38. Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I was trying to sneak back into the hotel, but a wise man was patrolling the players' floor.

"And where have you been, Matthews?" the coach asks, crossing his arms right in front of me.

"Having a drink at the lounge." I raise a thumb toward the elevators, trying to act as natural as possible.

"With that stupid grin on your face?" he points a finger at me, "Oh, Matthews, who do you think you're fooling?"

My face turns red, stupid grin and all, as I'm rubbing it even redder with my palm pressed against my nose.

"Does it make up for it if I tell you that it was amazing, coach?" I ask, sheepish all of a sudden.

"How amazing, Matthews?" the man strokes his chin and waits for me to impress him.

I take a big gulp of air and answer him in one breath. "Let's just say I wouldn't trade what happened tonight for a billion dollars, coach!"

He snickers and takes a step back. In that moment, I feel a radiant happiness emanating from within me, and I can see it affecting him too. His demeanor softens almost instantly, his expression transforming from stern to warm in the blink of an eye.

"I should bench you, Matthews, but you're far too valuable." He walks up to me and pats my on the shoulder. "Now go to your room and try to get some sleep."

Grinning even harder, I head to my room. An idea that has been slowly formulating in my mind rises to the surface, and I turn around and call out to the coach.

"Coach! Can I ask you something?" I ask, feeling unsure inside, but feigning confidence.

"I thought we were done, but spit it out," he approaches me, arms crossed with a curious frown.

"I need to make an announcement during the second intermission," I say, my arms gesturing widely. "Can that be arranged?"

Once again, he strokes his chin as he considers my request.

"What kind of announcement?" he asks, more curious than stern.

I refuse to give him an answer and just grin in reply.

"Oh, come on, Matthews!" the coach slaps his sides. "Don't leave me hanging!"

I laugh and then lay a finger over my lips and whisper loudly, "It's a secret."

"Hmm," he growls, doubting me. "It would be easier if I knew what it was."

"All I need are a microphone and five minutes," I say as my ultimatum.

Coach bites his lip, bobbing his head around, arms still crossed. Finally, he says what I want to hear. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. Before the game I'll let you know."

Impulsively I step ahead, cup the man's face into my hands, and kiss him in both cheeks, much to his chagrin.

He pushes me away the very next second, grunting in protest and fed up with me. "Okay, Matthews, don't push it! Now go to your room already."

An idiot grin on my face, I head inside my room. I order food then shower. The food arrives just as I'm coming out of the bathroom, and all throughout the rest of the night, all I can think about is one thing.

I hope she says yes.

Oh, if she only knew that I measured her ring finger over two weeks ago while she was asleep, using a piece of string. I then bought the most expensive ring in the store. They say to spend three month's salary, and I have the blessing of a quite generous one.

I wake up before dawn, too early for practice or to call anyone. I feel a mixture of excitement and nerves surging through me. I try to use this energy to keep me laser-focused on the game, despite the anticipation bubbling inside me.

Shortly before the game, after the coach informs me that I have the green light for my big announcement, I call Amanda.

"Can you bring Mia to the bleachers during the second intermission?" I ask, and I realize I sound like I'm begging.

"That's a tall order, Ethan. You know how much she focuses on her work," Amanda replies, sounding concerned.

"Just tell her I have a big surprise for her, okay?" I say, feeling desperate. "If anyone can get her down there, it's you!"

Amanda sighs, and even though I can't see her, I sense her hesitation about whether it can be done.

"You have my promise, Ethan," she says after a moment. "But this better be good!"

"Oh, it will be!" I say, unable to hide my excitement and relief. "You can bet your jewels on it!"

"Most of the jewels I have are the ones you gave me," Amanda says dryly.

"Figure of speech, ‘Manda…" I say, rolling my eyes. Raphael passes by, pats me on the shoulder to get my attention, and points to the locker room, which is where we should be. "Thank you, Amanda. I owe you big time. I've got to go now."

I bid her goodbye and join the guys inside. I'm shaking with pure electricity. Raphael notices, and in the final moments before changing into our gear, he approaches me and elbows me in the ribs.

"What the coach said about you sneaking out, is it true?" he asks.

I snicker, full of myself. "Yes. Yes, it is, my friend."

"And I suppose you've spent the night with a certain blue-eyed brunette," Raphael states matter-of-factly.

I give him a sidelong glance. A gentleman doesn't tell, but I feel like letting him in on my little secret.

Truth be told, I'm dying to tell someone anyway.

"I'm making an announcement during the second intermission." I change the subject, and Raphael's eyes immediately widen.

"You're not retiring, are you?" he asks, a hand on his chest in shock.

"No, you idiot!" I dismiss his worries with a wave. "It's a different kind of announcement."

I stop at my locker, and then I reach for my jacket's pocket and take out the little black velvet box. I pop it open to show him the big and fancy engagement ring I bought for Mia.

"Dude…!" Raphael exhales. "That's big!" He turns in head and starts to yell, "Hey guys—!"

All eyes are on us as I hide the box and place my hand over Raphael's mouth. He protests for a minute, but soon gives up and just stands with his lips covered and his hands splayed in the air.

"It's a secret!" I whisper to him. "I've been planning this for weeks. Don't ruin it!"

He slowly nods, shows me a double thumbs up, and it's only then that I let him go and start getting changed.

I give the ring to the coach to hold, and soon after the game starts. The national anthem, the side dispute, and the battle for the puck. The Cyclones gain and early advantage, but Smith intercepts their advance before they breach our defensive line.

Ruslav gets the puck and passes it to Andrews. Andrews passes it to me. I dodge the left defenseman, get tackled by the right defenseman, and pass the puck to Raphael just in time for him to score our first goal.

The first period goes on like that, and we're playing at full throttle, opening up a good point advantage as we go into the second period.

The mascots entertain the audience during the first intermission. For a moment, I fantasize about proposing to Mia straight from the podium, with the championship ring on my finger as I put the engagement ring on hers.

However, I quickly wipe the stupid grin off my face, and know that proposing at the second intermission is a good plan.

In the second period, we lose a bit of that steam. The Cyclones shrink the difference, but we come out still as the winners of the match.

"Matthews!" the coach calls my name when I reach the box for the second time that day. He fetches the ring from his suit pocket and hands it to me. Immediately, I feel like my stomach is about to hurl. Before I realize it, coach is waving me away and saying, "Best of luck!"

Howler, our husky mascot, comes with a microphone and reaches for my hand. He skates me to the center of the rink, and all of a sudden, I'm on the Jumbotron.

I tap the microphone. It's live, ready for the speech I've been practicing. But my mind draws a blank, and all I can think about is if Mia is in the bleachers or not.

God, I sure hope she is.

"Um… This is a bit out of the ordinary but bear with me," I start. The audience starts to chant my name.

"I'm Ethan Matthews, center for the Iron Huskies," I go on. "And I'm here for a very special reason. Is Mia Sanders in the audience?"

The mascot by my side raises his gigantic foam head to look around. A commotion starts at the top of the bleachers, and soon my teammates are all pointing and cheering toward the image of Mia, guided to the sidelines by Amanda.

I skate to her. Her eyes are wide and confused, and she asks me, "What is going on?" with disbelief.

I hold the ring box to the level of my chest, and she takes the hint immediately, her hand going to her mouth in surprise.

"Mia…" I take a deep breath. My heart is pounding to the point of aching. The first time I did this was at a quiet, fancy restaurant table, and now it's in front of a sea of fans. "I told you I would do right by you. This is not just because of our baby, but it's also because you taught me that I could love and be happy again."

I tuck the microphone under my arm, open the ring box, and take the microphone back out. Then, I go down to one knee, and looking into Mia's eyes, I discover a world I want to live in forever.

"Mia, will you marry me?" I ask in a single breath.

Her hand trembles, yet she grabs the microphone from me with confidence. Bringing it to her lips, she looks around and blushes upon seeing herself on the big screen.

When she gazes deep into my eyes, I see infinite happiness in hers and it fills my heart.

"Yes!" Mia squeals, then wraps her arms around me to kiss me.

Now the entire audience erupts into cheers, a wave of feverish excitement sweeping through the crowd. I put the ring on her finger, and she proudly shows it to the audience.

We kiss again, and as we do, the audience continues to cheer. We only stop when coach approaches, taps me on the shoulder, and points to the bench, signaling us that it's time to get ready for the game to restart.

"I have a game to win," I say, giving her one last peck on the lips. As I start to skate back, I hold onto Mia's hand for as long as I can.

"Win it for me!" she says, lighting a fire inside of me.

And we make the Vegas Cyclones fight for it until the very last second, but the advantage we opened in the first period remains. When the final siren goes on, the guys and I are still trying to score one last goal, fighting non-stop to smash the opponent until the very last minute.

We win. And when I reunite with Mia, we both feel like winners, because we have each other, and that's all that matters.