“You made this happen more than I did,” I tell him, looking out on the ice at the guys all hugging and talking, most of them putting on their new hats. I grab mine and put it on my head, and the red carpet comes out, and we know the Cup will be here in just a bit. Evan comes up to us, and we do a group hug with all of us smiling so big.

We hear the commissioner start talking, and all of us turn to look at him as we stand in a line. I look down both sides, and all the guys have smiles on their faces. I look up and see my mother and Vivienne holding each other’s hands while Vivienne smiles and wipes away a tear. I’m so entranced by her, I don’t even hear what is going on until Evan smacks me on the shoulder. “Go get it.”

“What?” I ask, shocked. Looking around, I see I was named the VIP for the playoffs. I skate to him and shake his hand and then look at the camera. The guys come over and smack me on the shoulder, and then the moment most of us dream of but seldom achieve is here—the Stanley Cup comes out.

Evan skates to the cup, posing for a picture, and then he finally lifts it in the air over his head, and everything is a blur. The families come on the ice, and my father and mother are the first ones I see. I hug my father and then my mother, and then I see Chris holding Vivienne’s hand while he helps her walk to us. I lean down, and I suddenly feel all eyes on us, so instead of kissing her on the lips like I want to, I kiss her on the side. No one is really paying attention to us.

“I am so proud of you,” she tells me and hugs me around my waist, pressing her cheek to my chest. She lets me go so I can shake my brother’s hand, and she walks over to Evan and then to Matthew and Max. The whole time our eyes meet each other’s, and I want to go over to her and pull her next to me, but I don’t. This isn’t the place to come out or make a scene.

Evan, Viktor, and I are the last ones on the ice, and when we finally start walking back to the locker room, I am not expecting for everyone to go fucking nuts. Bottles of champagne are popped, and it’s raining down all over us. We raise our hands in the air, and when I look back, Evan comes in with the Cup and hoists it in the air while champagne is just sprayed everywhere.