Last chapter before the epilogue :(

Hope you all enjoy <3

●・○・♥︎・○・●

5 Months Later

Today was the day.

The championship game.

Tatum knew that Brady would be struggling with it considering what happened last year.

He hadn't been talking about it much, but she noticed him acting a bit different as the date got closer and closer. He asked her to schedule more PT sessions for the two of them, which was a bit of a concern for her. At first, she thought something was physically wrong. But it seemed like he just couldn't stop thinking about his knee. Tatum would go along with whatever he asked. If he wanted to spend hours tending to his knee and executing their plan, then that was what they would do.

Tatum had started her position with Doctor Ashford and it could not have been going better, honestly. She was learning more than she ever could have imagined. Her schedule even allowed her time to do things outside of her work— something she never thought possible. Doctor Ashford was incredibly accommodating for whatever she needed and always jumped at the chance to help her learn. Tatum would be getting her application in place for med-school soon, and she had to admit... she had a pretty good feeling about it all. She was sending an application in to the program at Doctor Ashford's hospital and considering she had essentially forced herself into the lives of everyone who worked there, she had a good feeling.

The morning of the championship game was slow. Tatum woke up a bit before Brady that morning, gazing at him as he slept. She felt slightly creepy as she watched him, but she really didn't care. She loved to watch him sleep. These were the kinds of mornings that Tatum loved. She didn't think she would get this kind of serenity in her life. But she did, and she wanted to cherish every moment of that. And so, she stared.

"You're doing it again," Brady murmured, his eyes still shut.

Tatum smiled at him. "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to know you've crossed into the realm of creepy," he continued, finally opening his eyes. She laughed, swatting at him. Brady chuckled as he gently grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him, inhaling deeply. She melted into his touch, her head resting on his chest. Brady held her against him, running a hand through her hair.

"How are you doing?" Tatum asked, her fingers lazily tracing circles on his chest.

"I'm okay," he told her, rubbing a hand on her bare back. "It's just weird, I guess. Can't believe it's been a year since everything happened."

Tatum nodded gently. "You feel okay to play?"

"Yeah, my knee's fine."

"That's not what I meant," she corrected in a quiet voice.

"I know," Brady admitted, placing a hand behind his head. "I'm still fine, though. Just gonna be a weird day."

"Well, I'm here for whatever you need," Tatum told him, lifting her head up to look at him.

He smirked at her. "Whatever I need, huh?"

Tatum gave him an amused look. "You have anything left to give after last night?"

Brady's face broke out into a full grin and he grabbed her by the hips. She squealed as he flipped himself so he was on top of her. She bounced against the bed, letting out a laugh as she said, "I'll take that as a yes."

"You have no idea," Brady told her, mouth muffled as he pressed his lips against her neck.

So, yeah. Tatum liked these kinds of mornings.

●・○・♥︎・○・●

Tatum was sure she held her breath for almost the entire game. One second the Falcons were winning, the next they weren't. And then they were winning again. The team was playing exceptionally well, but their opponent was just as good. Both teams had dominated in the frozen four, so many were anticipating this level of competition. Brady soared across the ice like he was born for it. He, Isaac, and Theo had never been in better sync. They anticipated each other's movements with ease. It had worked exceptionally well for them as well so far. But the score was 3-4, and they only had a couple of minutes to get back on top.

Tatum glanced up at the stands, smiling when she saw a certain row of people. Her mother was clapping along with the crowd, waving at her. Tatum waved back, elated that she was here. Her health had never been better. The transplant went perfectly. She was healthy. She was okay. Eliza's life was getting back on track. She was able to do everything she wanted to do again. Tatum was even planning a trip for after she graduated. They always spoke about traveling a bit, but it was always difficult to plan for her to be fair from any medical care should she need it. But now, they could do anything they wanted.

Jamie was also in the stands. Jamie went back to school last semester and would be taking classes over the summer to continue to catch up on other school work that he missed. He was doing well— better than that, actually. The life was back in his eyes and he could just be a kid again. He was even talking about what sports he was going to try. Tatum saw Brady get choked up when he said he wanted to try out hockey.

Kinsley was getting her life back on track. She was doing things for herself but also was mending bridges. She and Brady were learning how to be in each other's lives when they didn't need to deal with everything they did growing up. They were learning how to just be siblings. Their father was also in the stands next to Jamie. He was getting help. It was a wake up call for him with everything that happened. Tatum wasn't sure how she would ever feel about the man. But for the Parker sibling's sakes, she could be kind to him. She was following their lead with it all, really. They set the tone and she could match it.

As it turned out, Kinsley was not dating Theo. But Tatum wasn't fully convinced that there was nothing there. There was some history there, but Tatum just didn't have the full story. Not yet, at least. That was one mystery about Kinsley she was still in the dark with. But who knows? Maybe that could be Tatum's next project.

Her focus snapped back to the game when the buzzer sounded.

Brady was staring at her.

That meant he scored.

Tatum beamed as she cheered as loudly as she could. He shot her a grin at her reaction, skating over to the rest of the team to celebrate. Her eyes lit up as she turned her focus to the scoreboard. 4-4. And they only had two minutes to win.

They quickly reset and were off. Both teams were playing with a newfound ferocity, desperate to secure the win. Isaac was able to intercept the puck from a pass on the other team, easily sliding it over to Theo before their opponent could even realize what was happening.

Theo swept the puck to Brady.

Brady angled his stick before flicking it up, and the puck was in the air.

Tatum held her breath.

And then the buzzer sounded.

Her eyes widened in anticipation before the crowd erupted into cheers.

They won.

Tatum jumped up and absolutely lost it as she cheered. Brady's gaze was locked on her, eyes full of admiration as his team surrounded him. They were hollering and celebrating— bear hugging and slapping each other on the back. Tatum beamed at him as he was embraced by his teammates.

Her heart swelled with pride as they brought the championship trophy onto the ice. The team all grabbed a piece of it, hoisting it into the air as they cheered. She glanced back at the stands and saw her Mom and the Parkers out of their seats and celebrating. She beamed at them before going back to watch Brady, her stomach fluttering as she saw how truly happy Brady was in this moment.

After a couple of minutes of celebrating, Brady started to skate towards her. She grinned as she made her way towards the opening at the railing, eager to see him. As soon as she reached Brady, he swept her up, holding her up by the waist. Tatum squealed giddily as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. She pressed a bruising kiss against his lips before pulling back to say, "You freaking did it! I'm so proud of you, oh my god!"

He chuckled, placing her down as he smiled at her. "Thanks, Hartley."

"You were amazing," she gushed with wide eyes. "You freaking won the game. That's insane!"

Brady hugged her again, grinning widely as she went on and on. When she finally paused, Brady gave her a boyish look as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Wanna go celebrate?"

"You're such a boy," Tatum scolded despite the fact that she wanted to go do the exact same thing. But she would be damned if she was going to make it easy for him. "Here I am trying to cheer you on and you're just trying to make an indecent woman out of me."

"Hey, you love me," Brady insisted with a grin, fully aware of what she was doing.

Tatum's face hurt from smiling at this point. Her voice was teasing as she said, "Yeah, guess I kinda do."

Brady wrapped an arm around her neck as he led her out of the rink, he pressed a kiss against her forehead as he asked, "Only kinda?"

"Mhm, you have to earn the rest of it," Tatum told him pointedly, leaning into his touch.

"Think I know a couple of ways to earn that," he quipped, tilting his head to the side.

"Well, we do have to celebrate," Tatum added coyly, giving him a sly look.

Brady smirked at her, pressing a firm kiss against her lips "That we do."

She smiled gently at him this time. "I love you."

Gathering her into his arms, Brady kissed her forehead and told her, "I love you, too."

Life with Brady Parker was many things...

Unexpected.

Exciting.

Passionate.

Maybe a bit chaotic at times.

And Tatum had never been happier.

●・○・♥︎・○・●

Oh, I'm crying.

They're all HAPPY. Obviously, it's one of my books. I don't write sad endings.

Tatum and Brady's banter is something that can just be soooo personal to me.

Brady looking at Tatum every time he scores oh I'm not okay.

I had so much fun writing this book, oh my god. We still have an epilogue and I'll post an author's note just spilling my guts about how much I love this book, but hope you enjoyed this last real chapter!