The first time Lucas skated back out under the lights at UBS Arena, jersey clinging to his shoulders, stick in hand, he felt like his lungs might explode. It was a surreal feeling and after over nine months out, he made his return late March for the final part of the regular season.

The first game he played, his legs were heavier than he remembered and his timing was off in those opening minutes. But then, as the minutes passed, the rust began to melt away. It wasn't a perfect game by all means, there was room for improvement, but what mattered most to Lucas was just returning and being there.

By his third game back, the Islanders' fans were chanting his name like he was never gone. And every time he glanced into the stands, there she was - Taylor, in one of Lucas' Islanders Jersey, screaming herself hoarse.

"I swear, every time you wear that jersey, I score or set one up," Lucas would grin when he saw her after the game. She'd roll her eyes but blush anyways as Lucas called her his good luck charm.

Now, in early April, the stakes were higher. The Islanders were clawing for a playoff spot, and Lucas felt every ounce of pressure pressing down on him. He wanted to prove, to himself, to the league, and to the people who doubted he'd ever come back that he wasn't just the same player.

He was better.

Despite the drive and determination that was currently fuelling him, it didn't quiet the ache in his chest when April 11th rolled around.

It had been five years since Susannah had passed, yet Lucas still woke up some mornings at the beach house expecting to hear her laughter floating through the house. He missed her every single day and wished she could see where he was now.

On that day, he drove up to visit her grave and bring her flowers. He'd gotten a text from Jeremiah letting Lucas know he was planning on visiting and even though Conrad didn't explicitly tell anyone, Lucas was certain he was going to be there.

When he stepped onto the gravel path, bouquet in hand and walking towards Susannah's grave, he stopped at the sight of two familiar figures.

For a second, Lucas just watched Conrad and Jeremiah, side by side, shoulders hunched in that awkward way that said they hadn't quite figured out how to be brothers again, but were trying.

Finally, he cleared his throat and walked over. "Well," he said, placing his flowers down. "Good to see you two together. Judging by both your faces, no one has thrown a punch yet."

That earned a laugh from both, small but real.

Jeremiah shook his head. "We're trying to move on. For mum's sake. We both made promises and she'd be so mad at us knowing what happened."

The mention of a promise to Susannah stirred emotions within Lucas. He, too, had made a promise to his aunt.

Conrad's eyes stayed fixed on the headstone. "I promised her that I'd take care of Jeremiah. That I'd protect him from getting hurt."

Jeremiah swallowed hard. "And I promised her I wouldn't let anything get between me and Conrad. And, well...we both screwed up."

Lucas bent down, brushing dirt from the base of the headstone. "I promised her something, too," he said quietly. "That I'd look after both of you. She called me the glue. I really tried after the wedding, but it was hard."

"I hope you know that none of it was your fault," Conrad said to Lucas. "You tried your best, but we just made mistakes."

Lucas exhaled shakily. "I miss her so much."

No one replied to him, they didn't need to. They just stood there in silence for a while, with just the sound of the wind rustling through the trees.

"I missed you at Christmas," Lucas said finally, glancing at Jeremiah.

"I wasn't ready," Jeremiah admitted.

Lucas nodded. "I get it."

"Did Belly text you guys too?" Jeremiah asked, before looking at Conrad. "I won't hit you if she did."

"Yeah she did earlier, I talk to her sometimes," Lucas answered. "Mostly through Taylor."

Conrad let out a long breath. "I haven't heard from her. I've been writing her letters," he told them, his lips pressed into a thin line. "She hasn't written back. Maybe I should take that as a hint..."

"I could never compete with what you two had," Jeremiah admitted honestly. "Do what you have to do. Don't expect me to be okay with it, but don't fucking waste it either."

Conrad looked at his brother, surprised by his answer. Lucas knew it was a step in the right direction, when he looked at his cousins, he felt something other than bitterness. Instead, he felt hope that things could one day be restored to the way they were before.

Jeremiah was the first to leave, and then Lucas followed shortly after. He immediately got in the car and drove south again, back to New York, back to the ice and back to the relentless push toward the playoffs with a little more strength within him.

By late April, the Islanders had clawed their way into the postseason. Lucas was playing some of the best hockey of his career - faster, sharper, hungrier. His rehab had given him more than strength. It had given him perspective.

Through the first rounds, he notched crucial assists and goals and even buried two overtime winners that had the crowd shaking the rafters. Reporters were calling him the Islanders' comeback story of the year.

And now, unbelievably, they were in the finals.

It was like history repeating itself from last year, though Lucas had no intention to get injured again. With his relationship with Taylor better than ever, he stepped onto the ice with a cool head and no possibility of making rash decisions.

In the series, the Islanders were 3-2 up and one win away from glory. Lucas skated off the ice after practice just before Game 6, sweat dripping down his face. He pulled out his phone and fired off texts, inviting everyone important in his life to come watch what could be a career-defining game.

Laurel. Jeremiah. Conrad. Chloe. Denise. Steven. And of course, Taylor, who was already planning to scream louder than anyone in the arena.

Belly was still in Paris, and though part of Lucas wished she could see this, he knew she was where she needed to be.

Hours before the puck dropped, Lucas was feeling nerves that he had never felt before. Tonight wasn't just any game, it was a game which could rewrite the history books. The Islanders were one win away from the Stanley Cup, one win away from a historical victory.

Lucas was eternally grateful that everyone who could show up to support, showed up. The people who mattered most to Lucas were all gathered in the VIP hospitality suites.

When Lucas entered the room, Laurel was the first to hug him. "Beck would be so proud of you, Lucas. I'm so proud of you. No matter what happens out there tonight."

"Thank you," he said softly, hugging her back.

Steven was next, grinning ear-to-ear. "Dude. This is gonna be the ultimate flex if you win. Don't screw it up," he joked. "On a real though, it's crazy how far you've come. You've smashed it and you're definitely gonna be a future hall-of-famer."

Lucas laughed, pulling him into a quick bro hug. "Thanks Stevo."

"This might be the first and last hockey game I ever come to," Chloe told him, a smile on her face. "But it felt too important to miss."

"I'm glad you're here, Clo," Lucas said earnestly. "You never know, maybe tonight will convert you into a proper fan."

"I doubt it. Loud and drunk men sounds like my idea of hell."

Jeremiah clapped Lucas on the back. "I'm not saying I'll cry if you win this thing, but...yeah I'll probably cry. Go kick some ass."

Since the brothers had tried to move on, Lucas was eternally grateful that they could now both be in the same room. Granted, there was still a bit of lingering awkwardness. With Jeremiah's blessing, Conrad flew across the country to support Lucas.

"No matter what, I'm glad I'm here to see this," Conrad said, pulling Lucas into a hug. "You deserve it all, Lucas."

"It means a lot that you're here, Con," Lucas nodded, looking at his cousin.

Finally, it was Taylor who dragged him out into the hallway, decked in her lucky charm jersey. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke to Lucas. "Look at how far you've come. Real bad bitch shit."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling me a bad bitch, Jewel?"

She smirked. "The baddest. After me, of course."

Lucas chuckled before Taylor's tone shifted into something a bit more raw. "Genuinely, I'm so proud. I can't believe I've witnessed it all. From the Boston games to here. I'm like in my WAG era."

He tried to joke, but the sincerity in her words knocked the wind out of him. "Stop it, Jewel. You're gonna make me cry before warm-ups."

She smirked, brushing her thumb across his cheek. "Go play your game. And remember, no matter what happens, you're already everything I could've ever hoped for."

He pulled her in, kissing her slow and certain. "I love you so much."

"I love you more."

When it was time to start the game, the UBS Arena was incredibly loud. The noise of the crowd thundered up and down like a tidal wave as Lucas stepped onto the ice, exhaling deeply and clearing his head so there was nothing but hockey in his thoughts.

From the opening faceoff, the game was brutal. The Oilers came hard, desperate to force another game. Midway through the first period, Lucas found his moment. A perfect feed came across and her buried it top-shelf.

The arena exploded.

Lucas did one of his trademark celebrations, he lifted his stick to the sky and looked up.

This one was for you, Aunt Susannah.

In crowd, the others were electric. Everyone shouted themselves hoarse as they celebrated the Islanders' early lead. However, the Oilers tied it late in the period and the tension grew. Every penalty, every save, every hit, the crowd gasped and roared.

Then, in the third period, Lucas struck again. He scooped a loose puck and snapped it past the goalie, and without hesitation he slid and drew his stick like a bow, aiming his imaginary arrow straight at Taylor in the stands. Her scream cut through the noise as she blew him a kiss, laughing and crying at once.

By the final minutes, the Islanders were up 4-3. Jumping onto a rebound from a saved shot, Lucas capitalised and sent the puck flying into the back of the net to grab a hat trick.

When the horn blared to signal the end of the game, the crowd detonated. The Islanders bench cleared, players pouring onto the ice, gloves and sticks flying everywhere. Lucas was buried in a pile of teammates, breathless, dizzy and grinning so wide his face hurt.

The Islanders were Stanley Cup Champions.

When the ice was set for the presentation, Lucas stood with his teammates to the side. First came the Playoffs MVP trophy which was awarded to Lucas. He skated to collect the trophy, his heart pounding and the largest smile in the world as he held it up - presenting it to the others who were cheering as loud as they could.

Tears pricked his eyes as he lifted it high. After everything that had happened, Lucas had managed to come back stronger.

It was like a fairy-tale.

When the cup was awarded to the Islanders, Lucas felt such pride in his chest as his captain passed him the trophy to hold, he hoisted it above his head and let out a primal yell as the arena shook.

Then, family and friends were allowed onto the ice and flooded the players. Steven slid across in his shoes, nearly wiping out before hugging Lucas so hard.

"You freaking legend!" Steven shouted.

Jeremiah join the hug. "Proud of you, man. So damn proud."

Conrad joined the hug, the four boys, the Cousins Crew reunited and celebrating Lucas' achievement.

When Lucas broke away from the hug and thanked the others who were congratulating him, Taylor was stood just opposite, waiting.

She didn't say anything at first, she just threw her arms around him, kissed him fiercely, and made every noise in the arena disappear.

The chaos of Jeremiah's big chef event had turned the Cousins beach house into something between a restaurant kitchen and a war zone. Roped into being Jeremiah's sous chef, Lucas was forced to listen to Jeremiah as he barked out half-panicked directions as if he were running a Michelin-starred kitchen.

"Lucas, stir clockwise!"

Lucas leaned over the simmering pot. "I am stirring it clockwise!"

"No!" Jeremiah groaned, grabbing the spoon from Lucas and demonstrating. "Like this!"

From across the room, Taylor, clipboard in one hand and phone in the other, smirked. "Look at you, Chef Beck. I'm impressed. Not as impressed as I am with Jere for letting you anywhere near the food, but still impressed."

"Funny," Lucas shot back. "I thought you liked it when I cooked? Said it was hot."

"Unfortunately good looks won't win over everyone coming to this event," Taylor grinned. "Only me."

When the food was almost ready and Lucas was finally excused to sit with the others, he found his seat in the backyard of the beach house. All the tables had been elegantly set up and Lucas was sat with Steven, Denise and Chloe. They waited as the first course started coming out whilst Taylor was still fussing with last-minute details.

Lucas couldn't take his eyes off her.

"You're staring," Steven said, smirking over his glass.

Lucas didn't deny it. "She's...she's amazing."

"Gross," Steven muttered.

"Don't listen to Steven," Chloe chimed in. "She's in her element. Honestly, she's going to run New York some day."

"She already runs me," Lucas said, smiling. "And I agree, she's going to be the baddest bitch in PR. Her words, not mine."

After, Lucas pulled out his phone and saw a message from Conrad.

con
Still alive and made it to Paris

lucas
good luck, man
and wish belly a happy bday from me
let's grab dinner when you're back

After that message, Lucas put his phone back into his pocket, silently hoping that Conrad would find the closure or answers he'd been searching for. He heard briefly of Conrad's plans, that he was meant to be at a conference in Brussels but wanted to make a stop to see Belly in Paris.

When the main course had been served and devoured, Jeremiah stood at the front and addressed the crowd. He tapped a glass with a spoon, cheeks flushed and hair messy from the heat of the kitchen.

"Uh, attention, attention everybody," he said, with a smile. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming tonight. I loved getting the chance to cook for you all, some of you for the first time, but hopefully not the last. Cheers."

Everyone clapped, raising glassed. Lucas clapped the loudest before stepping up to Jeremiah before he went back inside to finish dessert. "I'm so happy for you, Jere. You've always loved cooking, even when we were kids. I remember being your taste tester for all your crazy inventions."

Jeremiah laughed. "I'd like to think I'm a better chef than I was at nine."

"You are," Lucas told him. "It's good to see you've found your passion."

Jeremiah smiled, and for once, it looked genuine and easy. When he returned into the kitchen, Lucas returned to this table where the conversation started drifting toward the future. Steven and Denise shared plans about San Francisco, their eyes alight as they spoke about the start-up they had received funding for. Chloe talked excitedly about moving into her new apartment in New York and how Columbia was going.

As for Taylor and Lucas, who were currently sat with their fingers intertwined and Taylor grinning when he squeezed her hand under the table, their future was in New York. Moving in together and finally starting the life they'd been inching toward.

That evening, after the tables were cleared and the last bottles of wine emptied, Lucas and Taylor wandered down to the dock. The boards creaked beneath their feet as they looked out to the water beneath the moonlight.

Taylor leaned into him, her hair brushing his shoulder. "I can't believe how far we've come since...well, Philly."

Lucas laughed softly. "That night. Our drunken hook-up. Who knew?"

"Who knew it would lead to this?" Taylor smiled, looking up at him. "To us."

He kissed her gently, holding her close underneath the stars of the night.

Lucas had never been more thankful for that night, for every twist and turn that led them here. If he could tell Aunt Susannah anything now, it would be this: that she was right. It was okay to love, and to be loved. And she would be proud, so proud, that Lucas had allowed himself to take the risk and open himself up to love again.

And it was all thanks to one girl.

Taylor Madison Jewel, the first girl he ever, truly, loved.