Page 60 of The Rebound Play
My eyes widen to the size of hockey pucks. “You’re going to move back to Maple Falls?” I ask, my voice a mere whisper.
A smile pulls at the edges of his mouth, lighting up his whole face. “It’s home. You’re home. I let you go once before, Kiki. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
And with that, he pulls me against him, wrapping his arms around me, and kisses me with such love, it brings tears of joy to my eyes.
“I love you,” I murmur.
“You know what else?” he asks.
A bubble of giddy laughter rises up inside of me. “There’s more?”
“One day—and I’m not going to tell you when—I’m going to ask you to be my wife.”
“And I will say yes,” I whisper into his ear, the last vestige of fear flying away on the wings of his commitment, my heart soaring along with it.
“I love you, my Kiki.”
CHAPTER 17
DAN
The clock ticks down in the final period, and we’re down 3-1 against the Jacks, the team I want to beat so bad, I can taste it. I can sense the tension in the air, and every member of the Blizzard is pushing their limits. As their captain, it’s my job to lead by example, and that’s what I do as I see an opening, deep in the final period.
Puck on my stick, I skate down the ice, dodging defenders like they’re standing still. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Nick, our new rookie recruit, fresh from college, in the perfect position near the net. He’s ready, eager, and instinctively, I know this is his moment.
With a quick flick of my wrist, I send the puck his way. It’s a perfect pass, sliding through the chaos of skates and sticks. Just as I’d planned, Nick pulls back his stick and fires a shot.
As I watch, time seems to slow. The puck sails past the Jacks’ goalie, hitting the back of the net with a satisfying thud. The arena erupts in ecstatic cheers as I skate over to Nick and collect his bulky frame in a hug. Nick’s face is a mix of disbelief and pure joy.
“Great job, kid,” I say, proud of him and our team.
“Plenty more where that came from,” he replies with a grin.
We scramble for the next play, taking our chances where we can. At 3-2 down, we’ve got nothing to lose, but as the final horn blares, we’ve lost. Despite it, I’m proud of my team, and I’m proud of myself. What a way to end my career as captain of the Chicago Blizzard, a position I’ve held since returning to Chicago from Maple Falls.
I spot Keira in the stands, standing with Emmy, my parents, and Mimi, who made the journey to Chicago for my final NHL match, despite her health. Alongside my family is Clara with her kids, Benny—who made it onto a team this year and is now officially a hockey addict—and Hannah, still a figure-skating princess. Clara being here is a big deal. She’s not left Maple Falls since she was diagnosed with CFS. But lately, she is managing her health enough that she’s been able to spend more time with her kids, and even hold down a part-time job, doing admin for a business in downtown Maple Falls.
As I always have since those games back in Maple Falls, I skate over to the plexiglass and blow Keira a kiss, and as usual, people swivel to see, and applause radiates through the arena.
It turns out, people love a second-chance love story—and I’m more than happy to have provided them with ours.
It’s become our thing, my blowing Keira a kiss at the end of each game, win or lose. People talk about it in the media and love to speculate over how long we’ll last and when I’m going to put a ring on it.
They’ll get their answer to both of those questions soon enough.
After a team debrief in the locker room, Coach leads a standing ovation for me, thanking me for my service to the team as both a player and, in the last year, as the team captain. There’s a party for me to say goodbye to everyone tomorrow night, and it’s with an odd sense of pride, nostalgia, and a touch of regret that I say goodbye to both the team and the arena, the place where so many of my memories have been made.
But tonight isn’t about the past. It’s about the future. My future, to be specific.
I pull my car into my driveway and take a moment before I head inside. I know Keira is in there with her sister and niece and nephew, along with my whole family, Ethan included. They’ve all been such important parts of my life, each of them, and as I sit in the dark, I say a little prayer of gratitude for them all.
It takes many to make the career of one, and I’ve been so very lucky to have this group of people by my side, every step of the way.
The house is filled with soft music and chatter as I enter it and look around. With its high ceilings and wide staircase, hardwood floors and expensive art, all it is to me is a house. Soon, I’ll be moving back to Maple Falls where I intend to make a home.
I step into the living room, and everyone greets me with hugs and kisses and congratulations. Mom is busy making sure everyone is fed with Emmy as her helper; my brother, Ethan, visiting from some movie set in Europe, is topping off people’s drinks; Dad is telling stories of my youth and expressing how proud he is of his son’s hockey career; Clara is listening dutifully as her kids yawn. It’s way past their bedtime, but everyone knew they wouldn’t want to miss my last NHL game, least of all Benny.
And then there’s Keira. She’s talking to my mom and Emmy, smiling warmly, wearing my jersey, and looking so unbelievably beautiful, it makes me catch my breath. She turns to me and smiles, and I stride over to her to pull her into a kiss.