The Day Has Come (Counting on Hockey #4)

Epilogue: 5 Years later

Everything in the past 15 years has led me to days like this where I don't regret a single thing I've ever done. The few people I call family sitting next to me, and talking the way we have since high school.

Today is October 12th. Exactly 15 years ago, I met my husband, and later that day, my best friend. Now, the three of us, married, with three kids combined.

We're in Malibu right now, for a family vacation, before hockey season starts in three days. Ariana, Noah's wife of three and a half years, took my daughters, Lennon and Leila Amber, and their son, Wyatt, up the boardwalk to play arcade games, so Noah, Cole, and I have a few minutes to talk alone again. We haven't talked without anything or anyone else around since before Lennon was born.

I walk between my 30 year old husband, Cole, and my 31 year old best friend, Noah. Me, a 30 year old woman who is lucky enough to know these men, two amazing, hall of fame worthy NHL hockey players.

"Do you guys know what today is?" I ask them. They shake their heads after thinking for a moment. "We met exactly fifteen years ago today. Why else would I have made a vacation just days before the season".

"Do you remember how mean you were to me when I found you in the hallway?" Cole asks me.

"The first time I saw you, it looked like you wanted to kill me. I was standing my ground", I respond.

"How about when I liked both you and your sister?" Noah asks me.

"Noah, that was gross. I'm glad you grew out of that real quick".

We keep walking down the surprisingly empty Malibu beach, and we talk about the years we've spent together as friends. The bad times when we fought and didn't talk, or the good times when we went on road trips and vacations. All of those events helped us as friends, creating a strong bond.

We decide to sit down on the sand and watch the waves come up to our feet, then recede. We sit silently for a few minutes, watching the open ocean in front of us.

"What's going to happen to us in the next fifteen years?" Noah asks.

"I'm going to kick your ass until we retire from the NHL", Cole tells Noah sarcastically.

"You wish, my young prodigy", Noah retorts. We all laugh. "No guys, really? We have kids now, before now, we hadn't seen each other since the draft out in LA. And we saw each other for a day and a half. I don't want to see you guys for a day or two every few months".

"We have to take it day by day", I start. "But nothing can break us apart. We've made it this far, we can go for a lot longer".

Before any of us can say anything else, the screams of joy and laughter pop up behind us. I turn my head to see my two daughters and Noah's son run up to us. "Mommy, Mama", my two year old, Leila Amber, calls over to me.

Leila Amber plops down on my lap, Wyatt hangs over his father's shoulders, and Lennon sits in between Cole's legs. Cole wraps his arms around our oldest daughter, placing a kiss on top of her head.

Ariana sits down on the other side of Noah and kisses his cheek. Wyatt tries to climb over Noah's head, but not in time for Noah to grab Wyatt's arms and pull him over. Wyatt lands on Noah's lap, laughing hysterically.

"How were the arcade games?" Cole asks our daughters.

"I won the balloon pop game", Lennon squeals with happiness.

"Did you get a prize?" I ask her.

She hold up something in her hand. "I got a flip flop key thing", Lennon replies to me.

The seven of us sit on the beach, after a few minutes, the three kids start to make a sand castle in the wet sand on the shore line. Ariana, Noah, Cole, and I sit and watch our children play together. My five year old, Lennon, sits on the edge of the water and gives her younger sister, Leila Amber, piles of sand to build the castle, which is one big pile of sand they say is a castle. Wyatt collects twigs and small stones from around us to decorate the castle with. Ariana goes off to help her son.

"Princess. My lovely ex wife", Noah grabs my hand, and looks between Cole and I. "We don't have to worry about the next fifteen years. The three of us are going to live in a nursing home together, and we're going to die on the same day".

"We have a lot longer than fifteen years until that happens. We have at least forty five", I respond.

"At least we have what we have right now. Happy marriages, kids, jobs. We don't need anything else".

Before any of us can say anything, Noah stands up and pulls me up. Cole stands up next to me. We all wrap our arms around each other. I'm much smaller than them, so I'm squished in between.

"I love you princess. I love you Cole", Noah whispers.

"I love you buddy. I love you Mere".

"I love both of you. So much".