Welcome to your bonus chapter from Love on Thin Ice!

Proposal Planning: Jack

I’m not a nervous guy. I’ve played in more high-stakes hockey games than I can count, faced down the best players in the league, and handled the pressure of being team captain like it’s second nature. But standing here, staring at the glass case full of engagement rings, I feel like I’m about to pass out.

“Man, you look like you’re about to puke,” Liam says, leaning casually against the counter. “Seriously, Jack, it’s a ring. Not a bomb.”

I glare at him, but it doesn’t have the usual effect, because he just grins and pops another piece of gum into his mouth. “This is a big deal, Liam,” I snap. “I can’t screw this up.”

“You’re not gonna screw it up,” he drawls, like he’s bored out of his mind. “She’s already in love with you. The ring is just a shiny bonus.”

I run a hand through my hair, my eyes darting between the rows of diamonds, each one somehow shinier and more intimidating than the last. How am I supposed to know which one is “the one?” They all look the same to me—sparkly and expensive.

“I don’t know, man,” I mutter, leaning closer to the case. “What if I pick the wrong one? What if she hates it?”

Liam snorts. “Poppy would marry you if you proposed with a ring pop. Stop overthinking it.”

I shoot him another glare, but this time, he actually shuts up, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. Let’s just ask the expert.” He turns to the sales associate, a woman in her mid-fifties with glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She’s been watching me with a mix of amusement and pity for the last ten minutes.

“Ma’am,” Liam says, flashing her his most charming grin. “This guy here is head-over-skates for his girl, but he’s a little…uh, out of his depth. Any chance you could point him in the right direction?”

The woman’s eyes twinkle, but otherwise, she’s steely and no-nonsense. “Of course. Tell me about her,” she says, turning her attention to me. “What’s she like?”

I take a deep breath, trying to put into words everything that makes Poppy, well, Poppy. “She’s amazing,” I start, my voice softening. “She’s smart and creative and funny. She’s got this fire in her, but she’s also the sweetest person I’ve ever met. She’s strong, but she doesn’t even realize it. And when she looks at me…” I trail off, my throat tightening. “She makes me feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

The saleswoman smiles, her expression warm and knowing. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a keeper.”

I nod, my chest tightening with emotion. “I do. And I want her to know that. I want her to have something that shows her how much she means to me.”

She studies me for a moment, then reaches into the case and pulls out a ring. It’s simple and elegant, with a single round diamond set in a delicate platinum band. “What about this one?” she asks, holding it out to me.

I stare at it, my heart thudding in my chest. It’s perfect. Not too flashy, not too over-the-top.

“I’ll take it,” I say, my voice firm.

Liam claps me on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of me. “There you go, man. See? That wasn’t so hard.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. One step down. Now comes the hard part—figuring out how to ask her to be mine forever.

#

Back at the arena, I’m pacing the locker room, the velvet ring box burning a hole in my pocket. I’ve been running through possible proposal ideas all week, and every single one of them feels wrong. Too cheesy, too impersonal, too…not us.

“Okay, hear me out,” Liam says from his spot on the bench, where he’s lacing up his skates. “What if you hide the ring in a puck, and then during practice, you ‘accidentally’ shoot it her way? She picks it up, sees the ring, and boom! You’re engaged.”

I stop pacing and stare at him. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Is he serious?

“What if it falls out on the ice? And what if I hit her with it?” I shake my head. “Hide it in a puck. And what? It just pops open at her touch?”

I glare at him as he literally laughs and shrugs. “You want this to be a big deal.” He lunges for the ring box, and I barely lift it out of his grasp in time. “You take that ring everywhere, for crying out loud.”

“You should just keep it simple,” Chase chimes in from across the room, tossing a puck from hand to hand. “Women like that romantic stuff—candles, flowers, the whole nine yards.”

“This is Poppy we’re talking about,” I remind him. “She buys herself flowers and puts on fashion shows and…stuff.” I can’t articulate her amazingness enough, and the proposal has to match.

“Then make it different,” Chase says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “Do something that’s totally you two.”

I frown, chewing on the inside of my bottom lip. Something that’s us. Something that’s special. Something that shows her how much I love her.

And then it hits me.

The game. The ice. The big win—if we win.

It could be absolutely perfect.

#

The day of the big game, I can barely focus. My teammates keep giving me weird looks as I fidget on the bench, my knee bouncing up and down like a jackhammer. Liam leans over and smacks me on the shoulder. “Dude, you’re making me nervous. Chill out.”

“Easy for you to say,” I mutter. “You’re not about to propose in front of an entire arena.”

“We have to win first, brother. You should be focused on that.”

“You have a plan,” Chase says. “We’ve just got to stick to the plan.”

“The plan,” I echo, taking a deep breath. Right. The plan. Score the game-winning goal, celebrate with the team, and then…pop the question.

No pressure.

Finally, the game starts, and I’m back in my element. The movement of my skates on ice, the weight of the stick in my hand. My breathing matches the energy of the game, and everything is absolutely perfect.

And it’s a nail-biter, which I don’t necessarily mind, because it keeps fans in the seats. They’re not bored, and that means the players on the ice aren’t either.

As the clock winds down, the game tied, my heart feels like it’s going to explode. But then the puck lands on my stick, and everything else fades away. I wind up, take the shot, and watch as it sails into the net.

The crowd erupts, my teammates swarm me, and for a moment, I let myself get lost in the celebration. But then I catch sight of Poppy in the stands, her face glowing with pride as she claps and cheers, and I remember why I’m really here.

Step one: Win the game.

Check.

Step two: Ask her to be my wife.

I skate over to the glass, where she yells that she loves me. So maybe I could propose with a ring pop. Still. I’m not doing that, and I tap the glass and nod toward the ice. She looks confused at first, but then one of the rink attendants leads her out, and my heart starts pounding all over again.

As she steps onto the ice, slipping slightly in her boots, I know this is it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

Chase skates over, exactly according to plan. He passes me the ring box—see? I do go places without it—and I drop to one knee right there on the ice. I look up at her, my chest tight with emotion. Her eyes widen, her hands flying to her mouth, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.

“Poppy Brighton,” I say, my voice shaking just slightly.

But I’ve forgotten the plan, because Liam hasn’t arrived with the mic yet. Still, it’s pretty obvious what I’m doing, and when my best friend finally does arrive with the mic, I grin at him.

“Say it again, brother,” he says, and I look back to the love of my life.

I repeat her name, this time into the mic. “You’ve changed my life in ways I never thought possible.” I’m breathless, and I’m not sure if it’s because I just finished a hockey game or I’m too nervous to speak. “You’ve made me a better man, a better player, and I can’t imagine my future without you in it.”

I open the box, praying I got the right diamond. “Will you marry me?”

Poppy doesn’t answer right away, and the best fans in the world start to chant, “Mar-ry him! Mar-ry him!”

Liam switches the mic to Poppy, getting right up close to her face.

“Yes,” she says in a somewhat shaky voice. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

The arena explodes in cheers as relief fires through me. I slip the ring onto her fingers and jump to my feet. I pull her into my arms and kiss her, not even caring how many cameras are recording or snapping pictures.

Because Poppy is mine, and she’s the best score my life.

Read Book 2 – Love in the Net – now!