Page 129 of The Only Goal

“Okay, chill, lil’ dude,” I whisper, resting my hands on his shoulders to calm him while nerves fire through me in a frenzy.

“Sorry I’m late,” Tammy calls through the house. “I was just at the…” Her voice trails off when she walks into the kitchen, pushing up her sleeves and instantly knowing something is up. Her eyes narrow as she crosses her arms. “What’s going on in here?”

Kai laughs and runs behind me, pushing me forward until I nearly stand on her.

“Oomph.” I catch her around the waist and fight a smirk. “Sorry about that. He’s excited.”

“I can tell.” She grins. “What’s he so excited about?”

“Well…” I guide her to the back of the house.

Kai races out ahead of us, opening the door to our little backyard… which we spent all afternoon decorating with fairy lights and candles.

Tammy gasps. “Oh, it’s so beautiful!” She smiles, her mouth opening with delight. “You guys did all this?”

“Yeah, we wanted to surprise you.” Kai’s impish grin is going to give everything away, but I’ve gotta admit, I love his enthusiasm.

I hold her hand as we walk down the steps, and she starts to laugh. “Seriously, is there like a birthday or anniversary I’m forgetting about? What is all this?”

“I wanted to celebrate with you.”

“Celebrate what?”

“Well…” I take her hand, my throat suddenly feeling thick and gummy. “It’s July Fourth tomorrow and… on that day, however many years ago…” I let out a nervous laugh. “I fell in love with you.”

She sucks in a soft breath.

“I can still picture it all so clearly. You had red ribbons in your hair, and you were wearing this Stars and Stripes T-shirt. And…” I smile, brushing my thumb down her cheek. “You winked at me… I was a goner.”

She grins and winks at me again, sending my insides into a frenzy as I slowly drop to one knee.

“Oh my gosh.” Her fingers are trembling as she presses them against her mouth.

“Tammy Tan… I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life doing that.”

“I love you too,” she squeaks and then starts sniffing, laughing and crying in the same breath.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She doesn’t even make me wait a beat, and I catch her against me, kissing her when she plants her lips on mine.

“She said yes!” Casey shouts from the bushes, and then our Hockey House family appear from their hiding places.

Tammy pulls away from me with a delighted gasp, laughing and greeting everyone as they form a circle around us. Everyone starts cheering behind me, and I hear the clinking of beer bottles as they celebrate this win.

Perching on my knee, Tammy spins so Kai can present the ring to her.

“It’s so beautiful,” she gushes.

“I helped pick it out.” He’s so proud as he slides it onto her finger, and I share a grin with him.

“I love it.” She looks between us. “I love you guys!” Wrapping her arms around our necks, she pulls us into a family hug, and then Ethan’s big arms come around us all.

Soon, we’ve got a Hockey House pile on our hands—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I love these people. They’re my favorite, and I can’t wait to see what else life throws at us while we all do this thing together.