Chapter 161 Proposal in view

Chapter 161 Proposal in view
Dylan's POV

Some people throw away reminders.

I kept mine.

For over a year, it sat quietly at the back of my locker, hidden inside a small box I never had the courage to open for too long. Every once in a while, I'd look at it, wonder why I hadn't thrown it away yet, then close it again before it could remind me too much of the night everything fell apart.

Back then, I told myself I was only keeping it because I hadn't found the right time to get rid of it.

Turns out...

I had been keeping it because there was never supposed to be an end to our story.

I flip the lid open.

The diamond catches the fluorescent lights above me, sparkling just as brightly as the day I bought it.

It still fits. Not on a finger, but in my future.

I smile to myself before shaking my head.

Who would've thought?

A year ago, I was convinced I'd lost Emma forever.

Now?

She's somewhere in the arena with our daughter, probably trying to stop Dawn from climbing over every seat in sight.

Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

Life has changed so much these past six months that sometimes I wake up wondering if I'm still dreaming.

Emma and I learned how to love each other again instead of simply trying to get back what we'd lost.

We learned how to argue without walking away.

How to apologize before pride got in the way.

How to make room for each other's lives instead of expecting one person to carry everything.

Weekend flights became routine. Friday nights meant New Jersey. Sunday evenings meant heartbreak every time I had to leave again. FaceTime calls filled the gaps in between.

Emma finished her finals three weeks ago and I've never been prouder.

I still remember watching her walk out of her last exam building with both fists in the air while Carmen recorded the whole thing, and Dawn clapped because everyone else was clapping.

She had no idea what was happening. She just liked being included.

My little girl.

She's grown so much.

She isn't the tiny baby who slept through everything anymore.

Now she crawls faster than I can chase her, laughs every time I pretend to lose at peekaboo, and screams "Dada!" so loudly whenever she sees me that half the neighborhood probably knows I've come home.

The first time she said it...

Yeah.

I cried.

I'm man enough to admit it.

Tonight is special for more than one reason.

The championship wraps up tonight. And in just a few days...

Dawn turns one.

Emma wanted her first birthday to be memorable. Her first hockey game. Her first time seeing an arena full of people. Her first little jersey with STERLING stitched across the back.

Apparently, according to Emma, babies remember absolutely nothing.

"But I'll remember it," she'd said. "And that's enough."

She's right. She usually is.

A voice interrupts my thoughts. "Yo, Captain."

I nearly slam the ring box shut.

Jasper leans against the doorway, already dressed in full gear except for his helmet.

"What're you still doing in here?" he asks. "We've been looking all over for you. Coach is two seconds away from filing a missing person's report."

"Lost track of time."

"So I can see." He starts walking over before his eyes narrow. "Hold up."

I instinctively move the box behind my back but it's too late.

"What've you got there?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit." He reaches for it.

I step away.

He grins. "Oh, now I definitely want to see it."

"Jasper."

"C'mon."

Before I can react, he snatches the box straight out of my hand.

"Seriously?" I say, rolling my eyes.

"I'll give it back." He flips it open, then whistles. "Damn." His eyes shoot toward me. "That's one hell of a ring."

I rub the back of my neck. "It is."

He looks between me and the ring. "...Emma's here tonight?"

"Yeah."

A grin spreads across his face. "So today's the day?"

I laugh. "No."

"No?"

"I'm not proposing in front of..." I gesture vaguely toward the ceiling where thousands of fans are already making enough noise to shake the building. "...eighteen thousand people."

He shrugs. "Why not?"

"Because that's insane."

"I don't know." He studies the ring again. "Sounds pretty iconic to me."

I shake my head. "No chance."

"Dylan."

"What?"

"You've spent a million years hiding your relationship." I don't answer. "Now you're captain and you're just about to finish the biggest tournament of the season."

He closes the ring box before placing it gently in my hand. "Your girl's out there."

I glance down at it.

"Your daughter's out there."

My chest tightens.

"What better moment to let the whole world know that's your family?"

Family.

The word settles somewhere deep inside me.

Jasper bumps my shoulder. "Think about it."

"I don't know..."

"You don't have to listen to me." He starts backing toward the hallway. "But I think it'd be one of the coolest things this league's ever seen."

He points toward the tunnel. "Game starts in five." A smirk appears on his face. "And unfortunately, our captain is required."

With that, he skates away.

The locker room falls quiet again.

I look back down at the velvet box resting in my palm.

Public proposal?

Emma would probably kill me. She'd definitely cry first. Then she'd kill me.

I laugh under my breath.

But...

It isn't actually a bad idea.

For so long, I was terrified of anyone knowing about us. Terrified it'd affect my career. Terrified it'd become another headline. Terrified I'd somehow fail both hockey and the people I loved.

Now?

I don't want to hide anymore. I want everyone to know she's mine. That Dawn is my daughter. That everything I've worked for means nothing if I can't go home to them afterward.

I picture the future so clearly it almost hurts.

A house that finally feels lived in. Emma stealing my hoodies because apparently they're "more comfortable." Dawn running around the backyard while I chase her until she laughs so hard she hiccups.

Birthday parties. Christmas mornings. Family vacations. Late-night movie marathons. Another baby someday. Maybe two. Growing old beside the woman who somehow convinced me that forever wasn't something to fear.

It was something to look forward to.

I smile.

Maybe this ring wasn't waiting for the right moment.

Maybe...

It was waiting for the right ending.

I slip the box carefully into the secure inner pocket of my uniform. One last tap to make sure it's safe. Then I pull my helmet over my head.

The roar from the arena grows louder with every step toward the tunnel. Thousands of voices. Bright lights. One final game.

Tonight, I came here hoping to lift a championship trophy.

If everything goes according to plan...

I might be leaving with something even more important.