“First off, I want to say thank you. I couldn’t be more grateful for being here and arriving in the League as an eighteen-year-old. It’s truly been the honor of my life.”
A camera flashes, blinding me for a second as I scan the crowd, searching for Nina. Where is she? Maybe I should’ve left more than a note, but I was trying to be all romantic with a grand gesture.
I’m never making that mistake again.
Anticipation fills the conference room. The sea of suited-up journalists stares back at me behind the black table. It’s normally me up here with my team, but now, it’s just me and nine extra chairs. My teammates are in the back, standing next to my family. Some are smiling, others are crying, but they’re all here. Only one person is missing, and she’s the person I need most in this room.
“So, Rhode,” one of the journalists in the front asks, scratching his mustache. “How did you know it was time to retire from the League?”
I sip my Smart Water like I always do before answering. “It was a combination of things. When I signed this past summer, I knew it was only for one year, so I always had it in the back of my mind, but I think the main thing is the body. It takes a toll, and I wanted to play the game at the highest level…” I continue speaking, giving the journalists the spiel I practiced for three days with Camille.
Everyone looks down, typing on their phones. Another hand raises, then another. Journalists bombard me with questions.
What would your message be to the Nashville fans? Is there anything you would’ve done differently? Why not come back next season? I answer each one, mentally thanking Camille and all her relentless preparation.
A journalist with blonde hair raises a hand. I nod in their direction. “I’m sure this decision involved a lot of counseling, but what’s next? Is there a framework for what Rhode Tremblay’s future looks like?”
The door in the back creaks open.
Glancing up, I lock eyes with Nina across the sea of suits, and relief jolts through my body.
She’s here.
A smile splits across my face so fast that it takes me a minute to realize she’s glaring at me with the heat of a wildfire, and damn, she looks pissed. I tug at my collar.
Nina sits in the back next to Micah, her penetrating stare cutting through me. I track her like a puck. Arching a brow, she crosses her arms at the same time as her legs.
“Rhode?” a journalist asks.
I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on the journalist. “Sorry, what was the question?”
“What does the future look like? What’s life after the League?”
I clear my throat into the mic. “I’m not sure what life after the League will look like, but thanks to someone very very important to me,” I add to soften Nina up. “I now realize that I’ve got time to figure it out, and that’s all I can ask for. Who knows? Maybe I’ll travel. Sail a boat. Lie on a beach. Go to… Argentina?”
Her jaw clenches.
Alright, wrong thing to say.
A few people in the crowd chuckle, but there’s only one laugh I want to hear. Another journalist raises a hand, and I nod in their direction. “I’m sure you’ve seen all the messages from your teammates on social media, but one that stuck out was from Wyatt Patterson, who said, ‘What you’ve built here is something that can’t be broken. We’ll take care of your legacy.’ When you hear that, what does that mean to you, Rhode? What’s your legacy?”
Across the room, Patty’s rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. I yank my gaze away. Patty and Cruz got the team to film messages for me and compiled them into a video they played before the press conference.
Terrible timing.
I only had ten minutes to pull myself together before I had to get in front of the cameras. They better cry when I give them the Puck Buddy cross-stitches I made.
“My teammates are my legacy,” I say to the crowd. “People always talk about my stats, but I hope I’m remembered for more than just my save percentage or the games we won. I hope people remember all the moments off the ice just as much as the ones in the rink. These guys are everything to me.”
Cruz and Patty look down at their feet, but Nina reaches out to hold both of their hands. My eyes start to burn because she might’ve come for me, but she’s also here for my boys.
Another journalist raises a hand. I field questions for the next thirty minutes until my water is as drained as my body. Nina’s stare never leaves my face, and when it’s all done, there’s nothing but relief. The conference ends, but I still have a lot of hands to shake.
I push back from the table, take photos, make dinner plans with my family, and thank everyone in the room, all while trying to get to one girl in the back.
My girl.
Nina watches from the corner, waiting patiently like I’ve been waiting for her my whole life, and my lips tilt up because I know when the room clears out and the lights turn off, Nina will still be there—scowling, chuckling, grinning—I’ll take her every way.
After hugging nearly everyone on the team, I weave my way through journalists and meet her in the back. She lifts her chin, eyes zoning in on my grin.
I grip the curve of her waist, pulling her against me. “I’m really glad you’re here. I was worried you weren’t going to make it.”
She lightly slaps my chest. “I’m very mad at you. You should’ve told me this was a press conference for your retirement. I kind of want to yell at you for this.”
“You’re right. I should’ve.” I tug her closer. “You can yell at me all you want as long as I’ve got you in my arms.”
“I’m serious.”
“Me too.”
“This isn’t funny. Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Rhode?”
“I was trying to be all romantic with a surprise, and it didn’t work out that way…”
“That’s sweet, but if we’re going to be together, I don’t want you keeping things like this from me. From here on out, you tell me everything. I want to know the big things and the small things and everything in between. I never wanted you to give up your dream for me.”
I cradle her cheeks, forcing her to look me in the eye so she knows how much these words mean. “This was my choice, and I didn’t want you to feel the pressure. I didn’t give up my dream. I just found a new one. You.”
Her eyes fill with water, and I lift her glasses, swiping away the mascara smudge. “Hey, this is a good thing, Nina. I’m happier than I ever thought I’d be. This wasn’t just a snap choice. I’ve been thinking about this all season, and I didn’t want to burden you because I’m doing this for me.”
She wraps her arms around my waist. “Okay, then I can be happy for you because I’m sure this couldn’t have been easy. I’m proud of you, for what it’s worth. Making this type of decision is really brave.”
This girl.
She’s bodychecked my damn soul.
She smiles. “I guess you’re not icebound anymore. You’re free.”
I’m free.
“You’re right. I’m Argentina-bound.” I kiss her forehead. “This is the last thing I’m doing for me because now I’m yours. From here on out, I’ll help you catch whatever dream you’re chasing. It doesn’t matter if you’re climbing a mountain or dragging yourself out of a ditch, because I belong with every version of you. So, go chase those dreams of yours. Let’s be wild together.”
She smiles, slow and bright. It’s breathtaking. She’s breathtaking. “Okay, but no more secrets.”
I’m not going to tell her that I already have a ring picked out for her, but she’ll know one day when I get down on one knee. Whenever she’s ready. That’s the last secret I’ll keep.
“Alright, no more secrets.” I press my lips to the tip of her nose. “Can I please kiss that gorgeous mouth I can’t stop thinking about and show everyone in this room who I belong to?”
Lifting onto her toes, she hooks her arms around my neck. “I belong to you as much as you belong to me. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”
“Good. Because I already booked my flight to Argentina. I upgraded us to first class.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I’m fine with coach.”
“You’re mine now, which means you fly first class.”
I kiss her good—with tongue—not giving a damn that everyone’s in the room, watching us, taking pictures. Gripping her waist, I lift her off the tile and swing her around the room.
I might be a little too old for her, and yeah, maybe we don’t fit together from the outside, but our souls are a perfect match. For the first time in a while, I’m excited for the future. We’ll have a family and kids and all the stress that comes with that, but for now, I want her all to myself.
I don’t bother putting her back down on the ground, I just hold her, dangling feet and all. “I love you,” I whisper, only for her.
“I love you too,” she whispers, only for me.
“Thanks for giving me a life outside of hockey. I had no idea my entire life would change when I got into your car. If I’d known you were waiting for me, I would’ve left that bar a hell of a lot sooner.”
She peppers my face with kisses. “Why’s that?”
“Because then I could’ve had one more moment with you, since I don’t know if forever is going to be enough.”
