It doesn’t change anything. Doesn’t shift the season. Doesn’t suddenly give us a shot at playoffs. But it still hits.
The team surges slightly, that small, instinctive burst of celebration, sticks tapping, voices rising just enough to mark the moment.
I straighten slowly in the crease, pulling my mask off, dragging in a deep breath of cold arena air.
This is it. The last stretch. The last few moments of this version of my life, and I don’t feel loss.
I feel… done.
Ready.
My gaze drifts up to the stands.
To her. She’s there, watching.
And for a second, everything else fades out.
Then I see Jackson, the way his head turns. The way his focus locks onto her. And something in me immediately sharpens.
What are you doing?
Because I know that look. I know that intent.
And Jackson doesn’t do anything halfway.
He skates once around, then without hesitation, he disappears down the tunnel.
I let out a slow breath, dragging a hand down my face.
“Here we go,” I mutter under my breath.
Because if he’s going to make a statement, he’s going to make it loud. The crowd is still buzzing when he reappears. And when he does, he’s not alone.
Lia is in his arms.
The reaction is immediate. A surge of noise that hits like a wave as people realize what they’re seeing, cameras lifting, voices rising, confusion snapping into something louder, sharper, more chaotic.
My chest tightens instantly with concern, because she’s on the ice and it only takes one wrong move, one stray player, one careless turn...
I’m already moving before I fully register it, skating toward them, my focus locked entirely on her.
Jackson sets her down carefully, his hands steady on her as he kisses her.
Right there, center ice, in front of everyone.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, shaking my head slightly as I close the distance.
Of course he did.
Of course he fucking did.
The crowd is losing it.
The energy in the arena has completely shifted from game to spectacle, cameras flashing from every angle as the moment stretches, amplifies, turns into something bigger than just us.
And I’m not about to let him do this alone.
Because she’s not just his.
