Kayden

Seeing Rhys standing at my front door brought an instant, traitorous smile to my face. I had been waiting for him ever since my phone started blowing up with his calls. I had been so tempted to pick up every single time it rang, my thumb hovering over the screen, but I held back.

When the calls finally stopped, regret hit me hard. I had wanted him to keep trying, to prove he cared enough to fight for us. Instead, silence. Then Soren and Leo started calling, and I ignored those too, knowing they were probably on his behalf.

All I had really wanted was for Rhys to keep calling until I felt ready to forgive him. And now here he was, exactly as I had pictured — standing right in front of my door.

A deep, satisfied smile spread across my face as I turned away, pretending to walk back inside.

I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. I knew that about myself.

"I don’t want to see you," I lied, injecting as much hurt into my voice as I could manage while waiting to see how he would react.

My smile widened when I heard his footsteps rushing after me. He caught up quickly and wrapped his arms around me from behind in a tight hug.

Goodness, I had missed this — the solid warmth of his chest against my back, the way his arms fit perfectly around me. The shiver that ran through me was almost enough to make me drop the act and tell him I wasn’t really angry.

But he needed to grovel a little first for keeping secrets. So I kept up the dramatic front, pretending I was still deeply hurt.

"Kayden, please listen to me. I’m sorry," he said, his voice soft and pleading in a way that made my heart squeeze.

I wanted to laugh at how gentle he sounded.

Who would have thought the team captain of the Northern Avalanche — the guy everyone called the Ice Prince on the rink — could sound this soft and vulnerable?

"Let me go," I replied, struggling half-heartedly against his hold even though I secretly wanted him to squeeze me tighter. "I don’t want to be part of any of this. I don’t know why you’re showing up at my house this late after everything you did tonight."

Rhys let out a heavy sigh. Then, with one smooth turn, he spun me around so I was facing him. The moment my eyes met his bright blue ones, I saw the raw hurt and sadness in them. It made me want to drop everything and tell him I wasn’t angry anymore. But I didn’t. Instead, I lowered my head, staring at the floor between us.

"I’m sorry for keeping what Damian Fernandez used to mean to me," he said quietly.

At the mention of that name, I groaned. It brought back the sharp memory of the parking lot — the red Ferrari, the way Rhys had lied to me over text.

"I’m sorry that I lied to you," Rhys continued, his voice steady but laced with regret. "But trust me, Damian and I ended things years ago. We are no longer together."

I slowly raised my head to meet his eyes again. "So..." I stuttered, the words getting tangled. "Oh, fuck this," I muttered.

I grabbed his hand, pulled him toward the nearest wall, and slammed him against it. I stood right in front of him, tilting my head up to stare into his eyes, my chest heaving as I searched for the right words.

Rhys blinked, then reached up and placed his hand gently on my cheek, his thumb brushing away the dried tears still on my skin.

"Have you been crying?" he asked softly.

I scoffed and folded my arms, saying nothing. My silence was enough to let him believe it. The truth was the tears weren’t from heartbreak — they were from the ridiculously spicy food I had ordered a few hours earlier.

The spice level had been rated eight out of ten, and instead of wallowing, I had decided to punish my taste buds. The tears had streamed nonstop, but I wasn’t about to admit that right now.

"I’m sorry, Kayden. I should have told you when the games started and—"

"And why didn’t you?" I cut him off, pointing a finger at his chest. "We both agreed that whatever happens, we would always talk about it. No more secrets, remember? And yet you..." I sighed, the frustration bubbling up again.

"I saw the way he stared at you on the ice. Then I followed you to the parking lot and watched you get into his Ferrari. When I texted you, I expected the truth, but you lied to me." I paused, stopping my pacing long enough to glance toward the entrance.

Soren was standing there against the wall with his arms crossed, watching quietly. I had completely forgotten he had come with Rhys. He had stayed silent the whole time, not inserting himself.

When our eyes met, he just gave me a small, knowing smile.

I smiled back and continued. "If you had told me the truth, if you had explained why you were with him, I wouldn’t have misunderstood you, Rhys. I trust that you wouldn’t betray me. I know that. But you lied to me. After everything we’ve been through, after we promised each other we would always tell the truth, you lied. And that hurts badly."

I heard Rhys’s footsteps behind me. His familiar pine scent filled the air as he approached and wrapped me in a back hug, his arms strong and warm. "I’m truly sorry," he whispered against my hair. "Please don’t hate me."

I sighed and turned around in his arms, hugging him back tightly. "I don’t hate you. I never could, Rhys. Well... unless you did something really bad like sleeping with someone else or kissing them..." I paused when I felt his body tense at the mention of a kiss. "Wait..." I pulled back just enough for our eyes to meet. "You kissed him?" I shouted.

"No... no, I didn’t," Rhys said quickly, shaking his head. "I would never do that to you. I didn’t kiss him — he kissed me."

I let out a painful gasp. "That bastard!" I cursed under my breath, grabbing a handful of my own hair in frustration. "He kissed you? How dare he?" My fists clenched tight at my sides. "He—"

Rhys came behind me again and pulled me into another hug, his voice calm and steady. "It was a forceful kiss. I could never do anything to hurt you, and I made him understand that clearly."

I sighed heavily, trying to let the anger simmer down. I shouldn’t be mad at Rhys — he had been the victim in that moment — but I still couldn’t understand why he had willingly gotten into Damian’s car in the first place. "I need you to be completely truthful with me, Rhys. Why did you get into his car? If you wanted him to stay away from you, why did you follow him?"

"Because..." Rhys sighed and rubbed his forehead. "He said he had a secret about you. I had to follow him to find out what it was."

He had done it because of me. Rhys had followed Damian to protect me, to keep my secrets safe. I didn’t know whether to feel grateful that he cared that much or frustrated that he had been naïve enough to fall for the trap.

"So what did he say about me?" I asked.

"It was just a trap to lure me out," Rhys admitted. "I regret going with him, and that’s why I’m here begging you to forgive me."

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at my lips. I hugged him tightly again. "I can’t stay mad at you for long. I was hurt at first, and I came here to clear my head, but I’m over it now. I trust you, Rhys. I love you."

Rhys smiled softly and caressed my cheek again with his thumb. "What happened to your face? Your eyes are still red."

I chuckled, the tension finally easing. "Just a little something from eating ridiculously spicy food earlier. Don’t worry about it."

Rhys chuckled too and pulled me back into his arms, holding me close.

"No more secrets," he whispered.

"No more," I agreed, rubbing his back gently.

From the entrance, Soren clapped his hands slowly. "Well, I believe my work here is done. You two handled that better than I ever did with my own lover."

I chuckled and looked over at him. "Hey, Soren."

Soren rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, you’re just noticing me now?" He laughed. "Anyway, I’m glad you both figured it out. Healthy relationships really are the best." He gave us both a thumbs-up.

I lifted my head from Rhys’s chest and looked up at him. "You look exhausted, Rhys. We had a hell of a game today, and we still have more to win. Let’s head to bed."

Rhys nodded without arguing, his shoulders finally relaxing.

"Alright, I’m leaving. Good night," Soren announced, heading for the door.

"Good night. Thank you for tonight, Soren," Rhys called after him. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Soren nodded and stepped outside. We watched as he climbed into the G-Wagon and drove away.

Once we were finally alone, I took Rhys’s hand and led him toward the bedroom. We lay side by side for a moment in comfortable silence. Then Rhys pulled me closer, and I rested my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"I don’t want us to fight anymore," I whispered into the quiet.

"Me too," he responded, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. "No more secrets. No more fighting."

"No more fighting between us," I agreed. "But after what Damian pulled tonight, we need to win that Cup."

"And we will," Rhys assured me, his voice full of quiet confidence. "I trust everyone on the Northern Avalanche. We’re going to win it."