Damon Harvey and Joel Snow smile up at him too.
“You both had such incredible seasons, and I have no doubtyou’ll pick this one up again soon.” He raises the trophy then looks in our direction. I can tell he finds Jules when he swallows hard and shakes his head again. “Oh captain, my captain,” he mumbles, looking down for a moment. “You are the fiercest leader I have ever known, and it’s an honor to skate beside you every day. I wouldn’t be half the player I am without you.”
Fuck, he has a way with words.
“I also want to thank Gab Darnell.” I’m incredibly pleased by the roar of the crowd then—just goes to show what people in the league actually think of her. “You took a chance on me, you’ve made me a better man, and I’ll be forever grateful that you think me worthy enough to play for you.” Then he leans in really close to the mic and whispers. “And to teach you how to skate.”
“Whatever,” I hear Jules shout, and he makes all of us chuckle.
He takes a deep breath and then smiles easier. I can tell it’s sinking in.
“Tomir Lane, you are a genius and fearless and inspire us every day to strive for the same. Mom, Dad, thank you for... everything.” He chuckles and shakes his head again. “You two weirdos are the best parents in the world, and at least I know Mom will still cheer for me next season.”
Again, he makes everyone laugh, and I have to puff my chest with pride.
That charismatic, talented, kind, strong man ismine.
“We’ll cheer for you too,” Hawk shouts from next to Aunt Lyla. Wolf grimaces, not convinced.
“I want to thank my agent, Patrick, for not canceling our contract the day you met my parents. I know you had to be tempted.”Damn, I don’t know that story, but I bet it’s a good one.
“I also want to thank—” The emotional break in his voice gives me pause. Who’s next? I get a clue when he looks up for a beat. “I want to thank my aunt. You didn’t know shit about hockey...” He pauses to chuckle and I see a tear roll down his cheek. Uncle Hulk’s grip on my shoulder tightens, and when I check, I see Aunt Lyla leaning back into Wolf’s chest. He’s holding her for dear life, it seems, and he’s holding Hawk’s hand too. “But you listened to us drone on about it endlessly, and told me I shone every time I talked about it, and that only happens when love is in the mix. You’ve been there with me through every hard step, on every backbreaking day. Your words, your love, and your belief in me, have pushed me up here. I love you, and I miss you.”
Vinny turns then and nods at Dad, who’s been standing silently behind him. I can see he swipes the tears off his cheeks. “I guess I have to thank you too, huh? Because you’ve given me some good tips over the years.” Dad laughs at that, and it’s a nice moment of levity after the heartbreak of the grief that still has everyone who knew Shell Storm in its claws. But then Vinny faces forward again and those green gems laser in on me.
“Lastly, thank you, Silas. I only learned to love this sport because I was beside you.” Simple, but so fuckingpowerful. That’s my Vinny. He nods once then looks over at the crowd. “Thank you.”
I only realize Uncle Hulk is still hugging me when Vinny turns around and goes backstage, and that just like me, he has tears streaming down his face.
I elbow him lightly and look up at him.
“You better cheer him on when he’s not playing against LA, Uncle Hulk.” The threat has no heat behind it and he knows it.
“We’ll see,” he teases me back.
“That’s perfect.Thank you for smiling, Wolf,” I tease him and get a grumble in return. I lock Annie’s phone and see her face is frozen in that pretty smile I just captured, but Wolf gives me a chin lift as he moves away and Hawk pats Annie’s arm once before they go around the table and begin saying their goodbyes.
Five minutes later, I can tell he’s entered the room again without even seeing him. I just know.
It takes him a while, but when he finally gets to our side of the theatre, Jules stops him and they hug then talk for a while. I leave them to it, just like I watch from the sidelines—happy about it—as he gets all the love he deserves from our friends and family.
There have been some ups and downs these past six months, but those are inevitable I’ve learned. Vinny and Ihave had to have some joint sessions with my therapist, and they’ve helped.
The main thing is, though, that we both want to make each other happy, and we both want to take care of one another. Incredibly, that’s what’s caused the few disagreements we’ve had. We act on our instincts without talking it through first.
I realized just how much damage I caused him last year when his first instinct was to protect me from bad news regarding the team. The way he was so damn hesitant around me the first time they lost a game in January broke my heart. Thanks to an hour with Dr. Avila, though, Vinny knows it’s not his job to shield me, and that he has to unlearn that instinct.
Nothing is perfect, but at the same time, everything is. We’re both determined to make our relationship a success, so even if we have to deal with the hard times and tough conversations, we’re worth it.
Heis worth that, and so much more.
