Page 110 of Forever Player

Skylar winces. “This is very bad, honey. What do you want me to say?”

“Tell your mom she is going to have to put money in all our swear jars if she swears again,” Syd says to him.

We look at each other and begin to laugh.

“I always tell Evan he’s going to have to stop cussing. I don’t want fuck to be Callie’s first word,” Patty whispers to me so the older kids don’t hear. Maddie hears it too and she gives us a knowing look.

“I’m the one who had to stop cussing when Asher was a little boy. Brett never stopped though, and Asher loves every minute of his swearing,” Maddie says.

“Now I know what we have to look forward to,” I joke, looking at my baby, who is now on my lap as I hold her up in a standing position.

The game ends up going into overtime. After intermission we are back in our seats. Maylee is crying and fidgety, so I nurse her.

“Good on you that you’re still breastfeeding,” Patty says.

“I don’t know how good it is. I’m her soother. I’m going to need to stop soon, she’s bitten me twice and it hurts like a bitch,” I complain.

“The first feel of teeth in Callie’s mouth and I was like no more, baby girl.” Patty laughs.

“I need them to win already,” I groan. My adrenaline rush from earlier has worn off and I am feeling tired. I wanted to leave Maylee at home with a babysitter, but Brett wanted her to be here if he ends up winning and it made sense. Now we have twenty minutes of high stress to get through.

Liam scores a goal and we all stand and cheer.

When the buzzer goes off and the Rangers are this year’s champions, another adrenaline rush wakes me up. The guys all huddle together as they hug each other. Wolfe is lifted in the air and begins to body surf between them. Everyone in the arena is going crazy.

Two men walk the Cup onto the ice where a black carpet has been rolled out. A guy is talking about the Rangers and their accomplishments. Then Wolfe is invited to hoist the Stanley Cup above his head, since he is team captain, and fireworks erupt as he skates around the ice with the Cup over his head. Wolfe passes it off to Brett and he skates around the ice and tears fall down my cheeks. All of us are crying. Brett comes up to the plexiglass and I place my hand over Maylee’s on the plexiglass as I mutter, “I love you” to him. Brett skates away, kissing the Cup. The Cup gets passed around between the players and the coaches. Some of the players get interviewed and suddenly Brett is coming toward us. He walks off the ice in his skates.

What the hell is he doing?

He begins to take the few steps toward us and people take out their phones and begin to record him.

“What on earth is he doing?” Ms. Noble asks. Will shrugs beside her.

Brett comes up to our row and he extends his hand to me, so I get up and begin to walk toward him.

“Give Maylee to my mom,” he says.

“Brett, you’re going to get in trouble. Go back on the ice,” I urge. Still, I pass Maylee over to Ms. Noble, who smiles with open arms. Brett shakes his head.

“Come here, Honey,” he says and, damn, I have really come to like it when he calls me Honey. I feel like I’m his and I matter to him.

I walk up to him. “Congratulations, baby.” I kiss him, holding my palms on his sweaty cheeks.

He breaks the kiss. “We don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?” I ask. I turn to look because Brett is motioning something to Jacob, who passes him something.

Then Brett gets down on one knee. “Honey, you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and making love to you,” he says, and I blush because this is so public. “When I told you I loved you for the first time it wasn’t planned and not the way I wanted to say it. But tonight, this is the best night of my life and it’s not because I won the Cup. It’s because I want to make you my wife.” He pauses and opens the box Jacob gave him. Inside is a round diamond ring that glistens on a platinum band.

“Willow, will you be my forever?” he asks.

I’m in full-out tears now as I nod my head profusely. “Yes, yes, yes.”

Brett stands and places the ring on my finger and he kisses me like he means it. Like I am his world. Applause breaks out around us.

He breaks the kiss. “How did I do, Honey?”

“You did great,” I laugh through tears.

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