Page 89 of The Secret Play

And then it happened.

Nico intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, his stick moving like lightning as he broke away. They scrambled to catch him, but he was too fast, too smart.

He held back for a split second, just like I’d told him, and then unleashed a blistering slapshot from the blue line.

The goalie made the save, but the puck rebounded straight to Maxwell, who was exactly where he needed to be.

He buried it.

The arena exploded, the noise so loud it felt like the building was shaking. I pumped my fist in the air, my heart racing as the scoreboard updated. 3-3.

We were back in it.

With only a minute and a half left on the clock, the tension in the arena was palpable. Every second felt like an eternity as the puck moved back and forth across the ice, each team fighting desperately for the winning goal.

I barked instructions from the bench, my voice hoarse. “Keep it tight! Don’t let them set up! Stay on them!”

Nico was everywhere—blocking shots, winning faceoffs, and setting up plays with the kind of skill that made him one of the best. Despite having the most time on the ice, he was in the zone, and the rest of the team fed off his energy. I didn’t know how he did it until I saw Winnie. Jumping up and down, cheering her uncle on, arms flailing like the best little cheerleader anyone could ask for.

That was everything.

The puck was deep in the opposing zone, and Nico battled for it in the corner. He dug it out, spinning away from a defender with a smooth move that left the guy flailing. Nico skated toward the net, his eyes locked on the goalie.

Time stopped as I held my breath. He pulled back his stick and fired a shot so perfect it felt like fate. The puck sailed past the goalie’s glove and into the top corner of the net.

The horn blared, and the arena erupted in a deafening roar.

We did it. We actually did it.

The team swarmed Nico, their cheers and shouts echoing through the arena as the fans went wild. I stood behind the bench, my chest heaving as the adrenaline coursed through me.

As the players celebrated on the ice, my gaze drifted to the stands, where I spotted Gemma and Winnie. Winnie was still jumping up and down, her little hands clapping with glee, and Gemma was smiling through tears, her eyes locked on mine.

I felt a lump rise in my throat as I raised a hand to her, and she grinned, waving back. This wasn’t just a win for the team. This was a win for us—for our family, for the future we were building.

We have the Cup. I have my girls.

Nico skated over, his grin as wide as I’d ever seen it. “Told you we’d pull it off, Coach.”

“You did good.”

“So did you,” he replied, his tone sincere. He threw an arm around my shoulders for a back-pat of a hug. “Glad to know you’re joining the family.”

The knot in my throat threatened to choke me. “Same here.”

Chapter 36

Gemma

Arena noise had bored its way into my brain like a prion, and it didn’t let up as we made our way through the place. The excitement of the game, the energy of the fans—it all felt like a blur now. Between that behemoth crashing into Sokolov, the proposal, the woman I thought would kick my ass, too much concession food, I was cooked. It was a hell of a game, one for the books. I was so proud of Nico and Casey. But the only thing I could focus on was how wildly my heart raced whenever I thought about my fiancé.

Just thinking that word made me giddy.

“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” Megan asked.

“Maybe.”

She giggled. “You should have gotten engaged years ago. It makes you silly.”

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