In the time it takes to answer a phone call, Desmond's life changes.
Suddenly, he's a single parent to his nephew, living in South Carolina, and the assistant coach for the university hockey team. Life might not be great right now, but he's handling it. And things can't possibly get worse, right?
Jack—the survivor of a horrific childhood— knows that things can always get worse. And right now, for him, worse is hockey. He loves the game and loves the friendships he's cultivated with his teammates, but that's where the good ends and the bad begins. Every time his skates touch the ice, he feels worse and worse, eaten alive by anxiety and stress.
Desmond's arrival becomes a bright spot for Jack in the otherwise bleak nightmare hockey has become for him. There is more than the surface-level attraction, though. Soon, their friendship begins to move beyond the sport that brought them together. Before they know it, Desmond and Jack's lives become intertwined in a way that neither could have expected.
Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.
Includes a bonus epilogue.