Page 80 of Retaking the Shot

We clinked our glasses together and took sips of our drinks.

Coop was the next to address our group. “Thank you all so much for joining us. Tonight has been the greatest night of my life. It doesn’t get much better than winning the Stanley Cup and then marrying the love of my life, and I’m so glad I got to do it with all of you here. To my teammates, you guys worked hard all season, and it paid off. I’m honored to be your captain. And to Hayden, Tyler, and Kaylee, friends like you are hard to come by. Ford and I are so grateful for your support.”

Everyone cheered, and then the party officially got underway.

“How about a dance with your husband?” Coop whispered in my ear when the DJ began playing a song with a sexy beat.

“I’d like that.” I followed him out to the dance floor.

We swayed to the music, our bodies pressed against each other. The world fell away as we moved together, and it felt like time had slowed just for us, allowing us to revel in the moment.

As the song ended, we returned to the VIP area. Coop leaned close to me, his breath warm against my ear. “I’m ready to go enjoy our wedding night. How about you?”

I nodded. “Definitely ready for that.”

We said our goodbyes as our friends playfully teased us about why we were leaving so early, and then we practically sprinted out of the club and into the elevator. When we reached our floor, we stumbled out, barely able to keep our hands off one another. It took me two tries to unlock our door, and when it finally swung open, we rushed inside.

Coop kicked the door closed behind us and pushed me against the wall. “I’m ready to fuck my husband for the first time.”

The following morning,we made our way downstairs to the convention rooms, where various media organizations were set up. First for Coop was an interview with a national sports channel, which would be broadcast live.

Someone from the production crew met us at the door. “Mr. Cooper, my name is Anna. We’re almost ready for you. We’ll take you into makeup real quick, and then you’ll join Joe to start the interview.”

“Can he come in with me?” Coop lifted our intertwined hands to show we were together.

Anna smiled at me. “We have a designated spot for family. I’ll take you over now.”

We followed her to a curtained-off area with several chairs facing a large-screen television.

“You can watch the interview from here,” she told me, then turned to Coop. “Let’s get you ready.”

“See you soon.” He gave me a quick peck.

“I’ll be here waiting.”

I settled into one of the chairs as Coop and Anna disappeared. While I waited, I scrolled through the pictures Tyler had texted me earlier. He’d made sure to capture a few photos from our wedding, and I hoped it was another step closer to some sort of friendship with him again. It would be nice if the four of us could hang out since Coop and Hayden were so close.

Soon, a loud voice came through the speakers, and the screen on the wall flickered to life. “Let’s welcome Boston Bruins Captain, Emmett Cooper, to the show.”

Coop walked onto the set wearing his most charismatic smile and sat across from Joe. They exchanged a few pleasantries before Joe got down to business.

“Coop, first of all, congratulations on your monumental win last night. Scoring the only goal in game seven to become the champions must’ve been a dream come true. How does it feel?”

My husband’s face lit up. “Thank you, Joe. Winning the Cup is the ultimate goal for any hockey player, and to have achieved it alongside my incredible teammates is beyond anything I could have imagined.”

Joe nodded. “It was definitely impressive. Now, another magical moment happened last night after the game. Rumors are swirling that there was a proposal on the ice. Care to shed some light on that?”

“Well, the rumors are true. Last night wasn’t just about winning the Stanley Cup; I also got to ask the amazing man in my life to marry me. And, last night we tied the knot.”

“Wow, congratulations. Now you have a championship ring and a wedding ring,” Joe mused. “However, that brings up another question. Until last night, the public didn’t know you were gay. Was this public proposal your way of coming out?”

Coop leaned back in his chair. “Coming out publicly was something I’d been thinking about for a while. Being an athlete, I had concerns about how it would be received by my teammates and fans. But ultimately, I had to be true to myself, and I hope someone out there who may be struggling with their sexuality can be inspired by seeing someone like them playing sports and being accepted by their peers.”

A smile spread across my face. It was only a couple of years ago when he had been overwhelmed by fear about people finding out he was gay. Now, he spoke about our relationship with confidence.

“That’s awesome,” Joe said. “Anything else you’d like to share before we go to commercial?”

And just as I thought I couldn’t be prouder of the man I had married, he looked directly into the camera and said, “Ford, you’re my everything. Having you by my side makes every moment of my life that much better. I love you.”

The End.