SWNOVELS Chapter Cross-Checked Hearts: Epilogue
One year later
Standing beside the frozen lake, I watch Logan as he effortlessly skates around. He makes it look as if it’s so easy, like it’s second nature to him. I learned how to ice skate when I was a kid; since I was always at the rink and with my dad being a retired NHL player, I didn’t have much choice but to join in with them.
It’s been years since I’ve actually skated now, though, and the ice that covers the frozen pond is nowhere near as smooth as the ice they have at the rink.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Logan questions me as he skates over and skids to a stop in front of me. “Don’t tell me you forgot how to skate.”
I narrow my eyes at him, standing on the gravel path beside the lake. “No… it’s just been a while and I don’t really want to fall.”
Logan holds his hand out to me, a smile playing on his lips. “Let me help you. I promise to catch you if you fall,” he adds with a wink.
I slide my hand into his and let him lead me onto the ice. Unlike him, I can’t just run and skate without missing a beat. I look like a child, stepping onto it with unsteady feet and weak ankles. My grip tightens on Logan’s as I attempt to glide across it, like him.
He doesn’t let go of my hand, slowly skating beside me as I work my legs back and forth in an attempt to slide across the ice. It’s almost like riding a bike and the motion comes back to me quickly, even though I’m still rusty. And, to be honest, I would rather pretend like I don’t feel comfortable doing it by myself if it means he’ll keep holding my hand.
After Logan’s accident last year, we were finally able to make things official. We didn’t have to hide behind closed doors and keep our relationship a secret. He made sure everyone knew I was his girl, even if he did get a little jealous and overprotective at times.
August adjusted better than I thought and instead of being weird toward us, he just liked to talk a lot of shit and crack jokes all the time, like we were his source of entertainment. We made sure to make it super uncomfortable for him when he was being a dick and didn’t shy away from any PDA.
To be frank, Logan couldn’t keep his hands off me and I loved every damn minute of it.
He’s halfway into his senior year of college with me in my sophomore year now. Different scouts have already approached him, wanting to draft him onto their teams. He is set to fly out next week to go visit a few of their training camps, because he needed to make sure he was making the best decision before choosing a team to play for.
And it was helpful with Camilla being his agent. Even though she is his mom, she still treats him like she does all of her other clients and goes to bat for him like no one else. If there is anyone who is going to make sure he gets the best deal possible and is fully taken care of, it’s her.
I’m happy for him because he’s getting to live his dream. Since he was a little boy, he envisioned playing for the NHL and now it was finally coming true. Even though I’m worried for our future, there’s no way I would be the one to stand between him and his dream. I will support him through everything, even if it means we have to spend some time apart.
Nothing will ever come between us again.
“Okay, I think I got this,” I tell Logan, letting go of his hand as I begin to skate on my own. He skates backward with me, watching as my muscle memory kicks in and I begin to slide across the ice like I remember doing as a kid. Logan smiles at me, his grin infectious as he goes over and grabs two sticks and a puck.
He skates back over to me, handing me one as he drops the puck on the ice. “Like old times?” His bright blue eyes stare directly through mine.
I smile back, holding the stick in both hands. “Try and get it from me,” I taunt him, taking the puck as I begin to skate. When we were kids, he, August, and Hayden used to force me to play with them because they needed a fourth player. I was never really any good, but now that I’m back at it, it’s coming back to me like I remembered it.
Logan smirks, slowly skating toward me, the blade of his stick sliding across the ice. I move the puck away from him twice, before he eventually connects with it and slaps it away from me. I look up at him, narrowing my eyes, but the side of his lips curl up in a smirk and he drops his stick onto the ice.
I pause, slowly sliding to a stop as I raise an eyebrow at him. Logan pushes off on his skates, coming directly toward me with his arms outstretched. He collides into me, wrapping them around me as he laughs and I yelp. Except, he doesn’t hold me up like he intends and knocks me onto the ice, falling down on top of me.
“What the hell, Logan!” I yell out at him, my voice drowned out by his laughter. His bright eyes shine down at me and he laughs like he thinks it’s the funniest thing. It’s infectious and I find myself laughing along with him as we lay on the cold ice together.
“Hey, I promised I would catch you if you fell.” He smiles, his eyes burning holes through mine as he cups the side of my face with his gloved hand. “It just so happens that I fell with you… so fucking hard.”
Logan rolls off me and climbs onto his skates before reaching down for me. He lifts me up with him, making sure I’m steady on my feet. He takes my hands in his as I tilt my head back to get lost in the oceanic depths of his eyes. “Come with me.”
My eyebrows draw together as my heart pounds erratically in my chest. “Come with you where?”
“Wherever I go.” His voice is soft, but his eyes are pleading. “I don’t want to live life without you, Isla. I can’t stand the thought of being away from you. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I want you to come with me, to be by my side, wherever that may be.”
My eyes widen as I watch him slowly lower himself in front of me, dropping to one knee on the ice. He releases one of my hands, reaching into the zipper pocket of his coat before he pulls out a black velvet box.
My heart crawls into my throat and tears prick the corners of my eyes as Logan lifts his gaze back to mine.
“Be my wife, baby girl,” he murmurs, flipping the lid of the box open, revealing a white gold band with a single diamond on top. I don’t bother fully looking at the ring, because I can’t tear my eyes away from his. “You’re the only teammate that matters to me—that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me, Isla Whitley?”
Tears fill my eyes as I stare down at the love of my life kneeling before me. I’ve loved him for as long as I can remember, and now he’s asking me to be his for the rest of our days.
“Yes,” I breathe, a smile consuming my lips as he pulls the glove from my hand. He drops it down onto the ice beside him and pulls the ring from the velvet box before sliding it along my ring finger.
“You’re it for me, baby,” he smiles, rising to his feet as he wraps his hands around my waist. I link my arms around the back of his neck. “When I envision my future, you’re all I see. You’re all I want.”
“I’ve always been yours, Logan.” I get lost in the waves that crash in his ocean eyes, tears of happiness streaming down the sides of my face. “And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days with you, by your side, with your last name.”
He brings his face down to mine, his lips brushing against mine. “’Til death do us part, baby girl.”
I’m completely consumed by him as he claims my mouth with his, breathing me in as he drains my lungs of oxygen. My brain swims and I’m so lost in him. In my fiancé.
The one I’ve loved since we were kids.
The one who I will happily spend the rest of my life with as his wife.
Logan fucking Knight.