Page 124 of Play Maker

“Hold on.”

I grabbed my phone with my free hand and raised it up.

“Smile, Honey.”

Jace leaned in and kissed my cheek as I tapped the screen, capturing the moment.

“Let’s see,” he said excitedly.

I showed him the picture, his beautiful face next to mine, and God, my heart expanded, like it was about to burst wide open.

Look at us. This is what love is.

“I think it’s time we told everyone on the team that our rivalry has a new chapter,” I proclaimed and kissed him soundly.

“I love the sound of that,” Jace whispered. “And how does that chapter end?”

I leaned in and took his lips, tasting his smile.

“It doesn’t.”

EPILOGUE

AXEL

APRIL

Everyone in the city of Sutton was here tonight at the Hot Shots fire hall fundraiser, including all the Cougars, and we had a lot to celebrate.

There was a roster of students from Sutton’s other sports programs too, including the football team and the rowing crew. The mayor was front and center, along with Nora Renner, Sutton University’s President, and Coach Banning, who made the rounds of the room, and of course, local business owners, and state media. But it was the appearance of Chicago’s star defenseman Selwin Kirkland that had the room buzzing with excitement. He was accompanied by his assistant and his agent, and he couldn’t move without someone wanting an autograph or a selfie.

The Cougars had three tables, room enough for all the players and their dates—those who chose to bring one—everyone dressed up in their best outfits. And every teammate wore a forest green beaded bracelet—made with love by Kayden—with their nickname and number on it. I agreed to wear it onone condition; Jace wore mine and I wore his. It wasn’t the same as him wearing my jersey, but it would do.

Jace and I put in a lot of work these past two months to help the organizers of this event. It was stressful between school and hockey finals, but somehow, we managed. And it was a huge success, thanks mostly to Jace’s charisma; he convinced more teammates to volunteer and had people opening their wallets to donate to the cause. And me? I kept it all in motion, so to speak. Kind of like how it was when we were playing hockey.

And my game? That had taken off along with our relationship, and my confidence. I wasn’t just talking about playing the best hockey of my life, I was doing it. No, I didn’t match Jace’s scoring stats, but I was close. He teased me about catching up to him, but the truth was, I didn’t need to.

I was exactly where I was meant to be; by Jace’s side, both on and off the ice.

Not that this semester was without its struggles. It was still a long road for me to open up to my teammates, and to forge new friendships. But every day, I worked a little harder, and I was getting there. Jace and I often hung out with Dane and Jackson in particular, both of whom became two of my closest friends.

And after coming out to the team, I’d texted my parents one last time and told them the news. I didn’t get a response, and I was okay with that. The only one in my family who reached out to me was Jonas. A month after that game in Albany, Jonas texted me to tell me that our parents were filing for bankruptcy and he needed a loan. I told Jonas that like me, he’d have to wait for his trust fund. Patience, however, wasn’t my brother’s strong suit. He sent me a long, vicious text, so I blocked him and got on with my life.

And my former BFF? Neither Jace or I ever heard from Preston again. I found out from Jonas (before I blocked him)that Preston was back in LA, acting, but not in college, because he got kicked out after the assault incident. No surprise there.

Not having any contact with my family or Preston meant I was finally finding peace. I’d be turning twenty-one in the fall and with that, I’d be financially independent. Even without my trust fund, I’d manage. Jace had shown me that with hard work and the right mindset, I could achieve anything I wanted.

I was still a Lund in name, but I was starting a new legacy. Instead of playing my family’s game, I’d stick to hockey…

Halfway through the evening, with the speeches over and the dancing underway, the real party began. Some of Jackson’s team joined our table, including Archie, and his crewmates, Jett and Hudson. They were cool guys who were all different in looks and personality, friendly but competitive to an extreme. Even more than our team, and that was saying a lot. And, of course, they wanted to know all about the championship game.

We’d clinched it, but that was a story for another day.

“I want to hear about the game-winning goal from the man himself,” Archie insisted as he stared at me. “Come on, Ax, spill.”

Silas shook his head. “Please, not again. Axel’s going to get an ego bigger than his boyfriend’s.”

Jace bundled up his napkin and threw it at Silas, who laughed and threw it back.

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