Page 101 of From Ice to Home
“So now, we want to do what we should’ve done that night we came together. Father, we want to give our relationship, our marriage, to You. We place it at Your feet and ask that You willbless us, that You will guide us in everything we do. Father, we ask that You will show us how to be a godly husband and a godly wife, and a couple who works together for the goodness of Your Kingdom. We ask You to cover us, Father. Not only in Your love, but in Your mercy and Your light. In the Mighty Name of Jesus we pray. Amen”
“Amen,” Hannah’s voice echoes with a strong voice.
Coming back into our bedroom, I realize my cheeks are wet. When I open my eyes, Hannah looks at me with wide eyes. Gone are the fear, the guilt.
What’s left is love, hope…and her.
Just us. With God at the center. The way it was designed to be.
23
HANNAH
It’s been a week since Lucas and I prayed together and we gave our marriage to God. I haven’t taken off my wedding ring since. It’s been hugging my finger in the most comforting way and I can’t imagine not wearing it ever again. There’s been a definite shift between us. It’s not perfect, but it’s steadier. It’s grounded in all the right things, especially since we’ve been intentional about sharing our faith, about coming before Godtogetherand not just in our own separate ways.
Charlotte added me to the group chat, just like she promised. By game three, I had my own playoff jacket. According to her, it’s a whole thing between all the WAG groups, a kind of competition to see who has the coolest look. Seeing as I didn’t get to wear mine for the first two games, social media blew up over a photo of me wearing it at Madison Square Garden. This time my ring was on full display. That seemed to settle the chatter about me and Lucas, the focus returning to the team and their performance instead.
As it should be. Because Lucas played amazingly in both games three and four. Even though they lost game four in overtime, it was tight.
Now, with the help of Harry who pulled off some kind of miracle, I’m in Vancouver with my husband. I was even more shocked when I found out I could travel with Lucas on the plane. When I asked Harry about it, he mumbled something about emotional support and walked away.
They won game five tonight.
Which means the Rangers are leading the series 3-2.
Next is game six and a shot at winning the Cup on home ice.
The Vancouver air is cool and crisp, and I press even more into Lucas’s side as we watch the glimmering lights over the water. We don’t have a lot of time out here. Harry gave us thirty minutes before we have to get back in time to meet the bus to the airport.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe, unable to keep my heart from swelling in my chest.
It doesn’t feel real being here, in a beautiful city with my husband at my side. The North Shore Mountains stand out, even at night, a dark backdrop against the lights dancing on the water.
Lucas looks down at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Yes, it is.”
He digs into his coat pocket, pulling out a navy blue knitted hat and pulling it over my head, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“There you go,” he says, placing a kiss on my nose. “Now you’re all tuqued up, just like a hockey wife in Vancouver should be.”
I smile up at him. “I can’t believe we’re here,” I say, thinking about everything we’ve been through the past few weeks. “It feels like a lifetime has gone by already, and it’s only been what? Three weeks?”
He frowns thinking back. “That can’t be right,” he says. “You have to count the rest too. So, it’s more like seven years and three weeks.”
I playfully shove him before he pulls me in close again. My back is to his chest as his arms wrap around me in a tight embrace, keeping me warm in the chill. The lights on the water flicker in the distance, the whole city humming with a quiet kind of electricity. The kind that only comes before something big. The energy here in Vancouver is so different than in New York. There, hockey is one of many big deals in the city, but here, it’s the most important thing. Canada bleeds hockey, and it shows in every beat, street, and greeting in Vancouver.
“I’m so proud of you, Luke.” His chest rises against mine in a calm, steady rhythm, and I look over my shoulder at the man I’ve loved for so long. “You’ve worked hard for this, and I’m so happy that I’ll get to be by your side when you win.”
He looks down at me, quirking an eyebrow with amusement. “When we win, huh? Look at you all confident.”
“I’ve been around you long enough,” I say, shrugging. “That hockey ego of yours must be rubbing off on me.”
He chuckles, tightening his grip around me. “It’s not ego if it’s true.”
“Exactly,” I say, getting lost in the depth of his dark eyes. “I know you’re going to win. I can feel it.”
His grin softens, his eyes crinkling in a way that causes butterflies to flutter in my stomach. “I think that’s what I love most about you, Sanders. The way you believe, your faith in me. Sometimes I think I wouldn’t even have made it if it wasn’t for you.”
“You would’ve made it,” I say before looking back over the water. “It was God’s plan for you, Lucas. And one way or another, it would’ve happened.”
