Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am. Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss.
But it ends just as abruptly as it began. A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer. I own my own flower shop, have some great friends, and I have my eye on adopting the most adorable kitten. You better believe I climbed that tree like a cat. And the fact that it happened not once, not twice, but three times? Until the pregnancy test comes up positive. What happens next? Sure, I had a teenage crush on him way back whenβand everyone knew itβbut he never saw me as anything but his little brother's friend, the girl who got tongue-tied any time he walked into a room.
I had long ago accepted the fact that his strong arms would never hold me, his lush lips would never claim mine, and his blue eyes would never see me as anything more than who I used to be.
But now he's back in Willow Creek Valley, and there's a brand-new spark between usβeven he can't fight it. Our chemistry is explosive, and every time we're together, I swear I can feel the earth shake.
Until I see that little pink plus sign, and the earth stops turning completely. Now I want it all again, a life with him. But Joshua built walls around his heart for a reason, and his secrets haunt him. How can I show him that the ghosts of his past don't have to define our new family's future? Until she comes running through his door, soaking wet and in a princess gown. But now what? The job offer he extends is only until she gets back on her feetβhe has no intention of keeping her.
