I brush my thumb under her eye, wiping away her tears. “You know,” I say lightly, “I’ve played in some pretty big arenas.”
“I’m aware,” she sniffles.
“But this?” I glance toward the stage doors. “This might be the best show I’ve ever seen.”
She laughs, and it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard.
“Let’s go home,” she says, taking my hand in hers.
As we walk out of the auditorium, I realize that for the first time, like ever, I feel completely whole. I can have both. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. And having Ellie back in my arms again… It’s the best fucking goal I’ve ever scored.
Epilogue
Ellie
“
T
hirty-two seconds left in the third period! We’re tied at four.”
I don’t think I’ve taken a breath in at least a minute. My heart is pounding so fast, and the adrenaline rush I have right now is not helping. I’m jumping up and down, screaming my head off. I’d say I probably look like an idiot, but almost everyone’s doing the same thing. Including Lainey, Gwen, and Adaline, Gwen’s baby.
She looks just like her mom, with her rosy cheeks and turned up nose. She’s also stubborn like her dad. I love her. She doesn’t seem to mind the loudness of the crowd or the chaos around her. She’s been asleep in Gwen’s arms foran hour now.
I was never into sports. My brother played rugby, so I’d go to his games just for something to do on a Friday night, but I never really understood what was going on. So, for me to be here in the front row right now is crazy. Thank God Jamie gave me a crash course about hockey. I still don’t get all the lingo, but I’ve learned enough to know what certain positions are and what they do. I’ve also learned I love it when they fight. I especially enjoy watching Jamie fight. I’ve never seen something so hot and violent in my life.
The Rhode Island Storm have been on a winning streak for weeks now, and I’ve been to every single game since Jamie got back on the ice. It was definitely challenging at first, and there were days where I thought Jamie would just give up, but he never did. Now we’re at the last playoff game of the season to see who’s going to the Stanley Cup finals. I never realized how intense this was. People really go crazy for this stuff.
My attention goes to the ice as one of Jamie’s close friends, Connor Grieves leans in for the faceoff.
“And Grieves wins it clean!”
The puck slides back to Wilder Ranslavic, who banks it hard off the boards.
“Ranslavic clears the zone!” the announcer says over the loudspeaker.
The other team, the Louisville Lazers surge forward again, but the guy I now know as Theo Cramer moves faster.
“Cramer closes the gap! Beautiful poke check. Here comes Callahan flying down the right side!”
The crowd rises all at once, and I watch as Callahan cuts toward the middle, one of the Louisville guys right on him.
“He drops it back—” the announcer begins. The pass glides perfectly into open ice. “And Jamie Patterson, who’s had a tough season this past year with a knee injury really steps up!”
My breath catches as I watch Jamie with the puck.
Come on, baby. Come on…
“There he goes with a breakaway, and—"
He skillfully pulls the puck through his skates, not looking at all worried or rushed and when he gets close, he fakes a slapshot.
“The goalie drops!”
He shifts left, dragging the puck into a narrow lane, and my body feels like it’s on fire. I’m like a freaking live wire.
“Patterson shoots—”
