Page 139 of Rust

“And most importantly, I want to thank the love of my life, Isabelle.”

“Wow,” I murmured.

“Isabelle, you made me realize there’s so much moreto life than hockey. Which, weirdly enough, made me a better hockey player,” he said, befuddled, and the crowd laughed. “I love you, Isabelle.”

“I love you, too!” I shouted back.

Rust gave the microphone back to the sound guy. He bent down and kissed me in front of everyone, and the crowd gushed with an adoringaww.

“The C looks great on you,” I whispered in his ear.

“I’ve got something that’ll look even better on you,” he whispered back in my ear.

Rust loved to surprise me with sexy lingerie. I couldn’t wait to see what he’d picked out for me to wear tonight. I bit my lip, thinking about all the trouble I wanted to get into with my captain.

The event staff ushered everybody into place for the ceremonial puck drop. Edmonton’s captain skated up to center ice to join me and Rust. After shaking hands, the two captains took their face-off stances, and three of us smiled for the cameras, bright white flashes popping.

“Ready? Here we go,” I said, and dropped the puck between the two captains.

Like I said, the hometown captain always “wins” the faceoff, so it wasn’t a surprise when Rust easily swept the puck back. He knelt down to pick the puck up. But then he froze in place, still on one knee. He lifted his big hockey glove to me, as if to offer me something.

Suddenly, the crowd began to roar. I thinktheyknew what was happening before I did—I thought he was trying to give me the puck back or something. Maybe I’d dropped it wrong? Did we need a do-over?

But no.

He wasn’t trying to give me the puck.

He was trying to give me something else: a jewelry box.

And inside it was the biggest ring I have ever seen in my life. The pure white diamond sparkled and gleamed beneath the arena’s bright lights.

“Rust?!” I shrieked. “What are you doing?”

He stared at me and serenely smiled. He was the most handsome man I’d ever laid my eyes on.

“I’m asking if you’ll make me the happiest man alive,” he said. “Isabelle Rocco, will you marry me?”

I didn’t even give Rust a chance to put the ring on my finger—I leaped into his arms, and he fell backward, the two of us crashing onto the ice together. Lying on top of him, I kissed him in front of everybody.

“So just to be clear: that’s a yes, right?” Rust chuckled, his big hockey gloves on my back, pulling my body tight against his.

“Yes!” I squealed. “Yes, yes, yes! Oh my God, Rust! I love you!”

“I love you, too,” he said.

Suddenly aware weweren’talone—the fans were cheering so hard, the ice was trembling beneath us—I climbed off of Rust. He got up too, and stood by my side.

“Whoops. Heh,” I said, a heat rushing to my cheeks. “Hope I didn’t embarrass you in front of everybody.”

“I’m not embarrassed to be with you atall,babe,” he said, his gloved hand glidingriiightover my ass.

Rust waved the sound guy over, who thrust the microphone in his face. Rust had one last thing he wanted to say to the fans:

“She said yes, by the way.”

The arena thundered one last time as Rust slid the ring onto my finger. We waved to the crowd. Behind us, the event staff were eager to get the ball rolling—it was time to wrap up the ceremony and drop the puck forreal.

“Okay, I gotta go,” Rust said, giving me a quick peck on the lips.

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