Page 41 of Heartfelt Goals

Then he noticed the jersey as Laurel turned and walked away. It said LAFRENIÉRE on the back and had his number stamping his brand, his mark all over her. And in his brain, he heard the roar of a dragon as he stood frozen on the spot.

His whole world had changed knowing that Laurel looked at him likethat– and while she was six years younger than him, she had grown up with his sister, and was familiar like a friend, a buddy… that person was also hiswife.

Hisgorgeouswife.

A wife who was wearing his team jersey, who pictured him intimately and wrote about it for the whole world to read. If Madeline didn’t have a problem with him marrying her best friend to keep his job – why did he? And Kendall knew about the books.

… And he swallowed back bile once more.

“What if I’m making this out to be more than what it is?” he hesitated. “What if it would be okay to make a pass at my wife, to see how she reacts?”

He swallowed audibly before shoving his phone into his pocket, intent on reading a few passages when he could. If he had to sneak into the bathroom, hiding in a stall, he would do it. He was going to read his first romance book – written by his wife.

What could go wrong?

“I need to think… and I need more info, but first – it’s ‘Meet the Team’ night, and I need to keep my head on straight. There will be time to plan, freak out, or take action later.”

And he could have sworn he heard a dragon chuff softly in his head, almost like it was laughing, blowing steam down the back of his shirt as he already felt like it was a thousand degrees in here since the moment he’d made the connection with Laurel’s books to him.

Dustin tugged at his collar.

Two hours later, things were not much better. Kendall had taken off to go play with some of the other kids, who were focused on playing games, playing with foam fingers, noisemakers, and other items and attackingthe dessert portion of the massive buffet set out for everyone to partake in. The coach had decided to have the get-together here instead of at his house due to the headcount of the team and everyone involved.

Dustin was meeting people, shaking hands, smiling, and nodding like this all made sense, but in fact, he was lost among the crowds and only recognized the players he’d been practicing with for a week now. Thank goodness they seemed to click because their first game was in two weeks, and he was more than nervous on the inside. He wasn’t starting, but Larsson had never played a full game either – so he was going to be on the ice a little more than originally expected.

The air inside the convention hall buzzed with energy—children’s laughter echoed as they raced around the tables, their sneakers scuffing against the polished floor. The scent of grilled meats and sweet desserts lingered in the air, mingling with the faint hint of sweat and cologne from the gathered crowd. It was a lively, chaotic scene, the kind of place where friendships were cemented, and rivalries were put on hold for the sake of good food and team spirit.

And he saw Laurel standing nearby.

This innocent, sweet looking woman did not seem the type to write things like what the reviews had suggested were there in her books – and he had yet to disappear into the bathroom to read a chapter or two.

I need to fix that,he thought immediately and was about to walk off when Coeur appeared in front of him – his expression desperate.

“Dude, you gotta have my back in something,” Coeur said in a rush.

“What do you need, brother?”

“Can you watch my son, Stephen?”

“Already calling him your son, huh?” Dustin smirked and nodded for a moment, glancing at Laurel. “That’s actually pretty sweet of you, Coeur. Is everything all right?”

“Heck no…”

“Wait,” Dustin paused, his smile fading. “What’s wrong? I can only sign ‘hello’ to your kid, and I cannot ‘hello’ him to death if he needs something. What is wrong? Why are you fidgeting?”

“Dude—I need a solid hour alone.”

Dustin frowned, barely looking up from the cup he’d been sipping on for the last hour. His soda was flat and watered down now and tasteless. It was time for a new one, and avoiding whatever Coeur was about to ask him might be just the excuse he could use to get out of it.

“Why?”

Coeur cleared his throat pointedly, shooting a wary glance at Laurel before shifting closer, lowering his voice as if he were about to share classified information. “Ahem. My wife… uh, well,your wife is listening.” Coeur paused, grimacing before cupping a hand around his mouth. “Privacy, bro? In hockey terms, I’ve got a chance to make the shot – and I’m gonna take it. I need an assist… you got me? It’s my puck, dude –my puck.”

Dustin barely had time to process the sheer audacity of that statement before Laurel, standing at his side, gasped. Her mouth dropped open in pure, stunned disbelief.

“Seriously, Coeur? Are you kidding me right now?” Dustin asked, utterly floored by his wild teammate and trying to keep from laughing.

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate…”

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