One Shot (Love on Ice #1)

Liam

“For crying out loud, Maddie! How many times do I have to tell you? No jumping on the goddamn couch!”

Across the living room, his six-year-old daughter’s cherubic face crumpled, her lower lip quivering as she fought back tears. Toys, coloring pencils, and sheets of paper were scattered across the couch and floor nearby.

“Aw, honey… I’m sorry, okay? Daddy didn’t mean to shout.”

Heaving a ragged sigh, he crossed the room in two strides and knelt in front of Maddie. Her wide blue eyes, achingly reminiscent of her late mother’s, brimmed with unshed tears that threatened to shatter his composure.

Reaching out, he cupped her tiny face in his large palm.

“You just have to be careful, princess. No more jumping, alright? You could get hurt, and I…I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”

The anguish in his voice hung in the air, draining the remaining oxygen from his lungs.

He knew his dramatic words wouldn’t make much sense to Maddie, but the painful truth was clear — he had already endured the nightmare of losing someone so precious.

If anything happened to his daughters, he feared he would completely unravel.

Seemingly appeased by his heartfelt apology, Maddie nodded solemnly. Then, she leaned forward and wrapped her tiny arms around his thick neck in a tight embrace. Liam’s eyes closed instinctively as he returned the protective hug, breathing in the scent of kids’ shampoo and floral laundry detergent.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered in his ear, each syllable landing like a soft kiss, grounding him in the present moment.

Holding her small body more snugly against his broad chest, Liam pressed his lips to her crown of unruly blonde curls.

“I love you too, Mads. More than anything in this whole world. You hear me, girl?”

She giggled at the playful gruffness he deliberately infused into his voice. This was a long-standing game he had played since she was an infant: delivering sweet words in his hulking hockey player persona. Her musical laughter never failed to lift his spirits in response.

Yet, just as that warm feeling washed over him, it evaporated when his gaze drifted to the neatly framed photographs the living room mantelpiece.

There she was, immortalized in those glossy moments.

Kate, radiant and luminous, her long blonde hair framing a face illuminated by a blindingly joyful smile.

Whether in solo shots showcasing her delicate dancer’s frame or family portraits, the effervescent beauty he remembered shone from every photo.

God, he missed her so deeply that it felt like the air was being stolen from his lungs. It was as if someone had connected an oxygen line to his chest and was mercilessly twisting the valves, leaving him on the brink of asphyxiation.

Liam’s shoulders sagged under the weight of grief. His muscles tensed as that monstrous grip of sorrow tightened around his chest — until a tiny hand brushed against his cheek. It was Maddie’s silent plea for him to return to her. To the here and now.

Though his spirit was battered by loss, paternal instincts kicked in. Liam unclenched his jaw and pulled his thoughts back from the edge of despair, refocusing on the small warm body nestled against his chest.

His younger daughter, five-year-old Hailey, came tearing around the corner, a whirlwind of strawberry blonde curls and purple overalls adorned with tinkling bells.

“Daddy! Daddy! I made you a pretty picture during quiet time!”

She screeched to a halt in front of him, cheeks flushed from exertion and eyes sparkling with her usual joy.

In that moment, as he took in her glowing, animated features, Liam felt a fresh wave of devastation at how much this tiny dynamo embodied Kate’s vivacious spirit.

He steeled himself. He had to be strong.

“Well, let’s see this masterpiece then, Hurricane Hailey,” he encouraged, his tone lighter than he felt.

Obligingly, Hailey presented her prized finger painting — a vibrant swirl of colors at the center of the paper.

“It’s all of us!” she proclaimed proudly. “Me, you, Maddie…and Mommy. She’s looking down on us from the clouds, like an angel!”

The innocent exuberance of her words detonated like an incendiary device in Liam’s hollow chest. He bit down hard on his molars, struggling to contain the surge of emotion threatening to erupt.

“That’s beautiful, baby,” he rasped, forcing the words through a sandpaper throat. “Your mom…she would have loved it. Just like she loved both of you.”

Little Maddie had slipped from his embrace when Hailey bounded in, but now she returned to drape her small body along his hunched back, grounding him with her delicate weight.

These moments — his daughters simply being their sweet, messy, effervescent selves — always stripped away the thick calluses he had built over his shattered heart.

He berated himself for being tough with them sometimes, yet felt helpless against the darker moods that descended upon him.

As if sensing her father’s emotional undercurrent, Hailey’s radiant smile dimmed slightly.

“Are you sad about Mommy again, Daddy?”

“No, ladybug,” he lied smoothly, plastering on a tight semblance of cheer. “I’m not sad anymore. I’ve got my two favorite little ladies to keep me smiling, don’t I?”

He punctuated his reassurance by tweaking Hailey’s nose, relieved when her muffled giggles filled the tense silence.

While the moment of levity soothed his daughters temporarily, Liam was acutely aware of Maddie’s solemn gaze fixed on him.

The perceptiveness in her clear blue eyes felt far too heavy for her six years, as if she understood that her father’s bravado merely masked the cracks in his soul.

Before Liam could sink too deeply into his thoughts, a muted buzzing interrupted him. He reached for his cell phone on the coffee table, suppressing a groan at the sight of the caller ID.

“Mom, hey,” he answered in as pleasant a tone as he could muster. Though he loved his mother dearly, Heather Anderson was nothing if not persistent.

“Liam…son, we need to talk.”

Her words were measured, heavy with unmistakable parental concern. Liam felt his gut clench.

“Your dad and I…we’re worried about you. And those sweet girls…”

A surge of defensiveness rose in Liam’s chest, quickly morphing into irritation.

“I know you’re worried, Mom, but we’re managing over here.”

From the corner of his eye, Liam noticed Maddie shifting nervously from foot to foot, glancing between him and her younger sister. He winced, realizing his tense words had soured the atmosphere in the room.

“Look, we don’t need to go through this again, Mom,” he said, lowering his voice. “I have everything under control. I don’t need your help. You have enough on your plate with Dad’s heart condition. The girls are my top priority every single day. You know that.”

“Liam, that’s not what I’m saying, and you know it,” his mother replied, exasperation creeping into her voice. “You’ve stepped up admirably. Bless your heart, boy. We know those babies want for nothing.”

A lump formed in Liam’s throat at the pride in his mother’s words. When was the last time he had allowed himself to accept his parents’ care and concern instead of constantly deflecting?

“But you have to take care of yourself too, son,” she continued, gentle yet firm. “You need to find a way to ease this burden you’re carrying. The school summer break is coming up, and I know those kids can be a handful. Get some help before it becomes too much to bear.”

Her blunt truth hit home. He glanced around at the toys and craft supplies strewn across the room.

The girls’ room looked like a disaster zone, and the breakfast dishes were piled high in the sink.

It was simply unsustainable to be a single parent while juggling the demands of a professional hockey career, especially with the recent tensions with his team.

No matter how hard he tried, something had to give eventually.

Cradling the phone tighter against his ear, he masked a shaky exhale before responding.

“I know what you’re saying, Mom. It’s just…I have to make this work. For them.”

He nodded towards Maddie and Hailey, who had started a lively game of chase, their squeals of delight filling the air. They dodged the various toys scattered across the massive living room.

Watching their carefree abandon ached Liam’s heart, reminding him painfully of how Kate used to orchestrate such joyful games. He knew he could never replicate even a fraction of her effortless domestic magic.

“You’ve been carrying this burden alone for months now,” his mother continued.

“Out of some misguided sense of masculine martyrdom. Your dad was just the same, and look where that got him. Putting too much on your shoulders isn’t sustainable in the long run.

You excel on the hockey rink, but that doesn’t translate to home life, Liam. It requires a different skill set.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Liam rubbed the stubbly hinge of his jaw as he absorbed her criticism. He understood it came from a place of love.

“I’d ask Morgan for help, but you know how she is,” his mother said.

Liam knew his sister was the last person he could rely on.

“Morgan only cares about Morgan,” he replied, unable to hide his animosity. “I’m not expecting anything from her.”

“Tell you what,” his mom said, shifting the conversation away from his sister.

“Your dad and I will make a couple of calls. We’ll line up some potential sitters or nannies for you to interview — just an extra set of hands around the house. Just…consider it, son. For all our sakes. Especially those little angels.”

The suggestion settled over Liam like a heavy weight, even as he recognized its logic.

Relinquishing even a tiny bit of control over his broken family’s lives felt like a failure — an admission that he couldn’t handle things.

That he hadn’t stepped up when his family needed him most. That he had failed Kate.

Yet, his mom’s reasoning was sound, even if allowing a stranger into their sheltered existence felt like a violation of the safety and stability Liam had worked hard to create for his daughters.

When he remained silent for too long, Heather gently prompted him.

“Son? You still with me? Liam, son?”

“Yeah…” Liam finally rasped. “Yeah, I hear you, Mom. I hear you.”

That statement held more than one meaning.

He could hear his mother’s relieved exhale.

“That’s my boy. We just want what’s best for the girls — and for you, Liam. No judgment here, only love. One person can only do so much.”

Liam mumbled an agreement before abruptly saying goodbye, eager to escape the uncomfortable conversation.

After disconnecting the call, he sat in silence for several moments while his lively daughters whirled around him, seemingly existing in a different realm.

How could he entrust the two most precious things in his life to an outsider? The thought felt both sacrilegious and like the only sensible path forward. He just couldn’t reconcile it.

Rising from the floor, he moved to the mantelpiece that commemorated Kate’s tragically short life. Their love story had been one of dizzying passion and profound friendship, creating two little miracles.

Every photograph tugged at Liam’s aching heart: newlywed portraits from their wedding album, their exotic honeymoon in Cancun, and Kate looking luminous during each of her two pregnancies.

Each memory hit him with the devastating realization of how she had been the center of his universe, until her bright light was extinguished in a single fateful night that now haunted his sleep.

The cruel twist of fate had stolen his mate, his partner, his anchor, his life, his purpose — his everything.

But as hard as he tried to move forward with fatherly devotion, Liam knew he couldn’t replicate the kaleidoscope of care and affection that Kate embodied so effortlessly.

He was the solid foundation, the rock, the breadwinner, and a loving dad.

But she had been the radiant sun in their lives, bringing warmth and laughter to even the most mundane moments.

He needed help. That realization struck him now — hard.

Which meant he had to let someone in, no matter how daunting it felt.