Page 116 of Holiday Hostilities

“Because you were focusing on your captaincy… until you fell for me, of course.”

“Because when you walked back into my life again all those months ago, and I saw you standing in that club in that silver dress looking like you were straight out of my wildest dreams, I knew, deep down, that there was no one else for me. That dating other people was now entirely out of the question, because anyone else would pale in comparison.”

My heart speeds up to double time. “Come on, Marino. Don’t feed me that old line about how I’m not like the other girls.”

“But you’re not, Griswold.” He smiles a smile of pure sunshine. “You’reyou.”

And then, he kisses me. I kiss him back fiercely, not giving a damn who’s watching.

Because this, right here, in his arms, is exactly where I belong.

EPILOGUE

AARON

“I miss her,” I complain as I take a sip of my beer—yes, beer, because it’s New Years Eve, and this is a party, and tonight, I’m relaxing and having a drink with my teammates.

“It’s been three days, bro,” Jake responds with a scowl, but his eyes are twinkling. “What time does she get in tonight?”

“Around 11:45. She’ll probably drop by here after, if she’s not too tired.”

I was looking forward to ringing in the new year with my new girlfriend, but we both have jobs that take us to different places, and right now, she’s on a plane flying in from Tokyo. Tomorrow, we’ll move her into her new apartment. I’m excited to see how things play out from there, because no matter what, we got this.

Our relationship, no matter how it started—going from hate to love and living together before we were even dating—willalways beours.A story that’s completely unique to us.Rightfor us.

I even sent her an invite to Words With Friends so we can play Scrabble when we’re apart. She’s going to make fun of me for that and call me a nerd, and I’m going to love it.

Nothing could make me stop loving her.

“And let me guess, if sheistoo tired, you’ll leave the party and go home to her,” Jake says drily as he cracks open another Dos Equis.

My lips slide into a smile. “Busted.”

“Whipped as all hell, my man.”

“Takes one to know one,” I say with a smirk, because even as he says the words, Jake’s eyes are firmly on Sofia, who is currently dancing up a storm with Lena, Stefani, and none other than Coach Torres.

Our coach lets his hair down precisely once a year: at our annual team New Year’s Eve party. This year is no exception—the guy’s wearing a pair of huge, sparkly comedy New Year’s glasses and absolutely dominating the dance floor. Like, to the point that I’m worried he might sustain a groin injury.

“I’m gonna get another drink,” I tell Jake, but he’s not listening. He’s making a beeline for the dance floor to scoop Sofia into his arms.

As I make my way to the bar, I notice that Reagan and Triple J are cozily whispering together at the edge of the dance floor. I also spot Lieberman and his wife slow dancing to a pulsing rap song, which is pretty hilarious to witness.

The GM sees me and gives me a nod, which I return, before he looks back down at his wife.

After the press conference the other night, I was pretty sure Lieberman was going to insist I be demoted, but I ultimately knew that, no matter what happened, I would never regret speaking the truth about the woman I love.

Turns out, he was impressed with the way I dealt with the press. Apparently, one of the main reasons he vouched for Slater as captain in the first place was because Seb’s a family man and he believed Seb would bring the same maturity and commitment to the role as Mal did.

Lieberman went on to admit that I’ve shown much better leadership than he thought I would, and that I clearly have a team-first mentality. He said I’ve shown myself to be a man who fights for what he loves, and he respects that. We shook hands and left things on a good note that gives me hope for the rest of this hockey season and beyond.

And honestly, I see what he meant. After the guys on the team heard my impassioned speech—because, of course, it aired absolutely everywhere—they seem to have even more respect for me. Faith in me.

They believe in me, and I believe in myself too. I know I won’t let them down.

At the bar, I’m surprised to find Dallas—who turned up without a date tonight—slinging back a shot, alone.

“Hey, Cap.” He hiccups. “Let me buy you a shot. ”

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