Page 350 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

Her eyes widen instantly. "Oh..."

The word barely escapes above a whisper.

***

“Annette, before you, I thought I knew exactly what my life would look like. Hockey. The team. Taking care of the people I love.”

I smile.

“Then you walked into a hospital room and started telling me what to do.”

She laughs through her tears.

“And somehow you became the person I want beside me for all of it.”

I take her hand.

“I want ordinary Tuesdays. Coffee on the dock. Hockey seasons and quiet mornings. I want the good days, the hard ones, and every ridiculous argument we're undoubtedly going to have in between.”

My voice catches.

“I don't want a perfect life, Annette. I want ours.”

I hold up the ring.

The diamond catches the late-afternoon sunlight, scattering tiny flashes of light across the lake behind us.

Annette's hand flies to her mouth.

"I talked to my parents. I wanted their blessing."

She nods, unable to speak. Another tear slips quietly down her cheek.

Then I hesitate and rub the back of my neck. "I called yours."

"You..." She blinks. "You called my parents?"

"I did."

She can barely find her voice. "What did you say?"

"That I love their daughter."

Tears immediately fill her eyes. "I told them I intended to spend the rest of my life making her happy."

She covers her mouth.

"I asked if they'd give me the privilege of joining their family."

"Jamie..."

"I wasn't asking permission." He smiles gently. "I know you're the one making this decision. But I wanted to honor the two people who raised the woman I love."

"They cried."

She laughs. "They did?"

"So did I."