Page 116 of The Golden Goalie

Amber

I follow Rico into the library. He maneuvers the stroller through the door, and still manages to hold it for me.This guy. Rico has adjusted to married life and being a dad with the same ease with which he plays hockey, like he was meant for the role. The last few weeks have been crazy, but I wouldn’t change the sleepless nights for anything. When I go to bed at night, wrapped in Rico’s arms and then hold my little Riley close, I realize how incredibly blessed I am.

We walk over to the front desk. “We brought a visitor,” Rico says quietly, gaining Mrs. Randolph’s attention. She looks up, and her eyes widen. Then she stands from her desk and walks around to the front.

“Oh my,” she says, as she stares down at Riley. “What’s her name?”

Rico looks at me, and I smile. “Riley Grace.”

Her head pops up, and she looks at me. “Grace?”

I nod. “I wouldn’t have made it through that night without you by my side.” I swallow back the emotion. “Besides, I’ve always loved the name Grace.”

Mrs. Randolph wipes her eyes. “Well, I’ve never had a baby named after me.”

“Well, then it’s about time it happened,” Rico says with an easy smile.

She leans over the stroller. “You better live up to your name, Little One.”

I smile as Rico wraps his strong arm around me and pulls me into his side. I can’t help but fight tears as I look around this place. I felt so lost for so long. I remember the days of desolation right here in this place—the uncertainty, the fear, the loneliness. And then this man waltzed into my life and flipped it upside down. “Hey,” Rico tugs me closer. “You okay?”

I look up at him and see the love shining in his eyes. “Just remembering how lost I was before you came into my life and how blessed I am now. I love you, Rico, so much. I wish you knew how much.”

His eyes soften. “If you only love me a fraction of how much I love you, then that’s a lot of love.” He kisses me gently.

“Okay, no PDA in the library,” Mrs. Randolph says, causing Rico to chuckle. We start to make our way to the front door. “Don’t be strangers now.”

I turn back and blow her a kiss. “We won’t be.”

We step out into the sun, and I lean into Rico as we walk. “Are you doing okay?” I ask quietly. “I’m sorry about the game.”

He squeezes my side. “It’s okay.”

We’re both quiet; I’m unsure what to say. The Green Thunder guys lost last night in a game against Chicago. It was a heart-breaking loss. The game stayed zero to zero until the last minute of the game when Chicago scored, winning the game and knocking us out of the playoffs. This is the second year in a row our guys have been knocked out of the playoffs. I squeeze his hand. “I’m proud of you. You played an amazing game.” Rico almost had a shut-out, but I know he’s still feeling that goal they scored.

“I should have had it.” He glances down at me and smiles. “But there’s more to life than hockey. I’m pretty content right now. Besides...” he grins. “There’s always next year.”

“Next year is you guys’ year for sure,” I agree. I put my head on his shoulder as we walk on the path around campus, justenjoying the beautiful day. His phone dings, but he doesn’t grab it. When it dings three more times in a row, I glance up at him. “Are you going to get that?”

“No. The guys are just razzing me.”

“About what?” I ask, curiously.

“About this stupid article one of the major news outlets put out.”

“Well, now I’m curious. What was it?” When he doesn’t say anything, I pinch his side. “You know I’m going to find out anyway.”

He sighs and hands over his phone. I pull up the article the guys sent him, ignoring all the comments. I notice the heading and grin up at Rico. “The Golden Goalie, huh?”

He rolls its eyes. “It’s a stupid article.”

I skim down the article that talks about Rico being one of the best goalies in the league right now. “They say you have a golden touch. Not much gets past you.” He shrugs, and I smile. And that’s just one of the many reasons I love this guy. He's so humble, even though he’s amazing. I put my arm through his. “Come on, Mr. Golden Goalie. Let’s go home.”

Life’s certainly not perfect, but it’s good. I glance down at Riley, who’s sleeping in her stroller, and then up at my husband. Really, really good.

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