Page 132 of My Silver Lining

“I’ve got a packed day, but that’s a good problem to have. And then I’m meeting my girlfriend at the café downstairs for dinner,” I said.

“It’s a good life, Rafe Chadwick.”

“It’s the best life,” I said, scooping her up and heading to the shower.

We had fallen into a routine of showering together before work. Dinner out at different restaurants. She’d taken me all over Paris the last few weekends, and I’d gotten to know a few locals.

I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve this woman, but I wasn’t questioning it.

I loved her.

She loved me.

And I knew—just like my father had known about my mother all those years ago—that I’d found my forever.

She was a fierce, strong, sexy, kind, beautiful woman.

And she was all mine.

“I’m so happy you’re both here for this,” my mother said, squeezing my hand as we watched my brother skate out onto the ice for the last period.

It was a tie game.

You could feel the tension in the arena. This was game seven. Whoever won tonight would be the Stanley Cup Champions.

Lulu and I had returned to Rosewood River, and then we’d gone to all seven games, moving from San Francisco to Denver, where the Lions and Wolves battled it out.

They each had three wins under their belts, and heading into the last period, the score was five to five.

I’d say these two teams were equally matched.

My brother had scored two of the five goals tonight.

I’ve never been more proud watching him do his thing on the ice.

We were playing at home, so the crowd had gone wild.

Cutler was sitting on Lulu’s lap, acting like he was too nervous to sit on his own, but he winked at me a couple of times when she wasn’t looking.

The kid was a huge flirt.

My sister was a nervous wreck, on her feet shouting most of the time and then pacing in between periods.

Nash was trying to keep her calm.

Melody sat on my lap, shouting every time the buzzer rang. Archer and Bridger were quiet, and you could feel their nerves radiating off them. Easton and Henley were sitting beside us. Easton had already called out the ref for a bad call, and the crowd had agreed. My parents were just taking it all in, proudly wearing their Clark Chadwick jerseys, as we all were.

When the team walked out of the tunnel and skated onto the ice, the crowd roared. I had my arms around Melody, and my heart raced.

Clark glanced up at us and gave a fist pump, which caused all of us to scream wildly. I glanced over at Lulu. Her hair was up in her favorite scrunchie with one arm around Beefcake and her other hand in mine. She and Henley were leaning against one another, and I fucking loved how close she was with my family.

How much they adored her.

I missed them, missed my life here, but I was enjoying this adventure I was on with my girl more than I thought I would. I knew we’d be back eventually, and Paris was not a bad place to spend a couple of months or a year.

I turned my attention back to my brother as the buzzer rang. The puck was hard to follow as it switched from one player to the next.

Tensions were high as they ran the clock down.

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