Page 396 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"I know."

She hesitates. Then smiles. "My husband."

The words catch me completely off guard.

She says them so naturally, as though she'd been saying them for years.

"My wife," I answer.

Her smile brightens and disappears down the hallway, carefully gathering the skirts of her gown.

I watch until she vanishes around the corner.

***

Only then do I finally let out the breath I've apparently been holding since she walked into that chapel today.

I glance toward the fireplace. The cabin feels different tonight. Not because anything has changed. Because everything has.

For years I'd walked through this front door after road trips, practices, surgeries, and long nights wondering if hockey was all my life would ever be.

Tonight...I came home with my wife. The thought settles over me with a quiet certainty that cements the smile on my face.

I don't hear her footsteps. I simply look up.

And there she is. Gone is the wedding gown. In its place she's wearing a simple ivory satin camisole and matching lounge pants.

She’s wearing one of my navy Blizzards hoodies because, despite it being midsummer, she'd somehow managed to get cold.

She catches me staring again. "What?"

I smile. "I've learned not to answer that question."

She laughs. "Good."

Then she walks straight into my arms.

***

She fits against me as though she's always belonged there.

Maybe she has.

The oversized hoodie hangs nearly to the middle of her thighs, the sleeves covering half her hands. My Blizzards logo stretches across the front, making me smile.

She catches me looking.

"What?"

"You stole another sweatshirt."

She glances down. "I borrowed it. I’ll probably give it back."

"When?"

She shrugs innocently. "Eventually."

"I see."