Page 35 of My Fair Player

Liam stood there, caught between awe and complete disbelief. The guy was chaos on skates—but it worked. Everymove was precise like the ice answered only to him. He moved with such intensity it was like watching a storm build and break in real-time. He couldn’t look away. With one fluid motion, Acton sliced his stick between Salas and another defenseman mid-fight over the puck, snatched it like it had always belonged to him, and launched it down the ice with a clean, brutal slap that sent the puck flying like a comet.

It hit the net with a satisfying snap.

The crowd roared.

Liam didn’t move, just watched—heart thudding—not just because it was a goal, but because it wasfor the team. A player who hid brilliance behind showmanship, chaos, and endless jokes. That wasn’t an easy move, yet Acton looked practically slippery as he squeezed between everyone, darting into places, and it took nerve.

Guts.

Aggression.

And Jett Acton had it all in spades.

I’m so glad he’s on my team because it could be so much worse…

Then, the voice rang out over the noise of the arena.

“I’m in love with my wife,” Acton yelled, unapologetically loud, arms raised like a victorious gladiator, working the crowd once again. The declaration cut through the air like a flare, bold and proud. “And she wants my baby. We’re gonna have the cutest baby with an adorable butt.”

The crowd lost it.

Even Coeur, skating past Liam in the box, was laughing at Acton’s antics. “You’re weird, dude,” he said, his voice warm with amusement.

Liam stood there, watching his team, the scoreboard, the grinning fans, and the man who’d just made a mockery of his captain in the best way possible. It hit him right then. The nickname didn’t matter. The banter didn’t matter. What mattered was the bond—this brotherhood, this wild, tangled mess of loyalty and friendship. The way they made each other better, pulled greatness from chaos and somehow found joy in the insanity of it all.

The coach was right. This washis team.

And just like that, Acton was back for praise from him—again.

“Did you see that?” he asked, practically vibrating with energy, eyes bright with triumph. “You still mad, bruh? It’s all for the team, for the fellas…”

Liam shook his head, feeling something loosen in his chest. The pressure, the weight of leading—it was still there, but lighter. “Nope,” he replied, grinning as he pointed down the rink. “Now, go do that again – and again.”

“On it, Cap,” Acton crowed in sheer excitement. “This game is for my wife – and my boy,Captain Pimples!”

Liam laughed as he raised both arms in exaggerated surrender, raising the roof while the fans screamed their approval. The arena was electric, their team was on fire, and the nickname— well, maybe it wouldn’t sting so much after a win like this.

This was his family.

12

ASHLEY

Sometime later…

Life had shiftedin the most unexpected, beautiful way—and Ashley felt every moment of it deep in her bones. It wasn’t just a change. It was a transformation as if some invisible thread had pulled her and Liam together and then woven their paths into one. Whatever doubts or fears they had once carried were long gone, scattered behind them like leaves caught in the wind. They had chosen each other every day, in the quiet and the chaos, in the routines and the spontaneous laughter. It felt like they’d linked arms and stepped into a whole new world together—hand in hand, hearts tethered, marching boldly into a future neither of them could have ever predicted.

There were quiet evenings curled together on the couch, her cheek resting on his shoulder as they watched mindless television and whispered little nothings that meant everything. Dinners out where he’d slide his hand across the table to hold hers, his eyes shining like he couldn’t believe she was really his. And then there were the public moments—the ones where she stood beside him at team galas or charity auctions, her fingers laced with his while cameras flashed, and reporters swarmed. Liam was the face of the team now—charismatic, composed, effortlessly charming. He smiled for interviews, posed for pictures, and made speeches at fundraising events.

And even when she wasn’t physically by his side, Ashley found herself trailing behind him in the digital world—watching clips of his post-game interviews, scrolling through pictures of him at events she couldn’t attend, reading quotes he’d said that made her heart swell with pride. He was out there in the world, and she followed him like some teenage fangirl with a crush, smiling stupidly at her screen before driving home just to feel his arms around her again.

They talked constantly. Not just about day-to-day things but about dreams. Plans. Big ones. The additions to the cabin that they wanted to do someday. The future of his team, and the direction of her career.

Lately, the wordfamilyhad begun to echo between them like a soft whisper. It wasn’t a topic they’d fully embraced yet, but it lingered in their conversations, hovering just outside the edges of their current life. There was time. But the thought of children—someday—had stopped being something vague and distant. It had started to feel real.

And then, tonight.

They were in bed, the world outside their room hushed and still. Ashley’s head rested on Liam’s chest, her fingers absently tracing little circles across his skin as she listened to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat. It calmed her, grounded her. It was in this kind of moment—unguarded, wrapped in shadows and warmth—that their most honest conversations tended to slip out.

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