“Parker. I don’t remember seeing your name on the guest list,” said Liam. There was a hint of humor in his delivery.
The older man had the grace to look uncomfortable. “I won’t stay long. Just wanted to offer my congratulations in person.” He cleared his throat. “And to let you know the board is considering expanding the coaching staff next season. They think your experience would be… valuable.”
Liam blinked, caught off guard. “Coaching?”
“Just something to think about.” Parker glanced at Sunny. “For when you’re ready to transition to the next phase of your career.”
As Gerald walked away, Liam felt an odd lightness settle over him. For the first time, he was contemplating life after hockey not with dread, but with curiosity. Possibilities stretched before him — coaching, more time with his family, supporting Sunny’s growing business — and none of them filled him with the panic that thoughts of retirement once had.
“You’d be an amazing coach,” Sunny said, watching his face. “The way you are with the girls and their friends… you have a gift for it.”
He squeezed her hand. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
The DJ announced their first dance, and Liam led Sunny to the small dance floor set up on the patio. As they began to sway to the music, he was reminded of another dance — in Saint Lucia, under the stars, when everything between them had seemed both impossibly complicated and breathtakingly simple.
“Sunny! Dad!” Hailey’s voice cut through the music as she bounded onto the dance floor. “It’s supposed to be a family dance!”
Liam laughed, lifting her into his arms “Is that right?”
“Uh-huh.” Hailey nodded solemnly. “That’s what I told the DJ man.”
Maddie joinedthem more hesitantly, but when Sunny held out her hand, she took it, allowing herself to be drawn into their circle. The four of them moved together to the music, an imperfect but joyful dance that drew smiles from the watching guests.
The photographer captured the moment, and Liam made a mental note to place that photo next to the one of Kate with the girls that still held pride of place on the mantel.
As the song ended, Sunny prepared to toss her bouquet to the small cluster of eager women. Her throw went wide, however, and the flowers landed squarely in Tyler’s unexpecting hands. His startled expression drew laughs from everyone, lightening the mood and shifting the spotlight away from them for a moment.
“Found you!” Beth’s voice called from the patio. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time to cut the cake.”
They rejoined the reception, where they cut the cake together, fed each other small bites, and laughed at the girls’ impatience to get their own slices. As the evening progressed, Liam found himself standing slightly apart, watching his new family interact with their guests.
Sunny had already begun creating new traditions while preserving the important old ones. She’d insisted on the string quartet because of Kate’s love for classical music. She’d incorporated the maple leaf in her bouquet. But she’d also added her own touches — the wildflowers, the simple elegance that was so distinctly her, the childish voices of her daycare children singing a song they’d practiced for weeks.
Liam thought about the adoption papers in his office drawer, his wedding gift to Sunny, offering to make their family legally complete whenever she felt ready. They’d talk about it later, when the moment was right. For now, it was enough to watch her with the girls, to see the love between them that had grown so naturally despite all the obstacles.
He found his gaze drawn to the mantel inside, visible through the French doors, where Kate’s photo still stood.We’re okay, he thought.All of us. Different, but whole again.
As the reception wound down and the last guests departed, Liam and Sunny put two exhausted but happy girls to bed together, listening to their sleepy recounting of favorite moments from the day.
Maddie, half-asleep already, murmured, “Good wedding, Dad.”
“The best,” he agreed, tucking the blanket around her.
They tiptoed out, closing the door softly behind them, and made their way to their bedroom. Someone — Beth, probably — had decorated it with candles and scattered rose petals across the bed. It was a bit of a cliché, but Liam found he didn’t mind.
Sunny stepped into his arms, her body fitting against his as perfectly as always. “So, Mr Anderson, we did it.”
“Mrs Anderson,” he replied, loving the sound of it. “We most certainly did.”
Their kiss deepened, hands moving with the familiarity of lovers who knew each other’s bodies well, but with the added intensity of their new commitment. Liam unzipped her dress slowly, revealing inches of skin that he kissed as he went. Sunny’s hands weren’t idle either, working at his shirt buttons with growing urgency.
They made love slowly at first, savoring each touch, each kiss. Then with increasing passion, whispering promises and endearments against heated skin. When they lay together afterward, breathing hard with hearts racing, Liam felt a sense of rightness that went bone-deep.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, running his fingers through her hair.
“Dangerous,” she teased, propping herself up on one elbow to look at him.
“About retirement.”
