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Then, her attention flashes to me when she sees me step out onto the ice.
"You shouldn't be out here," she argues.
She glances around quickly with concern that security is going to come after me, but they already know.
The committee didn't give me long to do this but with all the media attention that Toby and Penelope have brought to the viewership, they liked the idea of the happy ending to add to the P.R.
Toby releases her hand and skates past me.
I take a few more steps towards her onto the ice and drop to one knee.
The fans go wild again when they realize that I'm not a crazed fan but a boyfriend proposing.
"Oh my God," she says, covering her mouth with both of her hands.
Immediately, tears start to stream down her face. Although the emotions of today are running high, I'd like to think all those happy tears are for me.
It took us a long time to get here, but I did what I set out to do.
I made it to the NHL, earned back Sam's respect, and made it up to Penelope.
She pulls her hands from her mouth but keeps them clasped together in front of her.
"Are you serious?" she asks with a huge smile.
I hold up the velvet box and then open it. Her eyes connect with the ring, solidifying how serious I am.
She turns her crystal blue eyes back on me and now it's time to convince her.
"I don't deserve you, Penelope. I fight too much on the ice, I've been called a puck hog a time or two, and in every way I could have, I screwed up with you. But I swear that if you give me a chance, there is no one on this planet who will fight for you harder or love you more than me. Will you marry me?"
She beams back at me and nods yes. The crowd erupts with applause, people standing to their feet as she bends down and kisses me, sliding her hands around to cradle my jaw and pulling me tight to her lips.
I take the diamond ring from the box and slide it onto her finger.
I stand and she wraps her arms around my neck.
I yell next to her ear so she can hear me over the continued applause.
"Congratulations, Pen."
"I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for never giving up," she says back.
"I never gave up on us."
"I know," she says, pulling me in for another kiss.
"Come on, our time is probably up and you have a gold medal to win. Plus, I didn't let the girls see the ring until you saw it first. They've been hassling me about it for weeks."
I wrap my hand in hers and pull her with me off the ice.
"The girls?" she asks.
I point to the bleachers where Sam, her mom, both of my parents and half of the Hawkeyes team are all sitting together in a section.
She looks over to find Tessa, Autumn and a very pregnant Isla, jumping up and down in the bleachers.
"You did all of this for me?" she asks as soon as we step off the ice.
"Baby… I'm just getting warmed up."
The End
