1
Natalie
“Okay, that's the last of it.” My cousin Avery dusts off her hands and grins at me. “You're officially a New Yorker.”
“I'm officially terrified.”Not true. I’m excited. This is the fresh start I've been dreaming about for months. New city. New job. New life. No Brody. No mother asking when I'm going to come to my senses. Just me and a chance to figure out who I am when I'm not trying to be what everyone else wants.
Liam, Avery’s boyfriend and a forward for the New York Renegades, appears in the kitchen doorway, his broad shoulders taking up most of the frame.
He raises the trophy up in the air. “The Stanley Cup, baby!” He sets it down on my kitchen island. “I'm not letting her out of my sight.”
The Renegades won the Stanley Cup last season, and every player on the winning team gets twenty-four hours with the Cup. Today is Liam's day. The trophy travels with a handler from the Hall of Fame, but for these precious hours, it belongs to him.
I run my fingers along the edge of the trophy, tracing the engraved names of past champions. Decades of hockey history,right here in my new apartment. “This is incredible. I can't believe it's just sitting on my kitchen island.”
“Believe it.” Liam pats the Cup affectionately. “She's real, she's here, and she's coming everywhere with me today.”
“I’m so proud of you, baby,” Avery says, her eyes soft as she looks at Liam. Seeing them together and obviously in love sends a pang of longing through my chest.
I shudder. The last thing I want in my life is romance. After Brody, I’m done with men. I'm here to rebuild my life.
“Thank you for everything, guys,” I say, pulling Avery into a hug. “I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you for this.”
She hugs me back. “You don't have to repay me. You needed a change, and the New York Renegades needed a physical therapist. Plus, you’re the best PT I know. They're lucky to have you.”
Liam drapes an arm around Avery's shoulders. “You ready to work with hockey players? We're not exactly easy.”
I laugh. I've seen the tabloids. The club appearances, the models on their arms, and the videos of champagne showers in VIP sections after big wins. Hockey players have a reputation, and from what I've gathered, the Renegades are no exception.
But I'm not here to babysit anyone's social life.
I'm here to do one thing. Get Ethan Ward back on the ice. While his teammates were hoisting the trophy, he was in the medical room with the team doctors, writhing in pain.
A bad hit in the third period had torn his ACL clean through. One moment, he was blocking a shot; the next, he was crumpled on the ice, his season and possibly his career ending in a single, brutal twist of his knee.
He had surgery two days after the parade, meaning he missed all the celebrations that came with winning the Stanley Cup.
And by all accounts, the forced stillness has turned him into a nightmare to work with. The last two physical therapists assigned to him didn't last a month. One quit, and the other requested a transfer.
“I've worked with difficult patients before,” I say. “I can handle it.”
“Yeah, but Ethan?” Liam shakes his head. “Good luck with that one.”
I've read Ethan’s file cover to cover, studied his injury reports, and signed a contract specifically to oversee his rehabilitation. My entire job here revolves around getting him back on the ice, and that is something I’m confident I can do.
As long as he cooperates.
“What's he like?” I ask.
“The guy's moody as fuck,” Liam says. “More so now that he's injured. He's been biting everyone's heads off since the surgery.”
“Liam.” Avery elbows him in the ribs. “Don't scare her off before she even starts.”
“I'm not scared.” I straighten my spine. “I spent three years working in a hospital. I've dealt with patients who were angry, depressed, in denial, and everything in between. An injured hockey player isn't going to break me.”
Liam raises his eyebrows. “All right, all right. I like the confidence.”
“She's going to be fine,” Avery says firmly. Then she grins at me, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Although I should warn you, athletes are another breed. The egos alone could fill this entire building.”
