Page 90 of The Secret Play

“Mommy’s silly!” Winnie teased.

Maybe I was. That was okay. Nico and Casey had secured the Fire’s place in history, and the victory had been nothing short of electric. But now, as we gathered outside the locker room, my thoughts shifted from the win to what came next. I was allowed to be silly about it. I was engaged after dating a man for less than a year, something I’d sworn I would never do.

Maybe that had always been silly. Rules like that were ridiculous. Love came when it came. You couldn’t put a timetable on it. I never understood that until now.

Megan held Winnie’s hand, the two of them still buzzing from the game. Other than to tease me, Winnie hadn’t stopped talking about how amazing her uncle was, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. She’d be a lifelong hockey fan. I was sure of it. Between her uncle, her father, and me, she was destined to love the sport as much as we did. Maybe more.

Starting tonight, hockey was going to be a huge part of our lives, even more than before. My brother playing center for a pro team was a good reason to pay attention to the sport. My boss in LA had put me down for the hockey beat because of Nico. I was one of the few women on staff who understood the sport as intimately as the players. But now, with Casey joining the family, Winnie didn’t stand a chance of falling in love with any other sport.

Unless she did it just to annoy us when she became a rebellious teenager.

Then the question struck me—would she have younger siblings? Did Casey want more kids? Did I? I hadn’t thought about it much. When life was just me and Winnie, I definitely did not want another one. I adored my daughter, but she was a handful. Being on my own, I figured I could handle her and only her. But everything had changed when I said yes.

I toyed with the ring on my finger, trying to make sure it didn’t fall off as we waded through the crowd. Did I want another kid? The thought of having a second Winnie instantly filled my heart with joy. I had to talk to Casey. Right now.

“Megan,” I said, catching her attention. “Would you mind taking Winnie home tonight?”

Her eyebrows shot up, and a sly grin spread across her face. “Aprivatecelebration for the victors?”

“It’s not like that,” I said quickly, though my cheeks flushed. “I just…I need to see Casey. Alone. To talk. Possibly all night long.”

She waved me off, her grin widening. “Say no more. I’ve got it covered.”

“Thank you.”

Nico appeared at that moment, his hair still damp from his postgame shower. He looked between us, his brow furrowing. “What’s going on?”

“I’m taking Winnie home,” Megan said breezily.

“Not without me, you’re not,” Nico said, crossing his arms. He assured me, “I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”

Megan rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Fine. But you’re paying for the rideshare.”

“Are you kidding? We’re going home in that limo,” Nico said with a smirk, ruffling Winnie’s hair.

“Yay!” Winnie shouted.

Once we said our goodbyes, I wasted no time tracking down Whitney. If anyone could make this happen for me, it was her. She was by the press area, managing the chaos of postgame interviews. When she saw me, her expression softened. “Gemma. Congratulations on your engagement. Did you get lost? Need a tour guide down here? I know the tunnels can get confusing.”

“Thanks, but no. I need a different kind of favor.”

“What kind of favor is that?”

“Can you get me into Casey’s office? And get him there in ten minutes?”

Whitney stared at me for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face. “Nothing nefarious, I hope. Don’t want you to have to write another article.”

I hesitated, then decided to go for honesty. “I just need to see him. After everything that’s happened tonight…I need to speak with him. Privately.”

“You’re lucky I like you. Fine. I’ll stall him with postgame interviews for a few minutes and send him your way.”

“Thank you.”

Everything inside Casey’s office was quiet, starkly contrasting the noise outside. It was a relief after everything. My ears still rang, though. I plugged my phone into the charger on his desk, finally giving it some much-needed juice.

It wasn’t long before the screen lit up with a flood of notifications—texts, missed calls, emails. All from Casey, except for those from Nico. I opened the first one, my heart sinking as I read it.

Don’t do this. Don’t tank your reputation to save me.

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