They stood for a good minute only looking into each other eyes as the crowd went nuts around them, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered were the two of them at that moment. This was the turning point, she had made the effort. She had said she would never sing for him, and here she was. Beautiful as ever, singing just for him. So there was really only one thing to say.

“Elli, I love you, baby. More than anything.”

She nodded slowly again, and then just fell into him, her arms coming around his chest. Shea caught her, holding her tight against him as he pressed his lips to her. The kiss felt like their first. It was intoxicating, the feel of the lips he had missed so much. When she pulled back some to say something, he shook his head before capturing her mouth in such urgency. Nothing beat kissing Elli, especially when he hadn’t been able to in months. She came willing, giving him just as much passion as he gave her. When they parted, she looked deep into his eyes, her lips only millimeters from his.

“I love you so much,” she said against his lips. His heart banged against his chest at the sound of the words he had missed so much. “So much,” she added, before joining their mouths again. Shea’s hands moved from her cheeks, down to her back of her legs, lifting her some so he could deepen the kiss more since he was so much taller than her with his skates on.

Elli pulled back, tears streaming down her face from her sparkling green eyes.

“I don’t want to be proud anymore, Shea. I love you, and only you. I’m sorry. So sorry.”

Shea shook his head, “No baby, don’t be sorry. I’m sorry, I should have fought harder.”

“No, Shea, how much harder could you have fought? I was a complete and utter idiot, and I’ll owe you the rest of my life. I’m so sorry.”

Shea smiled, “It’s in the past, baby. Let’s start our future.”

He took a deep breath in before pulling the chain out from his jersey, pulling it so it broke, causing the silver chain that had been his constant companion to fall to the ice.

“Shea?”

When he held up a ring, looking down at her, the tears came faster down her face as what he was doing sank in, but he was ready.

Shea was ready for his forever with Elli.

“Marry me, Elli.”

Elli gasped as her hand came over her mouth, knowing what he was about to do and actually hearing him do it was two different things. As she looked into his eyes, he spoke.

“Don’t ever leave me again. Love only me, for the rest of our lives. Move into our house, make love to me every night, and make babies with me, Elli. Please, because being with you made me a better man, and I could never love anyone the way I love you. So please, marry me.”

“Oh, Shea,” she cried, looking at the beauty of the ring. The pink diamond was sparkling so bright it took her breath away. How did he know that she had dreamed for an untraditional ring, especially after the horrid one Justin had given her? But this was not the time to think of Justin. Elli watched as he started to get nervous, but who could blame him? He was asking her to marry him in front of thousands of people during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and all she could do was gape at him.

“But our house was sold,” she said sadly since it was the only thing she could get out. He smiled, shaking his head.

“Yeah, to me. Do you think I would let something you love go to someone else?”

Elli’s body tingled as she looked into his beautiful blue eyes, “So you aren’t going anywhere?”

“Not as long as you want me.”

“I want you for forever.”

“Good, so what do you say?”

She thought for a moment, a small grin on her face.

“How many babies we makin’?”

“At least three,” he said with a grin. She thought that over for a moment, narrowing her eyes up at him.

“I don’t know, three?” she said, just to tease him.

“Damn it, Elli. Say you’ll marry me!”

“Oh course! Yes!” Elli said with a giggle as Shea laughed, after letting out the gust of air he was holding. Shea slid the ring down her finger before picking her up, kissing her laughing mouth hard. Elli was going to marry Shea, they were going to have babies, move into their house, and love each other for the rest of their lives. Her dreams would be her reality.

Elli’s heart felt like it was going to explode at all the love that was filling her as she looked into Shea’s sparkling blue eyes. Elli smiled against his lips as they parted, moving her fingers up into his sweaty hair.

“There’s gonna be a fee for that glass by the way,” she whispered against his lips. He smiled, biting her bottom lip before saying, “Best $2,000 I’ve ever spent.”

Epilogue

“I can’t find anything!” Elli yelled as she moved through her and Shea’s spacious bedroom.

She was tearing into the suitcases that still lay on the floor, three days after they had arrived home from their honeymoon in the St. Luca Islands.

She was looking for her grey wool hat, and couldn’t find it anywhere. Elli was running crazy late. She really wanted to stop by the hospital to see Harper and her new baby girl, Allison, before heading into the office. She had a meeting with Shea later that afternoon.

“Baby, what are you looking for?” Shea asked as he came out the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, his razor in one hand. Elli’s mouth watered at the sight. God, he was a gorgeous man.

“My hat! The wool one,” she said, ignoring his sexiness, and throwing clothes over her shoulder as she looked through the suitcases again. If she left that damn hat at the resort in the islands, she was going to cry. She loved that hat.