“I love you,” I tell him.
He starts skating backward to where the team is congregated. I feel my dad’s arm go around my shoulders as he steps up beside me. Ryker points a finger at me and grins as he pulls further away. “Tonight. Me. You. Wedding planning.”
I feel my dad jerk, startled over that pronouncement, so I just mutter under my breath, “I’ll fill you in later, Dad.”
“I think I got the gist of it,” he mutters back. “Please tell me you’re going to Vegas.”I start laughing and he pulls me closer into him. We watch as first Alex takes the Cup from the attendant. It’s tradition in the league that the team captain takes the first victory lap with it. But that tradition has been broken a few times over the years, and as Alex skates up to Ryker, I get tears in my eyes as I realize our captain is deciding to break tradition tonight. He hands the cup to Ryker as the best goalie in the league and the man who inspired the players to come together as a cohesive unit, which made it possible for them to have this victory.
Ryker nods solemnly at Alex and accepts the Cup. He hoists it in the air, holds it there a moment, then brings it down to his mouth where he places a kiss upon its shiny surface. He then starts a wide circle around the ice, holding the cup up high over his head. The fans scream his name and his teammates all bang their sticks on the ice in recognition of his leadership.
I watch him…the man I love with all of my heart, getting the recognition and vindication that is long overdue from his teammates and the fans. In this moment, I don’t know that I could ever be happier for him.
In this moment, Ryker Evans is getting everything that a good man deserves.