Page 146 of Player Misconduct
The fairy lights glow above us. The ice glitters beneath my feet. And when I reach him, his hand extends—steady and ready… exactly where it's always been.
I take it, and the world exhales.
Aleksi
The moment she steps onto the ice, the world feels like it stops moving.
The crowd is still roaring, the players are still lining the carpet, the cameras are still flashing—but for me, everything narrows to her.
Kendall.
In ivory and lace, her belly gently rounded, her veil catching the light like she's wrapped in starlight.
"Holy shit," I whisper to Trey beside me.
He elbows me, grinning. "You good, man?"
My voice cracks. "Never been better."
Because it's true.
Every hit I've taken, every season I fought to stay in, every night I spent wondering if I'd ever find something bigger than hockey—it all led here. To her. To this moment.
She reaches the arch, and I step forward, taking her hands in mine.
"Hi," she whispers, smiling through tears.
"Hi, Doc."
Penelope clears his throat, and the crowd quiets—thousands of people holding their breath as he begins.
"Do you, Aleksi Mäkelin, take Dr. Kendall Hensen—"
"Always have," I say before he can finish.
The crowd erupts in laughter and cheers. Kendall's smile breaks wide, and I grin back at her, unable to stop.
Penelope chuckles, shaking his head. "Well then. Dr. Hensen, your vows?"
She takes a shaky breath, her hands tightening around mine.
"You were the calm in the chaos, Aleksi," she says, her voice trembling but steady. "The light I didn't know I needed. You taught me that being strong doesn't mean being alone. That love isn't something to survive—it's something to live for."
My throat closes. I blink fast, trying to keep it together.
"Your turn," she whispers, smiling.
I clear my throat, searching for the words I've been rehearsing for weeks. But when I open my mouth, what comes out is simpler. Truer.
"You were written in my stars before I knew how to read them. You gave me a home before I ever bought one. You gave me a family before I knew I needed one. And you made me believe that the best things in life are the ones you don't see coming."
She laughs through tears. "You still talk too much."
"You still boss me around."
"Perfect match, then."
Penelope grins. "By the authority vested in me by the State of Washington—and the Seattle Hawkeyes PR department—I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
