“Probably?”
“Definitely. But I'm going to make you sweat it out for a month first.” She grins. “Call it insurance.”
“I can work with that.” I kiss her again, slower this time, savoring it. “I'm a patient man.”
She arches a brow. “Since when?”
“Since you. You've made me patient. And thoughtful. And willing to plan things instead of just acting on impulse.”
“That's character growth right there.”
“It's annoying, is what it is,” I say, but I'm smiling. “You've ruined me for my old life.”
“Good. That was kind of the point.”
We take the elevator up, pressed against each other, still kissing like we can't get enough. When the doors open and we stumble into my apartment, both puppies come running.
Princess launches herself at Avery, tail wagging so hard her whole body shakes. Trouble jumps around us, barking excitedly, clearly thrilled to have the family back together.
“See?” I say, watching Avery crouch down to pet them both. “They knew. They've been waiting for you to come home.”
“This isn't my home,” she says.
“Yet. It's not your home yet.” I pull her to her feet. “But it will be. In a month. After I've proven myself.”
“So confident.”
“I just won the Stanley Cup and got the girl. Of course, I'm confident.”
She rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. “You're impossible.”
“You love it.”
“I love you,” she corrects. “The impossible parts I tolerate.”
I kiss her again because I can, because she's here, because we're done hiding and pretending and being anything other than exactly who we are.
“I love you too,” I murmur against her lips. “More than hockey. More than winning. More than anything.”
“That's a lot of pressure.”
“You can handle it. You're Avery Carter. You can handle anything.”
She laughs and kisses me back, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I register that this is it. This is what happiness feels like. Not winning championships or getting praise or living up to expectations.
Just Liam and Avery, figuring it out as we go.
Epilogue
ETHAN
The hit comes out of nowhere.
One second, I'm skating backward, tracking the Denver forward cutting toward the net. The next, I'm airborne, my body slamming into the boards with a sickening crunch that I feel more than hear.
Pain explodes through my left side. Shoulder, knee, everything. White-hot pain.
I try to get up. I try to push myself off the ice like I've done a thousand times before. But my knee buckles, and the pain intensifies so sharply that my vision goes spotty.
