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“You’re okay, kid,” I whisper. My phone is burning a hole in my pocket at the idea of calling or texting Rhys. I don’t have Sadie’s number, otherwise I’d risk my captain’s ire to bypass her protector. “Wanna tell me why you’re so upset?”

“I d-don’t want to t-talk about it.” Liam’s voice is full of hiccupped breaths.

“That’s okay too,” I reassure him.

The door to the locker room opens and Max Koteskiy steps in, full suit sans tie and slicked-back hair. His eyes widen as he stares at me seated on the bench holding Liam Brown in my arms.

My back stiffens, mouth opening to say something—apologize? I don’t know.

But I don’t have to, because the retired defenseman kneels at my side and quietly asks, “Liam, what’s wrong, son?”

Liam sniffles and turns his head closer into my chest. He’s so goddamn small it makes my chest squeeze, my arms tightening.

“It hurts.”

“What hurts?” I ask. Max eyes me with something I swear looks like relief. His hand raises to pet Liam’s messy hair. “Did you fall?”

He shakes his head, before raising his tiny hand to his chest. “Here. It feels like something bad is going to happen to me and Oliver and Sissy.”

Max’s eyes shutter like he’s been struck. “Nothing bad is going to happen, Liam.” His gaze meets mine as he drops his voice again. “Your dad is not going to come back and hurt you or your brother or Sadie. Everything is going to be okay.”

My arms tighten around the kid again.

It hurts.

There’s a distant echo of my own voice, some blurry memory of a beautiful woman smelling of saffron, cradling my head and calling me meri jaan. I used to call Lily that, when we were young and it felt like the only thing that expressed what I felt in my heart. I want to use it now, even if I don’t know what it means. But the pain and protectiveness I feel over this kid is almost overwhelming.

“Shh, you’re all right,” I whisper. He tucks in closer. “You heard Coach Max. Nothing is going to hurt you or anyone else. Max or Rhys wouldn’t allow it. Sadie wouldn’t.”

Max watches me closely as I speak, before unfurling to stand.

“Do you want me to take you home, Liam?” he asks.

He shakes his head, dusting his curls against my chin. “I want to stay with Toren.”

Max doesn’t look angry or incensed at the kid’s response, despite his usually clear hatred of me. Instead, he seems . . . introspective, maybe? I’m not sure. He just stares at me for a long time, before nodding and turning on his heel out of the room.

I hold Liam until his tears subside and he bravely asks to go finish the game with everyone.

There’s a piece of me that feels like I did something right, that I comforted him, that I made things okay again for him. I hang on to that feeling long after leaving the rink.

Chapter 33

Lily

My mom looks tired, sitting in the big chair in my dad’s office when I sneak in. I’m usually not allowed in here, but the shouting was so loud I got scared and came to look.

“This has to stop, Dahlia. You’re being—”

“Mommy?” I ask, stepping quickly so my hair that’s still a little wet from my bath earlier bounces slightly. Mommy was supposed to help me get dressed and brush my hair after, but she forgot. It’s okay, though—I’m five now. I am not good at brushing my hair, but I try my best.

Today, I didn’t do good, only because I wanted to finish this.

I hand the paper to her, but she doesn’t move to take it. She doesn’t even look at me.

“I made this for you.” It’s a drawing with my crayons of the flowers in our garden. Flowers make me happy, and drawing makes me happy, so I wanted to give it to her. To make her happy.

“Lillian,” a sharper voice snaps, my dad scooting in front of my mom’s seated form. His eyes are bright blue, like mine and my mom’s, but his hair isn’t red like ours. “I told you to stay in your room.”