The first time I met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. I’d received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city. Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. He asked me to dance, and our chemistry was off the charts. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding I was at. But our connection was intense, and I was having a great time. Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out I wasn’t who I’d said I was.

I’ve been texting the wife I lost, the woman I loved beyond measure.... Now someone else has answered back. Gunnar Bond is broken. Three years ago, he lived through the car crash that took his wife and twins away from him - though “lived” barely describes his current state. Giving up professional hockey, going off-grid, and drinking himself into oblivion are his coping mechanisms. Another is texting his dead wife about his days without her. Therapeutic? Doubtful. Crazy? Definitely.

As captain of the Dallas Oilers, I was their leader on and off the ice. From the outside, it looked like I had the perfect life. I didn’t. I was married to a woman who refused to give me a divorce. All she wanted was the status title, and all I wanted was to be set free. It was supposed to be just another event, except it took a turn I didn’t see coming.

Roaring back from a life-threatening injury, Theo has the world at his skates as defenseman for his new team, the Chicago Rebels. Everyone adores his big personality, his on-ice talent, and his killer smile. Everyone but his prickly neighbor - or so he thinks. One chilly Christmas Eve, Theo will learn that maybe the girl next door isn’t such a hater after all.... 

They called me the pretty boy on and off the ice. Hockey’s most eligible bachelor. When my teammate asked me to donate one date to his charity, I figured why not. Worst case, I’d spend the night with a fan. Best-case scenario, she would be hot. What I wasn’t expecting was for my dream girl to be the highest bidder. For years, she brushed me off, and now, I finally had a chance to take her out and show her who I really was. With only one shot at this, I really hoped I didn’t mess it up. 

Fans can’t get enough of Levi Hunt, the Special Forces veteran who put his NHL career on hold to serve his country and fight the bad guys. So when his new Chicago Rebels bosses tell him to cooperate with the press on a profile, he’s ready to do his duty - until he finds out who he has to work with: flame-haired, freckle-splashed, impossibly perky Jordan Cooke…the woman he should not have kissed the night she buried her husband, Levi’s best friend in the service.

Cammy’s my best friend - the one person I can’t live without, the girl with the sunshine smile, the loaded fridge, and the most awesome kid I’ve ever met. She’s also the hot AF single mom I’ve made it my mission to protect from guys like me. And I won’t risk ruining our friendship by pushing for something more. I’m not that guy. I’m the good time, the class clown, the hockey stud. I’m the happy-for-now, not the happily-ever-after. 

I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed. Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything. 

I might be one of the older players on the Arizona Vengeance, but I like to think that also makes me one of the wisest. Or at least I used to. Turns out, I’ve been a bit selfish. I’ve been married to hockey and my team for years, which hasn’t left much time for my actual wife, Ella. Now I’m juggling a separation I never wanted, the pressure of being a single dad to our teenage daughter, and the career I sacrificed it all for. 

Growing up, I was the rough guy from the wrong neighborhood who couldn’t catch a break. Posy was the pampered girl I tried to impress. But I managed to steal only a single kiss before I had to skip town. Now I’m back, and the tables are turned. Posy runs a struggling pie shop. I’m the VP of a secretive billion dollar security company. Not that I can tell her. 

I have a problem. Potential problem? I’m not really sure. Here’s the deal. There’s this girl - isn’t that how it always starts? - and her name is Mollie. I like her. I mean really like her. I hope that doesn’t make me seem less manly than my professional hockey player persona implies. But here’s the issue - she’s my best friend. The one person I can count on for everything, who’s been there with me for all the moments, big and small.   

I haven't seen her in three years. I haven't talked to her since the kiss. So why am I on a plane, flying across the world to spend a week with her in Germany? One word: Pops. My life’s a mess. My possible football career is hanging on by a thread. I'm driving the roads of Germany in honor of Pops with the one girl I can never have. And I’m sharing a bed with her, the girl I've measured everyone else up to, while desperately trying to not to touch her. We made a pact growing up, never to get romantic with each other - never fall in love. 

It was a three-week fling. Nothing more than a couple of college kids having some fun, but then I did the stupid thing and fell for Jude Taylor quicker than he can score a goal on the ice. And after one beautiful night together, he left for the pros before I could make my first cup of coffee. I thought I’d put him behind me. I thought I’d moved on. Then he hobbles into my physical therapy office and I realize how absolutely wrong I’ve been - there’s no getting over Jude Taylor. 

I’ve had only one goal in life since I first strapped on a pair of skates - make America’s pro hockey league. I left Denmark. I made it to the top. Now, I’m determined to be the best. No distractions. I eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. Until my birthday when my teammates convince me to live a little. But living a little takes on a whole new meaning when less than a year later I’m confronted with a crying baby on my doorstep, drooling on a note that declares he’s mine.  

Studying abroad for her master's program, all Lia Ward knows is that she's a little lonely and Jude McAllister’s very charming, even as they have an epically sexy argument about which type of football is superior. In Jude's mind, shagging the feisty American girl is exactly what he needs. He’s been fighting the clock of his long-standing football career and the younger players primed to take his position. Proving that he can feel like his old self again - something he's been trying to do with everyone in his life - should be easier after blowing off steam with Lia.