Chapter Fifteen

It shouldn't have come as a surprise when the Blackhawks managed to snag game seven and come out on top – officially making their way into the Stanley Cup finals.

Yet…I was still in shock.

I mean, the team had done an amazing job throughout the season, but I still had prepared myself for a possible loss. I felt like a terrible person for it, but when I had talked to some of the other girlfriends and friends, they all said the same thing and it made me feel a little less guilty.

The final round consisted of the Blackhawks facing off against the New York Rangers. The first game would take place in New York and I was so excited to be able to travel with the team and maybe spend some time in NYC.

Christina could travel with me for the first game and we headed out two days before the first game to get some time to head into the city and explore.

When we touched down in NYC, Christina and I headed to the hotel while Tobias headed straight to the arena with the team to get a practice in.

After checking in, we headed into our rooms, deposited our bags, and then headed out to walk around the city while it was still light out – although, that didn't seem to matter. Christina and I went into a small café for dinner and when we came out, it was still bright even though it was past eight at night.

Looking around, I couldn't help but feel small. There were billboards bigger than some buildings, bright as day and advertising Broadway musicals or different stores – and all the stores were still opened and didn't look like they were going to close any time soon. People milled around, talking, and people-watching. Others looked like they were coming from work or heading to some fancy dinner. There were street performers every, what seemed like, twenty feet.

It was a completely different feel from Chicago and I was in love with it.

Back at the hotel, Christina headed to her room while I headed to my room. Tobias was lounging on the bed and watching the Sports Network, an empty plate of room service next to him on the table.

"Hey." I greet him, shutting the door behind me. I flop down onto the bed next to him and grin up at him. "Ready for tomorrow?"

He shrugs, muting the TV. "I guess, the team's really nervous – we almost lost the last game and I think it got to the team. Also…everybody is worn out and just really want to get this round over with."

"You'll be fine. You guys have this round in the bag." I reassure him.

I wasn't going to tell him about the research I did on the Rangers and how I watched highlights on their road to the final round of the playoffs and how I talked to several people to get their opinions on what was going to happen. I had never been so invested in a sport before, and I knew part of the reason was because Tobias was involved, but also…after a bit, it became interesting and I was enjoying the sport.

But, anyways, the Blackhawks' stats were a lot better than the Rangers' stats. And even if the Rangers could make it to the last round, both times had been by the skin of their teeth – they never won a game with more than one goal and both rounds they were forced to go into seven games. You could say that they were just lucky.

The Blackhawks' were a much better team overall and with their goalie and Tobias? I wouldn't be surprised if they won in three games.

Tobias sighs again, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me to him. "I hope you're right." He says and then kisses the top of my head.

The day of the first game, Tobias is a nervous wreck. He wakes up early the morning of to head to the arena for a quick practice with the team. When he's back, he takes a quick shower and changes into a suit and tie and I can see his hands shaking nervously as he's fixing his tie. He heads down into one of the ballrooms where he's meeting with the team to talk strategy and then the team has lunch together.

Christina sits with me in my hotel room, ordering room service for lunch. We have the sports' channel playing in the background, listening to four guys discuss the upcoming game and occasionally showing clips of sports' bars back in Chicago that are clearly ready for the game.

Christina and I make our way to the arena around five, taking a cab, and as we're nearing the arena, it's clear to see how much this city loves their team – or at least their team that might win a championship. There are people all around us on the sidewalks in Rangers' jerseys and half of them are already drunk.

We're in a box, and just like the last few away games, we're with the families of the players.

The game starts off well for the Blackhawks' and it's easy to see how much the Rangers' are struggling – they give up three goals in the first twenty minutes. Chicago keeps the lead over the next period and then when the third period comes around, the Rangers manage to score one goal, twelve minutes in. Time's ticking away and I can't pry my eyes from the ice, squeezing Christina's hand tightly any time a Rangers' player shoots the puck towards the net. Thankfully, our goalie is on his game tonight and the clock ticks down to five minutes, then three, then one and then…

Chicago takes the first game.

Tobias's earlier nerves are completely gone after this game. He returns to the hotel room later that night, after a victory dinner with the team, and he looks worn out but happy.

I'm lying in bed when Tobias comes back, the TV playing some Lifetime movie, and he flops down next to me, loosening his tie. "We won." He says, smiling over at me.

"I told you." I smile back at him. "If you win the next game, you should throw the third game to bring it home to Chicago – win the cup in the city." It was a joke, but apparently, Tobias didn't think so.

He shakes his head. "We want to win all three games, not just to get the round over with quicker, but it would also be something that isn't done very often – a sweep in the final round of the playoffs." He's smiling again, smiling up at the ceiling. "It'd show that we're a better team." I laughed at his confidence…or you could call it cockiness, either way I wasn't going to try and ruin it for him.

Back in Chicago, after returning to work and handing in some of the articles that I wrote while away, Max is more than happy to let me know he's a huge fan of my boyfriend and wants to know if it'd be possible to have drinks with him after they win.

Half this city is in love with him and the thought makes me laugh. But then there's that little voice…the one that's reminding me there are hundreds of women, prettier women, that would happily throw themselves at Tobias if he were open to it. But he's not. He's with me and he's never so much as looked at another woman the way he looks at me. And it's a reassuring thought that effectively silences that little voice.

The second game of the finals starts just the same as the last one – except this time, the Blackhawks only manage to get two goals because of the Rangers' backup goalie, who seems to be a lot more aware than the other. When the third period starts, it's 2-1 Chicago and then eighteen minutes later, the Rangers tie it up and the game goes into overtime. It's three-on-three and the entire arena is on their feet, cheering and chanting, hoping to end this in five minutes. And it does – the Rangers manage to get one past Crawford and the Rangers take game two. One the bright side – if Chicago wins the next game, the finals come back to Chicago and there's a possibility of them lifting the cup in the city.

Back in New York, I'm left alone in the hotel room while Tobias is at practice. Christina couldn't make it, she was stuck with a client for a few days, so I didn't venture too far from the hotel while Tobias was gone.

Once again, I'm in the family box suite but I manage to sneak off into the lower section of the stands in the middle of the first period. It may be over-crowded and loud, but I'm closer to the ice and it's almost comical how I'm the only person in a Hawks jersey, surrounded by Rangers fans.

It's scoreless the first two periods, both teams managing to fight off the other team to keep the score at zero through the first forty. And then…the Blackhawks get a power play after one of the Rangers is called for holding, and Tobias manages to steal the puck and earn a breakaway, flying up the ice and I'm on my feet. I'm on my feet and my heart is racing as the other Blackhawks fans and the bench cheer him on. He winds up and then shoots the puck into the back of the net, the red light going on and he throws his arms up in the air as his teammates surround him in a group hug, patting his head.

There are groans from around me, but I'm screaming and clapping and can't stop smiling. No more goals are scored after that, the game ending with the Blackhawks winning 1-0 and the round goes back to Chicago.

Back in Chicago, there's a good three days before the (hopefully) last game, so while Tobias is resting and after I swing by work, I head to the new house to see how the construction is coming along. After going through the original plans of the house, I had a few things I had wanted to change – updating the kitchen so it was more modern, changing some of the carpeted floors to hardwood and getting rid of the wallpaper that the previous owners had decorated with. The house is empty, when I get there, the renovators done for the day so I walk around, careful not to touch any paint or tools. All our new furniture is in a storage unit, making the wait to move in so much harder.

Making my way upstairs, I stop by the soon-to-be guest room. It was originally supposed to be Christina's room, but she told me that Will had asked her to move in with him. I promised her that the room was still up for grabs if she ever needed to use it.

My parents were extremely happy about the house, since it was only a few blocks from them, and my Mom was especially happy to know that she'd have a room whenever she wanted to visit. Though, I didn't understand why she'd need a room if she were only a few blocks from us. But I didn't question it.

Back at the apartment, Tobias was in the living room with his laptop propped on his lap. He was scrolling through some website – a sports website – when I sit down next to him and he quickly shut the laptop before I can see much more.

"What was that?" I ask, confused.

He shakes his head. "Nothing, just…looking over my stats." He's a terrible liar.

I give him a look and shake my head. "No, you weren't." He would never look at his stats on a sports' website, he'd call his coach – and besides, he gets a daily report from him in writing.

"I was reading some of the comments about the last game and they weren't the best."

"But you scored the winning goal…" I remind him, trying to make him feel better.

He shakes his head again, rubbing his face with his hands. "That doesn't matter. Some of the fans aren't too happy with how little I've produced during the last few games." He places the laptop on the coffee table and leans forward, resting his elbows on the top of his knees.

I rub his back reassuringly. "Don't listen to them, Tobias. You've been amazing lately and their opinions don't matter. You have, hopefully, one game left and when you lift that cup up – they'll have nothing but great things to say about you."

Tobias turns to look at me, a smirk on his face. "You have too much confidence in me."

I roll my eyes. "And you don't have enough confidence in yourself. God, back in college you were so cocky about how good you were and now you're constantly putting yourself down. Stop it!"

"In my defense, I was the best on the team in college." He laughs and I laugh along with him, shaking my head.

He leans in and presses his lips against mine, placing his hands on either side of my face and holding me in place. I melt into the kiss, reveling in the feel of his lips against mine and how soft and warm they are and how the kiss sends volts of electricity through my veins and makes my stomach flutter.

He breaks the kiss, too soon, and stands up wearing a huge grin. Bending down, he easily lifts me over his shoulder and I squeal, slapping a hand over my mouth, stifling my giggles. He doesn't drop me until we're in the bedroom where he gently tosses me down onto the bed and I'm still laughing when he kisses me again, more heat behind this kiss.

The morning of the fourth game, I wake up to Tobias trying to slide out of the bed without waking me, trying to untangle my legs from his, but doing a terrible job of it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He apologizes, standing up and pulling on his sweatpants. He bends down to give me a quick peck. "I need to get ready."

Today's game was a matinee – it started at three. Turning over to glance at the clock, it's almost ten-thirty. Tobias needs to be at the arena by twelve for a warm-up practice and then for a meeting with the team.

As he's getting ready, I make myself some breakfast and flick through the TV channels. My stomach is in knots, anxious for the game. I really hope that it's the last game today. Not only will he get the win, but he'll be done after that. No more traveling, no more practices or games for a good three months. We'll finally get to spend more time together and we can move into the new house and get settled in. I want to be normal for a bit.

Tobias leaves around eleven and Christina and Will arrive shortly after his departure. Will is carrying a pizza box and my stomach grumbles in appreciation – it's deep dish, my favorite.

We head to the United Center around one, meeting up with some of Will's friends in the parking lot where they're tailgating. We spend some time with them, enjoying some drinks, before heading into the arena and to our seats – we were in the box again, and while I was grateful for the seats, I still wanted to sit closer to the ice.

The United Center is loud, the sea of red, white, and black in front of me excited and some of them intoxicated enough to try and start the wave.

Christina brings me a drink and I give her a smile, thanking her, and focus back on the game that's less than five seconds away from starting. Everyone is in their position – Tobias at the center for the puck drop and as soon as it hits the ice, the crowd erupts into loud cheers as the Blackhawks manage to get control of the puck.

The first twenty minutes is entertaining, the Blackhawks score a goal which is quickly followed by a Rangers goal. The same thing happens fifteen minutes later, except the Rangers score first and the Blackhawks bounce back less than thirty seconds later. It's tied 2-2 by the end of the first period. I'm able to breathe during the intermission, forcing myself to eat some food because I know my anxiety will get the best of me tonight. The second period starts, and there are two players, one from each team, that look like they're arguing before the puck drops. As soon as the puck drops, the two have their gloves off and are fighting, the crowd jumping to their feet – Will cheers next to me – and then two more players are fighting on the ice. This time…Tobias is involved. My stomach clenches and I should put my drink down. I suddenly feel sick. I hold my breath as I focus on Tobias and his opponent, each gripping the other's jersey and Tobias gets in a few good hits and so does his opponent. Oh, man – his face is going to be marked up.

The refs let the two fights go on for a few seconds before they step in, ripping the men apart – teammates helping keep the men apart, pushing them towards the penalty boxes.

The game goes to 3-on-3 for the next five minutes and it's terrible for my anxiety. I focus on the game and then occasionally steal a look towards the penalty box where Tobias is sitting, his helmet off and wiping his face off with a towel. I can't see much, but I know that he must have some cuts or possible bruising – his opponent had been bigger than him.

Once the penalties are over, the players are all back on the ice and the game goes back to even strength 5-on-5. It's scoreless through the last few minutes of the second period.

But once the third period starts, the Blackhawks get a goal within thirty seconds, sending the entire crowd to their feet, towels swinging over their heads in celebration. We're up by one, but the team doesn't celebrate for long. They know that they still have awhile to go – nineteen minutes is enough to score another goal.

But the Rangers don't score – they look worn out and like they're running on nothing but steam. The Blackhawks don't look much better either, but they manage to pressure the Rangers and keep them away from scoring.

The crowd is on their feet for the last minute of the game, everyone cheering and watching the game, holding their breaths as the seconds ticked down. And then at five seconds, the arena broke out into a countdown…and then…

And then the clock hits zero, the game is over and the Blackhawks win. The Blackhawks' goalie throws his stick in the air, followed by his gloves as his team jumps off the bench and runs to crowd him, piling on top of him in a dog pile. Everyone in our suite is cheering and hugging. Christina is jumping up and down and we're screaming and cheering and I have tears in my eyes. Will is high-fiving the other people in the suite, cheering just as loudly as the crowd.

The Rangers head to their bench, sitting down and looking solemn and worn out, exhausted. I feel bad for a split second, but I'm too excited and happy for my team to care.

Somebody – the commissioner, I believe – brings out the Cup, multiple people carrying it with gloved hands, and set it on a red-clothed table. There are few people leaving the arena – Rangers' fans – but other than that, everybody is on their feet and clapping, cheering, whistling in celebration.

The Captain is the first to lift the cup, and he then chooses who to hand it off to. He holds it high over his head, cheering and skating in small circles as the crowd gets louder. And then he hands it off to Tobias – he looks surprised for a second before taking it and then lifting it.

I'm smiling from ear to ear, my chest swelling with pride and I want to go to him on the ice. I want to congregate him.

After each member of the team gets to lift the trophy, and both teams line up for a handshake, the crowd starts to leave to go and continue their celebration – there's going to be a parade in Chicago in a few weeks where they can celebrate more. The other people in our suite let us know that we can head down to meet the team on the ice and the only thing keeping me from running down is Christina gripping my hand tightly, probably knowing what I want to do.

I'm happy that I wore flat boots tonight, because the women wearing heels don't look comfortable enough to walk on the carpet that's laid over the ice for us. They stay by the benches.

The team is finishing their team photo when we arrive to the ice. I pick Tobias out from his jersey number and hurry over to him. He skates to where I'm standing on the carpet and lifts me up in a bone-crushing hug. I wrap my arms around the back of his neck tightly and press my lips to his. "I told you that you could do it." I smile and he laughs, kissing me again. He's sweaty and smells but I don't care. I don't care.

Some of his teammates make their way over to him, smiling at him holding me up like a child, and then clap him on the shoulder. They congratulate him and then give me a friendly smile before skating off to other teammates or people.

"You can put me down." I laugh, as he tries to acknowledge his coach while still holding me up. It's embarrassing at this point, honestly.

He shakes his head. "You're my luck charm, I'm not putting you down." I roll my eyes and he sets me on my feet on the carpet again. Christina and Will congratulate him, Will giving him a hug with a slap on the back.

After a little more celebration, the team heads to the locker room where they're more than likely going to chug beer from the cup – Will told me that it's something pretty much every team does.

It takes half an hour for Tobias to come back out, dressed in his suit again. I'm finally able to canvas him when he's out of his gear and I can see a cut above his eyebrow along with another one near his cheek. Other than that, he's not hurt.

He scoops me up again into another hug and I can smell beer on him and his hair is still sweaty. He presses his lips against mine, hungrily. Something stirs in my stomach and I feel my cheeks warm as I see the press near us, some of whom are watching us. "Let's go." He says, placing me back on my feet and taking my hand. He hands me his car keys, knowing he can't drive, and he holds my free hand on the drive back to his apartment.

He's radiating happiness and pure ecstasy – it's like a child that's locked into Disney World for the night.

When we get back to his apartment, he wastes no time in pulling me to him, my chest against his, as he backs me against the wall when the door shuts behind us. I giggle and then his lips are crushing mine, and then they're moving from my mouth to my chin and then my neck.

"I really…really hate to ruin this." I say, breathless, placing my hands on his shoulders to push him away. "But you really stink."

He laughs and steps back. He gives me a peck on the cheek and then heads into the bathroom to shower.

When he's done a few minutes later, I'm still standing in the living room, my hands shaking slightly as I cross my arms over my chest. "Are you okay?" He asks, worried. What is my face giving away?

"I have a question…"

Tobias looks at me, nervously and confused. "What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to look up at him. To look at him in the face. "Do you…do you still have the ring that you gave me around Christmas?"

His face blanks and he gasps a little. "Are you serious?" His eyebrows shoot up in surprise and my stomach is still in knots. At least, until he smiles again and then he steps towards me, placing his hands on my hips. "Are you serious?" He asks again.

Nodding, I smile at him. "I am one-hundred percent sure."

"Is this just because I won the Stanley Cup?" He jokes, tilting his head to the side.

I laugh loudly. "Of course, that's the only reason I was ever with you." I shake my head and move my hands to rest on his biceps. "But in all seriousness, I told you I was all in. We're moving in together and I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

He's kissing me again, one hand cupping the back of my head and the other wrapped tightly around my waist. "I win the Stanley Cup and get to have you for the rest of my life. Nothing will ever beat today."

I laugh aloud, tossing my head back. "You're very dramatic." I say, smiling.

"It's true!" He presses his forehead to mine, all humor gone, his blue eyes deep and dark. "I love you so much, Tris."

Sighing, I close my eyes. "I love you, too." And then I kiss him and am relieved that the beer and sweat smell is gone from him.

He holds me tightly, the same bone-crushing hug as earlier, and I don't want him to pull away. I don't want him to let me go. And I don't have to. He's a champion, he's done for the season and we're going to move in together and get married. What happened in the past, happened. There's nothing either of us can do to change that. And while it still hurts me, even though I still have dreams about what it'd be like if we were a complete family, I'm happy. Tobias will be by my side and I have him to lean on when the pain gets to be too much at times.

He's mine, and only mine. And I am his.

And that's that! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get up. I didn't expect it to be so long, but I'm sure nobody will complain about that. But yeah, this is the last chapter of this story! I'm so glad ya'll liked it and the comments and reviews really helped me! I appreciate it so much!

Thank you!