“Ecstatic.” She smiled at him and pulled his mouth to hers, tasting the hot buttered rum on his lips and reveling in the warmth of his body.
He nuzzled her cheek with his rough one. “Izzy, there’s something you need to know.” The seriousness of his tone made her stiffen and pull back slightly.
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m going to sign a new contract effective at the end of the season.”
Izzy held her breath. Oh, God, here it came. The moment she’d been dreading. “With who?” She couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice.
“The best team in the NHL with best ownership, coaches, and front office. It’s long-term, and I’ll retire with this team.”
She held his arms tightly. “What team?”
Cooper glanced out at the water. The Seattle skyscrapers and the Space Needle lit up the distant skyline. “The team that plays for the most beautiful city in the country.”
“Cooper, you’re killing me here.”
Cooper looked so serious, which made her dread his answer all the more. He was building up their new city before he dropped the bombshell, but she’d promised, and she’d follow him wherever he went.
But damn, she’d miss Seattle.
Then she noticed a smile tugging at the corner of Cooper’s lips and realized he was toying with her. The butthead.
“What team?” she asked through gritted teeth.
For a minute he didn’t answer, as if relishing her discomfort, the bastard. He met her gaze, his blue eyes sparkling with pure devilment. “The Seattle Sockeyes. Ever heard of them?” He grinned at her now.
Izzy blew out a breath and started laughing, even though she wanted to throttle him for stringing her along. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Positive. I’ve found my forever home. In fact, I bought it, just yesterday.”
“Bought it?”
“The house we’re in. It’s ours.”
“Ours?” She loved that house, absolutely loved it. Love the funky early sixties’ style and how it hadn’t been modernized to the point of losing its character.
“Yeah, ours.” He kept grinning, cluing her in that he wasn’t done with his surprises. “And guess what?”
“What?”
“A forever house needs a forever love. Don’t you think?”
Before she could answer, he dropped to one knee and all the breath escaped her lungs.
He took her hands in his and stared up at her. Oh, God, she couldn’t believe this was happening. Behind Cooper stood their entire group of family and friends, every one of them smiling.
“Will you be my forever love, Izzy?” Cooper gazed up at her, his eyes filled with love and hope.
She blinked back the tears and nodded furiously, unable to speak. He put a gorgeous diamond ring on her finger, a single stone ringed with sapphires and emeralds.
“Blue for the water and green for the mountains,” he explained, but he didn’t need to explain. She knew what they stood for. She threw herself at him before he could stand and almost knocked him to the deck. Their friends and family cheered.
He managed to stand with her hanging all over him and kissed her possessively on the lips. She was his, and he was hers. He broke the kiss and spun her around in a slow circle, while Izzy held him tightly to her, giggling with joy. When he let her down, Riley joined them for a group hug.
In the distance, the Space Needle winked at her while Christmas lights reflected off the water on the shore, and the Seattle skyline welcomed her home.
Their forever home, the perfect place for their forever love.
THE END