He snorted, burying his head in Frankie’s neck when she laid back against him. “I’d say.”
I collapsed on the other side of her, all of us panting with sweat beaded on our skin, wrapped in heat and something deeper.
It wasn’t about getting off. Or finding pleasure in ourselves.
It was about trust. About giving each other permission to feel, to explore, to need.
As I looked down at her flushed face, Travis’s lips still brushing her skin, I knew this was only the beginning for us.
Eternal.
EPILOGUE – FRANKIE
The glass rattledunder my palms as I pounded on it, screaming until my voice cracked and went hoarse. “Eyes up, Emmie! You've got this! Track it!” I screamed as the puck soared through the air, shot hard and fast from the outside, narrowly missing the big defenders that stood in her way, blocking her view. It didn’t matter though; my girl never let a puck past her. “Yes, girl!” I screamed, jumping up and down as she blocked yet another goal.
I didn’t care how feral I looked; I didn’t care that everyone around me was laughing. My daughter was less than a minute away from finishing her very first championship game, as the starting goalie, without a single goal on her net.
That was something worth screaming about.
On the bench, Travis bellowed plays out like a drill sergeant, his body tense and oozing dominance as he controlled the menaces on the ice like a well-executed dance.
Eli was right beside him, golden retriever smile flashing as he slapped helmets and shouted encouragement.My men, coaching my daughter, all while looking like they were born for it.
Behind me, Toby wasn’t even watching. He was moving up and down the bleachers like a miniature bookie, hand out, palm full of crumpled bills. “Last chance, folks! Final buzzer coming in hot—Coach Saw drops the F-bomb, and I’ll double your payout!”
Half of the parents groaned, half laughed while they dug in their pockets for their chance at the obvious win. Coach Rick sat next to me with a bag of popcorn, muttered, “Kid’s got my retirement plan figured out.”
I pinched my nose as I shook my head, giving it up to God to keep my youngest out of the slammer because there wasn’t a chance that I was missing a second of Emmie’s game to scold him.
The worst part of the whole thing was that he wasn’t wrong. Thirty seconds later, Travis barked, slapping his hand against the boards like he was an ornery player instead of a respected coach. “Goddamnit, cover your wing!”
It was loud enough the ref glared, and Eli shoved Travis to the other end of the bench with a grimace and a friendly wave at the man officiating. The buzzer hadn’t even finished echoing before Toby was raking in his winnings, with a grin that was all trouble.
The team erupted, benches clearing as they celebrated their hard-fought, well-deserved championship win. They were the underdogs, a team of misfits with a tiny girl in goal that everyone underestimated.
And they freaking won it. Won it all.
When the team congregated at the snack bar for their celebratory snow cones, wearing their new medals with bright, sticky smiles, I sat back and soaked it all up. I freaking lived for the high of motherhood, because days like this one made it all seem worth it.
“Alright!” One of the parents called, grabbing everyone’s attention, “Kids, gather your bags and line up! The cars are parked at the curb, and we’re off for the lock-in sleepover at the arcade!”
Heaven help the parents who volunteered to host that event, I wasn’t going near it with a ten-foot pole.
Especially because they invited the siblings of the players too.
“Don’t burn the place to the ground, okay?” I called, hugging Emmie tight as she adjusted her backpack, no doubt filled to the brim with snacks instead of clean clothes or a sleeping bag.
“Got it, Mama.” She winked, pulling one of Eli’s signature moves before she grabbed Toby’s arm, dragging him after her.
“Don’t worry, Mama!” Toby said with a smirk. “Eli took my matches, but Trav taught me how to make sparks with sticks and rocks!”
“Lord help me.” I groaned as my men in question flanked me, waving everyone off for the night as we faced cleanup duties. I wasn’t sure where they had been for the last twenty minutes while I wrangled the team at the snack counter, but they also deserved a break now that the season was over. So, I wasn’t going to ride them too hard.
The silence circled us in the chilly air of the rink. No kids. No parents. Just me, my men, and the ice that started everything.
A year ago, I’d been bartending here, scraping by on two hours of sleep and pure stubborn determination.
And now I had a business degree and the corner office at Hayes Family Construction, with a shiny plaque outside my door telling everyone how freaking badass I was.
