Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 101758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Dada! Dada!” Belle chants, holding her arms out for Blake, who takes her from Zack and props her on his hip.
“That’s Uncle X out there,” Blake says, pointing down at the ice. “Can you wave at him?”
She’s so sweet. I honestly think she’s Xander’s favorite person in the world, maybe even rivaling me. And that’s okay because she’s the most adorable baby ever born.
We’re all smitten with her.
“Come on, ref, pull your head out of your ass!” Greg yells, startling me.
“Holy shit, you can scream,” I say in surprise.
“Only at games,” Easton says, winking at me. “It’s the only thing that riles that man up like that.”
The last part of the game goes so freaking slow and in the blink of an eye all at once. Yeah, I don’t know how that’s possible either. But finally, we’re down to the last few seconds, and the families are being called down so when they win, we can go out onto the ice to congratulate our guys.
Holy shit, he did it.
We’re a chaotic group, hugging and high-fiving, laughing and jumping, and then the buzzer sounds, and it’s even more chaos. When we’re given the all clear, we make our way out there, and Xander immediately skates our way, his face full of utter joy.
He’s breathtaking.
He makes his way through, hugging all his family. He kisses Belle on the cheek, and I admit, I’m getting pretty damn impatient because I want to tell him how amazing he is.
And finally, he makes his way to me, and I’m swept up in his sweaty, stinky, amazing arms.
“Oh my God, I love you so much,” I say as he lifts me off my feet and skates me around the rink, making the fans go crazy again. “I’m so fucking proud of you!”
“I wouldn’t be here without you, Red.” He kisses me hard, and then we’re back with the others, but something is . . . different.
They’re all smiling at me.
And now that I glance around, I see that the team has all turned our way, and they, along with their families, are smiling at me.
And then, Xander kneels, and the entire arena goes bonkers.
I cover my mouth with my hands. He’s just smiling at me because there’s no way I could hear him over the crowd anyway.
But then, Tucker passes Xander a little red box, and I squat in front of him so I can hear these important words.
“I love you, Red. I have so much to say, but for right now, in this wild moment, will you marry me?”
“Of course.” I wrap my arms around his neck as he stands, and when he places the ring that sparkles so beautifully under these lights on my finger, there is more applause, and then I’m caught up in hugs from our family, and Britney and Cooper, and the other players that I’ve come to know so well since I’ve been working for the team.
I started out two years ago with no one. I was so tired, so lonely.
And now, I’m surrounded with so much love, I wonder how I don’t explode from it.
I stand back with the family as Xander accepts the Cup, and we watch the ceremony, and I am so proud.
Xander’s wrong. He would have been here without me. But I’m so damn glad that I get to be here too. That we’re a we, and he shares his family with me.
I’m the luckiest girl in the world.
EPILOGUE
AVA HENDRIX
“It’s a good thing we’re not doing this in public,” Harper says as she puts the finishing touches on my clay mask. “We’d scare the shit out of everyone.”
“A bachelorette party in is so much better,” Darby says, watching over Harper’s shoulder. “That green mask makes your eyes pop, girl.”
I snort. Leave it to Darby to find a way to compliment my mud mask.
“Okay, you let that sit until it’s dry,” Harper says.
We’re all over at Xander and Ivy’s place, and it’s the night before my wedding.
Finally.
It felt like this day would never get here, and I had to fight tooth and nail for it, but it’s happening. And instead of going out to get drunk in Bitterroot Valley, I really just wanted my closest friends and sisters here with me. And Xander’s house is always fun because we can spread out.
“Did you and Chad exchange wedding gifts?” Jules asks me.
“I got him a nice watch,” I reply. “I have no idea if he got me something. I mentioned it at one point, but we haven’t discussed it since.”
I know that my family doesn’t love my fiancé. They’ve not kept their feelings hidden at all, and the fact is, Chad doesn’t care.
He always says that the most important thing is that we care about each other, and no one else’s opinions matter.
And he’s right. I know he is.