Page 303 of Cross Check
“We’d be here all day if I did that.” Amelia laughs. “But I love your kind heart. I love that you make strangers feel like family. I love your patience and your excitement and your enthusiasm for life. I love that I get to sit by your side and be a part of it.”
“Forever, baby.” I kiss her forehead and smile when she sighs in the content and happy way I love. “How do you feel about making a bet about our conference matchup?”
“I’m intrigued. Tell me more, Everett.”
“Loser has to get a tattoo of the winner’s picking.”
“That’s it? It’s too easy.”
“If you win, I’ll tattoo Yes, Coach on my ring finger. If I win, you have to get a sun on your ring finger.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You’re the sun, baby, and I orbit you. You’re the center of my universe.”
“No.” Lia shakes her head and bites her bottom lip. “Okay, yes. I’ll get a sun, but I’ll also get a g on my ring finger so I can always have you with me. With a tiny breadstick next to it so I can tell the story about when we first met. The night my life changed forever.”
“Perfect.” I grin and twirl her hair around my finger. “I love you, Lia.”
“I love you too, Grant, and you’re right. Being here with you and all of our friends is better than the Stanley Cup we’re going to win this season.” She smirks. “I promise I’ll be nice when we beat the Stars on our way to the championship.”
I laugh and tuck her against my side.
There might only be a few months left in the season, but the two of us have forever. We’re both winners in my book, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.
EPILOGUE
Amelia, three years later
“Welcome to the Girls in Hockey holiday camp,” I say to the group of girls surrounding me. “I’m so glad you all are joining us this week. We have a lot of surprises for you, including meet-and-greet opportunities to hang out with some very cool women in the sports world. At the end of camp, we’re hosting a scrimmage that your family and friends can come and watch. Each of you will get a custom jersey, and our fearless goalies will have specially designed masks.”
The older girls whisper their excitement while the younger campers blink at me with wide eyes and gear that barely fits their small frames. Their hesitation transports me back to when I was a kid. There’s the flash of a rink full of boys and me with my pink helmet. I see the kind coach who helped me fix my feet so I wouldn’t be unsteady.
I hope he’s proud of how far I’ve come.
“You can call me Coach Green or Coach Amelia.” I smile. “Let’s go around and introduce ourselves so everyone can put names with faces.”
The repeat campers help the shyer ones, and it takes us twenty minutes to get through all one hundred and fifty kids. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but strength in numbers is more important now than it’s ever been. Young girls need positive representation in the media they consume, and I’m doing everything in my power to make the sport more accessible to a wider group of people.
“Thanks, everyone. We’re going to keep the day rolling by splitting into four groups. Let’s count off, and make sure to remember your numbers,” I announce, realizing Emmy isn’t here. She’s my second in command this week, and I need to text her when we get going to check in. “The first group will stand down here. The rest will wait against the boards, and we’ll switch after a couple rotations.”
It takes corralling and guidance from the assistant coaches, but we get there eventually. The first thirty-seven kids take their positions, and I move to the logo at center ice.
“Up first is a drill where we practice a stationary stop. You’ll start at the blue line and skate toward the opposite goal as fast as you can. When you get to the other end of the ice, you’re going to plant one foot in front of the other and bend your knees to form an L shape. Bodies upright, gravity centered. This will help us focus on proper technique before we dive into stickhandling with a puck.” I blow my whistle with a grin. “Let’s get started.”
Nobody moves.
The girls whisper to each other. There are giggles. A couple of quiet shhhs, and I’m confused.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Do we need new equipment? I have some spare skates ready.”
“There’s someone here for you, Coach,” one of my assistants says.
Noise comes from the tunnel that leads to the locker room, and I glance over my shoulder. A group walks toward me, and when they split down the middle, Grant is there in his favorite sneakers and a pair of frayed jeans. His hair is messy, and the white USA jersey he’s wearing must be new.
My heart leaps to my throat when he tosses me a bright grin.
Around him are some of my favorite people: Maverick, Emmy, and Murphy. Lexi and Riley. Piper and Liam, who almost looks happy to be here. Hudson, Madeline, and Lucy. Ethan and a plate of hot dogs. Sienna and Lainey bring up the rear, and it hits me how big my family has become.
