Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Anna

The alarm goes off, and Troy grumbles, pulling me close, his front pressing against my back, his arm looped across my rib cage under my boobs. "‘Stoo early," he mumbles by my ear.

Stretching, I hum my agreement. It's an ungodly hour, but he has to be at the rink in Ingledale soon. "You'll be late if you don't get up, though. And last night you assured me you were used to late nights and early mornings. You did them all the time in college and after you went pro, early ice times and all that."

He groans, stretching languidly against me, his morning erection digging into my back and making me smile. The light slanting through the curtains illuminates the bedroom in the house we found midway between Ingledale and Arcadian Falls. My commute to Dr. Banks' office is much longer than when I lived in town, of course, but moving in together a few months ago felt perfect. "Shhh." He pats my hip. "We don't throw things in each other's faces like that, remember?"

"Mmm. I'm not sure I remember making that agreement any time in the last two years."

He props himself up, rolling me onto my back and dropping his head to kiss me. "Well, we should've," he mumbles, sitting up all the way and scrubbing a hand over his face.

I sit up with him, capturing his lips once more. "This'll be worth it," I whisper. "I promise."

His blue eyes meet mine, and I realize he doesn't look as sleepy as I expected. He looks anxious. He studies my face, seeking reassurance, and I kiss him again. "I know new things can be scary. But it's not really new. You've played hockey your whole life. It makes sense that you'd start a youth league in an underserved area." I place my hands on his shoulders, saying words I've said before but that he clearly needs to hear again. "I'm so proud of you and what you've decided to do with yourself now that you're retired. Think of all the kids who'll benefit from the opportunities your non-profit is creating. Today is amazing. You are amazing. A lot of these kids will have a whole different life because of you, this ice rink, and the scholarships you're offering. I'm so happy I got to help make it a reality, and I can't wait to see everyone today at the opening. It's going to be the home for so many important moments. This is just the beginning."

He pulls me to him, kissing me fiercely. "I love you, Anna."

"I love you too, Troy."

Tearing himself away, he rolls out of bed. "I better get going, or my mom's gonna come bang on the door to make sure we're up, and none of us want that."

I giggle at the image. Troy's parents are wonderful. They came out to help us move in this spring and they're already back because they wouldn't miss the opening of this ice rink if we paid them. His mom brought along the jerseys she's working on for when they come back for ChristmasFest. She created a chart with the non-profit's name and logo—can't pick just one team, after all, when they're all important.

My parents came too, but they're staying in a hotel in Ingledale, insisting they don't want to put us out by staying at our house too, even though we have the space. At dinner last night my mom confided in me that she bumped into Jared a few weeks ago. I'd expected the old, familiar pinch at the mention of his name, but so much time has passed and my life is so much better now that it barely elicited more than vague curiosity of why she'd even bring him up.

"Oh, yeah?" I said, unsure what else to say.

She nodded, her eyes gleaming conspiratorially. "He looks terrible," she whispered. "Of course, I didn't say that to him. I asked how he was doing, and he gave vague bullshit answers." I'd almost spit out my drink at that point, because my mom rarely curses. She waved her hand. "You know how he can be. Anyway, I told him how you're doing wonderfully, and how you've found such an amazing man to spend your life with, and what a blessing it turned out to be that he bailed on you."

"Mom!" I nearly shrieked. "You actually said that?"

She nodded, lips pressed together in barely suppressed merriment. "Oh, I did. He deserved to know that he was only bringing you down." She picked up her water and took a sip, shaking her head. "I know you loved him once, and I hated the way things ended for you, but I was always glad to be rid of him. He was never good enough for you, and he made sure we all know it."

I'd gaped at my mother. She'd never said anything like that before. I had no idea she'd never liked Jared.

Leaning in close, she bumped my arm with hers. "Now, Troy. He's a keeper. I'm glad you found each other. You're so much happier than I've ever seen you. And as your mother, that's all I've ever wanted for you."

Troy leans down for one more kiss, pulling me out of my memories of last night and back to the present.

"Plus," I add, "the guys'll never stop giving you crap if you're late." He gives me a knowing look, grunting as he strides into the bathroom, giving me a delicious view of his gorgeous ass.

He invited a bunch of his former teammates and other professional hockey players, both current and retired, to come have an exhibition scrimmage and then do a one-day hockey skills workshop today. It filled up faster than anyone imagined, and Troy's already trying to figure out how soon he'll be able to get everyone to come back for another skills day. I casually suggested that he could host one just by himself every so often, but he dismissed that. I let it go, for now. After today's over, though, I plan to bring it up again. Or he could at least rotate with his other retired hockey player friends. The guys who're still playing professionally only have time in the off-season, so that limits things quite a bit.

He's had his hands full getting everything off the ground, though, so maybe once the dust settles and we find a new routine he'll be more open to the idea.

Mostly, though, I'm looking forward to getting my quiet evenings with Troy back. The last six months have been a hard push to get to this point, and he's had so many phone calls and evening meetings—some that included me, many that didn't—that the take-out and movie nights at home that we used to have frequently have been few and far between. Even less common are the nights out with friends.

I know for sure we'll have at least a few of those this week, though. Nick and Tina are back with their kids, renting the same cabin for the third summer in a row that they stayed in when Troy and I met. Dozer didn't come last year, but he's apparently been invited again for this trip, and rumor has it he's bringing a woman with him again, though Tina's assured me that he's more serious about her than the woman he was with two years ago and she thinks this time'll be a lot better. We're all going out tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to meeting her.

Sometimes it's hard to believe it's been two years since I met Troy. So much about my life has changed for the better since then that it almost feels like a dream. The best dream that I never want to wake from, where I'm in love with a man who loves me just as much, with a job I enjoy, and friends I can count on in a beautiful town nestled in the mountains. What could be better than this?