Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Brantley

Thirty Years Later…

“ P resenting,” the host of the ceremony says as he pulls off the red blanket, “the first-ever dual bust in the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Riley and I both laugh when we see our heads immortalized in stone together. After three decades of dominating the league with our two teams, the league has inducted us both into the special club. I wasn’t expecting to share my statue with my wife, but now that I see it, I wouldn’t want it any other way. She’ll be stuck to my side for the rest of eternity. Just where I want her.

My son Jason rubs my back as our daughter Claire gives Riley a hug.

“Congrats, guys,” our other son Ryan says, hugging us both. “I’m so proud of both of you.”

“They were fierce rivals for three decades,” the host says to the crowd. “But even fiercer was their love for one another. Brantley VanMorgan, owner of the San Antonio Hyenas, and Riley MacIntosh, owner of the Cincinnati Vipers, gave us decades of entertaining battles on the ice. Moments that we’ll never forget. And now that their remarkable achievements are forever cemented into the Hockey Hall of Fame, history won’t forget them either.”

Everyone claps as we turn and wave to the crowd. I take my girl’s hand and smile.

I’m in my mid-eighties now, but whenever I look at Riley’s gorgeous face, I feel like a lovestruck teenager all over again. I feel immortal with this amazing woman’s love behind me.

We’ve had an incredible life together. Three wonderful children that light up my world, two grandkids with more on the way, a combined twelve Stoney Cups between us, and countless division championships.

But all that is nothing compared to the joy of spending time with this wonderful woman. The luxury trips via private jet in beachfront villas on secluded Greek islands are nothing compared to the small quiet moments spent with the woman I love. Bringing her a steaming cup of coffee while she’s reading in the morning, watching her brush her hair in front of the mirror, holding her hand while watching a movie—these are the moments I remember the most fondly. It’s the simple things that matter the most.

These are the things that visitors here will never see. They’ll see the epic battles our two teams had. The wild brawls, the crazy showdowns, the first nail-biting shootout that the Hyenas won. They’ll see all that, but the little moments, those are just for us.

Riley and her Vipers came back and won the Stoney Cup after the first year we won it. The media ate it up—two lovers pitted against each other—but we never looked at it that way. We were always happy for one another, win or lose. We always felt grateful no matter what happened.

Players came and went. Harris Sutton retired after the win and is still living with his wife Fiona and their many kids. The rest continued on, battling on the ice and creating legacies for themselves. Some got traded, some got injured, and some grew too old to continue, but if they played for me for one game or one decade, I still remember every single one of them.

I’ve always loved the Hyenas, but that first year was something special. That team will always hold a special place in my heart.

I’ll always remember holding up that trophy for the first time.

But better than ever, I’ll remember meeting the girl of my dreams.

The End