Puck Pact: A Marriage of Convenience Hockey Romance (East Coast Series)

“Mrs. Krum, you have visitors.”

“Eddie, you don’t have to keep calling me—” I set down the box I’m carrying. “Wait, visitors?”

My bodyguard smiles. “Come and see for yourself.”

I wipe my palms on my leggings as I walk out of my new office and into the hallway. Cassidy, Celeste, and Kourtney are waiting in the lobby, holding bottles of wine and coolers in their hands.

My eyebrows shoot up. “What are you guys doing here?”

Cassidy’s smile is so wide, it almost splits her face in half. “A little birdie told us that you’ve been working so hard at the gallery all week that you keep forgetting to eat. So, he asked us to bring you dinner.”

Celeste holds up a bottle of red wine in each of her hands. “And booze!”

“A little birdie, huh?” I arch a brow. “Does he happen to be a Goldfinch?”

Kourtney laughs. “He made dinner for all of us and said you might need a girl’s night to celebrate.” Her smile softens. “This place is beautiful, Aarya.”

My heart thunders in my chest at the thought of Alexander going through all the trouble to cook for the four of us, and reach out to the girls on my behalf. I tend to self-isolate when I’m stressed, and he knows it.

He knows me.

“You look surprised.” Celeste winks as she waltzes past me. “You know that man is head over heels for you, right?”

I roll my eyes. “I officially own this place, you know. I can kick you out if I want to.”

She chuckles and sets down the bottles on the front desk. “Give us a quick tour, and then we can eat. This food smells fucking amazing, and I’m starving.”

Cassidy sets down the cooler and practically jumps into my arms. “I’m so happy for you.”

I say, “All right, enough with the hugging,” but I squeeze her tight in my arms in spite of myself. “I can hardly believe this is my life.”

A year ago, I never would’ve imagined I’d be the owner of my own gallery.

Or married.

Or helping take care of a four-year-old.

Or falling in love with the man who made all of this possible.

I walk the girls around the empty gallery, telling them some of the plans I have for each area.

“You can use my parents to cater for your grand opening,” Kourtney offers.

“Thanks, Kourt. I can’t even think about a grand opening at this point. It’s overwhelming thinking about how much needs to get done in order for that to happen.”

Cassidy squeezes my shoulder. “You’ll get there.”

We grab the food and wine, and head upstairs to eat so we can overlook the gallery.

“Sorry I don’t have a table or chairs for us. I wasn’t expecting company.”

Celeste lowers herself onto the floor and crisscrosses her legs. “It’s fine. We’re bendy, aren’t we, Kourt?”

Kourtney’s cheeks burn.

“Okay, you have to tell me what you’re referring to,” I beg.

Celeste’s eyes light up. “Last night, we⁠—”

Kourtney’s hand clamps over Celeste’s mouth. “No!”

Celeste’s shoulders shake with laughter. “All I’ll say is, you ladies should invest in a swing for your bedroom.”

Cassidy and I glance at each other with wide eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d be able to explain that one to Giuliana,” I say.

We eat and drink, and most of all, we laugh. The stress I’ve been under melts away, and aside from my friends, I have Alexander to thank for that.

“I’ll be right back. I have to grab something from my purse.” I jog down the stairs and run right back up with my wallet in hand. Once I’m seated again, I pull out a crisp fifty-dollar bill for each of them. “I think I’m in love with Alex.”

Cassidy kicks her feet as she holds up the money like it’s baby Simba. “I knew it! I freaking knew it!”

Celeste clinks her wine glass against mine. “Congrats, girl. Welcome to the club.”

“This is terrifying,” I groan, burying my face in my hands.

Kourtney rubs her palm along my shoulder. “It’s scary, but it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world. You deserve this.”

Cassidy nods. “Alex is a great guy, and an amazing dad. You love Giuliana, and you’re great with her. This couldn’t have worked out any better.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I ask.

“That’s not possible.” Celeste shakes his head. “That man has been in love with you for a while now. I can see it all over his face when he’s with you.”

Does he love me too?

His caring gestures.

His attentive ways.

Is that love?

It feels like it is, like he does.

“You should tell him how you feel,” Cassidy says. “Remember what you told me when I was falling for Trenton while we were still fake dating?”

“I’m not going to give you advice anymore if you’re going to use it against me.”

She laughs. “I’m being serious, Aarya. Tell him how you feel.”

I nod. “Maybe.”

I don’t know how to do this. My mother never told me she loved me. We certainly never expressed our feelings, not unless they were the kind we spat at each other out of anger.

The thought of telling Alexander how I feel terrifies me, and it plagues my mind for the rest of the night, until he walks through the door of the gallery to pick me up and we say goodnight to the girls.

“How was your night?” he asks, wrapping his hands around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss.

“It was great. I really needed that.” I blink up at him. “Thank you for doing that for me.”

He gazes down at me, nothing but sincerity in his eyes. “You know I’d do anything for you, right?”

Emotion clogs my throat, my own feelings wrapping around my vocal cords, so I nod instead of speaking.

Trusting someone is scary after being let down your whole life. But looking up at this man before me, not trusting him seems so foolish. How could I not give him my heart? How could I not give him everything I have in me?

I only hope it’s enough for him.

He deserves the world. Am I capable of that? Could I be what he deserves?

Questions bombard me, so I stuff those three words back down under the surface for a little longer.

I’ll tell him another time.

As Alexander pulls back, it’s now that I realize he’s holding a shopping bag in his right hand. “What’s that?” I ask.

He reaches inside and pulls out a small square package wrapped in shiny gold wrapping paper. “This is for you.”

My eyes narrow. “For what?”

He laughs. “Just open it and you’ll see.”

I arch a brow. “A good surprise?”

“Definitely.” He pauses. “Why would I wrap a bad surprise in gold wrapping paper?”

“That’s the thing about bad surprises—they’re always wrapped in a pretty bow disguised as a present.”

Before I can snatch the gift out of his hands, he tips my chin, forcing my eyes upward again. “Hey, look at me. You’re not going to get any bad surprises from me, okay?”

I want to tell him he can’t promise me that, but I don’t.

Because I want to believe him.

“Got it, Big Man.”

He releases me, and I tear open the package he brought for me. Inside a square box is a black picture frame. In the middle of the glass is a small, rectangular piece of white paper with blue lettering that says: A dream you have will soon come true.

My eyes widen. “This is the fortune from my cookie the night I brought Chinese food to your house.”

He nods. “I figured you could hang it behind your desk in your new office as a reminder that you’re making your dreams come true.”

“You saved it?”

He nods again. “I’ve always believed in your dream. Now it’s your turn to believe in it.”

I bury my face against his chest. I definitely don’t deserve this man. I don’t know how I could ever live up to the woman he deserves.

But I know that I want to try like hell to be that woman.

When we get home, we say goodnight to Annie and walk down the hall to kiss Giuliana goodnight while she sleeps.

Only, she’s not in her bed.

We creep into Alexander’s room and find her fast asleep in the middle of his bed, with Ellie and Dash at the foot of the bed like her protectors.

Alexander heaves a sigh as he smiles. “She’s obsessed with my bed,” he whispers.

I shake my head. “It’s not the bed. It’s her father when he’s in it.”

He tangles his fingers with mine as he leans down and presses his lips against my cheek. “Sleep with us tonight.”

I glance at Giuliana before swinging my gaze back to him. “But what will she think when she wakes up and sees me in bed with you guys?”

“She’ll think she has her family with her, and that she is loved.”

Family.

Something I’ve never felt like I was a part of.

Until now.

I nod and give him a small smile. “Okay.”

After we wash up and change, we slip into bed. Alexander takes the left side and I take the right, sandwiching Giuliana between us. He reaches over and presses a kiss to the top of her head, her messy curls sprawled out over the pillow. Then he reaches for me, stroking my hair away from my face and caressing my cheek. His soft touch lulls me to sleep, despite my racing heart ready to jump out of my chest and lay at his feet.

Each beat sounding more and more like the words I can’t bring myself to say.

Maybe tomorrow.

I’ll tell him tomorrow.