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GEORGIA

“Excuse me,” I say to Alexei the next day when I step into the living room.

He’s lying on the sofa, reading emails on his phone, the bunnies on either side of him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them so relaxed.

He’s wearing a black T-shirt that looks unfairly good on him. Dark colors suit him. God, he’s hot.

“What is this?” I gesture at him and the bunnies.

He shrugs. “They wanted out of your room.”

“They were making noise?”

“I could just tell they wanted out.” He absently strokes a hand down Stefan’s back and the bunny’s eyes close.

Interesting. I start to smile. “Find any tumors?”

He gives me an annoyed look and I’m fully grinning now. “No, but I better keep looking.”

God, my heart. This is too freaking cute. “Are you guys all friends or something now?”

“Hellfire,” he sighs, and I’m fully grinning, because that means yes. “Do you need something?”

“Nope. Just finding this extremely interesting.” And adorable. I’m on the bottom of the stairs when he calls after me.

“I’ve got an idea for soccer practice tomorrow night.”

With narrowed eyes, I turn .

“I’m going.” He rests his arm over the back of the sofa, watching me.

Wait. “So are you coaching with me every week now?”

For the past month and a half, since he first helped me out, if he didn’t have a game and wasn’t traveling, he came with me to soccer. He never talks over me or tells me how to coach, he just watches, listens, and asks if he can help.

And he always wears the friendship bracelets, which the girls love.

He studies me. “Ward says our lives are about more than hockey.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “I’m not ready to retire but,” he takes a deep breath, letting it out on a heavy exhale, “I don’t want to be left with nothing when I do.”

My heart feels funny. Achey and tight. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say, I’d never let you be left with nothing , but I can’t say that. That’s the kind of thing people say when they’re in relationships.

And I don’t know what this is.

He shrugs. “And someone has to stop you from teaching them that bend-and-snap thing from the movie the other night.”

“So you were watching.” I had Legally Blonde on downstairs the other night when he got home and he kept walking through the living room, lingering. “Okay, what’s your idea?”

“Luca’s such a heartthrob,” Darcy whispers the next evening at the rink as we stand at the bench.

I grin. The girls in his group are hanging on to his every word. Half of them are blushing. “They do seem obsessed with him.”

“Don’t be afraid to fall,” Alexei calls across the ice as they all start the skating drill. “Your equipment will protect you. ”

“This was a good idea.” Hazel appears at my other side. “Cross-training is so important.” She’s led a few yoga classes for the soccer team.

“And the girls seem to be having a ton of fun,” Darcy adds.

My gaze goes to my husband, yelling out encouragement as the girls skate. “It was all Alexei.”

He did everything: got permission from the parents to change the practice location, booked ice time, arranged for skates and gear, and convinced the available Storm players to participate. Hayden, Rory, Luca, Jamie—they’re all here. Even Ward showed up to watch and support.

In the seating behind the glass, parents watch, talking and enjoying hot beverages and snacks that Alexei had catered.

Some sad, limp, listless part of my mind croaks detached, while the devil inside me rolls her eyes. How can I stay detached when he does things like this?

Hazel spots a parent who goes to her fitness studio and heads off to say hi, and Darcy gives me a sidelong look full of meaning.

“Stop it.”

Her smile pulls higher. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Good.” I suppress a smile of my own. “Keep it that way.”

“But if I were to say something, I’d say, wow, he must really like you.”

“He doesn’t, but okay.” I think about how working with the rookie seems to bring him happiness. “I think he’s just considering what to do after hockey.” A thought strikes me, something I’ve been meaning to ask Darcy. “Hey, you know when he brought you flowers last year, on the double date?”

She smiles. “The ones Hayden called funeral flowers ?”

We laugh. “Yes. Those. Do you remember what they were?”

“Lotus.” Her eyebrows knit together as she thinks. “Kind of an interesting choice.” She catches sight of my expression and gives me an odd look. “What? ”

My heart’s doing that funny flip again. “Lotus flowers— strength, resilience, and rebirth .” The perfect flower for Darcy’s transformative year. I look away to avoid her pleased, inquisitive gaze. “He has a book of flower meanings.”

“That’s surprisingly thoughtful of him.”

We look over to the man in question, working with the girls. “ He is surprisingly thoughtful.”

Darcy turns that curious gaze back to me, about to say something, but Tate approaches with his daughter.

I beam at her. “Hi, Bea.”

“Hi.” She gives me and Darcy a shy smile. She has Tate’s green eyes and his dark hair. Ugh. My heart. She’s so freaking cute.

“Look at how much fun they’re having,” Tate says, gesturing at the ice. “You want to play hockey?”

She grins. “No,” she says firmly, and we laugh.

Tate pretends to look heartbroken. “Aw, come on.”

“No.” She shakes her head.

He smiles at her like she’s everything to him. “The queen has spoken.” She tugs him toward the catered food. “All right, I promised her cookies.”

We smile after them but my attention is snagged by my husband, skating to a stop in front of the bench to speak to Luca.

“Rookie.” Alexei gestures to him. “You want to lead them through the stretch?”

“You bet, boss.” Luca grins and the two of them gather the girls into a circle on the ice, Luca sitting in the center, while the rest of the Storm players head over to us at the bench.

Hayden pulls his helmet off and drops a quick kiss on Darcy’s mouth. “Hi, honey.”

“Thanks for coming tonight,” I tell him. “I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t worry about it. That was fun.” He gives me a good-natured smile. “Besides, I didn’t have a choice. Volkov said it was mandatory. ”

He wiggles his eyebrows at me before he and Darcy head over to where the other Storm players sign autographs and take pictures with the parents.

Alexei skates to a stop in front of me. “Why are you hiding behind the bench?”

“I was giving you room to coach.”

“You’re the coach. Not me.”

I lift a shoulder, smiling. “I didn’t mind letting you take the lead tonight.”

“Oh yeah?” He arches an eyebrow, eyes sparking. “You don’t mind me taking the lead?”

“Controlling,” I say lightly, but I’m smiling, and from the way his mouth tips up, he knows I don’t mean it.

“Come here,” he says, watching me with a look that makes my stomach dip with excitement.

“Why?”

“I’m going to kiss you.”

Another dip. “Because everyone’s going to see.”

“Sure. We’ll go with that.”

I lift my chin in defiance. “You come here, then.”

He grips the front of my jacket, holding my eyes, slowly pulling me toward him, before he gives me a soft, sweet kiss.

I like this too much. It’s a problem.

“Was that so bad?” His voice is a low murmur against my lips.

“I guess not.”

He lets out a light puff of air. “Stubborn.”

On the other side of the rink, the players glance over at us, smiling.