“What’s your news, Drew?” his mother asked.
“I’m retiring from hockey.” He waited for the fallout, but his mother and father merely smiled as if he hadn’t fooled them one bit. “You’re not surprised?”
“No,” Stafford said.
“I loved playing tonight, but I realized as much as I loved it, the day-to-day grind of game after game, practice after practice, wasn’t for me. I want to go out a champion. I want to walk away while I can still say that I loved the game, and I gave it my best. I’m going to work for Gone Missing.”
“Everything has worked out as it should.” Cassandra smiled at him and Marina.
Marina, the love of his life, searched his gaze with hers and nodded. “You’re doing the right thing, and so am I.”
“I am, but I have one more right thing to do tonight.” Drew stood and whistled, getting the attention of everyone in the banquet room. Even the band stopped playing. Once he had their attention, he dropped to one knee in front of Marina.
Epilogue
The lights were off, leaving only a bright spotlight as Drew and Marina skated onto the ice in Sockeyes Arena. The spotlight caught the sparkle from Marina’s diamond ring, along with the sparkle in her eyes. She wore a sequined blue skating dress with swirls of green, and she was stunning. Drew wore a Sockeyes long-sleeved T-shirt and navy pants.
His heart raced with the worst case of nerves he could ever recall having. He looked down into her eyes, and she nodded at him.
“You’re ready for this,” she whispered. “Absolutely no need to be nervous.”
He nodded, breathed in and out slowly.
“After all, you’ve had an awesome instructor.” She winked at him, and he chuckled, relieving some of the tension.
“Let’s do this,” he said with conviction.
They froze in their starting positions, waiting for the first strains of “We Are the Champions.” After all, this was the fan celebration after the big parade through town. No other song would suffice even if it was overused.
Drew and Marina started slowly, building speed with the music. With each stroke of his skates, Drew built more confidence until it was as if they were one. The crowd rose to their feet, everyone singing the chorus together.
Drew had one jump. His rotation was good and his height was excellent. He landed like a pro. His teammates went ape-shit, pounding on the boards, and chanting Drew, Drew, Drew. He laughed, his nerves mostly gone.
They were skating flawlessly, but Drew still had the final lift where he tossed her in the air, she spun, and landed. He had the hardest time with that lift. They made their final turn to the center of the arena. Drew took a deep breath, looked at Marina, so joyous and relaxed, and knew he could do this. He lifted her into the air, twisted her just right, and released her. She spun through the air and stuck her landing. He skated up behind her, and held her waist as they dropped to the ice on one knee, and slid several feet. Marina’s arms were outstretched, and her smile would’ve lit the entire arena on its own. Drew pulled her to her feet. They bowed at center ice to a standing ovation.
Drew pulled Marina into his arms and kissed her. The crowd went wild. Drew’s teammates and their women stood at the boards applauding as enthusiastically as anyone else there.
Breathing hard but elated, Drew he led her to their seats where they watched the rest of the championship presentation.
“You were a star.” Marina lay her head on Drew’s shoulder and sighed happily.
“Only because you’re my inspiration.”
“I love you, Drew.”
“I love you, Marina.” He grinned down at her, his smile brighter than the glistening Stanley Cup at center ice.
Second Epilogue—Team Impressions
SOCKEYES ARENA—THE DAY THEY WON THE CUP
COOPER BLACK
Team Captain and First-Line Center
With seconds left on the clock, Cooper Black skated fiercely down the middle of the ice. Drew lasered a pass to him, and Coop took it, barreling toward his goal.
His laser-sharp focus was on nothing but the net. He knew defensemen were bearing down on him from both sides, but he didn’t care. He had this. He didn’t want this game to go into overtime. He wanted to win it here and now.
The goalie crouched low, waiting for him, his dark eyes narrowed and determined. Coop was more determined. This was his score. No one else’s. His moment. His dream. Only this time it wasn’t a dream. It was his reality.
Coop faked to the left and slid to the right. He slapped the puck toward the goal. The rubber disk streaked toward the net and missed the goalie’s helmet by a fraction. The lamp lit at the same time the buzzer sounded the end of the third period.
His teammates cleared the bench. Coop was buried under a sea of bodies. He didn’t care. He was gasping for breath and laughing and crying all at the same time. When he finally emerged from the dogpile, he briefly accepted his teammates’ congratulations. He was on a mission. Waiting for him by the bench was Izzy. He lifted her over the barrier, spun her around, and kissed her.
She was crying happy tears, and his nephew, Riley joined them in a group hug.
They’d done it. They’d won it all. He would savor this moment for the rest of his days. He’d played this game for almost his entire life. He was thirty-five, and he was going out with bang. The torch would be passed to a new captain, and he’d start a new life with Izzy and however many kids they ended up having.
He was one of the lucky ones. Life didn’t get better than this.
ISSAC WOLF
First-Line Defenseman
Isaac stared at the scoreboard, trying to process what had just happened.
This was the moment every professional hockey player dreams of from the time he laces up his first pair of skates until they put him in his grave. Isaac was no different. And the moment didn’t let him down. It was everything he’d ever dreamed it would be and even better because he had someone special to share it with.
He watched his teammates pile onto Coop and shook his head with a grin. Unable to stop himself, he joined them, leaping onto the top of the pile and falling off the other side. He skidded across the ice, rose to his feet, and headed for Avery. She’d already joined the family members streaming onto the ice, and he skated for her, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her like a figure skater.
He hugged her tightly to him and kissed her.
There’d never be another moment like this one.
CEDRIC PETERSEN
First-Line Right Winger and Alternate Captain
Cedric launched himself at Coop as the buzzer sounded. Seconds later, he was buried under a sea of hockey players, and he didn’t give a shit. A guy only had one moment like this one, and he didn’t care if he couldn’t breathe or move or if someone’s skate was jabbing him in the back. None of it mattered. They’d risen from adversity to the pinnacle of hockey, and they’d done it as a team.
Once free of the pile, he scanned the crowd on the ice and found Bella. She was still cheering at the top of her lungs and hugging anyone who came close. He skated toward her, threw his arms around her, and kissed her.
He was a champion. They all were.
ETHAN PARKER
Owner and Mastermind Behind the Seattle Sockeyes
Ethan may have climbed the mountain and reached hockey’s summit, but he had even bigger plans to leave a lasting legacy, not just of a winning hockey team, but of a caring and compassionate community member, and a team who gave back to the men who so willingly put their bodies on the line for one common goal. He wouldn’t let them down. There were things in the works to improve the lives of hockey players long after they skated their last professional game.
Ethan hoisted the Cup and skated around the arena, holding it high over his head, and back to a waiting Lauren so they could both kiss it together.
Tomorrow would be another day, and he’d be focused on his next goal, but tonight—he’d celebrate.
~ TH
E END ~
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Complete Booklist
The following Jami Davenport titles are available in digital and many are available as trade paperbacks.
Gone Missing
New Romantic Suspense Series debuting late 2018
Evergreen Nights Series
Save the Last Dance
Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?
The Gift Horse
Madrona Sunset
Game On in Seattle
Skating on Thin Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Crashing the Net (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Love at First Snow (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Melting Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Blindsided (Seattle Steelheads Football)
Hearts on Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Bodychecking (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Bottom of the Ninth (Seattle Skookums Baseball)
Game Changer (Seattle Steelheads Football)
Goaltending (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Penalty Play
Shutdown Player
Shot on Goal
Men of Tyee
Sacked in Seattle
Tackled in Seattle (Mid 2019)
Seattle Steelheads—Classics (Coming in October 2018)
Forward Passes (October 2018)
Standalone Books
Christmas Break
About the Author
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USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary, new adult, and sports romances, including her two indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Men of Tyee Series. In the near future, keep an eye out for her Romantic Suspense series, Gone Missing. Jami's new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times.
Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland drool monster, and a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat.
Jami worked IT for years and is a former high school business teacher but recently achieved a life-long dream and is now a full-time author. A horse lover since birth, Jami showed dressage horses for over thirty years. Now she gardens and goes camping, along with other travelling adventures. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan, is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle, and still misses her SuperSonics. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.
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