The moment Alec Martinez scored the game-winning, Stanley Cup-winning goal in overtime, my heart sank. It was as if someone turned off all feelings I could possibly have. I froze in the moment.


And the entire city of Gatineau froze with me.

Our local hero lost the Stanley Cup.

I wasn’t sure how to handle this. Derick has never come this close to the Cup before. Losing now is a lot harder than ever. So I simply sent him a text that said ‘I love you.’

I haven’t really heard from him in the week since then. He sent me an ‘I love you too’ text, and that was it. I’ve been putting on a strong face for those around me, but inside I’m starting to panic a little. I’ve sent him a couple texts and called him a few times to try to see if he’s okay. But he never answers.

I’ve even resorted to calling Mats Zuccarello a couple days ago, who said he hadn’t seen Derick since they cleaned out their lockers. When we talked yesterday, he said that he went by Derick’s condo and talked to him. He wouldn’t admit much, which was strange. But he said that my boyfriend was taking the loss very hard.

Out of the blue this morning, Derick’s older sister called me and asked if I wanted to go for dinner. I couldn’t say no, so now I’m on my way to meet her. I pull into the parking lot at the local diner and see her stepping out of her car at the same time.

“How are you?” I ask as she pulls me into a small hug.
“Good! How are you?” She asks, her French accent thick.
“I’m okay.”

We get seated right away, since there’s practically no one else here at the moment.

“You’re worried about my brother.” She states after we’ve ordered.
“Yeah.” I admit. “I’ve only gotten one text from him since the game.”
She thinks for a moment.
“Derick hates losing. You know that.” I nod. “But he’s going to be okay.”
“I know he will.” I respond. “I just wish he wasn’t cutting me out like this. It’s never been this bad. And... I just want to be there for him, you know?”

She nods, and I take the moment to switch the subject of the conversation to her wedding, coming up in a little over a month. She starts talking about how much she still has left to do, and the problem with having so many people on both of their sides who want to come. I listen intently and throw in my own opinions whenever she asks for it.

I notice at one point she checks her watch a couple times throughout the lunch, but she says she has something to do soon. She’s vague about it, but I brush it off. It most likely has something to do with the wedding.

Eventually, she says that she has to go, and gives me a big hug before we leave. It’s starting to get dark outside. I drive home and pull into my parking spot, checking once again to see if Derick has texted me back yet. He hasn’t, and my stomach drops again. I sigh heavily and turn off my car.

I make my way up to my apartment and open the door, only to be surprised with a bunch of bouquets of flowers littering my apartment that weren’t here before. I spot a note on the hallway table.

Baby,
Put on the dress in your room and then meet me where we first met each other.
Love

Did I accidentally walk into the wrong apartment? No. My key wouldn’t fit someone else’s door.

Did someone break in? No. No one would break in and leave flowers and a note.

That only leaves one possible thing. Derick.

I take a look around my apartment and count sixteen dozen red roses, each in their own vase. Derick’s number is sixteen. It has to be him. But when did he get here? And how did he get all of these into my apartment? And most importantly, why?

In my room, I find a gorgeous coral dress. It has a sweetheart neckline and stops just above my knees. The top is suctioned to my body, but it puffs out slightly around my waist line. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

On the bed, there’s a pair of beautiful silver heels. I slide them on and they fit perfectly.

I grab my purse again and head out to my car. The first time Derick and I met was in high school. We had that first class together, but we didn’t officially meet there. We met outside on the school’s track during a fire drill later that week. I was with a new friend of mine, who’s twin brother happened to be Derick’s friend. They pulled us together and the four of us started talking. I was awkward and quiet at first, but something about him made me want to be more outgoing.

When I reach the high school I find Derick’s car, confirming my suspicion that he’s behind all of this. I can see the gate to the track has been opened, and follow the path. The sides of the short walk are lined with candles. Their lights flicker with the slight breeze and cast shadows along the grass.

I turn the last bend and my breath leaves my lungs. Derick is standing in the middle of the track, in the exact spot we met so many years ago. He’s wearing a full tuxedo, and his tie is the same shade of coral as my dress. He’s holding a single red rose in his hand.

His eyes light up when he sees me and his lips turn up into a smile. I walk over to him and he meets me half way, reaching out to pull me into his arms.

“You look so beautiful.” He murmurs against the skin of my neck.
“You look very handsome yourself.” I respond.

He pulls back from our embrace and stares into my eyes.

“I love you so much. I can’t even begin to describe it.” He says.
“I love you too, Derick.”
“You’ve probably got a million questions for me right now.”
“Um, yeah.” I laugh.

He tugs on my hand a little, bringing it up to his mouth for a kiss.

“I had a whole plan, you know. We were going to be on the edge of winning. I would call you and tell you I booked a flight and hotel for you to come to the game. If we were in New York or in LA, it didn’t matter. Then, when we won, I would bring you down on the ice. After the Cup was passed from teammate to teammate, I would pull you over to the side. Right there on the ice, I would drop to one knee and ask you to marry me.”

My heart starts racing.

“But then we lost. And my two biggest dreams were crushed. Not only did I lose the Cup, but I was convinced I was going to lose you too. Because what woman in their right mind would want to marry a Stanley Cup loser?”

I squeeze his hand, my heart aching at the thought of that.

“Derick-”
“Wait.” He interrupts. “I’m not done yet.”

I nod and let him continue.

“I was convinced you were going to be embarrassed of me. And so for a couple days, I pulled into my own shell. I didn’t talk to anyone. My phone died, and I didn’t even care. But then I plugged it in and saw all your texts. I realized that you still love me. That you don’t care that we lost. You still love me, and you still want me. I realized how stupid I was being. So I called my sister and asked her to get you out of the house today. I called your landlord and asked him to lend me a copy of your key. And I called your sister and asked her to pick up this dress that I picked out for you.

That was all before Mats showed up at my door, telling me to get my act together because the woman of my life was so worried about me that she would reach out to a man she’s only met a couple of times to ask him to check up on me.

That was the moment it really clicked for me. That’s when I knew that this new plan wasn’t going to be a mistake. That’s when I knew that I don’t just want you to be Mrs. Brassard. That’s when I knew that I need you to be Mrs. Brassard.”

He brings my left hand up to his lips again.

“Baby, I’m sorry that I worried you. I’m sorry that I shut down. I don’t ever want to do that again. And I promise you that I won’t. I love you, and I want to be with you forever. So before I ask you the question I brought you here for, I need you to say that you forgive me for doing that to you.”

“Of course I do.” I whisper, my heart in my throat. He visibly relaxes. “Now ask me the damn question.”

He smiles before reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a small box and fiddles with it for a second before he’s able to open in. He looks into the box and the corner of his mouth twitches. He bends down, dropping to one knee in front of me.

“I’ve never wanted anyone else to be Mrs. Brassard but you. Will you marry me?”

Even with the couple minutes that I knew this was about to happen, I still get choked up.

“Yes.” I respond quietly. “Yes!”

Notes

I love this!!!!!

I actually had that whole thing planned out in case the Rangers did win. But, you know....

Also- 50,000 readers?????? You guys are amazing!