Secret Obsession: A Dark Hockey Romance (Hockey Gods)
Secret Obsession: Willow

Meeting the parents—check.

Moving in together—check.

Falling in love—check.

Weird, right? The idea of me in love?

I mean, I guess that’s where my story with Miles started. Falling in love with the wrong brother. Being broken up with in a spectacularly embarrassing fashion.

Lucky for me, Miles knew what he wanted the whole time. And so did Knox.

It just took me some time to catch up.

Two months after Miles met my parents at the playoffs game, and only a month before I graduate, he surprised me with a letter. He’d been drafted to an NHL team. Seems they wanted him all along, but he was more focused on leveling up his skills at the collegiate level. That’s what he tells me anyway.

So. No more college for Miles. He’s happy to leave with three years under his belt.

But he is there for my graduation from CPU with Violet, Greyson, Knox, and Steele. He cheers and claps alongside my family and his. He even got some pretty good photos of me crossing the stage, flipping my tassel from one side of my cap to the other and hugging Violet.

My parents take pictures of all my friends and us. My sister, Indie, shows me an acceptance letter to CPU—and she tells me she’s committed to coming here next year. Surprise!

Crown Point isn’t ready for her.

But maybe that’s the way it should be. Maybe this town needs her craziness to shake things up a bit.

I received a recording of my performance at the NHL game. And on an impulse, I sent it to a producer in Atlanta. They got back to me, and they want to meet me.

Do I even want to be a singer?

Maybe. Dare to dream, right?

Hey. If it works out, cool. If it doesn’t, I know that singing around the house will be enough. Or maybe Miles will take things into his own hands, and I’ll wind up singing on the ice again.

A year after graduation, Miles and I replace ourselves in the same city as Greyson and Violet and Jacob. Steele and Aspen. We’ve all drifted out to sea, unbound by Crown Point University. And while the physical distance sometimes makes me sad, our friend group remains as strong as always.

My personal enjoyment comes when Miles’ team faces off against his friends.

But tonight, we’re watching two of our favorite teams in the first round of the playoffs.

Knox in the gold-and-black jersey. Jacob in the white and blue.

The six of us meet in the lobby of the nearby hotel, and my heart feels full again. I hug Violet, then Aspen. Miles greets Greyson and Steele like they didn’t just play each other a few weeks ago. Neither of their teams made it to the playoffs, but that’s fine.

There’s always next year.

We take our seats in the front row, and I glance over at Miles. He’s grinning, looking around the arena like he’ll never get sick of it.

Neither will I.

While other wives or girlfriends hang out in the suites upstairs, I prefer to be close enough to see the blood hit the ice. I know Violet and Aspen enjoy the same.

The players skate out for warm-up, and we all wave frantically at Knox.

He gives us a cocky smirk and half-wave. That’s all the attention he gives us, until he flags down Jacob and points in our direction.

Jacob skates toward us, stopping in front of the ice. He gives us a wide smile.

“You good?” Steele asks him, leaning forward.

Our friend nods. And then his gaze lifts, and the smile slips from his face.

I crane around automatically, scanning the rows of people above us. This section is packed already, filling in with a sea of gold and black fans.

But then I see what Jacob must’ve seen.

A flash of blonde, a manicured finger pushing dark-framed glasses up her nose. I recognize her, even though it’s been over two years since I was in her class.

Professor Melody Cameron.

And she’s not alone.