Page 60 of Fate on the Ice

My future.

My life.

Winning in Life

GRACE

ONE YEAR LATER

With a fresh certificate in hand, I walk out of the school and toward my car. It’s the same vehicle I arrived in, yet for some reason, today, it feels different. I don’t know why. It shouldn’t.

Maybe it’s me who feels different now. Sinking down in the front seat, I look down at the paper. I slide my fingers across the front and smile. I did it. I finished something. For the first time in my life, I finished it, and now I’m certified in bookkeeping.

My phone buzzes in my lap. Picking It up, I look at the screen and smile. It’s a picture of Otto with a huge smile on his beautiful face. He’s almost too beautiful for me to even answer. I just want to stare at him. Sliding my finger across the screen, I hold the phone to my ear.

“Did you pass?” he asks.

There is a lot of noise in the background, and I recognize it immediately. He’s in the locker room.

“I passed,” I say.

There is a moment of silence, and then I hear his sigh, and I know it’s of relief, although he’s been telling me that he knew I was going to pass. I’m sure he was still nervous, though not as nervous as me.

“I’m so proud of you, honey.”

His words are everything.

I can feel the emotion in them. I can feel everything deep in my soul. “Are you ready to win?” I ask.

He laughs. “Only when you get here. I’m going to show off for you.”

I let out a laugh, then reach out and start the engine.

This is a big day.

Not just for me, but also for Otto. I’m going to his game. The first of the season, something he wasn’t able to attend last year. Otto and I were married before he played his first game halfway through the season.

Spinning my ring around on my finger, I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as I think about my wedding and then our honeymoon. It just so happened that the North Carolina Fury were playing in Canada near Otto’s hometown.

We all went to Canada early as a group. The girls closed the salon down for a week. The guys were able to work out and practice in town while we finished last-minute wedding touches.

But it was Otto’s mother who was the true star of the event. She took care of everything. All I had to do was show up with my dress in hand. She even had a veil and all of my needs—something blue, old, and borrowed.

It was the best day of my life. We had the wedding, then attended the game the next night, where Otto played for the first time that season.

They won.

Otto played the best game he said he’d ever had in his career. And I believe him because it was amazing to witness. It was amazing to sit beside his parents. It was amazing to be his wife.

My father didn’t come to the wedding or the reception. In fact, I haven’t spoken to him since the day at the motel. It’s better that way. I notice his looks and his smiles when he glances over at me. But at a distance is where he needs to be.

“I’m on my way to you,” I say, ending the call.

I drive straight for the arena. After parking in the VIP area, I hurry out of my car, placing my certificate on the passenger seat. I know the girls are already here. I’ve received about a dozen selfie texts and text messages.

I lock the car door and hurry into the building, waving at the security guard as I rush through the halls, the curtained doorway, then down the staircase to the glass, where there is one empty seat just for me.

Brooklynn greets me, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. “You passed,” she whispers against my ear.

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