Page 106 of Chips & Checks

Outside that door, life is waiting—press announcements, game scores, confetti, or heartbreak. But inside this quiet room, in this slanted little moment carved out from chaos, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. A forever I never saw coming.

“I love you,” I tell her again, just in case she forgot in the last thirty seconds.

“I love you more.” She presses one last kiss to my lips and stands, tugging me gently toward the door. “Come on, fiancé. Let’s go see how our team’s doing.”

Fiancé.

The word slams into me like a breakaway goal. Like a promise. Like home.

And for the first time in my life, I don't feel like I’m chasing the win.

I already have it.