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“Because a few months ago, you wouldn’t have been. Or if you were here, you wouldn’t be next to me. And you’d probably be glaring in my direction.”

“Well, I’m here now.” She lays her head on my shoulder. “And I’m here to stay.”

COLBY

NINE MONTHS LATER

“Welcome to this year’s NHL award ceremony and thank you all for coming!” John Richards, a retired NHL player and our emcee for the evening, says from the stage in the large ballroom. The room is full of NHL players and their friends and family. Luckily, the NHL awards took place in D.C. this year, and our families were already here for our wedding two days ago.

I glance over at my wife and my heart rate speeds up at the sight of her. She’s wearing the sexy as hell red dress she had on at the charity auction last year. I wanted to strip it off her before leaving our house, but she said we needed to be punctual and whatever.

She catches me staring and winks at me. Bruce is next to her, then Remy, Mitch and Andie, with West and Mel completing our round table. Noel’s parents and Gram, along with Ma and Charlie are at the table to my left. Coach Young, Tom Parker, Dad, Serenity and Ruthie are at the table to my right. My dad glances up and smiles at me, Ruthie is happily sitting on his lap. He stuck to his word about trying harder with Ruthie and Serenity. And I love seeing the smile on my little sister’s face when Dad is giving her the attention she craves.

The room erupts in applause, drawing my attention back to the stage. The platform is lined with the various awards and trophies they’re giving out tonight, and I still can’t believe that one of them is mine.

The awards ceremony begins, and players are called up to the stage, they give a small speech and return to their seats before the next award is announced.

Noel leans over, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispers, “no one wears a suit like you, Colby Knight.” She then kisses my earlobe and pulls away.

I turn my head quickly, reaching out and cupping her sweet face and pressing my lips against hers. I kiss my wife, not caring who’s watching. But laughter all around the room and the emcee clearing his throat makes me pull away from Noel and glance up. The spotlight is on us, and Noel’s beautiful face is bright red.

“Let’s try that again, our next award is for Mr. Colby Knight of the D.C. Eagles. Colby, we know you just got married a few days ago, but can you stop kissing your bride for a few minutes to come up here?”

I mouth an apology before standing and waving to the room. Everyone’s laughing and clapping. I lean down and kiss Noel on top of the head and we get a few whistles from the crowd.

When I make it to the stage, I’m joined by Tom Parker and Coach Young. John Richards pats my back and holds up a large, polished-wood rectangle, it has a gold plaque on it with my name. “Colby Knight, it’s my honor, along with the Nation Hockey League, to award this year’s Gordie Howe Humanitarian Award to you. Your work with the D.C. Children’s Hospital, and your generous donation for their expansion project, went above and beyond. Thank you for your work and keep it up.”

Applause fills the ballroom as he hands me the award. Coach and Tom stand beside me as a photographer snaps several photos. Taking a step toward the mic, I smile out at the crowd. “I’m truly honored to receive this award and to have the privilege of working with the children’s hospital. The kids always make my day, their bravery and strength inspire me to be a better man. I’d like to thank my wife, Noel, for always coming with me to visit the kids. It’s even more enjoyable to work there together. And thank you to the D.C. Eagles for allowing us the opportunity to get involved in our community.”

Everyone claps and I take my award and head back to my seat. I’m truly humbled and honored, but I feel like this trophy really belongs to the kids at the hospital.

We came so close to winning the Stanley Cup this year, but we lost in the final round. The farthest we’ve made it since I’ve been with the Eagles. Knowing I got to marry the love of my life a few weeks after playoffs was what kept me from losing it when we lost that final game. It sucked to lose, but it also motivated us. Seeing how close we came to winning made us confident that we could take it all next year. And we plan to.

The ceremony continues, and afterward there’s dancing. I sweep Noel out onto the dance floor and enjoy the feel of her in my arms.

After one dance, I’m ready to take my bride home. We leave for our honeymoon in Capri, Italy in twenty-four hours and I plan to spend most of that in the bedroom. I’m just about to ask Noel if she’s ready to leave when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn and see Gram grinning up at me.

“May I cut in?” She winks. The minx.

Noel chuckles and pats my chest affectionally. “He’s all yours.”

A new song starts up from the band and we sway together. She looks intent, like she has something important to say. “Alright, Colby. You wooed her and married her. So, how are you going to keep her happy?”

I smile. “Keep wooing her, of course. And reading her favorite books.”

“Good answer.” She smirks and we continue dancing.

Noel’s parents pass by us on the dance floor, smiling and enjoying themselves. Her dad scoots close enough to say, “glad we got to see you both once more before you left for Italy!”

“Me too! The wedding was absolutely lovely,” Mrs. Woodcock says before her husband whisks her away across the dance floor.

Gram clears her throat. “Now that you two are hitched, I need you to know, I want great grandchildren. It’s my dying wish.” She gazes up at me with what I can only describe as puppy dog eyes.

I’m at a loss for words, but thankfully, Noel came back to save me. “Oh, no you don’t Gram! I’ve heard that line before.”

Gram snickers. “Fine, be that way.” She kisses Noel’s cheek and then mine. “You two have fun on your honeymoon.”

“We will,” Noel says, giving Gram a big hug. “But right now, I need to get this guy home.”