Astevia

I knocked up my best friend's sister. Let's start with how she decided to inform me and Pacey the news...together. Imagine that nightmare. I was going into what I thought was a hockey marketing meeting, and then bam! I'm going to be a dad and my best friend/teammate is attempting to imprint my face with his fist. Threats were tossed around, friendships were revoked, and then I was marched up to her apartment, suitcases in hand, and forced to live with her so I could take care of her every need. Now I'm finding it harder and harder not to fall for my best friend's little sister.

Five hockey players, a cabin in the woods...and little old me, Winnie Berlin. Sounds like the start of a fantasy, right? But it's not. It's my reality. It all started when I got lost in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. A wicked thunderstorm sent my car mud sliding into a ditch, and for a girl whose survival skills involve finding the nearest Starbucks, I was in deep trouble. Forced to abandon my car in search of help, I stumbled upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Word to the wise, never become roommates with a girl you’ve been pining over for the better part of a year. You're probably wondering why I would do such a thing? Well, I didn’t. It was my teammates. The moment they found out Blakely White was single, they took it upon themselves to play cupid and instruct me on how I should win her over. Don't wear a shirt around her. Make her dinner. Lightly touch her shoulder when you say goodbye. I'm so flustered, so overwhelmed, so madly in love with this woman who barely notices me.

Growing up, the ice was my safe space. I excelled at playing hockey. However, these days, it's hockey players who provide sanctuary—one bed at a time. We have an arrangement. I offer them a night of pleasure, and in return, they grant me all the temporary, artificial love I can get my hands on—a chance to feel whole. Happily ever after doesn't exist where I come from, but I crave it just the same. It was a foolproof system. Until Barrett. One night with him was all it took to tear down walls and crack the facade I worked so hard to build.

Hockey comes first. Always has, always will. I've got a one-year contract, 365 days to prove to them I'm worth the investment—which is why I need to stay far away from the woman across the hall. We know each other quite well, but she thinks we're strangers. I need to keep it that way. The problem is she's everywhere. Across the hall, on my laptop, bartending where my team hangs out. Micky is like a loose thread that I can't stop tugging. Then, one night, she steps in to do me a favor, and all my defenses get shot to hell. Now, I'm showing her the real me, but it might not be enough for her.

She's back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it's not so innocent anymore. She's a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I've only got one shot with her, and I'm not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she's been craving, but she's the intimacy I've waited for my whole life.