Page 302 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

Warm wood.

Books everywhere.

A worn leather chair beside the fireplace.

A blanket folded neatly over one arm.

Family photographs arranged across the shelves.

Then the windows. Floor-to-ceiling glass stretches across the far wall, revealing Frostholm glowing beneath the evening sky.

The city.

The lake.

The arena in the distance.

Nothing in the room has been chosen to impress visitors. Everything has been chosen to make one man feel at home.

Annette releases the breath she’s been holding. “Oh.”

I watch her carefully. “Good oh?”

“The best kind.”

She walks farther into the room, her fingertips brushing the back of the sofa.

She studies the shelves. The artwork, the piano near the windows, the kitchen beyond the living room.

Then she stops in front of the photographs.

My parents. Foundation kids. Teammates.

One picture is of Toby asleep in a chair with popcorn spilled across his lap.

Annette laughs. “You framed this?”

“He hates that I did.”

“I love that you did.”

She continues studying the wall.

“There aren’t any magazine photos.”

“No.”

“No championship displays.”

“No.”

“No trophy room.”

“I’ve already seen those.”

She turns toward me. “This…” Her smile softens. “…looks exactly like you.”

The knot in my chest loosens. “You really think so?”