to the coach, he smirks at me.
“Good fucking game,” he says. “Look forward to getting it back next year.”
“Who knows; we might go back-to-back.” I slap him on the shoulder as I see the players with their families now. Jaxon is hugging Ariella, who is smiling and crying at the same time. Lexi holds Kirby around the waist, looking up at him. Knox is with his kids and Kylie. My eyes roam for Victoria and I see her standing there behind the bench. My father and mother beside her both with tears in their eyes. My sister with her hip cocked to the side trying to show she isn’t happy but you can see the twinkle in her eye.
I walk over to her, our eyes on each other as she steps toward the bench and leans over to hug me. “I’m so proud.” She barely gets it out before the sob joins her words. “More proud now that you won.” She holds my face in her hands.
“Good to know.” I kiss her lips. “Good to know.”
I walk over to my father who slaps my chest and then hugs me and then to my mother who beams, “you were so good doing your thing.” She puts her hand to my face.
I see my sister, “I mean it wasn’t you who scored the goal but I guess congratulations.” I throw my head back and laugh at her. Moving back over to Victoria kissing her lips.
Manning comes over and shakes my hand. “Well done, Coach,” he praises.
“Thank you.” I shake his hand as he moves to Jaxon, the two of them hugging it out.
“So what are you going to do now that you won?” Victoria asks me.
“Try to get you to agree to marry me.” I wink at her, and she laughs.
“Just because you get one ring, you think I’m just going to agree to yours?” she jokes as I walk to the side and make my way behind the bench, reaching inside my jacket pocket.
“Wasn’t sure I would be able to give you this tonight,” I tell her, getting down on one knee. “Definitely wasn’t going to do it if we lost.” She laughs as she puts her hands over her mouth. “Today is the second-best day of my life, after the day I met you, but,” I look over her head to see everyone watching us, “want to make it take the number one spot?”
“So needy,” she teases, and I get up, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her. “I love you,” she declares.
I kiss her once more. “Spend the rest of my life telling me that.”
“I guess so,” she says, making me laugh, and here in the middle of the biggest night of my life, she gets a ring before I do.
