Chapter 164 Gratitude

Chapter 164 Gratitude
Emma's POV

“This is actually insane. Emma, tell me you did not just get engaged. In public public!”

My laugh bursts out before I can stop it. I tuck one leg beneath me as I flop onto Dylan's couch, pressing the phone closer to my ear.

“It's true!”

Without another word, I lift my left hand toward the camera. The diamond catches the warm glow from the living room lights, scattering tiny reflections across the screen.

For exactly one second, Carmen freezes.

“OH MY GOD!” She then yells.

I yank the phone away from my ear with a wince. “Ow!”

“I thought it was all an act when my coworker made me look up at the TV in the café because the internet was going crazy. But nope, it wasn't. YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL RING!” She gasps so dramatically that I can't stop laughing. “Emma Carter, zoom in. ZOOM. IN. Right now!”

My laughter makes my hand shake so badly that I almost drop my phone onto the couch. I steady it just in time before moving the camera closer, giving her the dramatic close-up she's practically begging for.

The second she gets a proper look, she covers her mouth.

“Oh my God, Emma...” she whispers, her eyes already beginning to glisten. “I watched you cry over this man. I watched you convince yourself you were never getting him back.”

She smiles through watery eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.

“And now... look at you.”

My own smile softens.

Somehow, hearing someone else say it out loud makes everything feel even more real.

A year ago, I would've laughed if anyone had told me I'd be sitting here wearing Dylan Sterling's engagement ring. Back then, forever feels impossible. It feels like something that only exists in movies or in other people's lives.

Now...

Forever is literally sparkling on my finger.

I can't stop looking at it.

The sound of footsteps drifts down the hallway, pulling me from my thoughts. I glance up just as Dylan walks into the living room, his hair still damp from his shower and a towel hanging lazily over one shoulder.

Gone is the polished hockey captain who stands beneath arena lights in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Now he's just... Dylan.

Messy hair. Black sweatpants. A black T-shirt. And somehow, he looks even more handsome than he does in front of eighteen thousand people.

Carmen spots him immediately. “Well, speak of the devil.”

Dylan glances toward my phone before flashing one of those lazy smiles that still makes my heart skip.

“I prefer latest fiancé.”

She bursts into laughter. “I cannot believe you actually did that!”

He scratches the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed.

“Honestly...” He shrugs. “I can't believe I actually do it either.”

I snort. “Oh, please. You look very confident out there.”

“I am terrified.”

“You hide it pretty well. Honestly, I think you deserve an Oscar.”

His eyebrows lift.

“Aww.” He sticks out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout. “One of the rare days you actually praise me.”

“I love you that much.”

The words have barely left my mouth before he leans down and kisses me. It's nothing dramatic. Just... natural. Like this is already becoming our normal. Like kissing his fiancée whenever he walks into a room is the most ordinary thing in the world.

“Oh, okay!” Carmen interrupts loudly. “Enough already!”

I smile against Dylan's lips.

“Single people exist, you know!”

Neither of us moves. If anything, Dylan kisses me again, just long enough for warmth to spread across my cheeks.

“Guys? Hello?”

I can't stop laughing.

Finally, Carmen lets out the most dramatic sigh I've ever heard.

“Fine. You're both disgusting. I'm hanging up.”

With a click sound, the screen goes black. The second it does, I laugh into Dylan's shoulder. “I think we traumatize her.”

“She'll recover.”

“You sound awfully confident.”

“She survives us dating the first time.”

I giggle. “Fair point.”

He smiles before resting his forehead against mine, and for a few quiet seconds neither of us says anything. The apartment suddenly feels so peaceful after everything that happens tonight.

The screaming crowd. The flashing cameras. The interviews. The congratulations.

Now it's just us.

His voice drops to a whisper.

“I get Dawn to sleep.”

I blink. “Really?”

He nods proudly. “Only takes me forty-three minutes.”

My laugh comes out so suddenly that I have to wrap my arms around his neck just to steady myself.

“Look at you.”

He shrugs with exaggerated confidence. “I'm basically a professional dad now.”

“You really are.”

His grin softens into something much gentler. “I have the best teacher.”

My heart melts.

I don't think he'll ever realize what those little moments do to me.

The man who once swore he didn't know the first thing about babies now beams because he successfully puts our daughter to sleep.

After another lingering kiss, he disappears into the kitchen.

“Wine?” he calls.

I smile to myself. “Please.”

While I hear glasses clinking somewhere behind me, I wander toward the balcony. The cool Montreal air greets me the second I step outside, brushing gently against my skin.

Below me, the city glows beneath the night sky. Streetlights stretch into the distance like ribbons of gold, while headlights weave lazily through the roads below. Everything somehow looks brighter than it does yesterday.

Or maybe...

Maybe I'm the one seeing it differently.

I rest my forearms against the railing before looking down at my hand again.

The ring catches the moonlight this time. It sparkles all over again.

A quiet laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “I'm engaged.”

I actually say it out loud just to hear how it sounds. It still doesn't feel real. It feels like I'm borrowing someone else's life. Someone else's love story, not mine.

Not the girl who spends so many nights crying herself to sleep because she convinces herself that Dylan Sterling is nothing more than a beautiful memory she'd never get back.

A warm hand brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

I don't even need to turn around because I already know it's him.

When I finally look over, Dylan is holding out a glass of wine with that impossibly soft smile that somehow still makes my heart skip.

He doesn't say a word. He simply hands it to me.

Our fingers brush, and for a moment, we just stand there together, looking out over the city.

Dylan is the first to break the silence.

“So…”

I turn toward him, smiling over the rim of my glass. “So?”

He studies me for a second before shaking his head with a quiet laugh.

"I think fiancée suits you better than girlfriend." He takes a sip of his wine before flashing me a grin. "But you know what sounds even better?"

I blush. "What does?"

"Wife."

The word lands somewhere deep inside me.

He scratches the back of his neck, suddenly looking almost embarrassed. "Also... thanks for not rejecting me in front of eighteen thousand people."

I stare at him for exactly one second before bursting into laughter. "You're unbelievable."

"What?"

"You trapped me."

He blinks innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, please." I bump my shoulder against his. "You knew exactly what you were doing. I couldn't embarrass you in front of all of Canada."

His grin grows even wider. "So... my plan worked?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't sound so proud of yourself."

"I absolutely am."

I laugh, taking another sip of my wine, but the smile on my face slowly softens.

"But honestly..."

He turns to me immediately.

"Why did you think I'd suddenly change my mind?"

The teasing disappears from his face.

His fingers find mine, slipping naturally between them before his eyes drift to the ring resting on my hand.

"I didn't," he admits quietly.

I frown. "Then why were you so nervous when it was time to hear my answer to your proposal?"

He lets out a slow breath.

"Because I spend so much time losing you..." His thumb brushes gently across my knuckles. "...that some part of me keeps waiting to lose you again."

Something squeezes painfully inside my chest. Without thinking, I tighten my fingers around his. "You're not going to lose me."

"I know that now."

"You should've known before."

"I know." A small smile tugs at his lips. "I guess heartbreak has a funny way of making you doubt even the things you're most certain about."

I rest my head against his shoulder.

"Well," I murmur, lifting our joined hands slightly, "I think this counts as proof."

He laughs softly. "I think you're right."

For another quiet moment, we simply stand there, watching the city breathe beneath us until his phone buzzes again.

He glances at the screen before groaning dramatically.

"Another one?" I ask.

"Coach."

"You're kidding."

"I wish."

He declines the call and slips the phone back into his pocket.

"My phone hasn't stopped ringing."

"How many calls?"

"I've lost count." He starts ticking them off on his fingers. "Coach called. The league called. Marketing called. Two sponsors called."

I laugh.

"Apparently proposing on live television is great for business."

"I guess romance sells."

"It really does." He shakes his head. "I honestly thought I'd get yelled at."

"You still might."

"Probably."

"My situation isn't much better," I admit, lifting my own phone. "I've got over a hundred unread messages."

He raises an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"I only manage to answer my parents and Liv. Then Carmen, mostly because she won't stop spamming my phone."

He laughs.

"That sounds like Carmen."

We talk about everything and nothing until I finish the last sip of my wine. I turn toward him with a smile.

"So..."

He smiles immediately, already knowing I'm copying him.

"So?"

"Now that we're engaged..." I tilt my head. "And we have everyone's support... what next?"

He actually thinks about it.

I can see him trying to picture the future.

Then he laughs.

"Honestly? I have absolutely no idea."

I laugh with him.

"No?"

"No." He rests both forearms against the balcony railing. "I don't know what flowers you want. I don't know what cake is supposed to taste expensive. I don't know if weddings are meant to be huge or small. I don't even know what colour suits people wear."

He looks over at me. "I never planned a wedding."

His voice softens.

"I never planned on getting married."

I stay quiet, letting him continue.

"For a long time..." he says, "...I genuinely didn't think I'm the kind of person who gets this."

His eyes drop to our joined hands.

"A family. A home. A future that doesn't end with hockey."

Then he looks back at me, smiling.

"But now..." He lets out a quiet laugh. "Now I can't wait to promise one woman she'll never have to wonder if she's loved again."

I swallow back the lump forming in my throat because for all the grand gestures tonight, for all the cameras, the applause, and the championship celebration...

That simple sentence undoes me the most.

I step closer until there's no space left between us.

My forehead rests gently against his. "You're the greatest blessing that's ever happened to me."

His eyes never leave mine. "And you're my answered prayer."

His voice is barely above a whisper.

"I'll spend the rest of my life being grateful we don't give up on us."

Tears sting my eyes all over again.

Because yes, I'm grateful too.

Grateful that love finds its way back to us. Grateful that forgiveness is stronger than pride. Grateful that, somehow, against every odd, we choose each other again.

I close the tiny distance between us and kiss him softly.

When I finally pull back, I rest my forehead against his once more and smile.

"Me too, Dylan." I brush my thumb across his cheek. "Me too.”