Page 69 of Shot to the Hart

The first two periods fly by, Collins and I are so in sync tonight that we haven’t had one mishap on the ice, but the Vegas Flyers are pushing hard to keep Collins and I away from each other. It’s the final period, we are tied three-to-three and the tension between the teams could melt the ice beneath our feet. When the puck drops, we spring into action. Collins and I chase the puck down the ice, keeping it away from our opponents. Theone time it gets away from us, Nik ensures that it doesn’t make it into the net. In the last two minutes, everyone is on the edge of their seats. Dom gets the puck after blocking the shot from the opposing team, and we pass it back and forth speeding down the ice. We knock it to an open Collins and he shoots, making it directly through the goalie’s feet.

Chaos erupts on the ice, the crowd whooping as we tackle Collins in excitement. Then Nik and Dom do a victory lap with him on their shoulders, his helmet and stick raised high in the air. When we’ve shaken the opposing team's hands and they are cleared off the ice, our loved ones join us. Spotting Bella and Kodi across the rink, I skate over as quickly as I can, scooping them both off the ground kissing Kodi. “You were so good out there tonight, Mav,” Kodi mumbles against my lips and I kiss her some more.

Setting them gently back down, I hug my dad. “Great game, son. Your first Stanley Cup win, Jane would be so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I was already teary eyed over the win, but that sends me over the edge.

“Yo Mav, get over here. We gotta get these pics and get off the ice,” Dom hollers from behind me. I wipe the tears from my eyes before I turn to Kodi again.

Kissing her one last time, I whisper to her, ”When we get home, the jersey stays on and everything else comes off.” She blushes, nodding her head at me. I knew that if we won, the adrenaline would have me buried inside her most of the night, and I knew that if we lost, I would probably still be buried in her, but that her consoling me would be exactly what I needed.

After the photos, we all shower quickly, some of us running out without a shower. The adrenaline is pumping through our veins. Some of us are going home with or to our wives and girlfriends, others like Dom and Nik are running to Lockout to seek out companionship. Then there’s people like Collins, whowill go home and go to sleep because adrenaline has a draining effect on them. I head to my Bronco where I asked Kodi to take Bella and get her changed into her pajamas and into her seat before we make the drive home. Walking up to the Bronco, Kodi is leaning against the car and I can see through the window that Bella is already knocked out. I eat the distance between us, dropping my gear to the ground and supporting her weight when she jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my middle. I kiss her furiously, the way I wanted to on the ice but would’ve been inappropriate given the audience. Our tongues meet in battle for dominance and her little breathy moans are carried away with the night air.

“We need to get home and we need to get there fast,” she says with a giggle before biting my lip and unwrapping her legs from me. I jog to her side, opening the door for her before tossing my gear into the trunk and driving us home safely but quickly.

Rather than celebrating tonight, especially because we need to get Bella home and in bed, we are having everyone over tomorrow for a family barbeque. It would have happened regardless of how this game went, we wanted to get everyone together to either celebrate our win or support each other after a loss.

“Oh fuck, Mav.” Kodi groans as I press into her from behind where I’ve leaned her over our bathroom counter, her hands bracing her on the marble countertop. As soon as I made her my girlfriend, I insisted that she move into my room with me.

“I just won the fucking Stanley Cup and I couldn’t imagine celebrating any other way.” I’m looking at her through themirror, her jersey still on, one hand playing with her nipple underneath it while the other rubs slow circles on her clit.

I’m thrusting into her hard and fast. Kodi’s orgasm is building quickly and I can tell my groans are spurring her on.

“Mav, I’m so close.” She throws her head back in pleasure. “Come for me.” I groan long and hard at her encouragement, my thrusts are becoming erratic and I know I’m not too far behind her as she erupts around my cock. My name escapes her lips on a scream as I spill inside her.

“Fuck,” I mumble, pulling out of her and kissing her softly. “That was the perfect way to end my day. Let's get cleaned up and get to bed.”

Snuggled in bed, my phone begins to ring. It’s Jeremy, my lawyer calling this late must mean that he got the paperwork processed. We combed through everything to make sure it was signed and notarized properly. I told Jeremy to call no matter the time of day once everything was finalized.

“Put it on speaker, babe,” Kodi’s sleepy voice comes from beside me.

“Jeremy.”

“Mr. Hart. Congratulations by the way.”

“Thank you. Do you have good news for me?”

“I do. Everything was sent to the judge yesterday, but I was advised not to call you until after the game. It should be approved by the end of the month and then you’ll officially be the sole guardian to Arabella Hart.” I let out a whoosh of air that I think I’ve been holding in since Lily swooped into town unexpectedly.

“Thank you, Jeremy. Call if you need anything else.” Ending the call and smiling, I place a kiss on Kodi’s lips. “Now my night really can’t get any better.”

41

KODI

THE END

Celebrating the win of the Cup with our favorite people, I can’t help but reflect on the past few months. I was sleeping on Darcy’s couch with no idea what I was doing with my life. Working in a coffee shop. Single and feeling sorry for myself.

Now, I’m sitting in the lap of the man I love while our closest family and friends swim and mingle. The smells of beer, chlorine, and grilled burgers floating around us. Nik and Dom are manning the grill while Collins is in a deep conversation with Sin and Harley. Tatum and Darcy sit by the fire, knees barely grazing. The little girl that I’ve grown to love just as much sitting on my mom’s lap with Fwoppy in hand. Dale, Stu and Grace sit with them, casually chatting. This is everything that I ever could have dreamed and hoped for, but wasn’t sure I would ever have.

I feel more loved than I could have ever imagined. I didn’t know that this type of love existed. The type of love that makes you forget all of the hurt, the betrayal, and the feeling less than.The type of love that is all consuming and squashes any type of doubt that creeps in.

“What are you thinking about, baby?” Maverick asks, kissing my exposed shoulder.

“Just about how life has a funny way of working out. I didn’t think I would end up here a few months ago, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I turn to smile at him.

“I didn’t think so either. We deserve this moment filled with love and these people who helped us come together.”

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