Cheyenne
The suite is already full when I arrive with Kia and Elody. For a second or two, I hesitate inside the doorway, my hand still wrapped around the handle like it’s possible to turn around and slip back out before anyone notices me.
My fingers curl into the oversized sleeve of Knox’s jersey, the fabric thick and warm against my skin, carrying the faintest trace of his cologne. It should calm me. Instead, it makes everything feel real in a way it didn’t before.
The glass wall overlooking the ice stretches from floor to ceiling, the arena lights bright enough to make everything feel sharp and electric. Between the hum of the crowd, the pulse of the music, and the echo of pucks snapping off sticks during warm-ups, it’s louder than I expected, even up here.
For a moment, I wonder if I stand out like a sore thumb in Knox’s jersey, surrounded by women who actually belong in this world. Significant others who fit seamlessly into this life and understand the unspoken rules of being tied to a professional athlete.
Before I can overthink my decision to attend, Rina spots me from across the suite.
Her face lights up, as if genuinely pleased to see me. “It’s about time you got here! We were so happy when Evelyn mentioned you’d be watching the game with us tonight.”
The warmth in her voice catches me off guard.
“Thanks for letting me join you,” I say, stepping more fully into the room. “I’m excited.”
Callie glances up from where she’s sitting near the front with a toddler on her lap. The little girl is wearing a tiny Railers hoodie, swinging her feet like she has too much energy for her small body to contain.
When one of the players skates past the glass, her face lights up.
“Da-Da!” she yells, her voice carrying even through the thick glass.
I have no idea if he can hear her, but he grins and lifts a hand in a quick wave as he passes by. There’s just something about a big, strong man turning into a total softie for his kid that melts my insides.
As soon as Callie’s gaze settles on me, a slow grin spreads across her face. “Repping Knox’s jersey, I see.”
Lilah laughs, leaning back against the couch. “I called it. These men like to lay their claim quickly.”
Heat floods my cheeks as my mind tumbles back to the mark he left on my inner thigh yesterday. The memory alone is enough to have warmth curling low in my belly.
I clear my throat, hoping I don’t look as flustered as I feel.
Evelyn heads in my direction, her presence effortless and commanding without trying. She gives me a quick once-over, her expression warm with a hint of amusement.
“You look absolutely perfect,” she says. “And we’re delighted you could join us tonight.”
I hadn’t expected the team owner to be so welcoming.
“Thank you,” I say. “I really appreciate it.”
The door opens behind me and Sloane walks in with three kids trailing behind her. Actually, they don’t all look like kids. The older two are teenagers, and the youngest looks around five or six.
The teens glance around the suite, trying not to look impressed and failing miserably.
“Wow! Look, Sloanie!” the youngest says, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “The hockey players are right there!” He rips his gaze away long enough to settle on Elody.
“This is Sawyer, Caleb, and Faith,” Sloane says, dropping into a chair. “My siblings.” She points at them. “Don’t touch or break anything. I’m being serious.”
Faith rolls her eyes. “Chill. We’re not going to break anything.”
“You say that now,” Sloane mutters.
Caleb, however, is already moving, drawn to Elody as if by some invisible pull. “Elody!” he calls, waving his hand.
She squeals, wriggling away from Kia and racing toward him. “Caleb!”
They meet in the middle of the space, as if they’re long-lost friends, before throwing their arms around each other and jumping up and down for a full thirty seconds. As they grin at each other, he pulls a small dragon from his pocket and holds it out to her.
“I brought you this.”
Elody’s eyes widen as she takes the toy, inspecting it carefully, as if it’s the most precious thing she’s ever been given. They start talking over each other, words tumbling out too quickly to follow, completely lost in their own little world.
I can’t help but smile.
“Well,” Evelyn says, glancing at Kia, “They seem like the very best of friends.”
Kia laughs. “It’s like this every time they get together.”
“Barely old enough to tie their shoes and already attached. Mark my words, that’s exactly how it all starts,” Evelyn says with a shake of her head.
Her gaze shifts as an older man steps into the suite. I recognize him from the event. Hugh. Or Hot Hugh, as Sloane called him. He greets a few people, his smile easy, but his attention keeps drifting back to Evelyn.
And when he moves closer, not quite touching but close enough that it feels intentional, something in the air shifts. It’s subtle but impossible to ignore.
It’s almost like watching a conversation unfold without words, as if they’re orbiting each other, caught in something neither of them is quite ready to break.
My attention is pulled back to the ice when the noise in the arena swells as warm-ups continue. Unable to help myself, I step closer to the glass. It doesn’t take long to find Knox. He stands out without even trying as he glides across the ice, his movements smooth and controlled.
He looks so much bigger out there. Somehow, the pads manage to broaden already wide shoulders, and on skates, he’s even taller. I haven’t attended many sporting events, and certainly not hockey games, but I’m starting to understand the appeal.
Knox skates past the glass once and then again. On the second pass, his head turns, his gaze scanning the suite until it lands on me, and a slow, satisfied smile spreads across his face. That’s all it takes for a fluttering sensation to fill my stomach.
His attention stays locked on me as he taps the ice once with his stick as he passes, a subtle acknowledgment that feels like it’s meant just for me.
My lips curve before I can stop them. For a second, everything else fades to the background.
All I can think about is the way he looked at me yesterday and how his hands felt on my body.
Rina’s laugh cuts straight through my thoughts.
“Oh, girl,” she says, stepping beside me. “You are in so much trouble.”
With a groan, I bury my face in my hands. “I know.”
This isn’t just fun anymore. Or us pretending.
I’m falling.
Hard.
Even though every logical part of me knows I should step back and protect myself, put some kind of distance between us so I don’t end up hurt again, I can’t do it.
This no longer feels like something I can control.
Then again, did it ever?
Rina leans her elbows against the ledge, her gaze following Knox as he circles back. “That man is completely gone for you.”
My teeth sink into my lower lip as I continue watching him. “The feeling is mutual.”
Her eyes flick toward me and her expression softens. “Good,” she says simply. “You deserve that. And so does Knox.”
A knot of uncertainty tightens in my chest. “You think so?”
She studies the ice, as if genuinely considering my question. “Yeah, I do. For as long as I’ve known Knox, he’s always kept women at a distance. Never allowing anyone to get too close. And he’s never brought anyone to a game before.”
My heart stutters.
She leans in before lowering her voice. “So, whatever this is between the two of you… it’s different.”
Different.
The word lingers in the air before sinking deep.
“And just like I’m here for the ongoing Evelyn and Hugh saga,” she adds with a grin, “I’m here for the two of you as well.”
A laugh slips from me, easing some of my tension as I glance at the older couple. “I have to admit I’m totally invested in that situation too.”
“We all are, girl.”
Knox circles around again, his focus split between the puck and the suite. Every time his gaze finds mine, a burst of warmth floods through me.
Chicago was supposed to be temporary. A place to disappear and lie low while I figured out whether a different future might exist for me, even if it never felt entirely realistic.
And this relationship with Knox McNichols was supposed to be fake.
A temporary solution to solve a problem.
But standing here in his jersey, surrounded by laughter, children, and women who are starting to feel like more than strangers, while a man on the ice looks at me like I matter?
It feels all too real.
I glance around the suite—at Callie with her daughter, absently smoothing the little girl’s hair.
At Elody and Caleb, so wrapped up in each other, it’s like no one else exists.
At Sloane, watching her siblings with quiet affection despite her fatigue.
At Evelyn and Hugh, tangled in something complicated, unfinished, and undeniably real.
I’ve spent years feeling like an island, even in a sea of people. But this feels like something I could get used to.
Something I might actually want.
My attention drifts back to the ice before locking on Knox again.
Chicago was supposed to be the place I came to disappear. But standing here now, surrounded by something that feels far too close to belonging, I can’t help but wonder…
What if it became the place I stayed?