Page 167 of The Obvious Check
My throat tightens at the simplicity of it. The weight of what we finally have hits harder than any punch ever could. “And I get to sit there knowing we're both safe. That we can just… breathe.”
He smirks with that cocky, devastating kind of smile that still wrecks me. “Normal’s for other people, Pretty Girl. But safe?”
He leans in, lips brushing mine.
“Safe is everything.”
Hours later, I’m in the stands wearing Cade’s jersey with Madison by my side as my self-appointed game companion. Thearena buzzes, and my heart flutters with excitement as I wait to see my husband in his element.
When the team skates out for warm-ups, I spot Cade immediately. He’s strong, confident, and in his element. When he passes our section, he finds me in the crowd and grins with that radiant smile that still makes my heart skip. He taps his chest twice and points at me.
I blow him a kiss, and Madison squeals beside me.
“You two are so sweet,” she says, grinning. “I love it.”
As the game starts and Cade takes position, I settle back with a smile that feels permanent. The scoreboard reads 0-0, but we've already won everything that matters.
This is my life now. This beautiful, messy, perfect life with the man who fought for me, who turned my nightmares to ash so we could build something incredible.
And the best part about it is, we get to build it together.
I get to live this dream every day, every game, and every ordinary moment that feels like a miracle forever.
The horn blares and the puck drops. Cade launches into motion, chasing his dreams under the arena lights, while I sit in the stands, knowing all of my dreams are coming true because of him.
Luke is gone. The bar is ash. And we're free to build something beautiful from the ruins.
Together.
Epilogue
8 Months Later
I tug at Adley’s Atlanta Anglerfish jersey, smiling at how big it is. When Cade officially joined the team, they gave him eight spares, and this is one of them. “BRIGHT” is stretched across her narrow shoulders, and it feels weird to see my sister wearing my husband’s—and I suppose my—name now.
She’s here, and I might’ve had an entire summer to get used to it, there are times I still find it hard to believe. All the court hearings. All the set backs. Everything finally worked out and Adley is officially part of my family again. In the way she was always supposed to be.
“Are you sure it looks okay?” Adley asks nervously, smoothing down the jersey and looking up at me with a slightly less broken smile than the girl who arrived at LAX three months ago. “I feel like a fraud. I know nothing about hockey.”
“You look perfect,” I tell her honestly, because in my eyes she does. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and I see the flicker of doubt she tried to hide in her eyes. I know that feeling well. The worry that maybe you’re not enough and that you’llget thrown out if you’re not careful. I hope one day she’ll realize that’s never going to happen with us.
After I was granted the adoption, we decided she should finish her school year before coming here. Her foster sister Briar joined her for a month, and we spent it traveling up and down the California beaches while Cade and I showered both of them with love they’d missed out on.
It was the perfect ending to our time in California. Ultimately, we decided as a family that we’d rather be together in Atlanta than split between states. Moving to Atlanta and Adley starting fresh there made the most sense, and meant I was away from all the Luke bullshit for good. Not that he could get up to much since he was currently rotting in jail, but I didn’t want to be around when he got out.
The only bad thing about leaving California was that we had to also say goodbye to Briar. She had to go back to Connecticut, but we’re working on rectifying that too. Adley and Briar have a bond as close as she and I have, and she deserves a chance away from their foster parents too.
“You don’t need to know anything about hockey,” Madison adds, appearing beside us with her own ‘BRIDGES’ jersey and way too much team spirit for someone who's not even playing. “Just cheer really loud when Cade touches the puck and boo when the other team does anything. If that doesn’t tire you out, also cheer loudly when Dash stops the puck. If we’re loud enough, he promised he’d do a little dance around the net.”
She smiles at the mention of the two men. How could she not? The Bright extended family have been more than I could ever hope for. Everyone has embraced Adley like she’s always been theirs, and I’ve never felt more like I belong than here. Funny, I knew Cade would be amazing, but he’s been better than that. He’s everything she didn’t even know to hope for. He makes her pancakes every morning, lets her pick Stanley’s walking routes,and even started watchingBaseball Wivesjust so they’d have something to bond over. He’s already treating her better than his own sister, and somehow, it never feels forced.
It’s been better than I could’ve ever imagined. Before Cade, all I expected was to struggle along with Adley by my side. Now, I have the opportunity to give her everything she needs. Everything our parents would’ve given her.
“There's our girls!” Cade's dad, Tom, calls out as he and Cade’s mom, Linda, make their way over to us in the arena. They flew in yesterday specifically for this game, not just because it's Adley's first time watching Cade play, but because it’s the first time Cade and Dash will be playing for the Atlanta Anglerfish. Granted it’s only the pre-season, but it deserves celebrating none the less.
“Adley, sweetheart, you look absolutely adorable,” Linda gushes, immediately pulling my sister into one of her signature warm hugs. Over the past couple of months, she and Tom have been nothing short of incredible. They’ve always treated me like family, but the way they’ve embraced Adley, with patience, kindness, and genuine affection, has taken it to another level. They’re thrilled to be honorary grandparents, even if we had to invent the title to fit our unconventional little setup. And honestly? It makes me want to cry happy tears every time I think about it.
“Are you excited to see Cade play?” Tom asks, settling into the seat beside her.
