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I’m about to sit down when a warm hand lands on my lower back. “Is this seat taken, pretty girl?”

Relief courses through my system, and I don’t care if anyone is watching. I turn and throw my arms around his neck, inhaling his familiar scent. Beck wraps me in a bear hug without hesitation and presses his lips to the crown of my head.

“You’re here,” I say loud enough so he can hear me.

“I’m here.” His chest rumbles in reply. “I’m sorry it took me so long. Traffic was a nightmare.”

I look up into his eyes and find they’re glassy like mine. He cups my cheek, brushing away a tear that falls. I can’t wait another moment to say the words that have been on the tip of my tongue for months now.

“I love you,” I cry. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. I love you and Noah so much—” His words are cut off by the echoes of boos from the crowd, and our attention is drawn to the ice. Noah is no longer facing the other center for the puck drop but staring directly at us from the center line.

Chapter forty-two

Noah

Life always comes down to moments.

Like the moment I met Beck Anders for the first time at the age of sixteen and the first kiss we shared behind the closed doors of our dorm room.

The moment my eyes connected with Quinn’s across the University of Michigan’s quad for the first time and how her eyes lit up when she turned around and found me down on one knee with an engagement ring a year later.

There are life-altering moments I never expected, like when Beck returned to my life ten years later, showing up on the steps of my and Quinn’s bungalow looking as if he wanted to throttle me. And the moment he and I kissed again in the gym and his lips touched my wife’s moments later, changing the course of our lives forever.

“Ashcroft is frozen on the ice,” I faintly hear the announcer say over the speakers. “Nobody knows what’s going on.”

His voice and the nudge from my defenseman bring me back to the present, to the new moment that will forever be burned into my memory. One that will once again change the course of my life forever.

Beck and Quinn are wrapped in each other as they turn to face me from behind the glass. I’m aware that people are booing and that I’m holding up the start of the game. The old Noah, the one who cared about his image and being perfect every fucking second of every day wouldn’t be in this position right now. He’d be playing his game, not looking at the crowd or worrying about his life off the ice.

But not this Noah, not the Noah who sees things clearly. This Noah knows that there’s more to life than winning a hockey game or being the perfect athlete with the perfect body and perfect life.

No, I know now that perfection in life doesn’t exist. It’s messy, unpredictable, and fucking beautiful. I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve learned from them. I’ve hidden myself from the world, but now, that curtain has been pulled back, and I’m bared for all to see. The two people I love, who are staring at me from across the ice, have been waiting for me to find the courage to surrender and just be me, to love myself and them without pause.

“Ashcroft!” the ref shouts.

I ignore him and take off across the ice toward the glass. The crowd is going wild, unsure of what to think. I have no doubt they think I’m going to leave the ice, but that’s not what I’m doing. I still love hockey, but I need Quinn and Beck to know that I will always love them more and will risk it all for them.

I dig my skates into the ice in a hard stop and press my gloved hands to the glass.

“What are you doing?” Beck yells.

“You came,” I call back.

“I did.” He presses his hand to one of mine, using his other to wrap around Quinn’s shoulders.

“Does that mean you still want to be with us?”

Beck laughs and shakes his head. “What do you think?”

I smile wide and meet Quinn’s gaze. Her eyes are shining with tears as she puts her hand up against my other one. The world fades as we have our needed moment. The three of us are finally together again—just as it should be.

“Ashcroft!” the ref growls as he skates up beside me.

“Go!” Beck says.

“Listen to your boyfriend,” Brady yells, having skated over from the goal. “You guys can eye fuck each other later—we have a game to play!”