One Last Shot

Aleksandr Ivanov was my person. We helped each other through the worst of our childhoods. I thought we were meant for each other; then he ghosted me.

That's when I learned that the only person I can count on is me.

Fourteen years later, the NHL superstar reappears in my life with an outrageous request: pretend to be his wife and help him adopt his orphaned niece, Stella. The twist? Apparently we've been married since I was sixteen.

I can't commit to the relationship he's asking for, but when I accidentally screw up his childcare arrangement before he leaves for the Stanley Cup playoffs, I end up as Stella's nanny for a couple weeks.

I shouldn't put my life on hold to help him. I shouldn't fall hard for his precocious niece. And I definitely shouldn't let him into my bed, or more importantly, into my heart. Because if I do those things, I might start wanting things I can't have.

There is no happy ending for us: I've got a company to run, and a contract to start filming a television show in Los Angeles. He can't leave New York, and staying with Aleksandr would mean giving up everything I've worked so hard for.

Most importantly, I can't put my very fragile heart right back into the hands of the one person who already destroyed it.