Kayden

I stood there on the soft, warm sand, completely overwhelmed, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst right out of my chest at any moment.

The beautiful ring on my finger felt both impossibly light and incredibly heavy at the same time, a constant, tangible reminder of what had just happened.

Rhys was still holding me close, his strong arms wrapped securely around my waist as if he never planned to let go, his body warm and solid against mine in the gentle night breeze.

I had bagged this man. This hot ice Captain was now mine.

I still couldn’t believe that I had. Everything around me felt like the most beautiful dream I never thought I would be lucky enough to wake up from — or perhaps one I was terrified of waking up from.

Who would have thought that Rhys would propose this fast? I had never expected that this would be the surprise he had been hiding.

I had imagined something else entirely — maybe a quiet dinner, or another romantic boat ride, or even just a heartfelt conversation back at the house. But he had proved me completely wrong, and now, standing here under the exploding sky, we were suddenly so much closer to our forever than I had ever dared to imagine.

A bright, uncontrollable smile spread across my face again as I stared up at the fireworks that continued painting the night sky in brilliant, shimmering bursts of color.

The ocean kept whispering softly behind us, its waves gently kissing the shore, but even with all of that beauty surrounding me, I still couldn’t fully believe that any of this was real.

This had to be one of those beautiful dreams I used to have during the darkest nights — the ones where someone actually loved me enough to choose me forever, to see all of me and still want me.

Any second now I would wake up alone in a cold bed back in my old apartment, the bitter taste of suppressants still lingering on my tongue, and the heavy weight of hiding who I really was pressing down on my chest once again.

This kind of happiness, this kind of pure, overwhelming moment, didn’t happen to people like me. It simply couldn’t.

I was still the Kayden pretending to be an alpha, or so I thought.

I blinked hard, trying desperately to clear the tears that kept falling freely down my cheeks, half expecting the entire magical scene to dissolve like morning mist and leave me alone again.

But it didn’t.

Instead, the congratulations grew louder and warmer all around me, pulling me firmly and gently back into the beautiful present.

"Congratulations, Kayden!" Rhoda’s voice rang out clearly from the tablet, thick with happy tears as she wiped her eyes and blew me several kisses through the screen. "My sweet boy, I’m so incredibly proud of you. You deserve every single bit of this joy and so much more. I hope you both stay together forever without the worries of the world.’’

Gabriella leaned closer to the camera, resting her head affectionately on Rhoda’s shoulder with a radiant smile. "You two look absolutely stunning together. We would love to host a proper engagement party for you both when you get back home. We can’t wait to celebrate with you in person — big hugs, lots of food, and all the love waiting for you."

"Thank you," I muttered, my voice shaky as I spread my arms wide, giving them both a virtual hug through the screen, my heart swelling even more.

Then Soren’s face appeared more clearly on the screen as he finished adjusting his skating outfit. His expression was full of genuine warmth even though he looked a little tired from all the Olympic preparations. "I have to head back to the backstage area for the Olympics prep, but I couldn’t miss this for anything. Kayden, I wish more than anything I could be there to hug you right now, but I can’t. Will you come watch if Rio and I make it to the finals? I want you to witness my special moment too."

I laughed through my tears, nodding quickly and fiercely. "I promise, Ren. I’ll be there to watch you. Thank you so much for making time to be here tonight," I said softly.

He waved at me one last time with a bright smile, then his screen went black.

One of our teammates, Jaxson, leaned into the frame with a big, genuine grin. "Congratulations, man! I’m really glad to have you as my teammate — both of you. You’ve got our full support on and off the ice, always."

Other voices chimed in right after him, overlapping in the warmest, most comforting way possible. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’’I wish both of you the best ,’’ Luca said smiling brightening until his cheeks turned red.

Theo gave us a wave and then he pointed to Rhys then me. ’’You two deserve each other and I am glad that you found a way to work it out and I hope that you will always be together forever no matter what.’’

I smiled back at them remembering the first time we had met. These were my teammates. The one who I had laughed with in the locker room during lighter moments, trained beside during those brutal, exhausting practices, and shared silent, understanding glances with after tough losses.

They offered heartfelt congratulations, teased Rhys lightly about finally settling down like the rest of us, and promised to throw the biggest, loudest celebration when we all returned home.

Then Coach Reddick’s deep, steady voice cut through the cheerful chatter, calm and reassuring in that familiar way that always grounded us.

"Listen up, you two," he said, looking straight into the camera like he was standing in the locker room giving one of his famous pre-game talks. "Don’t you worry for one second about what’s being said on the internet. That noise doesn’t define you. It doesn’t define your relationship, and it sure as hell doesn’t define your place on this team. I’m here for you. I’m here for both of you. I’ve got your backs no matter what comes our way. We support our own until the very end. Congratulations, boys. Now go enjoy the rest of your night."

Coach Reddick and the rest of the teammates waved one last time, their faces full of genuine happiness, before the screen finally went black.

The tears wouldn’t stop flowing even as I bid Gabriella and Rhoda a tearful goodbye. I turned fully into Rhys’s chest, burying my face against him as the reality of everything finally settled deep, deep into my bones, warm and unshakable.

This was real.