Page 115 of Hockey Boy
“Seriously, what’s happening?” I ask as the guys skate into a line behind Aiden and come to a stop, spraying ice as they do.
The arena lights flash, and the announcer comes over the system. “Please rise and give a warm welcome to our Boston Bolts.”
The stands are only about half-full, but as the fans stand, the noise level cranks up a notch. The speakers crackle as “Crazy in Love” transitions to“Single Ladies.” As it starts, the guys lined up behind Aiden shimmy their shoulders back and forth. Aiden launches himself into a series of complex dance moves on his skates that mimic Beyoncé’s movements in the music video.
It’s a flash mob of hockey players on the ice.
My body swims with joy, my pulse racing and my cheeks aching because my smile is so wide.
When Aiden starts to sing, I realize he’s mic’d.
“All the hockey players, all the hockey players,
All the hockey players, all the hockey players,
Put your sticks up,
It’s been a few years, quite a few tears, I got tired of doing my own thing,
Almost picked wrong, though I knew all along, only Lennox Kennedy was for me.
I looked at you, you looked at me
No one else ever had my attention
You’ve owned my heart, right from the start, and now I’m gonna get down on one knee.”
I clap a hand over my mouth as the entire team breaks into the chorus, their shoulders dropping down as they slide their skates back and forth, doing the moves perfectly.
“I really like it, so I’m gonna put a ring on it,
You’re my dream girl, so I’m gonna put a ring on it.”
Then he’s skating toward me, and Sara is pushing me through the gate and out onto the ice.
Before me, Aiden drops to a knee.
“Just marry me and I’ll put a ring on it.”
The team sings the chorus as Aiden opens his palm and looks up at me, revealing a gorgeous oversized pink diamond. He covers his mic with his free hand and whispers a challenge. “Never have I ever gotten married.”
His brown eyes twinkle, and I swear they sayI told you I had a plan.
In response, my heart asks,Is that all this is, though? Part of the plan?
But as he looks at me with nothing but pure love, his warm smile says,You know it isn’t.
“Marry me, Lex,” he says out loud.
I lean into him, needing to be closer so that he knows my answer is genuine and just for him. So he knows that I want this. I want to take the leap with him. I don’t want to just survive the next few months so I can gain access to my trust. I want to live this life. I want to enjoy it. I want him. Us.This.
“Yes, a thousand times yes.” My words echo throughout the arena, startling me. A laugh bursts from my chest when I remember that he’s mic’d.
“She said yes,” he yells to the guys who are still dancing to the music, making him proud.
When he turns back to me, the brightness of his smile has tears pricking at the backs of my eyes. With both hands cupping my cheeks, he presses his lips to mine. The diamond digs into my face, making him pull back quickly. “Shit. You need this.”
I hold up my hand and allow him to slide it onto my finger. “It fits perfectly.”