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The tension was palpable, and the roar of the crowd was deafening, echoing in my ears as my eyes darted back and forth over the ice. Every play, every pass, every shot had the potential to be the game-changer that brought the championship to an explosive climax.
“Paxton Cole is in full beast-mode here, putting on one of the most spectacular displays of stick-handling I’ve ever seen,” Tate droned on next to me in a silly voice, playing his favorite little game where he pretended to be a commentator for his girlfriend Emily’s benefit.
Like me, she knew next to nothing about hockey before she attended her first game, but that didn’t bother Tate one bit. He loved her, and I loved her too. She was incredibly sweet, smart, and supportive. She’d stayed by Tate’s bedside for weeks when he was in the hospital after the vicious attack that left him in a coma, even though they’d only just started dating at the time, and after he woke up, she tirelessly helped with him the physiotherapy rehabilitation process where he essentially had to learn to walk again.
He was fine now, though. His recovery had gone as well as it possibly could, and within six months he was back at Worthington to finish his forensics degree. Now, he was about to graduate, and he’d already been offered a post-grad position at one of the college labs.
I wasn’t far off graduating, either, despite all the time I’d taken off due to my wild first year at Worthington. After all the details about Michaela’s attempt to murder Tate and me came out in the media, as it was bound to do, Worthington’s dean had practically begged me to return to my studies. I accepted the offer, gladly leaving all the bad blood in the past. In addition, the college paper offered me my old internship back, and that position eventually turned into a fulltime gig. I was the deputy editor now, and I had several offers from online publications for when I finally finished my degree.
“God, this is crazy,” Emily murmured, squeezing Tate’s hand as she stared down at the ice. “I feel like my heart is actually going to stop.”
I nodded and clenched my fists, heart pounding in rhythm with the frenetic pace of the game. There were only two minutes left on the clock, and if things stayed the way they were, the game would go into overtime.
Then, it suddenly happened. In a second that somehow felt like an eternity, the puck found its way to Paxton. I sucked in a deep breath and held it as he maneuvered past one of the Panthers’ defensemen in a lightning-quick move.
In the blink of an eye, he fired the puck past the outstretched arm of the opposing goalie, and it found its mark. The goalie’s desperate dive was in vain as the puck smacked the back left corner of the net.
Pandemonium erupted. I leapt to my feet and joined in with the crowd’s deafening cheers, unable to contain my excitement and ecstasy. This was only Paxton’s third season with the Capitals, and he’d already helped to bring them their first championship victory since their one and only other victory back in 2018. I’d never felt prouder of him.
The scoreboard reflected my jubilation, and as the clock rapidly ticked down to zero, followed by the blaring sound of the horn, I kept screaming and cheering with the rest of the fans.
Down on the ice, the Capitals were throwing down their gloves and helmets as they celebrated, slapping each other’s backs and hugging each other. Paxton was in the center of the action, pumping one fist in the air as he grinned from ear to ear. Colorful streamers rained down as bright strobe lights flashed, and the cheers and whoops from the crowd grew even louder.
I stood and watched the team celebrate for several minutes, heart soaring. Part of me still couldn’t quite believe how far Paxton had come, given all of the obstacles he’d faced in his life, but another much bigger part of me had never doubted him for a second. Even when I hated and feared him all those years ago, his immense level of talent was always clear to me.
“Paxton is so amazing!” Emily shouted over the raucous crowd, echoing my thoughts. “You must be so proud of him!”
I nodded and smiled. “I am! He’s the best.”
“I always knew he’d take a team to the championships and win it for them. I’ve been saying it since high school,” Tate interjected with a smug look on his face.
Emily jostled his shoulder. “Well, now you get to tell everyone you went to school with him. Oh, wait…” She tilted her head to one side. “You already do that all the time!”
Tate chuckled and ruffled her hair. She pretended to protest, but within seconds the two of them were kissing, ignoring the noise and action around them. I smiled and returned my gaze to the ice. The Capitals coaching staff were down there now, patting the players on the backs before drawing them into tight hugs. A few select fans had been allowed to step out onto the ice to celebrate, too. Wealthy team sponsors, undoubtedly.
Paxton shook a few hands and accepted some pats on the back from the fans, but his eyes kept shooting upward, ostensibly searching the crowd for me. I frantically waved, and I finally managed to catch his eye.
Even though we were so far away from each other, I couldn’t miss the adoring smile that spread across his face the second his gaze fell upon me. He lifted one hand in a summoning gesture, and I frowned and pointed down at the security guards stationed near the edge of the ice, preventing overly-excited fans from spilling onto the ice.
Paxton shook his head and mouthed something at me. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like he was saying, ‘It’s okay’. I nodded and moved away from my seat, very slowly edging my way through the bustling crowd.
It took me ten whole minutes to make my way down to the edge of the ice, but when I finally arrived, the closest security staff member nodded at me and casually waved, signaling that I was welcome to hop on over. Paxton was right there waiting for me, still smiling as he raked a hand through his floppy hair.
My heart skipped several beats as I looked up at him. No matter how many times I saw him, I was always utterly starstruck by his handsome face, raw alpha energy, and heart-melting smile. I was always struck by the way he saw right into me too. Every thought, every worry, every little piece of me… he was able to see it all and say or do whatever I needed in that moment to make me feel safe and loved.
“Hi, baby,” he murmured as he pulled me into a tight hug.
“Hi,” I replied, voice muffled by his jersey. “I’m so happy for you. And so proud of you!”
“I’m pretty fucking happy too,” he said, pulling back from the hug. His brows rose, and he dipped his chin toward the jumbotron on my left. “Did you see the final score?”
“Of course I did! I wouldn’t have missed a single second of this game,” I said, eyes widening. All around me, a resounding collective gasp echoed through the arena, but I ignored it. I just wanted to focus on Paxton right now. My savior, my dream, my love.
He rubbed his chin. “Are you sure you know the score?” he asked, tilting his head slightly to one side. “Maybe you should check again.”
People were still gasping and tittering all around me, and with my peripheral vision, I could see everyone staring up at the jumbotron. Confused, I turned my head and looked at the screen too. The final score of the game was gone. It had been replaced with my name in huge white letters against a black backdrop, along with several words.
Sienna, I have a big question for you…
