Page 51 of Moms of Mayhem (Mayhem Hockey Club #1)

The room was still wrapped in shadows when I woke, the faintest thread of light just beginning to stretch across the horizon.

Emmy was beside me, half-tangled in the sheets, her face turned toward mine, lips parted in sleep. One hand rested on my chest, her fingers curled just above my heart like she’d been holding on even in her dreams.

My breath caught somewhere between awe and ache.

I had to go.

Training started on Friday, which meant I had to drive down today.

Returning to the ice was everything I said I wanted. Everything I’d worked toward since the day I went under the knife, since the moment the surgeon said if instead of when .

And yet, lying here, with her tucked against me in bed, it didn’t feel like victory.

It felt like heartbreak.

I brushed my knuckles gently along her arm, tracing the line of her shoulder, careful not to wake her. I wanted to freeze time, stay wrapped in this quiet dawn with her forever.

She shifted slightly, letting out a soft sigh that hit me square in the chest.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

I wasn’t supposed to fall for her. Not like this. Not so fast or so deep that the thought of leaving her made my stomach twist into knots I couldn’t untangle.

I’d spent my whole career chasing the next level, the next win, the next shot to prove I was good enough. And now that it was finally in reach again, all I could think about was what I’d have to leave behind to take it.

Who I’d leave.

Emmy had changed everything.

Not just my recovery or my routines, but the way I saw my future.

Of course, I wanted to be on the ice. I missed it. But not like I knew I was going to miss this—the early mornings at the pond with Jace. The sound of my mom’s house full of love and laughter. The late nights with Emmy’s body wrapped around mine.

I never thought the hardest part of going back would be walking away from home, because that’s what this was. Her, and Jace, and this messy, beautiful life we’d somehow stitched together.

I didn’t know how to leave.

Didn’t know how to stay, either.

But I did know I’d never be the same again. Not after her.

I brushed the hair out of her face, leaning forward to kiss her. Her lashes fluttered, and her hands tightened on my chest, snuggling closer into my chest.

“Good morning,” she murmured, voice thick with sleep .

“I love you,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Her eyes snapped open like I’d yanked her straight out of sleep and into freefall.

She hadn’t said it back last night, but that wasn’t what this was about. I didn’t say it to get something in return. I already knew how she felt. I felt it in every glance, every touch, every time she looked at me like she wasn’t sure how we got here but was damn glad we did.

Still, I said it again, slower this time. Clearer. “I love you, Emmy Hudson.”

She stared at me, breath catching, her gaze flickering between mine like she was trying to make sense of the words.

“Beckett,” she whispered. “You can’t say that. Not when you’re leaving today.”

I brushed my thumb along her cheek, gently pulling her back into the moment. “That’s exactly why I’m saying it.”

She sat up, the sheet falling to her waist, panic creeping into her voice. “You have to go back. And I can’t go with you. I won’t ask you to stay—I would never?—”

“I know.” I sat up with her, cupping her face in my hands. “You’d never ask. That’s why I needed to say it. So there’s no confusion. No gray area.”

She blinked fast, lips parting like she wanted to argue.

“I’m not giving up my dream,” I said quietly. “But see, my mom has this theory about dreams. The moment you realize there’s something better out there, they change. Still the same, still mine, just more.”

Her lips parted, and I could see the moment the words landed. The way her whole body stilled like she was afraid to believe me .

“You were always part of the plan,” I continued. “I just didn’t know it yet.”

Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over before she could stop them. She pressed a hand to her mouth, then reached for me like she didn’t know what else to do.

“I love you too,” she whispered into my shoulder, voice breaking on the last word. “I didn’t mean to fall so hard. God, I didn’t mean to, but?—”

“But you did,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around her and holding her like I’d never let go. “And so did I. So, let’s figure out how the hell we do this.”

Her arms tightened around my neck, her face buried in my chest.

“I want you to chase it,” she whispered. “I want you to get everything you’ve worked for, everything you deserve. I just…”

“I don’t want to do it without you.” I finished the sentence for her. “So, we won’t.”

She pulled back just enough to look at me, eyes rimmed red. “Now, if only you’d quit stealing my parking spots, you’d be the perfect man.”

A laugh stuttered out of me, and I leaned in to kiss her, hope for tomorrow filling my chest. I didn’t know what it would look like, but I knew it would be with her.

I went home to pack, said goodbye to my mom and Shannon, then got Mikko and Logan on the road. Gravel crunched under my tires as I rolled to a stop outside Copper Ridge. Ty’s ranch on the outskirts of town was my last stop, and then I would be following my teammates back down to Denver.

Unlike the Wilder farm, Ty kept everything at Copper Ridge in pristine condition.

Fresh red paint coated the barn, neatly kept fence posts lined the property, and the chicken coop practically glowed it was so clean.

The only thing that wasn’t perfect was the one-eyed llama staring at me over the fence when I climbed out of my truck.

“That’s Uno,” a little voice said from across the driveway. I turned to see Juniper sitting on Ty’s porch swing in her snow gear. “We got him at an auction last week.”

I chuckled at the name, smiling when Ty stepped outside with a carrot in hand. Rowdy bounced behind him, tail wagging at the sight of me.

“You headed out?” Ty handed the carrot to Juniper. She jumped off the porch, then ran across the snow-laden front yard toward a snowman in progress.

“Yeah.” I pulled at the back of my neck, not sure how to say everything I needed to get out. “Couldn’t leave without saying goodbye though.”

Ty nodded, then walked off the porch. He leaned against his blue truck, one ankle crossed over the other. “Emmy and Jace okay?”

I nodded, smiling down at my feet. “Yeah. I think so. We’re going to figure it all out as we go, but I’m so fucking in love with her, Ty. With both of them.”

“I know,” he said, like it was just that simple.

My nose tingled in the cold air, emotions too close to the surface this morning.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to come back to town, spend some time with Mom, and repay you for everything you’ve done for me.

But, like always, I’m just leaving a pile of my own shit in your lap and leaving again.

You didn’t even want to coach—I made you—and now I’m leaving it in your hands alone. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Ty pointed out to the barn where a car sat parked in the snow. “See that Jeep?”

I nodded, not following.

“It’s Emmy’s. She showed up on my doorstep unannounced nine months ago in a car that was basically smoking, divorce papers fresh off the printer, a kid who wouldn’t talk to anyone, and a frown so deep-set, I thought she’d never smile again.”

I rubbed at my eyes to keep my emotions in check, imagining them so broken.

“For months, I tried to convince her to let me buy her a new car, but she refused. Insisted on doing everything herself. Probably some misplaced notion that she needed to prove she could do this on her own. I had to cut the fucking oil lines for her to even agree to drive my car instead of hers, knowing my stubborn little sister would come over to the hardware store to ask me how to fix it.”

I bit my cheeks to hide my smile, imagining the scene. “How’d you get her to take the Land Rover?”

“Told her the parts were backordered, and I’d tow it here until we could get them.”

I arched a brow, a grin spreading. “Have you ordered the parts?”

“Nope.” Ty slapped the hood of his truck, then looked out over the field where Juniper was busy positioning sticks into the arms of her snowman.

“And I have no intention of it. The only way Emmy is letting anyone in is if they break in with a sledgehammer. And apparently, you did just that with the whole coaching thing. ”

“It was more of a crutch and a pathetic whimper than a sledgehammer, but I get what you’re saying.”

Ty leaned his elbows on the truck, and I went to stand next to him. “Either way. She let you in, and even more importantly, so did Jace. I’m not mad you volunteered me to coach. I love it. I just knew she’d never see it as anything but me trying to fix her life, yet again.”

“Well, you’re welcome, I guess.” I laughed, then slapped him on the back. “It’s been a blast doing this with you.”

Ty looked over at me. “It really has.”

I pointed at the girl, then the llama. “You saving everyone who will let you now? Is that what this is?”

He sniffed, then turned toward me, the humor of moments before gone.

“Violet, Junie’s mom, is dying. She has brain cancer.

Junie knows it, but everyone is afraid to speak it aloud.

Afraid of what comes next. Despite Junie spending every free moment here, I actually don’t know Violet very well, so it’s not like I can walk over and ask to see a copy of her will.

So, I went and got certified to be a foster parent, just in case. ”

“Shit, man.” My heart constricting at the thought of everything they were going through. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“If that little girl needs me and some misfit animals to feel at home in this terrible time in her life, then I’ll buy whatever the fuck she wants.”

“You truly are the best man I’ve ever met,” I said, meaning every word. “You know that, right?”

His mustache twitched with the hint of a smile. “Way better than you, that’s for damn sure.”

I laughed, then wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him tight. “I’ll be back this summer. Keep them safe for me, will you? Give that boy a chance to win State.”

Ty slapped me on the back, then pulled away. “You know I will.”

“If you need anything,” I said, gesturing at the farm, the girl, the town, all of it. “Call. Doesn’t matter where I am.”

“I know,” Ty said, then glanced toward my truck. “Now get out of here before anyone sees me having emotions. It’ll ruin my whole image.”

I grinned and turned toward the truck. Junie waved from the barn, arm flailing wildly.

“I’ll see you soon,” I called.

“You better,” he shouted back. “She might have me bottle-feeding a possum in a baby sling next week.”

I laughed, climbing into the truck, heart heavier than I expected, and fuller than it had been in a long, long time.