Chapter 56: Chapter : Epilogue

“Babe!”

I hated skating. Hated it. I was horrible at it, but you know who loved it? My man. And because of that, because it was our four-year anniversary, because we’d been through hills and valleys and we were still shining, hell yes, I was about to put on some skates and slowly move around the rink with Cruz.

He was already out there. I was taking my time, because hello, the definition of the word stall. I was doing it. The less time on ice, the better for my safety.

But at Cruz’s shout, the procrastination needed to end. I sighed, stood from the bench, and went over to step onto the ice. After that, wobbly knees, legs, and lots of prayers were being said. But I was out there, and Cruz whipped around me, until he was in front of me, and moving backwards. “You’re doing good.”

I growled, giving him a look.

He just grinned. “You’re cute when you’re growly.”

I did it again because his eyes got , and yeah, I’d rather be doing what we were doing in the bed before we got up to do this mid-morning skate.

He chuckled, but turned and knelt down. He patted his back. “Hop on. I’ll show you how I move.”

I frowned. “On your back?”

“Yep. Come on.” He gave me another nod, and with a deep breath, I climbed on, but I didn’t need to worry. He reached back, grabbed my legs, and hoisted me up himself, moving me so I bounced higher up. He clamped me to him, bending forward a little, and then we were off.

He was easily holding me in place, and I stopped worrying, wrapping my arms around him so I wouldn’t accidentally choke him if I got scared. He was whipping around the ice, and I got it. This was fast, and fun. Racing. My heart was pounding. I felt like I was flying, but I was being held on my man’s back, a back that had gotten a little harder as he joined the pros. He was in way better shape than college, and I thought he’d been in amazing shape back then. It was nothing since he joined the Arizona Javelina team.

And that’s where we were, moving down here after last year’s graduation. The party had been epic with all of Cruz’s hockey teammates and roommates. Except Labrowski. He went pro a year earlier, but Cruz waited until he graduated. My roommates were there, with Wade and Darren coming back. They both moved to New York City for different jobs, sharing a tiny apartment. Gavin came as well, and he’d come with his arm around Sabrina Burford. I didn’t know how I felt about that relationship. It was new at the time. He’d changed over the last two years once Flynn Carrington was found guilty on criminal charges for assaulting Angela. He pled out, and paid mostly a fine with community service for a year, but it was the civil suit she filed against him that really hurt. The rumor that he paid her was of a significant sum. I had no idea if it was true or not, but he had to attend intensive counseling. He also lost his fraternity and was expelled from Grant West. Ironically, his brother stepped into his shoes, and Leander had them volunteering at a local shelter. I stopped partying at the Alpha Mu house, but I heard once Leander had them doing that volunteering, it changed a lot of the other guys.

But Gavin, his attitude never changed. He apologized, but that’d been it. He stepped back once it was confirmed I’d been telling the truth about Carrington, not that it ever needed to go there, but he made it go there. He chose his fraternity brother, and never chose my friendship again. We still partied at times, though it was a random large house party or at the bar, but those times were rare. I stuck with my roommates and the hockey house.

Zeke also came for the graduation party, bringing an entire sprinter van of some of his friends that had become friends with Cruz’s friends. Tasmin and Race. All of Taz’s siblings came, and all their friends too. Epic. It’d just been epic, and my body was sore the next day from laughing so hard.

My dad came with his new wife.

Cruz’s mother and sister came.

It’d been a whole celebration, and I never would’ve imagined that I could’ve been as happy as I had been that night. But I was just as happy today. I got happier every day with Cruz, and he kept zipping around the ice.

They’d opened up the rink to the public for the day. I thought Cruz would’ve wanted to steer clear, but nope. Not my man. When I asked what he wanted to do, skating with me was his immediate answer. It was his first year on the team, so he didn’t get recognized that much in public. Being on the ice was a different matter. I knew he’d be signing autographs once we slowed down. People were eying him as soon as we showed up, gazes skirting to where I’d been on the bench when he was waiting for me, and now I saw a handful of phones aimed at us.

Those videos would end up on social media. Cruz was getting more and more attention in the hockey and sports world.

We stayed on the ice for another thirty minutes, with the last ten skating next to each other. Or I was skating. Cruz held my hand, my elbow, my hip, my ass as he did circles around me, but he loved this shared time together.

Once we were done, a few teenagers came up, asking for his signature. That started the wave of fans approaching him. Little boys. Little girls getting autographs for their older and “too cool” brothers. Teenage girls. Older people. A few parents came over to share their support and thanks that he joined The Javelina.

I waited by the concessions, within eyesight of Cruz, because that was important to him whenever these situations happened, and I was enjoying the hot chocolate I got. He stayed until someone from the rink’s staff approached, and after that, the worker was herding people away. Cruz came over, his head ducking, and an adorable grin on his face as he dropped down next to me, except he didn’t face the table. He faced me, pulling me into his chest, his arms wrapped around me. He leaned in, nuzzling my neck. “I love you.” One of his hands moved up to my face, touching my chin and turning me his way as he lifted his head.

I melted. He sounded so carefree, and I reached up, my hand covering his before I leaned in. My lips found his, and right there. Insta love. Insta lust. Insta warmth. Insta fuzzies. I was totally gone for him. “I love you too.”

“Hmmm.” He went back to kissing me before lifting his head a little. He gave me a pat on the ass. “It’s our day. What do you want to do?”

The team had been given a very rare day off, so we were taking advantage of it.

What did I want to do? I gave him a look, and he started laughing. “What?” he asked.

I just wanted to stay in bed with him. That’s what I wanted to do, but Cruz knew those were my comfort days. I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Okay.” His hand took mine, his fingers sliding against mine as he linked our hands and he stood, pulling me up with him. “How about I plan something for tonight?”

I almost stopped, but he only laughed and tugged me after him again.

He pulled me to his side, his arm wrapping around me, sliding into my back pocket, and he took my hot chocolate. It was almost gone so he wagged it back and forth. I nodded, letting him know he could finish it. He did, tipping his head back before tossing it into the recycling as we walked past.

“Let me plan something for tonight.” He brought it up again once we were outside and heading for his truck.

I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicion lurking. “You already have something planned, don’t you?”

His eyes cut away. He was fighting back a grin. “Maybe.”

Maybe my ass. He totally had something in the works.

He did. Once we walked inside our house, I walked into the kitchen and it was full of pink and cream balloons. Pink roses, peonies, baby’s breath, and orchids filled the room. I gaped. “Wha–” I walked farther in, seeing them in the dining room.

The living room.

“Oh my God, Cruz. Who did this?” They were in the second living room.

The hallway.

The front entryway.

I went up to the bedroom, and they were in there.

I went through the whole house. Every inch was covered.

“This must’ve cost a fortune.” I was walking back, still in a daze, when I braked because it took a second for me to fully register what I was seeing.

He was kneeling down, holding out a box toward me.

“Cruz,” I whispered, feeling tears in my throat.

He opened the box, and a ring. A diamond ring. A diamond ring was there that he was now holding to me. He took a breath, his eyes shining, but a little clouded over. “We’ve been through a lot. You put up with me with all the intense pressure that comes with my job, the blogs, puck bunnies–”

Oh. I wanted him to stop.

He kept on, his voice dipping, “—when my mom had her accident, and you helped take care of Titi during our holidays.”

None of that had been a hardship. I loved his mother. I loved his sister. They took one look at me, and both started crying as they wrapped their arms around me. It’d been an emotional night for the first introduction.

“When Labrowski almost quit school that one time. When Barclay was arrested and went through his dark shit. When Keys got hurt. When Atwater messed with those bikers. I mean, my guys weren’t the easiest to put up with, and I’m saying that as one of their brothers. But you were there. Every day. You took care of us, of them. And now this, moving here with me. I know some girls would want to start on their career, but you came with me.” He blinked a few times, his eyes shining. “You think you’re one way, but babe, you’re not. You’re another way. You love and you support, and you do all the shit in the background so no one notices. I noticed. I notice. I’m fucking lucky to have you, and I don’t want to wait another day before telling you that I want to wake up every morning with you beside me. I want to hold your hand during movies for the rest of my life. I want to smell you, hear you laugh, get texts when you tell me to win or you won’t jerk me off anymore.” He laughed. “But I just want you, Mara. Will you be my wife?”

I blinked away some tears, using the back of my hand to clear them off my face, and I nodded, almost running to him. I couldn’t see the ring anymore. I didn’t care about the ring. He put it on my finger, and after that, I was in his arms. We were kissing, my legs were wrapped around his waist, and he stood, his hands holding my ass.

He pulled back. “Is that a yes?”

“God, YES! I want to be your wife too.” All those things he said, it went both ways. Of him helping with my mom. Of him fighting on my behalf against Carrington, taking care of the blogs so they stopped publishing lies about me, or truths about my mom. He worked with my dad to have an intervention with my mom where it was outlined what she could do with me, and firmly what she couldn’t. If she didn’t adhere to any of the boundaries, our relationship was done.

It hadn’t worked. The intent was there, and it did help my mom to hear it clearly and articulately outlined what she was doing to me. She already knew. I’d told her so many times, but somehow being told firmly by two males, who were standing shoulder to shoulder blocking her view of me, the whole experience was a message to her.

She backed off, and big time over the last few years because ironically, the farther I got from her, the more support I received, the easier it was to handle her.

I knew she’d always be a part of my life. I’d always want my mom to be a mom, and I wouldn’t get that from her. I’d get hurt, and we’d go round and round, but sometimes I liked checking on her. Right now, she had a new boyfriend and he called a month earlier for advice. He was steady and strong. Not much seemed to bother him, so in a way, maybe he was perfect for her.

I knew what the realistic result would be, but listening to him, feeling my own happiness, I was letting myself be hopeful that one day my mom would get the happiness she never seemed able to find.

Until then, Cruz was carrying me to our bedroom, still kissing me, and laid me on the bed.

His eyes were heated. “We got a fancy dinner tonight. And a heads-up, but we got people coming to the house.”

“What? When?” I started to sit up. A party?

He laughed, pushing me back down, and coming with me this time. “Oh, no way. You’re mine until then, and we are going to be celebrating our engagement our way.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You know what I mean.”

His very hard-on gave me an indication if I hadn’t. I grinned, reaching down and finding his dick, pushing his pants down until I could wrap my hand completely around him. “You remember our first hook-up?”

His eyes flashed. “69. Hell yes. You…?” But he was groaning because I twisted in the bed, my mouth closing around him. It wasn’t long after before my pants were pulled away and his own mouth found me right back.

I this guy.

We were currently on the kitchen table, because we went downstairs for something until Cruz hauled me up, laid me on the table, and was between my legs within seconds. He paused, mid-thrust, and gave me an almost startled look. “You’re not a big wedding girl, are you?”

I laughed, dazed because I’d been right there, but–“What are you talking about?”

“The wedding.” He began moving again, sliding deep and holding, grinding. “I was wondering earlier about if we’d have a big one, and how big, and how many of my teammates you’d be willing to let stand up for me, and it just hit me that you’d probably be good with going to the court place. You would, wouldn’t you?”

My body was feeling like an inferno because he was going at me hard now, worked up about what he was thinking, and my brain couldn’t follow him. “Huh?”

“The wedding. Big or small?”

I groaned, lifting up, grabbing his ass, and I yanked him in, then raised myself up and ground back on him. “I don’t care right now.”

“Oh, right.” He reached down, falling so his face was just above mine, and he was going right with me. His eyes were focused back on me, only me, and they were darkening in just the way where I knew he was making sure I was going to release first.

“Cruz.” I groaned again.

“What?” He bent his head, finding my throat, tasting me there. His other hand lifted to my breast and he held me there, his thumb rubbing over my nipple, going slow, leisurely. Delicious. Tingles wracked through my body.

I lay back down, gasping, and my hands held tight to his biceps now. “Together.”

“Hmmm, nope.” He chuckled into my neck, lifting his head and finding my mouth. His tongue slid in and , this guy could kiss. “You first, baby. Always you first.” And with that, his hand went to my clit. He pressed, rolled, rubbed. He thrust in a last time, and I exploded.

My back arched off the table as I couldn’t move, just holding on as the waves crashed through me. Once I was done, or almost as I was done, Cruz began moving again. Harder. Faster. Until he reached up, grabbed hold of the table, and he was me.

I held onto his back, and as I began to feel another swirl, a buildup, I had a thought before it happened.

It broke in half, right as a second climax hit me, and right as Cruz growled his own. Right as the table gave out underneath us, he grabbed under me and held me up, lifting and backing away. My arms were shaking, weak, but I managed to move to his shoulders, my legs half wound around him as I looked back.

There, in a heap, with two of the legs broken off, was our table.

Cruz snorted in laughter, slowly setting me down on my feet. “Thinking this is a bad time to tell you we got caterers coming in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” I whipped to him.

But he was still laughing.

I stepped away from him. “Ten minutes? Really?”

He nodded, containing some of his laughter, though some still slipped out. “Fancy dinner is going to be here, and after, we got everyone coming.” He’d said people were coming, but I gaped at him, my legs still a little unsteady.

“Who is everyone?”

He was watching me, gauging my reaction. “Everyone. Labrowski’s bringing Angela, now that they had their little girl. He told me to prepare you that she’s going to want some serious champagne tonight. Taz and Race. Zeke. Your whole Fallen Crest crew is coming. My Grant West teammates. Some of the guys from the Javs.”

“Skylar and Zoe?”

He nodded. “Wade and Darren. Miles.”

I checked the time. I had seven minutes left. I squealed, running for the stairs. “Caterers are your thing?”

“I got ’em. Yeah,” he called after me. “Oh, uh…”

I paused at the top, and I wasn’t going to worry that it was going to be so obvious he’d just pounded me when those caterers got here because he didn’t look in any hurry to change that. He was slowly pulling his shirt on, and his pants weren’t buttoned. He was barefoot.

He grimaced, just slightly. “I might’ve told everyone they could stay here.”

Everything went so fast once we moved to Arizona. He had early team meetings. Buying a house. Deciding buy a house together, because that was important to me. Moving. And then he started training in September. By that time, I’d began my application process for graduate school for family therapy. Call me crazy, but I had a feeling I might have some insight. But all in all, we’d not had time to fully furnish the place, and to unpack everything that we had moved in. Our house wasn’t big. We were both just starting out, though Cruz was able to get more money in the last year from early sponsorship deals. I had some from my father that he’d been waiting until I graduated from college before letting me know about. It wasn’t much, but it was for this purpose of funding a future home or helping to pay off school debts.

“I know, but–” He raked a hand through his hair, right as the doorbell rang. “Oh, shit.” He started for the door.

I yelled, “Button your pants.”

“Right.” Then I heard the door open, and voices as he was greeting the caterers.

I slipped into the shower, but as I was in there, I was doing it with a smile on my face. I had no idea what kind of ring Cruz got me, but it was gorgeous. There were hints of green in the stone. And the dinner. We had family and friends coming, because no doubt everyone meant my dad and stepmother, her two daughters who were now my stepsisters, and Cruz’s mother and sister.

I’d wear the hockey sweater that Taz gifted me so long ago. She would love that, and it got washed yesterday because I wore it a lot.

And smiling at thought, the shower door opened. Cruz stepped inside.

“What about–” I started to ask, but he shook his head, stepping in, his hands finding my hips, and he murmured right before his mouth found mine, “All is good. They’re doing their thing. I just want to be with you.”

That made two of us, and I had a fleeting thought if we’d always be like this.

I hoped so.

I knew so.

And I also knew, I got my happily ever after.