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“You saw me yesterday, Z.” I laugh, hugging him back.

The living room is full—Ethan, Liam, Kai, Noah, Chris, Ryan, my parents, and Nick’s parents. All gathered with drinks in hand and expectant smiles on their faces.

“Our London girl in here,” my dad exclaims, raising his glass slightly.

My mom pulls me into her arms next, smoothing a hand down my hair like she used to when I was little. “Are you prepared to be a wife, sweetie?”

I nod, smiling softly. “I think I am.”

John gives me a wink from the armchair. “Just so you know, I already arranged for Nick’s freezer to be stocked with your favorite desserts.”

Everyone laughs.

The conversation shifts naturally toward logistics—my job, how often we’ll visit, how many guest rooms has Nick’s penthouse.

“How did you convince him?” Liam asks with a smirk. “About you moving to London, and he not stepping out from hockey.”

“Let’s just say it involved a full half day of me refusing to let him touch me until he gave in,” I say, grinning.

“Jesus,” Zayn and Liam groan in unison while everyone else chuckles.

My mom fake gasps, clearly amused. “He never stood a chance.”

We all laugh again, and the conversation continues for another two hours.

I know change is coming, but it feels right. It feels like the next chapter of the best story I’ve ever lived.

THIRTY-TWO

Nick

It’s Friday evening, and I’m already buckled into my seat, the hum of the plane a familiar soundtrack to these constant travels. I glance down at my phone and type out a quick message to Sierra.

Nick: Taking off soon, wife. I’ll call you as soon as I get to the hotel. I love you.

I hit send and stare at the screen a second longer than necessary, like my eyes might somehow trick me into seeing her name pop up again. My chest tightens.

God, I miss her.

It’s only been five days since I flew back to London, and it already feels like too long. I keep checking my phone out of habit, as if her presence could be conjured from a screen. But the truth is… nothing feels quite right when she’s not around.

A burst of laughter bubbles from somewhere behind me, followed by exaggerated giggles and squeals. I look over my shoulder, frowning slightly. The voices rise—teasing, amused, way too cheerful.

I unclip my seatbelt and stand, curiosity pulling me a few rows back.

A group from our media team is huddled together in the aisle, filming what looks like a TikTok challenge with a couple of my teammates—Aiden and Chase included. The vibe is chaotic, they’re clearly rushing, trying to capture content before the flight crew tells them to sit down.

One of the girls sighs mid-frustrated, but her expression changes when she sees the phone in my hand.

“What?” I ask, raising a brow.

She turns toward me completely, her eyes pleading.

“Nick, our phones are about to die. And we want to film at least three more videos. Can we use you phone, please?”

I glance at the guys, who are already in their jerseys, half-dancing and half-laughing, like idiots.

“They all left their phone in their bags,” she adds, already anticipating my reaction. “And it’s good you came, because I was about to go looking for you. We can’t film without our star.”