Down an attached hallway to the left, there was a players’ lounge, complete with leather couches, fireplace, and a snack bar. To the right was a video room with black leather seats for thirty, and a second-story mezzanine held a track and training area, plus hot and cold immersion tubs.

It was a one-stop shop for recovery, meals, and workouts. There were only one or two others like it in the league—I couldn’t imagine the disappointment players who’d been traded must have felt when stepping into a standard facility after calling this their home. I’d seen it before, but it still wowed me every time I stepped foot inside.

Chase led me over to his cubby and set our bags on the floor in front of it. I sank onto the bench and watched him expectantly.

The sight of Chase on his knees, rooting through his black equipment bag, brought about a memory of the time he took me skating at the Boyd arena. Things were so new between us then. It felt like a lifetime ago. I was nervous just being around him then. Those butterflies were still there now, but in a comfortable, easy way.

“We aren’t going to get busted like last time, are we? There’s no Roy lurking in the wings?”

“This time, I got permission.”

“Did you, though?” I nudged him with my foot.

He glanced up at me with a grin, messy dark hair tumbling in his face. “For real.”

Still kneeling, he handed me my skates. I slipped my foot into the left, but when I put my foot into the right, my toes hit a solid barricade. Probably a roll of tape that had been floating loose in his bag.

“Hang on.” I stuck my hand into the skate, finding a small square object wedged in the toe. “There’s something stuck in my—” I tugged it free, revealing a small polished wooden box.

My heart skipped a beat or three. Was this what I thought it was? I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, so I sucked in a deep breath to compose myself.

“There it is,” Chase said. “I was looking for that.”

He took the box from my hand and opened the hinged lid. I let out a woosh of air when my eyes landed on what was inside. The center stone from his mother’s ring, re-set into a plain gold band.

“Carter,” I whispered. My breath snagged, and tears flooded my eyes, threatening to overflow. This was it. My love, my life, my future. My everything.

The slightest hint of nervousness crossed his face, so faint that no one but me would have noticed it.

“I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way, but you’re the one thing that’s always been right. Will you marry me, James?”