Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance (Sinners on the Ice)
Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance: Epilogue

Now, June

“Yes, please,” I tell Ava, nodding. She’s holding a bowl of salad and a charcuterie board. “Thank you.”

She rolls her eyes as if me thanking her was overkill, and walks out of the kitchen. I know she’ll always help me with anything, and I often don’t even need to ask, but that doesn’t mean I take it for granted. I love my best friend, and I’m beyond grateful for everything she’s doing for me. She’s family.

I look around the place, racking my brain to see if I forgot anything. Plates—check. Cutlery—check. Glasses—check. Dishes—check. And oh, of course—wine. I grab two bottles from the kitchen counter and head out of the room. The juice for the kids and the whiskey for the guys should already be on the table.

When I step out of the house, to the little patio where Clay set up a table for our guests, the blasting sound of “Baby” by Justin Bieber meets me. I sigh, shaking my head and walking to the table. Maya loves this song a little too much. If she keeps it up, by the end of the day, all our guests will hate it.

“Why did none of you ask the kids to lower the volume?” I ask the table.

Colt shrugs. “We tried.”

“And?” I set the wine bottles on the table.

“They said no,” Colt replies nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.

To my right, Drake sits with Angie. His hand is gently wrapped around her shoulder. She’s as stunning as ever in her white summer dress littered with little red flowers and her long brown hair spilling over her shoulders like a waterfall. Motherhood looks gorgeous on her. I know she’s been hesitant to be here while Noah and Harper are home with her mom, but from time to time, we all need a break from mom life, to enjoy ourselves in the company of our closest people. I’m glad she’s here. I love her just as much as I love my big brother.

Nevaeh is next to Angie. Her pink highlights shine brightly under the streaming sunlight. She’s in a pastel pink dress that perfectly matches Roman’s white tee, and she’s leaning back into his chest. His hand is splayed possessively over her chest. They are so happy together. I can’t believe that just a year ago, they accidentally got married in Vegas and thought that by the end of the hockey season they’d be divorced. They are a perfect match.

Dean Crawford is next to Roman, along with Dylan, who smiles radiantly at me. I still don’t know how it happened, but she’s my friend now. One who always knows about new trends, new movies to watch, new albums to listen to, and new books to read. That’s probably a given since she’s an influencer. Though books made her instantly connect with Ava. My best friend is still as in love with reading as she’s ever been.

Xander and Bella sit to my left. Her green eyes meet mine, and she smiles warmly. With how much time I’ve been spending with her, planning the interior design of my flower shop, we became close. We are friends, and not inviting her family to Maya’s birthday felt wrong. Besides, with them here, Michael has Isla to play with. He’s already seven, and he isn’t that keen on spending time around kids who are younger than him.

Why are kids always in such a hurry to grow up? I’ll never understand that. Even though I was like them when I was small.

Next to Xander is Colton. They are really good friends, and I know for a fact that Clay has been jealous a few times—he’s not ready to share his best friend with others. He said I was being ridiculous when I pointed it out, but with how red the tips of his ears got, I knew I was right. Colton is so different from how he was when I first met him in college, sometimes I’m still amazed by his growth. Growth that wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for his wife.

As this thought crosses my mind, Ava rounds me, holding a pouting Meghan in her arms. She’s already one year and six months old, and she’s giving Michael a run for his money. Because, by the looks of it, Meg is going to be the wild child of this family—not her big brother.

Two strong arms wrap around me from behind, and I let my body relax into him. His scent floats around me, making a smile blossom on my lips. My fiancé.

God, it feels so good to call him that.

“Maya’s gift will be here in forty minutes,” Clay whispers in my ear.

I glance over my shoulder, meeting his smiling eyes. “Then we better ask the kids to join us at the table, no?”

“You stole my line.” He kisses my nose and takes a step back, then lightly slaps my ass. “I’ll get them. Go sit down.”

And I obey because that’s what I love doing the most.

“Maya, sweetheart, come here,” I call out. She stands up from the grass, where she’s been sitting on a blanket with Michael and Isla, and strolls to me. Her light blue dress with twinkling little stars makes her look like a princess. She asked me to do her hair exactly like mine: two little braids on top of her head, while the rest streams freely down her shoulders. She needs a cut, but I haven’t been successful in getting her to agree.

Behind her glasses, her eyes shimmer with undisguised excitement. After she recently announced to Clay and me that her new favorite color is blue, we got her blue glasses, and she clearly loves them more than her old ones. Or maybe it’s because she’s used to them, and wearing glasses doesn’t bother her anymore. Her right eye is doing so much better, but from what we’ve been told, I don’t think she’s going to stop wearing glasses anytime soon. Which is fine. Whatever is good for her.

“Are you ready to see your gift?” I ask, crouching to her.

The way her face lights up with pure joy makes my heart sing. I’m so unreasonably happy lately…sometimes I worry I don’t deserve it. Hell, I always worry that I don’t deserve such happiness and love…but the man by my side takes any chance he gets to tell me that I’m worth it and that he loves me.

If two people are meant to be together, eventually they will replace their way back to each other.

And I’m so glad I found my way back to him.

“Yes!” Maya jumps up. Her giggling is jubilant.

Our guests start to gather around us, curious about the gift Clay and I got her. A gift I had no choice but to agree to. Hopefully, with Maya being three years old now, it will be easier, and she will help like she promised.

“Happy birthday, Princess!” Clay proclaims, stepping out of the house and drawing everyone’s attention to him. I hear gasps and whistles and also laughter. But I keep my eyes on Maya, watching how her expression changes. Her features soften, happy tears brimming her eyes. “This little lady is for you.”

Maya rushes to Clay the moment he kneels. She hugs him tight, kisses his cheek, and only then does she reach for the little dachshund puppy in his arms. It looks exactly like Willa. Sandy in color, with long fur and black beady eyes. I already love this little puppy. Her tiny tail wags back and forth when Maya takes her in her arms and presses her to her chest.

“Can I have a dog too?” Michael asks, and I glance at him. He’s staring at Colt with his eyebrows pinched together, his lips smacked into a pout.

“We have a cat.”

“I’ll tell Meg to ask for a dog for her birthday in six months.”

Colt rolls his eyes, unimpressed by his son’s tactics. “The answer will be the same.”

Chuckling to myself, I focus my attention on Maya. Isla, Meghan, and Ian are by her side, petting the little puppy with bright smiles on their faces.

“What’s her name, Maya?” I ask. Then I add sternly. “Not Willa, please.”

Her lips split into a grin. “Daisy. Like flower.”

I smile back. “Daisy it is.”

My eyes meet Clay’s, and emotion overwhelms me. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s all because of him. My little girl is loved and happy, and she finally has a real dad in her life, one who loves her immensely.

Clay came into my life when I didn’t expect much, when I was just hoping for a fun first year of college. And he stayed no matter how hard I pushed him away. He waited for me, not knowing for sure if we’d ever be together.

He always knew he wanted me and no one else, and he never wavered. True to his choice.

Unlike me…

Looking back at my mistakes, at the choices I’ve made, I often think that I needed to go through all of it. I needed to start appreciating what I have, to learn what is right for me and what is wrong. I needed all of that because without it, there wouldn’t be Maya. And she is the only choice I’ve made that I’ve never regretted. I learned how to love, and now I can love Clay in the way he deserves.

I wasn’t ready for him then, but I’m one hundred percent ready now.

Clay Rodgers is everything. And he’s mine.

CLAY

One year later, August

Layla’s phone dings again, and I grab it from the nightstand. The name of her group chat pops up on her screen, making me laugh. I silence her phone and put it back. I never read her texts, unless she wants me to.

“Daddy!” Maya yells. Her laughter is accompanied by Daisy’s barks. What now?

I get out of bed and glance at the closed bathroom door. The sound of the water running leaves no doubt that Layla is still in the shower. I make my way into Maya’s room. When I push the half-closed door open wide, I’m not prepared for what my eyes land on.

Shit. Layla is going to kill us.

“I don’t know how she got out,” Maya tells me, jumping out of her bed with Daisy in her arms. The dog’s fur is wet and covered in mud. A chunk of dirt is perched on her nose.

I squint at Maya, biting my bottom lip. Her chocolate brown eyes hold mine, but with how her lips start to tremble, I know she’s going to spill her secret any minute.

“I let her out when I went for a glass of water.” She stares at her feet. “I’m sorry.”

“For letting her out, or for lying to me?”

Her cheeks redden. “Both.” Maya steps toward me, a plea etched onto her face. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I won’t do it again.”

I crook a smile, ruffling her hair. “You’re fine, Princess, but next time there will be consequences.”

She nods.

“Okay, let’s clean up. If your mom sees this mess…actually, no. I don’t even want to imagine what she’d do.”

“Mommy says she’s a bad cop,” Maya comments as we go to her bathroom. “And you’re a good one.”

Her words make me halt in my tracks. Thoughtful, I scrutinize Maya. Her hair is in two braids that end below her shoulder blades. She’s pretty tall for a four-year-old, around three-foot-four. Her brown eyes, framed by dark brown eyelashes, stare at me from behind her glasses with warmth and curiosity.

She’s a very pretty little girl, and I have no idea how I’m going to react when boys start noticing her. I’ll probably be a mess.

“Daddy?” she says softly, tugging on my hand.

“Oh, right! Sorry, just spaced out.” I have a lot on my mind, considering we’re leaving for Madeira in two days. I laugh to myself, stepping toward the bathtub. “Let’s start with Daisy, and then your bed, and also the kitchen and the living room. To make sure there are no paw prints on the floor.”

“Okay.” She nods, and we get into work.

Thirty minutes later, as I return to our bedroom, the bathroom door opens and Layla steps out in a towel. Her blond hair is longer now, pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. She’s lost some weight, but, to my delight, her body still has all those curves and lines I love worshiping so much. Especially her round hips. I can’t go a single day without my hands on her ass.

“You were in the bathroom for almost an hour,” I say, closing the door behind me.

“Where were you?” She ignores my comment and heads to our walk-in closet.

“With Maya and Daisy. They’re already asleep.”

“Okay.” Layla emerges wearing tiny black satin shorts and a tee. Something in her behavior is off, but I can’t pinpoint what exactly.

“Your group chat was texting. The gossip girls were probably gossiping,” I joke innocently. But her face collapses immediately as she strides toward her phone on the nightstand.

“Did you read the texts?”

“No. Why?”

“No reason. Don’t worry about it.” She quickly checks the texts and locks the phone.

Before she can put it back on the nightstand, I already have my arms wrapped around her. I tackle her into bed with me, blanketing her with my body, both of my hands on either side of her face.

“What did we agree to when we got married six months ago?” I ask her.

“To never hide things that bother us.”

“And? What’s so bad about these texts?”

Layla starts smiling, confusing me completely. “I needed the girls’ advice, that’s all.”

“About what?” I insist.

“I asked if one of them knows a doctor I can see before our trip. Mine only has a slot in two weeks.”

I pinch my eyebrows together, and worry worms its way into my chest. “You’re not feeling well?”

She presses her palm to my chest, just above my heart. A smile lifts her lips. “I’m pregnant, Clay. You’re going to be a dad.”

“How far…”

“Seven weeks.”

I don’t think anymore. I crash my mouth on hers, kissing her with everything I have. A strong and formidable energy replaces its way into my veins. Her words are branded on my brain, inked into my skin. And all I feel is love.

“Layla?” I say her name as we lie in bed. She cuddles into me, my hands on her belly.

“Mmm?” Her voice is quiet.

“If it’s a boy, can I name him?”

She’s silent for a moment, then she asks, “Do you want to name him Cameron?”

What? How does she remember that?

Gently, I turn her to me. Our eyes lock. “I told you that once…when we were still in college.”

“And? You said you liked it, that sometimes you wish it were the name your parents chose for you.” Her eyes crinkle with warmth. “I probably had a shitty way of showing it, but I always listened to you, and I always cared about the things you told me. About the things that were important to you.”

“Nothing about you is shitty,” I tell her, pushing a lock of her hair off her face. “You are the most beautiful, powerful, and resilient woman I know. Plus, you have a gorgeous ass—it’s a great bonus.”

“You and your obsession with my body.” Layla giggles as I press my forehead to hers.

“I’m obsessed with everything about you.”

“I know. I’m obsessed with you too,” she tells me, her breath warm on my skin. “And Clay?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Of course we can name our son Cameron. I like it too.”

I haul her into my chest and hold her close until she falls asleep. In the quiet of the room, the moonlight swims through a crack in the curtains. Layla’s steady heartbeat echoes mine. I lie here, staring at the ceiling and smiling to myself. The happiness and excitement that brew inside me keep me awake.

I’m going to be a dad.

Again.

Maya might be not mine by blood, but she’s still mine. The joy I felt when the adoption process was finalized a month after our wedding was pretty similar to how I feel now.

And it’s all because of the woman in my arms. All because of Layla.

She is it for me, and she always has been.

I remember my mom asking, “Why her?” after she realized I was still in love with Layla even after she broke my heart. Honestly, I didn’t know what to tell her. I knew that if it wasn’t Layla, then it wouldn’t be anyone else.

I had her so deep in my bones that everything lost its sense when she left me. It was hard. No one can prepare you for the way it hurts when your heart is broken because your whole body feels it. When you wake up every morning and get through your day on autopilot, simply existing.

Sure, I could’ve given up. I could’ve tried to move on, but I didn’t want to.

I waited for her when she believed it was just about sex for me.

I waited for her even when she gave up on us.

Even when she was sure she was no good for me.

In every world, in every age and timeline, I’d always choose her. There is no one else for me but Layla.

Sometimes I hear people talking about their definition of love. It always makes me smile when they need to think about it. For me, it’s the easiest question ever.

Because for me, love is Layla.

I see her in the sky full of stars, feel her in the comfort of our home, full of laughter and our talks. Hear her in the sound of the gentle wind and in the murmurs of the waves when we go to the beach. Even when I play hockey, I feel her there with me too.

Every day is the best day ever.

Simply because she’s with me.