Everything I've Ever Wanted

"Shit." Joey mumbled as his beer sploshed from his red cup, barely missing Kara who was perched on his lap like always. The Gopher hockey crew, minus Tony, plus me, was tailgating in a parking lot across the street from Mariucci and to the right of TCF Bank stadium. I sat in a chair next to Joey's truck, nursing a Mike's hard lemonade, and occasionally checking my phone to see if Tony was going to call. Today was the day of San Jose's first pre-season game, and Tony would be playing his first official NHL game. I was bummed I wouldn't be able to see it, but we both understood that there was somethings the two of us were going to miss.

"Be careful." Kara scolded her boyfriend, slapping his shoulder as Joey tried to nip her playfully. Kara let out a loud giggle, pretending to fend him off before giving in to him.

"Get a room." I mumbled, taking a sip of the red liquid. I sucked my cheeks in, tilting my face up to the sky. The sun was shining brightly on the University of Minnesota campus and the Gopher fans who filtered into the stadium hoped the football gods were willing to work their magic as the Gophers prepared to play USC today. It was a long shot win, but the team could hope.

"Aw, baby, do you need some loving?" Kara murmured to me, hoping off Joey and sitting down on my lap. She squeezed me tightly, knowing probably better than anyone how much I missed Tony. "Let Kara give you some attention." She cooed to me, fussing with my hair and pinching my cheeks like my grandma used to.

"Okay, mom." I snorted, shoving her up and letting Joey swoop her back into his arms. Unlike other couples, Joey and Kara were always fun for me to be around. I didn't feel the constant pang of sadness while I watched them together, instead I felt a sense of comfort. Kara and Joey were the good reminders of Tony, the kind that told me on Monday, I would be with him in San Jose. Three days and he could hold me in his arms again, make everything okay.

In the past couple weeks, things at work had been picking up as high schools requested us for team pictures and people began to schedule their Christmas pictures. We also had a couple weddings in the fall, and even though Tammi asked, I declined to work. There were some places I had to draw the line; she understood. The first engagement shoot made me cry for hours, and I didn't want to go through that again.

"So are you coming to the house tonight?" Joey wondered, speaking of the hockey house I hadn't been to in months.

"No." I shook my head, taking another sip from my bottle.

"Why? You know you're always welcome." He reminded me as Kara waved to a few of the other girlfriends walking by. I wrinkled my nose, shaking my head once more.

"I'm not in college anymore, and without Ton, I just don't want to be around so many people."

"Aw, come on sweet thang, you know the thrill will protect you. After all, Lucia said it's the one thing I better do right while he's gone."

I chuckled quietly, smiling up at Joey. "I know you would be great at taking care of me, but I'm good."

"Oh, I get it. You'd rather waste away in your nice apartment, being extremely anti-social."

"You got it." I grinned as Joey gave me a glare from behind his black sunglasses.

"Lucia would want you to come out." He tried once more.

"No he wouldn't! He would want me tucked away safely-"

"-pining away for him. NOT!"

I rolled my eyes, glancing past him to see a majority of the tailgaters were stating to move into the stadium. The three of us, plus the other Gopher hockey players, followed suit, piling into the maroon and gold mass.

"I think you should come tonight." Kara murmured as we reached the bleachers of the student section.

"I just don't want to. I don't want to be reminded that Tony is gone."

"So going to your empty apartment is not a reminder?" She asked me skeptically. I sighed and shook my head at her, turning my attention to the field.

I was saved from Kara's looks and Joey's persistent pleas as the game started, the cheering in the student section becoming too loud for anyone to have a conversation. The team came out onto the field to kick off, the first possession going to USC. But it was quickly apparent to us Gopher fans that the only thing we would be winning today was the coin toss.

The Trojans stormed all over the field, completely dominating every aspect of the game, including the crowd. As the score on the large scoreboard got worse, so did the weather. Thick, dark cloud of rain began to move in, covering the warm rays of sun and beginning to dump buckets of rain on all of us. I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, not exactly appropriate for the rain. By the time I had made it up the stairs to the shelter of the concourse, I was soaked from head to toe.

"The weather is so fucking deceiving." Kara complained as we headed out into the rain again, not even bothering to run since it would be pointless.

I didn't attempt to cover myself or cringe when the cool drops ran down my skin. Instead I embraced it. There was always something calm about the rain, how it seemed to soothe the conditions of the day. Joey, Kara, and I made our way to Joey's truck, running the last couple feet and diving into the cocoon of the car. Joey cranked the heat for all of us, pausing for a few moments to warm up.

"Where too?" Joey asked, pulling out of the parking lot with relative ease, even as thousands of fans ran out of the stadium.

"My place." I murmured, my teeth chattering as I ran my hands up and down my arms for some more warmth. I closed my eyes as Joey merged onto the freeway to head to St. Paul, dreaming of a hot shower and a warm bed before curling in for the night with a book and a movie, waiting for Tony to call. We pulled up to my apartment building about fifteen minutes later, the rain now pouring buckets onto the city as I cringed, getting my keys ready right away to open the door into the building.

"So, I'll pick you up at 8:30." Kara told me, turning slightly in her seat to look at me. I furrowed my eyebrows, hand pausing on the door handle. "For the party?" She reminded me as Joey snickered quietly.

"I told you-"

"Shut up, you are not staying in tonight. It's a Saturday night, and you deserve to go out and have some fun. You know you want to; don't even try to deny it." She insisted. I wrinkled my nose at her, wondering what part of my body language gave off the vibe that I was in the mood to party.

"I don't want to. Seriously, it won't be fun to have me sulking around. Go without me." I insisted, opening the door and waving goodbye to Joey. Kara shook her head at me as I stood in the rain, knowing that I better be ready at 8:30 unless I wanted to go like a scrub.
***

I pulled up to the hockey house in my Chevy Equinox, frowning as I looked at the already packed house, wondering why the hell I was even here. I had managed to convince Kara that it would be better for me to drive, since she still lived on campus, therefore only had a short walk, and because I wasn't planning on getting wasted tonight. I found in my last years of college and more so now that I was done, that getting drunk off your ass really wasn't that appealing anymore. I remembered thinking it was so cool, and loving the feeling of being free and loose, but I hated the hangover more than I loved that feel of alcohol rushing through my veins.

I got out of my car, throwing my purse on my shoulder and walking up the steps to the house that I still knew everything about. I walked in just like I always used to, coming face to face with loud music and sweaty bodies as they moved to the beat. I shook my head, a small smile tugging on my lips; it was good to know that some things never changed. I headed to the kitchen, not surprised to find Kara and Joey there, along with several other of Tony's former teammates.

"Loochie!" Jay Barriball exclaimed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder for a tight squeeze. I pulled my face away from his as he tried to drop a kiss on my cheek. He was so wasted that I was supporting his body from falling over. Jake Cepis came to my rescue, taking Jay from me after giving me a hug.

"It's good to see you back." Jake told me before heading to the living room with Jay.

"What do you want?" Joey asked me, gesturing to the keg or the variety of alcohol lined up along the counter.

"Water." I told him, watching Kara scoff and hand him a red cup for some beer. I groaned as Joey handed it to me, knowing that now that it was poured, I had to drink it. "This stuff is so nasty." I frowned, taking a sip and immediately wanting to spit it out.

"Shut up." Kara told me, giving me a stern look. I sighed and nodded, taking my place next to her and leaning on the counter.

It wasn't long before I was alone in the kitchen with Aaron Ness, casually conversing as Joey and Kara had gone off to dance. I had long since finished my first beer, and was on to my second, the taste dulling down so that I could actually drink it. Aaron and I talked about hockey mostly before we had moved on to the subject of Tony, making a deep yearning begin to burn inside of my body.

Being in the hockey house just made me think of all the good times I had with him. I thought about New Years Eve, when he punched that guy out for hitting on me. I remembered studying with him at the kitchen table for our last finals in college, and all the wonderful romps in the sheets we had in his room upstairs, a room that now happened to be Joey's. I excused myself from Aaron, seeing a few of his teammates coming up from downstairs, likely wanting him to come play beer pong with them.

I made my way through the throng of people, winding to the stairs and walking up them slowly, looking around for any sort of changes. My feet took me to a place my brain hadn't even registered that I was going, my heels entering Tony's old room. I looked around at some of the similarities, things Tony had let Joey keep, like a couple posters, a picture of Joey and Tony at Joey's brother's wedding, along with a majority of the furniture that Tony had brought with him to school. I walked around, looking at the pictures Joey had put out- some of his family while a majority of them were him and Kara. A sound by the door caught my ears and I turned around, seeing a guy looking into Joey's room.

"Hi." I spoke, feeling like there was something familiar about this practical Greek god standing in the doorway.

"Hey." He lifted his head in a slight nod, watching me as I stood there awkwardly.

"Can I help you...?" I asked him, wondering why he was just standing there staring at me.

"I think I know you from somewhere. Do you come here often?" He questioned, stepping into the room and shutting the door slightly. My breathing hitched and then began to speed up, a hint of fear causing adrenaline to spike my heartbeat and the pounding of my blood through my veins.

"Not really." I told him, glancing from my left and right, looking for something if I needed to protect myself. I patted my purse with my right hand, knowing I had a can of Mace in there that I could use if I needed it. But how was I supposed to get my hand in there if he was watching me so closely.

"Are you sure? Because I swear I know you."

"Maybe I just have one of those faces." I tried, watching as he stepped towards me once more. I frowned at my stupidity, thinking I should have shut the door or at least been in a better place than trapped in between a dresser, the bed, and the guy who was in my way to run to the door. I could jump on the bed and run that way, but the chances of that working were slim to none. If anything, that would make his job so much easier.

"No, you're too pretty to forget or have an ordinary face. Maybe around campus?"

"Probably." I smiled politely so that he couldn't sense the fear and the panic that was going on inside of my body. I had to remain calm, and as of right now, I had to be my own hero. As the guy stepped closer, not three feet away, I could smell the alcohol on his breath, mostly Vodka. I wrinkled my nose, reaching my hand in my purse. "But I was just about to leave." I told him, acting like I was reaching for my keys, but instead my fingers wrapped around the Mace.

"Hey!" A voice called from the doorway, Joey standing there with a menacing look on his face. "What the fuck are you doing in here?" Joey snapped. The guy looked at me as if I was the one who needed to explain. "No dipshit, I'm talking to you. She's welcomed; you're not."

"Whoa, I didn't know she was your girlfriend." The guy insisted. And then it clicked. I thought back to when Tony and I were apart, to the party at the hockey house after the North Dakota game, to when I was really drunk, and he approached me- his long, sexy hair, large muscles- pulling me into him and dancing around until Tony barged in, and I threw up all over his shoes. I rolled my eyes at myself, watching Joey interact with this guy and thinking of Tony.

"It doesn't matter if she's my girlfriend or not, you don't just invade someone's personal space, you asshole." Joey snarled at him, grabbing him by the shoulder and marching him out of the room. "Leave. You are definitely not wanted around here." Joey slammed the door shut, crossing the room and pulling me into his arms.

"Are you okay? He didn't assault you or anything? Please say no, Tony would cut my head off." Joey held me at an arms length, eyes running all over my face as he examined me the best he could.

"No, I'm fine." I assured him, giving him a slight smile while my body began to relax, growing tired after the crash of the adrenaline rush. "Thank you, Joey."

"I told Tony I would look after you while he was gone, and I will until he comes back." Joey squeezed me to him tightly before letting go, a smile gracing his lips, blue eyes shining. "Do you want to leave?"

"Yeah, I'm just too tired, and this isn't fun for me." I gave him an apologetic smile before biting down on my lip, feeling guilty that everyone was trying so hard to get me to have fun, but I just couldn't.

"I understand. I'll walk you to your car." Joey insisted, pulling me out of the room and downstairs. We tracked down Kara who was talking to one of the freshman's girlfriend, explaining to her how these parties worked and that if she stuck with her, she'd know the ropes in no time. I rolled my eyes at her as she stuck her tongue out.

"I taught you everything you know about being a Gopher hockey girlfriend." Kara pointed at me, lifting her middle finger away from her red cup.

"There's nothing to learn besides that a whole bunch of girls want to get on your boyfriend's dick." I shrugged, watching the new girl's mouth form a big oval. I laughed quietly, shaking my head. "But the best part is watching him turn them all down for you." I assured her, grabbing Kara and hugging her tightly. "I'm going to head home."

"Alright, party pooper." She patted my back softly. "I'll come over tomorrow, maybe bring lunch or breakfast, depending on how late I'm up tonight." She winked at me. I pretended to be slightly disgusted, but laughed anyway.

"Okay, you have a key." I gave her one last hug before Joey and I headed outside. He walked me to my car like a gentleman, apparently taking his job of protecting me relatively seriously.

"Call me when you get home?" He wondered, batting his eyelashes and trying to act like Tony. I laughed loudly, unlocking my car door and opening it up.

"How about I text you baby, and I'll call my real boyfriend." I stuck my tongue out at him, climbing in to the SUV.

"I guess that will do. Have a good night, Mol." Joey murmured.

"Go back to your girlfriend, Joey. I'm alright." I assured him as he shut my door, giving me a nod and a wave. I started my SUV and drove home in silence, not even turning on the radio because I was sick of being reminded of Tony.

Once tucked safely and warmly in my apartment, I picked up my cellphone, dialing Tony's number and waiting for him to answer. I turned the TV on, flipping through the channels until I landed on 10 Things I Hate About You, a classic movie that never failed to make me laugh. I frowned as Tony's voice came though the speaker, but instead in the form of a voice mail. I left a quick message, burrowing down into the couch to wait for him to return my call. I fell asleep on the couch two hours later. The call never came.
***

The sound of birds chirping and the bright light of the sun shining through the window, woke me up the next morning. I laid there before rolling over, forgetting that I was on the couch and bracing myself for my body to hit the wood floor. But instead, I was laying on my side of the bed, rolling over from the side Tony would have slept on if he was there. I sat up, cringing as my head rushed from moving too much so soon after waking up. I let my eyes refocus and the wave of dizziness fade away as sounds came down the hall from the kitchen.

I smiled softly, laying back down as I though to Kara out there making breakfast for me. She really had been the best friend I ever had, even better than my twin sister, always taking care of me and being completely unselfish wile Tony has been away. I couldn't ask for a better friend. But even though I appreciated all her help, she didn't need to come over here and make me breakfast like I wasn't perfectly capable of doing it myself. I sighed, throwing the covers off and padding into the bathroom to take a shower.

I turned the water on, letting it get warm and stepping in, my body and muscles beginning to wake up as the water ran down my skin. I took my time, shaving and getting clean, feeling the need for the first time in awhile to look after myself. I stepped out when the water began to grow lukewarm as my time started to become limited. I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body, walking to the closet and poking around to find something to wear. I picked out a light pink t-shirt along with a pair of dark wash capris, figuring Kara and I would probably be going shopping today since she was here so early, knowing I had to begin packing soon for my trip to San Jose tomorrow. Butterflies flew about in my stomach when I thought of finally seeing Tony tomorrow.

I walked to the bathroom, applying a small amount of eye makeup and leaving everything else natural, letting my hair dry and do what it wanted for now. I wandered around my room, grabbing my cellphone from the night stand, frowning when I saw that Tony never did call me back last night. I thought maybe I had just fallen asleep and missed it, but there was no call from him except for the day before yesterday, Friday. I shrugged, trying not to let it bother me. He was busy, and it was okay for him to not call me for one day.

I shook my head and went to the door of my bedroom, opening it and walking down the hallway to where Kara was in the kitchen, making what smelled like bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The sun shone in through the window of the apartment, making everything glow and have a light feel to it. The sun helped my mood, lifting it up along with the corner of my mouth. I reached the end of the hallway, looking towards the living room where the blanket was bunched up from where I had been laying last night. My eyebrows drew down as I wondered how I had ended up in my room last night.

"Kara, I thought you were joking about breakfast. You don't have to take care of me." I told her as I walked to the couch, folding the blanket up and replacing the pillows back in their normal spots.

"Well, then what kind of boyfriend would I be." A voice that was most definitely not Kara's asked me.

Time stopped, completely stood still as the voice reached my ears and my brain made the connection. I couldn't move, couldn't turn, couldn't even breathe. My whole body was frozen with absolutely, pure joy. And as fast as my functions stopped, they began again and I whirled around. My eyes locked on Tony's as my body shook, a loud scream escaping from my lips.

"Tony!" I yelled, running across the vast apartment as fast as I could, watching as he set down the pan of bacon and moved away from the stove to catch me in the air. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, fusing our lips together immediately and kissing him greedily, just like I had been imagining for the past couple weeks. I pulled away just once, breaking the kiss as Tony looked up into my face, laughing at my excitement. My hands felt all around his face, for a moment wondering if this was a dream, fearing I was going to wake up soon. "What are you doing here?" I asked, a few tears leaking down my cheeks, but this time for the happiness that was indescribable.

"I'm here for you. Isn't it obvious?" He asked, gesturing to the breakfast he was making, and the way he held me tightly to his chest, my arms and legs helping him do that.

"I know that, but.." I had to pause because I was crying so hard, completely overwhelmed that he was standing here like this when I had wished so many times for him. I regained my voice as he walked to the couch after turning the burners on the stove down. "I'm supposed to come see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, but now you don't have to." He smiled at me, pulling my chin towards him and kissing my lips softly. His teeth pulled my bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled on it. I slid my tongue against his top lip before into his mouth, the two muscles meeting and tangoing beautifully. I never wanted to stop this moment. I wanted to freeze time just like this, wrapped so tightly in his arms, our lips and tongues touching and expressing our love for each other. But Tony pulled away, making me pout.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I asked him, using the opportunity to take a deep breath.

"Well, I know how much you love surprises." He grinned as I smacked his shoulder, attempting to glare, but too happy to even throw a joking one at him.

"I've missed you so much. I knew it would be hard, but I never imagined it would be so difficult to be without you." I told him, a tear slipping down my cheek before getting swept away by Tony's thumb. His mouth tilted slightly as he kissed my nose, eyes fluttering shut for a moment.

"You don't have to miss me anymore." He whispered before he lifted me up, heading into the kitchen. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking up at him as he set me down to monitor the food. When he didn't go any further, I shrugged and wrapped my arms around his waist, hands sprawling across his stomach as I pressed my face into the curve of his spine. "I see you've decorated a lot since I've been gone." He chuckled, the walls still as white as they were when I moved in.

"I've been busy with work." I shoved his head, tisking at him. He laughed, his chest shaking beneath my hands.

"How is work? Any more shoots?" He asked, pulling the bacon off the pan and setting it on a plate. My mouth watered looking at the thick strips, the delicious scent hitting my nose.

"Um, I've really only been doing family shoots and a few senior pictures, but that's really it. Other than that, I answer the phone and take down appointments. I really like it there." I added as I stepped away, following him with the pancakes and orange juice to the island, sitting down beside him. "What about hockey? Do you like it? Is it everything you've ever dreamed of." I gave him a wide grin, taking a bite of bacon. Tony smiled at me, looking down as he licked his lips before he started to shake his head, lips pursed.

"No, it's not." He told me, looking me straight in the eye. My smile fell from my face and was replaced with a shocked look before a frown pulled the corners of my mouth down. I was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to be disappointed with his experiences in California. Every time I talked to him all he did was talk about all the fun he was having, how he enjoyed the hot air, but now he sat in front of me with a completely different attitude.

"No?" I questioned, wondering if he was just joking, sarcastically telling me a lie.

"I guess maybe my expectations were high, but whatever it was, it's not what I thought it would be." He told me, taking a drink of his juice. I blinked rapidly, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying to me.

"Tony.. I'm not following.. you said.. that, you were having fun?" I questioned, not able to even think coherently about this.

"I was having fun, but not as much as I should have." He looked down at his hands before he turned to me, grasping my hands in his. I sat up straight, wondering where he was going with this. "Babe, when I first got drafted, I used to sit in bed thinking about what it would be like to play in the NHL, having little kids wearing my jersey, and acquiring a huge fan base. That mindset stayed through college and was just fueled when I got a taste of the fame that playing for the U gave me. But my senior year, everything changed. It wasn't about the fans, the girls, the fame, and it wasn't even about hockey anymore. It was all about you." He looked up at me, his green eyes shining at me. "I thought going to San Jose would refuel my love for hockey. The team and the atmosphere would show me how much hockey still meant to me. But it didn't. When I left, all I felt was an empty hole where my heart used to be because it didn't go with me to California, it stayed here with you."

"Tony-"

"And because my heart is here, I can't be there. I can't play hockey for a team that deserves my very best. I can't give that to them, and they deserve to have a player that will." He sucked in a deep breath as tears burned my eyes, but for a whole different reason. My mouth dropped open in shock, my mind racing as I tried to understand what Tony was saying. But he put my brain out of it's misery and just told me. "So, I quit."

For a moment, I was frozen in time. I couldn't breath as I stared into his green eyes, searching them for a sign that he didn't really do what he just told me. I tried to talk multiple times, but my words seemed to get trapped in my throat, my vocal cords unable to voice my opinion on his decision. His confession felt so bittersweet that I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to be overcome with joy or if I should slap him upside the head and wheel him back to the airport to get on a plane.

"Please tell me you're joking." I whispered so quietly he had to lean in to hear me. He furrowed his brows, shaking his head at me.

"I'm not, and don't try to change my mind. I know what I want; I'm looking at it." He stated, so much finality to his voice that I was afraid to argue with him. I was flattered and my heart was beating so strongly in my chest, but what kind of person did it make me to let him do this?

"Tony, what are you doing?" I breathed out, shaking my head at his words.

"What I should have done all along."

"Baby, you can't give all of that up." I insisted.

"Being in the NHL means nothing to me if you're not beside me. You're my dream now, the NHL died for me when you walked into my life. You're all I want. And all I need." He continued, his fingers reaching for me and brushing my still damp hair behind my ear. He tilted my chin towards his, tears streaming down my cheeks because I had no control over them. I bit my quivering lip and shook my head at him.

"Ton, I can't let you give this up." I whispered to him.

"You need to because it's my decision. I don't want to be out there anymore. I'm not NHL material; I'm not Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews. I'll never make as much money as them and hockey is too much of a grind to waste away in the minors. I won't be that person. I want to use my degree and start a franchise. I want to make my own fortune and give you the whole world, baby, right here in Minnesota."

"I don't deserve you." I sobbed out, wrapping my arms around his shoulder, throwing myself into his body. He held me tightly to his chest, his lips pressing to my head and making me feel the reassurance that he wasn't doing this because he felt guilty. He wanted to stay here, he wanted me. A huge wave of relief passed over my body as we both started to laugh, Tony pulling away so he could press his lips to mine.

"I'm so in love with you, Molly. I never knew I could feel like this. Me and you, that's what is right. That's what feels so damn good, better than having fans and a lot of money. I just want you, and I'll be okay." He told me as I smiled at him before grabbing the back of his neck and kissing him with everything I had in me.
***

"God, I can't believe we don't go to school here anymore." I murmured to Tony as we walked along the sidewalk in the mall, college kids passing us by without a thought. Our fingers were laced tightly together, both of us still dressed up in our dinner attire from the nice, Italian place we had just came from. Tony had insisted that we take a walk through campus, just to look back at where it all began.

Tony had been home for a month now and had actually just gotten a job with a sports agency where he would become an agent to up and coming hockey stars in the near future. We were out to celebrate both his permanent homecoming and his new job. Since he had been home, things had been absolutely amazing. He had been moved in with me for officially two weeks although he had been staying with me for the whole month he had been home. But today was the one year anniversary of when Tony and I had first talked to each other, something he insisted was just as important as our actual anniversary.

"You know baby, I wasn't exactly nice to you the first day we met." I chuckled, swinging our hands as we walked to the building our Economics class had been held in. Everything around campus still looked the same as it had been a year ago, but Tony and I weren't. We were grown up, both with jobs and lives outside of college. I was without a friend who I thought would always be there for me, and had found an amazing man who loves me pretty or ugly, upset or happy. And that's the way it should be.

"I think that's what drew me to you." He chuckled, finding a bench next to the building and pulling me over to it.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I liked your attitude. You didn't care who I was, and you weren't going to give me special treatment." He shrugged his large shoulders, looking down at me and pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "If you would have told me a year ago that I would be this in love with someone, I probably would have laughed." He murmured truthfully, his green eyes searching my own. "But I am so glad you were forced to take Econ last year." We both laughed, thinking of how different the last year of our lives would have been. And even though being with Tony meant losing a friend, I felt little regret that it happened.

"I wouldn't have believed that I could fall in love with someone like you." I told him, my eyes shining with happiness.

"Oh really? And who is someone like me?"

"A man whore." I told him, rolling my eyes and giving him a duh look.

"That's a common misconception of me." Tony nodded his head, sticking his chin out like he was some sort of tool. I snorted and shoved at his chest, laughing loudly because of how amazing I felt. I couldn't think of a time in my life where I truly felt complete, not even when Megan was alive. Tony filled a void I never even knew was there. He really was my other half.

"We should come back here every year on this day." Tony told me, kissing my temple as his fingers lazily brushed against my hair, my head leaning against his shoulder. "And someday we can bring our kids here."

"Our kids huh?" I asked him, chucking quietly. "Don't we need to be thinking about a wedding first." He started to shift beneath me, reaching into his pocket and pulling out that distinctive blue box.

"Funny you should mention a wedding..." He told me as he slid off of the bench, taking the black velvet out of the blue box before popping it open. My eyes went wide and a loud, happy scream ripped from my chest as he got on one knee. His green eyes shone with his bright smile as I looked down at the ring. "The one good thing about the Sharks was that I got to keep the money." I laughed softly before looking down at the beautiful diamond ring.

"Mol?"

"Yes, Tony." I grinned at him, my tears shining in my eyes as I took in a deep breath. The moment I had dreamt about my entire life was here and a man that I wanted forever was asking me what I had always wished for.

"Will you marry me and have a hockey team full of babies with me?" Tony asked me, dramatically batting his long lashes as I bit my lip, squealing loudly and throwing myself into his body. I kissed his lips longingly, so bubbly and giddy that I could barely keep my lips closed to kiss him.

"I'll marry you and give you all the babies you want." I told him, grinning at him first pump before letting him slip the ring onto my finger.

"So, you'll be mine?" He asked for clarification.

"Always and forever." I assured him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

And finally, the two of us were holding everything we've ever wanted, in each other, and in the future.