Page 70 of Heartfelt Goals

“I rest my case… he’s a dork,” Kendall chuckled, but Laurel barely heard her.

Lucky guy. Soulmate.

Both have a hockey twist?

Her stomach flipped. Her hands clenched at her sides as a wave of emotion surged through her, so strong it nearly knocked her off balance. Dustin had done this. He had bought these cars. He had gone out of his way weeks ago to request these plates—plates that weren’t just a cute joke but a declaration.

A declaration of what, though?

Did he really think that?

Her fingers curled against her palms as she tried to process it.

They’d fallen into an easy rhythm—affectionate, close, tangled up in each other in ways she never expected. They’d started sleeping together, acting like a real couple, sharing quiet moments that meant more than she’d ever admitted aloud. But they hadn’t said the words. They hadn’t talked about love.

He’d said he cared.

Caring and loving were two very different things.

An hour had passed, and Laurel still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it. Her heart felt too big for her chest, swelling with the weight of what Dustin had done—so quietly, so unassumingly, so long ago. It wasn’t just sweet. It wasn’t just thoughtful. It washim—the man she’d fallen in love with, the man she’d married, the man she’d built her life around without even realizing it.

Seated among the other women and families in the arena, she tried to focus on the conversation swirling around her. They were chatting about the game, about who was going on the upcoming away trip, about their husbands and their relationships. She smiled, nodded, and answered when necessary—but she was careful.

Shealwayswas.

She never wanted to cause Dustin any problems, never wanted to put him in an uncomfortable position. She was his confidant, his safe space, and that meant keeping certain things to herself.

Still, as she glanced at Jeannie, she saw the same awareness reflected at her. They were all finding their footing in thisstrange, new world, figuring out their places, some faster than others.

A sudden hush fell over the group as Kendall let out an excited squeal, practically bouncing in her seat. “Shhhh! They’re coming!”

All at once, the energy in the arena shifted. The lights dropped, plunging the rink into a moment of darkness before brilliant blue beams swirled across the ice. Flashes of red exploded overhead, glittering down like fireworks, dazzling against the cavernous expanse of the arena. The music pulsed, vibrating through the boards beneath their seats, through the very air they breathed. They had fantastic seats—so close to the ice that Laurel could see the cut marks from skates, the way the cold mist rose from the surface.

And then—she hesitated.

The music changed.

This wasn’t the usual intro.

“Watch this,” Jamie said, smacking Laurel’s arm with giddy excitement. “I’m trying something new, andthiswas your husband’s idea.”

Laurel’s heart stopped.

Dustin?HerDustin?

Shy, sweet, quiet Dustin—the man who preferred to be in the background, the man who rarely sought attention—wasleadingthe team onto the ice. The entire team skated forward as one before, in perfect synchronization, they removed their helmets, holding their hockey sticks like microphones.

And then?—

They startedsinging.

Laurel’s jaw dropped.

“Oh, social media is gonnalovethis,” Jamie laughed, already holding up her phone to record. But Laurel couldn’t tear her gazeaway from the ice—from her husband, gliding forward with an ease that belied the raw emotion in his face as he sang.

It wasn’t just any song.

It was for her – and she knew it.

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