Page 70 of Ice Contact

“You snagged a hell of a guy, Liv. Hayeskind ofstole my number out of your phone, and we’ve been working on this secretly for a few days. Along with some help from his mom, the Reeves, Boucher, and um…Vladi,” her voice trailing off as her gaze falls to the floor, before her eye catches on my new accessory. “He wanted to surprise you with a grand gesture. And this,” she grabs my left hand and brings it toward her face, “thisgiantpink rock is a grand fucking gesture. Holy shit, Liv, this ring is gorgeous!” She dances and jumps around as she hugs me again, her joy only adding to my own. I would have married Hayes with just he and I at an altar, but the fact that he arranged for my best friend to be here makes it even better. My breath catches, my chest tight as I realize the lengths everyone went to make this happen. For me. For Hayes. For us.

“There’s some other folks you may want to say hi to as well,” Maggie says as I turn to see two familiar faces.

“Walt? Johnny?!!! What are you doing here?” Tears continue to track lines down my cheeks. “Who’s manning the bar?”

“We decided to close up for the special occasion,” Johnny says as he leans in to hug me. My throat tightens, my lungs struggling for air at the kindness of their gesture. “Plus, we haven’t had a night off in damn-near twenty-years.”

Walt comes in to hug me next, shooting Johnny a look full of love. “I don’t know how I let this one convince me to close up shop, but I do know you’re worth it, honey. You found yourself a good one; we couldn’t be happier for you.”

“What about you, Maggie?” Johnny pipes up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “There’s quite a few Riders here tonight. Got your eye on any of ‘em? Thanks to Hayes and Liv, they’ve been hanging out at Walt’s and bringing in a lot ofbusiness. Good men; I’m happy to put in a good word for ya,” he says with a wink.

I look to Maggie with a smile, but she doesn’t return it. Instead, there is a horrified look on her face, like someone just told her unicorns aren’t real.What is that about?

“Olivia!!” I hear a female voice calling my name from deep within the crowd somewhere.

“That’s my cue to get Walt and Johnny seated!” Maggie says, whisking the two gentlemen away, seemingly relieved to end this conversation. “Olivia, go greet your future mother-in-law!” I watch Maggie disappear into the crowd, unsure of what I just witnessed.I’ll be investigating this when I’m not about to walk down the aisle. Rolling my eyes at her dramatic exit, I’m quickly distracted by the sight of a sixty-something-year-old blonde woman barreling towards me.

“Kristi! Oh my God it’s so nice to meet you in person finally,” I say as Hayes’ mom pulls me in for a giant bear hug.

“Oh, my goodness. You are a good hugger! No wonder my son fell for you so fast,” she says with a smile, holding me at arm’s length. “And look at you. You aregorgeous.Nothing like that other girl he dated.” Her lip curls, a frown marring her face. “I could tell from the minute I met her she was no good for him. You, on the other hand, are perfect.”

Familiar arms wrap around my waist, Hayes’ presence surrounding me with a warmth I never want to be without. “I see you two found each other. This is not going to end well for me, is it?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, we just both love you and are worriers. Deal with it!” Kristi chastises him, hugging her son. “You did good, Hayes. She’s a keeper; I can tell.”

Warmth fills my heart seeing the sweet relationship these two have. I’m beyond excited to make Hayes my family. But with the non-existent relationship I have with my parents, my heartswells at the idea of having Kristi in my life as well. Standing here with them makes everything feel…complete.

“I should hope so; we are about to get married,” he gazes down at me. I swear his look makes me tingle in places I didn’t even know had the ability to tingle. “Well, fiancée, would you like to get married now?”

Heat blooms in my cheeks, my muscles aching from how big my smile has been since the studio. Hayes and I talked in the car on the way over. We’re going to have a more formal celebration during the offseason. As for tonight…is this the wedding I imagined as a little girl in a big church with a stunning white ball gown? Not even close. But it’s more perfect than anything I could have ever imagined.

My eyes trace every inch of the space. This bar and the people here to celebrate us, has my heart stuck in my throat. Walt and Johnny. Kristi and the Riders. Maggie. And, most of all, Hayes. The man who found me at one of my lowest points and turned it into one of the best moments of my life. The man who encourages me to live without fear, believes in me, and wants a future with me. The man who saw the broken pieces within me and painstakingly glued them back together.

“Hayes Larson, I thought you’d never ask.”

44

hayes

“We are gathered here today, before family, friends, coaches, teammates, and pinball machines to celebrate the joining of Hayes Larson and Olivia Brooks,” Zack says, standing in front of the guests gathered here at Button Bashers. He apparently became an online-ordained minister during the pandemic since a lot of his friends’ weddings were being cancelled. He also got his realty license, which also may come in handy.

“Being a captain is a lot like being the captain of a ship. You guide the team in a good direction, give them advice. You also have the authority to marry anyone aboard the ship according to maritime law. I know to some of you, this wedding may seem fast. But I would have married Kara the first night we met, and I see that same spark in Hayes and Olivia. Kara and I made it a few months before tying the knot, you two justhadto do it in less time and show us up,” he says, getting a laugh from everyone.

“Being married for ten years, I can tell you there isn’t a day that goes by where I regret marrying Kara. And my instincts tell me you two will feel the same way in ten years.”

I squeeze her hands in mine, rubbing my thumb along her knuckles.I still can’t believe this is real.

“I’ve always known who Olivia was, but only as a singer. The Weapon. As our unofficial second mascot; when Olivia wasn’t at our home games anymore, we struggled as a team. I’m not as superstitious as some of the Riders, but something felt off. The ice felt empty. Others tried to fill the void, but it was never quite right. Just like there was an empty place in your hearts until you found one another. Only then did they truly begin to beat.”

My eyes are fuzzy, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks.Fuck Zack for making me cry.But dammit he’s spot on.Fuck it.I let my tears fall, choking back sobs. My heart never truly beat until I saw the redheaded siren standing before me. I tilt my head to wipe the tears off on my shoulder, not dropping Olivia’s hand for even a second. Her tear-filled gaze beaming right back into mine.

“And now, if I could please have the rings,” he says as Maggie steps forward. I see Olivia start to panic, and I squeeze her hand reassuringly a small smile on my face. But Maggie extends her hand revealing two black plastic spider rings.

Olivia lights up grinning from ear to ear.

“We can pick out rings soon, but I wanted to have something for the actual ceremony,” I whisper, my own cheeks lifting as I remember our first date.

“This is actually the most perfect ring. I am keeping this one forever,” she says, still sporting the biggest smile.

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