Page 187 of Scarred

I slide the ring on her finger and laugh as she lunges at me, causing us both to topple backwards.

Grinning at her as she hovers above me, I brush her cheeks with my thumb as I palm the sides of her face.

“I love you,” I breathe. “All the way to the moon and stars,” I smile, saying Scar’s favorite saying.

“All the way to the moon and stars,” she whispers, right before her lips melt into mine.

Opening my eyes, I remove my headphones. I’m fully locked in on my focus for the third period as I grab my mask sitting next to me on the bench and run a hand over my much longer scruff, or what most people call the playoff beard.

Hockey players are superstitious if anything, and we all know it’s bad luck to shave during the playoffs. It’s our first round, and a win tonight pushes us through to the second.

We’re leading by one, and judging by the silence and determined look on my teammates, we plan to keep it that way.

Glancing down at my helmet, I brush my finger on the pink star for good luck and the new pink moon I added next to it for my fiancé.

Fiancé.

Just saying the word brings a smile to my face as I put the mask on top of my head and grab my stick.

Luna and I have slowly moved into our new home over the past month, in between her work and my schedule. Together, we’ve created a home for Scarlett, and I’ll never tire of coming home and watching them dance every night.

Even Mae has settled in nicely in her new space. She broke down in tears when she first saw the guesthouse. With Luna’s help, they put Mae’s touch on the place, making it her own. She’s thriving in Crystal Isle and even takes daily walks with Mimi along the beach, who she’s grown very close to.

“All right, boys,” Stone says, getting everyone’s attention. “We’ve worked all season to get here. All we have is one period left to knock these fuckers out. I want your hearts and minds out on that ice, and we don’t leave tonight unless it’s a win.”

Sticks start banging on the ground as the energy in the room rises.

“Come on, you fuckers!” Hayes shouts, leading the way to the tunnel. “Let’s show them whose ice they’re on!”

“Fuck, yeah!” Foxx yells.

Stone grabs my shoulder pads as I walk by, looking me in the eye with a hunger for a win.

“No net,” he states firmly, giving me his support and amping me up.

“No fucking way,” I grunt back, walking toward the front of the line in the tunnel.

Sticks tap my leg pads as I walk past my team…my brothers.

When my blades touch the ice, the fans roar to life, and the stadium lights go crazy as it moves over the crowd and ice.

I tap my stick to the glass when I see Savi holding Beckett in the stands next to her family before moving toward my favorite spot in the arena.

Scarlett’s sitting in the middle of Luna and Mae, and she jumps up from her seat when she sees me. She’s wearing my jersey and has her mouth full of popcorn as she waves at me.

Now that Luna’s here to help Mae, she’s been coming to every single one of my home games. I guess buying all three seats was meant to be.

Tapping my stick to the glass, I wave at her before my eyes land on my fiancé. She’s wearing the jersey I gave her, the same one she now wears to all my games. Her ring catches the light, a constant reminder that she’s mine.

Green eyes meet mine, and the whole arena fades into a low hum around me as I feel her calming energy surround me.

“You’ve got this,” she mouths before a smile breaks through.

Grinning, I give her a wink and skate to the center for the anthems before returning to my net.

I do my usual warmups and hand-eye coordination routines as I roughen up the ice in front of my net. Tapping my stick to both sides, I get into position as my team gets ready for the puck drop.

Luna’s right.