Kade POV
Rook walks beside me, his hands are shoved in his pockets, and he has that smug little smirk still on his face. “You really thought they wouldn’t bring up our marriage?” he teases.
I huff. “I don’t know why they care so much. It’s not like you’re some fucking trophy wife.”
He gasps dramatically. “Excuse you, I am a fucking prize.”
I roll my eyes, but I don’t fight the grin tugging at my lips.
As we reach the doors leading to the ice rink, I hear the sound of skates carving into the ice. Laughter echoes, followed by Rose’s voice giving encouragement. I step inside, and my eyes immediately find Harlow.
She’s on the ice, her tiny form skating with ease, stick in hand, guiding the puck forward.
I stop walking.
Rook keeps going, not noticing until he glances back at me. “What?”
I gesture toward the rink. “She’s... ac
Rook POVThe last few days have been good. Kade has barely worked, giving himself real time to heal. I’ve purposely gone to train, making sure he has time alone with Harlow.He needs it. So every now and then, I fake that I have to train and head to the rink. Sure, I train, but not every single day. This is about giving him time with her, time they both need.“Have you decided?” My dad walks in, looking between us.“Does it really make a difference?” I ask. To me, it doesn’t matter whether Kade and I arrive together or not.“You’ve got to consider it. Are you going there together, as partners? Or are you showing up separately, like the rivals you’ve always been?”Kade smirks. “Maybe separate cars. Something tells me Rook won’t handle losing well.”He has no fucking idea.“Plus, I’m not sure I’ll want to sit in a car
Kade POVMy body aches, exhaustion creeping in with every shift. Rook wasn’t wrong, I’m not as good as I used to be. And somehow, he’s gotten better. No matter how much I push, how hard I skate, he’s always a step ahead, like he’s been waiting for this exact moment to turn the tables on me.Now I get how he fucking felt all those years.I glance across the ice at him. He’s muttering something under his breath, probably chirping me from the penalty box. I can’t hear him over the crowd, but I know it’s about me slacking off. Maybe because I winked at him, knowing it would throw him off just enough to make him lose his focus.Except he didn’t lose it.We’re not winning this.I was so sure I could beat Rook like I always did, so sure I could just show up and still take him down. I didn’t even try to train these past few days. That was my mistake.The whistl
Kade POVI let out a frustrated groan, gripping his jersey tighter. “You tripped over your own fucking skates! I swear to god, Rook, it wasn’t even convincing!”“It was fast! People will think I hit a rough patch of ice or something.”“There was no rough patch! We play on pro-maintained ice!”“Well, then I guess I’m just that clumsy,” he deadpans.I stare at him, my entire body vibrating with frustration. “You are so fucking lucky I love you, because I swear to god—”He smirks again. “Oh, I know.”I groan again, pressing my forehead against his chest for a moment before shoving myself off him. “Unbelievable,” I mutter as I pull him up with me.“You’re welcome,” he says, still grinning, and I glare at him.“You are never pulling that shit again.”“Well this was the last game, so
Kade POVThe bass from the music vibrates through the floor beneath my feet, the heat of so many bodies pressing into me from every direction. The club is electric, alive with the high that comes after a championship win. Most of the noise is coming from people who are shouting, then there's drinks getting spilt, as I walk through hands grab at me, pulling me deeper into the chaos.I should be celebrating. I should be drunk off my ass, soaking up the attention, riding this high for as long as it lasts, but instead, I can’t stop looking up. Sure I'm drunk, but not enough, yet.“Mercer!”A hard slap lands between my shoulder blades, making me stumble forward. Turning, I see Tyler grinning at me, his blond hair damp with sweat, his eyes already glazed over from too many shots. He's wasted already.“Come on, man! We fucking won! You should be wasted by now,” he shouts over the music, shaking his drink at me like I’m supposed to grab it.Forcing a smirk, I look at him. “I’m working on it
Kade POVHis hand presses firmer against my thigh. “How do you usually celebrate a win, Mercer?”I swallow, my throat feels dry, which is impossible considering how much I've drank. I push down the nerves and respond anyway. “That depends.”“On?”My gaze flickers up and I focus on him. “On how far you’re willing to take it.” My shoulder shrugs slightly, purely to try and make it seem like I'm indifferent right now when I'm not.Darren watches me for a long moment, then exhales slowly. He leans back, his hand moves off my leg and I watch as he reaches into his jacket pocket. A second later, he presses a key card into my hand.“Room 714,” he says. “Give me five minutes.”My eyes go down, and I stare at the card, my skin tingles where his fingers brush against mine. I don't say anything else, I just stand and leave while clutching the card.The night air is sharp as I step out of the club, but it does nothing to clear my head. I move quickly, weaving through the crowd outside, gripping t
Kade POVI don't know why I'm hesitating, I came here because I wanted this. Pushing away the doubts, I reach up, grabbing the back of his neck and dragging him down until our mouths meet, and the second my lips crash against his, Darren takes control, his hand fists into my shirt. He yanks me closer, his body heat pressing into mine. The whiskey on his breath mixes with mine, and the taste of it is sharp between us. I expect him to ease into it, to test the waters, but he doesn’t, he isn't waiting around for any other sign of confirmation, he has everything he wants.He devours me. His teeth scrape my bottom lip, tugging just enough to make my breath stutter my body reacts instantly and his tongue flicks against mine, demanding more and consuming me.I don’t hesitate, I meet him with the same intensity. My body pushes his back against the bar while my hands grip the front of his shirt, dragging him closer to me.Darren exhales a quiet chuckle against my mouth, like he’s amused by my
Kade POVI'm too drunk to move quickly and blood is rushing in my ears, my body still too wired to process the shift from pleasure to panic.“What the hell are you doing here?” My voice is hoarse and breathless, and I hate how wrecked I sound right now.Nikolai tilts his head, pocketing his phone with an infuriating ease. “Just checking in on one of our rising stars.”“Checking in,” Darren repeats, voice sharp. “By breaking into my fucking hotel room?”Finally, Nikolai looks at Darren and whatever Darren sees in that looks has him falter, his expression goes from angry to worried. My mind finally forces me to move, and I yank the sheet up around my waist as I try to push up on my elbows, the room spins slightly, and my pulse is still hammering in my ears. The panic is clawing it's way through my skull now that the reality of this entire situation is hitting full force. What the fuck have I done? This isn't just bad, this is career-ending. "You don't want to do this," I say, trying
Kade's POVI can feel the sunlight against my eyelids, warm and bright, and I stretch against the sheets. My body is sore, but in a way that feels good. It's a dull ache in my muscles, but deeper than that is the hum of satisfaction, it's the the kind of feeling that only comes after a night of drinking and celebrating because we won. Yeah, we won again, and the thought settles deep in my chest, and it pulls a lazy smirk from me. My mind replays it all, the game, the crowd, the moment I lifted that trophy above my head, it's all still fresh, still running through my veins. Other than that, I don't remember much from last night, but I don't need to. The details are a blur, twisting together. Booze, laughter, and the feel of hands dragging me deeper into the club as bodies pressed too close. I remember the heavy bass shaking the floor beneath my feet. Exhaling, I drag a hand over my face. I feel good, no, I feel better than good. The weight of responsibility, the constant pressure an
Kade POVI let out a frustrated groan, gripping his jersey tighter. “You tripped over your own fucking skates! I swear to god, Rook, it wasn’t even convincing!”“It was fast! People will think I hit a rough patch of ice or something.”“There was no rough patch! We play on pro-maintained ice!”“Well, then I guess I’m just that clumsy,” he deadpans.I stare at him, my entire body vibrating with frustration. “You are so fucking lucky I love you, because I swear to god—”He smirks again. “Oh, I know.”I groan again, pressing my forehead against his chest for a moment before shoving myself off him. “Unbelievable,” I mutter as I pull him up with me.“You’re welcome,” he says, still grinning, and I glare at him.“You are never pulling that shit again.”“Well this was the last game, so
Kade POVMy body aches, exhaustion creeping in with every shift. Rook wasn’t wrong, I’m not as good as I used to be. And somehow, he’s gotten better. No matter how much I push, how hard I skate, he’s always a step ahead, like he’s been waiting for this exact moment to turn the tables on me.Now I get how he fucking felt all those years.I glance across the ice at him. He’s muttering something under his breath, probably chirping me from the penalty box. I can’t hear him over the crowd, but I know it’s about me slacking off. Maybe because I winked at him, knowing it would throw him off just enough to make him lose his focus.Except he didn’t lose it.We’re not winning this.I was so sure I could beat Rook like I always did, so sure I could just show up and still take him down. I didn’t even try to train these past few days. That was my mistake.The whistl
Rook POVThe last few days have been good. Kade has barely worked, giving himself real time to heal. I’ve purposely gone to train, making sure he has time alone with Harlow.He needs it. So every now and then, I fake that I have to train and head to the rink. Sure, I train, but not every single day. This is about giving him time with her, time they both need.“Have you decided?” My dad walks in, looking between us.“Does it really make a difference?” I ask. To me, it doesn’t matter whether Kade and I arrive together or not.“You’ve got to consider it. Are you going there together, as partners? Or are you showing up separately, like the rivals you’ve always been?”Kade smirks. “Maybe separate cars. Something tells me Rook won’t handle losing well.”He has no fucking idea.“Plus, I’m not sure I’ll want to sit in a car
Kade POVRook walks beside me, his hands are shoved in his pockets, and he has that smug little smirk still on his face. “You really thought they wouldn’t bring up our marriage?” he teases.I huff. “I don’t know why they care so much. It’s not like you’re some fucking trophy wife.”He gasps dramatically. “Excuse you, I am a fucking prize.”I roll my eyes, but I don’t fight the grin tugging at my lips.As we reach the doors leading to the ice rink, I hear the sound of skates carving into the ice. Laughter echoes, followed by Rose’s voice giving encouragement. I step inside, and my eyes immediately find Harlow.She’s on the ice, her tiny form skating with ease, stick in hand, guiding the puck forward.I stop walking.Rook keeps going, not noticing until he glances back at me. “What?”I gesture toward the rink. “She’s... ac
Kade POVI walk into the stadium, Rook right beside me. We brought Harlow along, and she and Rose are going to skate for a bit. It gives her something to do, and afterward, we can join her as well.“So, no punching people, right?” Rook glances at me.“You are telling me?” I scoff. “I am pretty sure you would be the one to punch a reporter, not me.”His head tilts slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. “I don’t know. You have always hated them, but now you can punch them, and it doesn’t even matter. You’re quitting, what are they going to do? Force you to play more as punishment?”Rolling my eyes, I shove him, but he barely moves. Instead, he wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tight.“I’m offended, Mercer. Look at you, shoving me,” he teases, his grip tightening. “You should be glad the cameras didn’t catch it... Abuse. Damn,
Rook POVI lean back, pulling him with me until we’re both lying down, my arm wrapped around him, his head resting against my chest.“She doesn’t deserve you,” I whisper.“I know,” he murmurs.“But you still won’t let her die alone. You love her, she's your mom, that doesn't change.”He doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t have to. I already know.The sound of muffled giggling pulls me from sleep, followed by the unmistakable rustling of movement on the bed. I blink my eyes open, groggy and disoriented, only to find two pairs of eyes staring right at me, one mischievous, the other excited.Harlow is sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, balancing a plate on her lap, while Kade leans back against the pillows with a tray in front of him, looking way too pleased with himself for this early in the morning.I glance between them, rubbing a hand over my face. “W
Rook POVI don’t say anything, I just reach for his wrist and guide him toward our room. He doesn’t fight me or try to pull away. His breathing is steady, but I can feel the tension in the way he moves, in the way his fingers flex like he’s trying to keep control of himself.The second we step inside, I shut the door behind us, locking out the rest of the world. Kade stands there for a moment, staring at nothing, clearly lost in his own head.I walk over to him and place my hands on his shoulders. He still doesn’t move, so I squeeze lightly, grounding him. “You did the right thing,” I say quietly.He lets out a breath, a slow, shaky one that tells me just how much this is weighing on him. “I don’t know if it was the right thing,” he mutters. “I just know sending her away wouldn’t have changed anything.”Nodding, I step closer. “That’s the right thin
Kade POVI let out a sharp laugh. “What’s there to deal with? She didn't care, she used me for money and tried to gain more. She made her choices. She doesn’t get to come back now just because she’s running out of time.”“You don’t have to forgive her,” he says, leaning forward against the desk. “But you’re going to regret it if you don’t talk to her before it’s too late.”I scoff, shaking my head. “No, I won’t.”“You will.”The certainty in his tone pisses me off more than anything else. “You don’t know that.”“I do, because I’ve seen it before,” he counters, voice sharp now. “I’ve watched men in this life lose people they swore they didn’t care about, and then I’ve watched them drown in the weight of it after they were gone.”I shake my head, refusing to listen.
Kade POVHarlow is relentless. She’s covering me in pink plasters, wrapping me in bandages, and holding ice directly against my skin. Not an ice pack, not wrapped in a towel, literal chunks of ice.Rook, of course, is grinning like this is the best thing he’s ever seen.I don’t complain, though. At least I get to see her, spend time with her, even if it means enduring her questionable medical care. She sticks another plaster onto my arm, nowhere near the actual injuries, and I can’t help but wonder why.“Daddy Rook,” she nudges him, her little voice full of authority. “Daddy Mercer needs ice cream.”Oh, this is good. I lean back more, smirking. “Yeah, Daddy Rook, I need ice cream.”Rook glares at me before turning back to her. “We don’t have any, princess. You finished it before we left.”She gasps dramatically. “No! Not our ice cream, Gelato Heave