But the truth is, I love it so much. They welcomed me without batting an eye, and the friendships I’ve not only gotten to witness, but join have been truly life-changing.
There isn’t a better group of people in the world—at least not a group that I want to be a part of.
Alec yawns beside Matt, and Cam glares at him, shouting over the loud music, “Wake up, old man.”
“Hey.” Alec finishes yawning and laughs. “I am getting old, all right? I would love nothing more than to climb in bed right now.”
Cam stares at him in disbelief. “I don’t even know who you are anymore. This is tradition.”
“Yeah.” He nods. “Maybe for the rookie class and a few years up. But we’ve got our sitter at the house with the kids, and I don’t know, Costy, but we might be getting too old for this.”
“But—” Cam pouts. “But we’ve always done this.”
Alec grabs his glass and lifts it up. “And the Nighthawks always will. But I think my partaking in it may be coming to an end.”
“Until the end of this season,” Reed immediately counters, clearly not wanting to stop either.
Alec chuckles. “You guys know you can keep coming here without me, right?”
Brett, across the other table to my right, scoffs. “No, we can’t. Not without Daddy Kos.”
Piper flicks him on the side of the head. “But we could have a spa night after games to relax instead. A nice glass of wine, good snacks, hot bath …” She trails off, holding Brett’s attentive stare.
Brett’s head snaps back our way. “Sorry, guys. I’m going to have to stop coming too.”
Jensen stretches his arms, pulling his fiancée tightly against him. “Shut up. We have an announcement.”
Everyone turns their attention to them, waiting with bated breath.
Lainey whips her hand into the air, squealing, “We got married!”
Cheers, gasps, and applause explode from the group.
But once it slowly dies down, Matt shouts at Jensen. “JD, what the hell? You didn’t invite us?”
Jensen is beaming with pride. “We got tired of waiting and trying to figure out exactly what we wanted, and at the end of the day, this was all we needed. So, we took care of the paperwork and theI dos at the courthouse, and now we’re here with our closest friends to celebrate.”
A burst of congratulatory cheers and applause break out again, and I shout along in joy, excited for that to be Matt and me. The day will probably approach faster than anticipated because we have no doubt that we are meant for each other for a lifetime and the next.
But I’m in no rush. When we get engaged or married, I know it’ll happen at the perfect time. Until then, we’ll continue being nothing but happy together.
“A shot for us all!” Brett calls out, and a waitress nods at him, disappearing into the crowd toward the bar.
Looking around, I catch Carrington’s eye. He nods sharply at me, a quick grin flashing on his face. He’s one hell of a coach, and if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll be able to step into a role as a head coach someday. I’m not sure that’s what I want though. I love being a goalie coach more than I ever expected.
He turns back to Evie, who is looking up at him with the utmost loving stare. A forbidden romance, quite like my own. But now, that grumpy coach is one who has advocated for his players and what makes them happy. We wouldn’t be here without him.
My gaze continues to drift around the table. To Jensen and Lainey, who are getting ready to welcome baby number two. Luca, Lainey’s brother, is sitting beside them, looking at his sister with pride and kind eyes. I don’t know their background, but I can tell from their connection—all three of them—that it’s probably one hell of a story.
To Brett and Piper, an unexpected couple, but clearly meant for one another. I feel like I have one ounce of Piper’s confidence and authority. She has no problem going after what she wants, including Brett, who loves her bigger than anyone I’ve ever seen.
Charlotte’s curled blonde locks pull my attention to her and Reed, who are leaning into each other like they couldn’t hold themselves up without the other. It’s beautiful how they care for one another, nothing but respect and love in their gazes.
Cam and Morgan, two passionate people who chased their dreams regardless of what life threw at them. Through endless hardships and tribulations, they emerged together, stronger than ever.
And finally, to Alec and Laura, a couple who grew up together, but were torn apart by unfortunate circumstances. Somehow, someway, they found their way back together.
Laura catches my stare and smiles softly, a warmth in her eyes like a motherly hug. A light bulb goes off in my brain, and I remember that I was going to ask her something.
