Page 67 of Snowed In With the PUCK

“Anything,” I say, my own voice catching in my throat.

He takes a deep breath, his gaze never leaving mine. “Would you be my girlfriend? For real this time, no contracts, no pretending. Just us.”

My heart swells, and for a moment, I’m speechless. This is real. This is him asking me to be part of his life, to be more than just a convenient arrangement or a temporary fix. This is Eric, vulnerable and open, asking for something that feels as big and real as anything I’ve ever known.

Chapter thirty-five

Eric

As Jessica stands infront of me on the ice, I feel like I’m about to leap off a cliff. The question hangs between us, waiting, filling the silence with a kind of tension that feels like both excitement and fear. She looks at me, her expression unreadable, and then she smiles, stepping closer. My pulse races as she leans in and kisses me—a gentle kiss that quickly grows into something deeper, filled with all the emotions we’ve been keeping just below the surface.

But still, no answer.

When she finally pulls back, she’s looking at me with this flirty smile, her eyes sparkling in that way that’s half-mischief, half-tease. “I thought we were already all in on the fake relationship,” she says, her voice soft but teasing. I almost laugh; of course, she’d make me work for this. But I’ve got more to say, and Iwant her to know how serious I am. This isn’t about convenience anymore.

“Yeah, we were,” I say, nodding, feeling a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. “But my feelings have grown beyond the fake relationship. Way beyond.”

I glance down, feeling an odd blur of vulnerability and pride, like laying everything out here is somehow the only right thing to do. I look back at her, my voice growing softer. “Jess… I love you.”

Her breath hitches as she gasps softly, and she blinks, looking like she might not have expected this. I let the words settle around us, let the truth hang there between us. Saying it feels good, like a dam finally breaking. “I love you,” I repeat, feeling the conviction of it fill me from head to toe.

She drops her jaw, those full lips parting in surprise, her hand going to her mouth, and I take it, holding her fingers gently in mine. “For months now,” I say, “I think the real us has been underneath everything. Underneath all the pretending. Every day, with everything we’ve been through, I’ve come to trust you. Rely on you. This is real for me, and I want it to be real for you, too.”

She’s silent, her eyes wide, and I can see she’s taking it all in. It’s terrifying to wait, to hold back everything inside of me while I hope she’ll say the words I want to hear. But I wait, steady, because I want her answer to be her choice.

Finally, her face softens, and she gives me that smile, the one that reaches her eyes. “Eric,” she says quietly, “I want this, too. You mean so much to me. I think… I think you have for a long time.” Her voice is filled with warmth, like she’s letting herself admit something she’s been holding back.

Hearing her say it feels like winning a championship, like something solid and irreplaceable, and I pull her into my arms, feeling a rush of happiness and relief. I kiss her again, our connection feeling more grounded and real than ever. When we break apart, I can’t help but say it again, just for the sake of it. “I love you, Jess.”

Her face lights up with a joy that sends a thrill through me, and she laughs, her head shaking in disbelief. “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” she says, her voice a little unsteady but full of happiness.

Then she bites her lip, looking slightly embarrassed. “There’s something I should tell you,” she says. “Jason… he wanted me to spy on you, you know, to see if you’d sign with the Avalanche.” She hesitates, looking away. “And Kip, too. They both tried to get me to give them inside information on you.”

It doesn’t surprise me entirely about Jason, even when Coach tells me, but the fact she never gave in, that she kept my trust over everything else, makes me feel prouder than ever. I take her hand and give it a light squeeze. “I know,” I say quietly, “and I know how lucky I am to have someone like you in my life. You could have thrown me under the bus, nosed into all parts of my life and snitched on anything that looked weird to you. But you didn’t. I trust you. Completely.”

The look she gives me is full of relief and something deeper, something that makes me feel like I’m the only person who matters in her world. “Thank you,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. “It means everything.”

Taking a deep breath, I ask her again, because I want to hear her say it, to be certain that we’re both on the same page. “So, will you be my real girlfriend?”

Her laughter is warm, and she nods, her eyes bright. “Yes, Eric, I will.”

I pull her close, grinning like an idiot, thinking I could probably skate through an entire game without any jitters or self-doubt just from being this happy. But there’s more. There’s something I’ve been planning, and seeing the joy on her face gives me the push I need to finally make it happen. I give her a little wink, and she looks at me, puzzled.

“What’s going on?” she asks, sensing something’s up.

Before I can answer, the lights in the arena dim, and soft music begins to play over the loudspeakers. Jessica glances around, wide-eyed, as one by one, familiar faces start appearing in the player’s box. Friends, family, and teammates—they’re all here, filling the arena with a warmth that almost makes me choke up.

She turns back to me, still in shock, her eyes wide. “Eric… what is this?”

I reach into my pocket, my fingers closing around the small velvet box I’ve been carrying for what feels like forever, though it’s been less than a week since I made my decision to propose to her. My heart pounds as I pull it out, looking into her eyes with a smile that feels truer than anything I’ve ever felt.

“Jessica,” I say, my voice trembling, “it’s a good thing you said yes to being my girlfriend, because that was just a formality that I needed to hear before… well, this.”

Her eyes grow even wider, and I see the realization dawn in them, her lips parting as she watches me drop down onto one knee on the cold arena ice.

“Jessica Romano,” I continue, my voice filled with all the love I feel for her, “will you marry me?”

For a moment, everything goes silent. She stares at me, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Around us, the crowd of friends and family watches with bated breath, the silence thick and expectant.

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