Page 34 of The Hockey Pact

"Almost." My voice sounded strained even to my own ears. "More like..." I placed my hands over his, guiding the motion. The contact sent tingles up my arms.

We'd been living together for months now. But something about this moment felt different. Intimate in a way that had nothing to do with our arrangement.

When Caleb set down the knife and turned me to face him, his fingers tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, lingering against my cheek. I felt my pulse quicken and took a reflexive step back.

"We should clean up," I said, gesturing vaguely at the remaining dishes. "It's late."

A flash of disappointment crossed his face before he nodded. "You're right. Let me help."

Back at the penthouse apartment, we fell into our usual nighttime routine. Caleb reviewed game footage on his tabletwhile I prepped ingredients for the next day's lunch service, trying to distract myself from the unsettling closeness we’d just shared.

"The children's hospital visit is tomorrow," he reminded me, breaking through my thoughts. "We should leave by nine."

I nodded, continuing to chop vegetables. Annabelle, the unofficial leader of the hockey wives, had recruited me for the Blizzard's regular visits to Boston Children's Hospital, insisting the kids would love meeting a "real chef" alongside the players.

Pausing, I glanced at him over my shoulder. "I made hockey-themed cookies for the pediatric ward. Nothing too sweet—hospital nutritionists approved the recipe."

"They'll love that." Caleb smiled. "The kids, I mean. Not the nutritionists. Though they'll probably appreciate it too."

The next morning, we arrived at the hospital with boxes of cookies and the Boston Blizzard’s merchandise. The team's community coordinator paired us up for the visit rotations, and I found myself with Caleb as we moved from room to room.

I'd seen many sides of him over our months together—the focused athlete, the natural leader, the surprisingly thoughtful partner in our arrangement. But watching him with the children revealed a completely new dimension.

The intensity that characterized him on ice melted away, replaced by a gentle playfulness. He knelt to eye level with each child, remembering their names and details from previous visits. He took genuine interest in their drawings, their favorite games, their opinions on the Blizzard's season.

I followed his lead, teaching simple decorating techniques for the cookies I'd brought, delighting in the children's creativity and enthusiasm.

In one room, we met a particularly quiet boy named Eli. He'd had major surgery the previous week and hadn't spoken much since, according to the nurse who briefed us before we entered.

When our usual approaches failed to engage him, Caleb asked me for one of my plain cookies. To my surprise, he laid it on the rolling tray table and began an impromptu "shootout," using the cookie as a puck and his fingers as players.

"Matthews steals the puck, dekes around the defender," he narrated dramatically. "He's on a breakaway! He shoots—"

The cookie slid across the tray toward me, and I caught on immediately, using my hand as a goalie to block it.

"—and an amazing save by Goalie Riley!" Caleb exclaimed. "The crowd goes wild!"

A small smile appeared on Eli's face.

"But wait," Caleb continued, retrieving the cookie. "Matthews gets another chance. He passes to his teammate—" He nudged the cookie toward Eli, who hesitated, then used his finger to push it toward the edge of the tray where I was positioned as goalie.

"—who scores!" Caleb cheered as the cookie evaded my block. "Goal by Eli the Great! The crowd is on their feet!"

By the end of our visit, Eli was fully engaged in our cookie hockey game, laughing as Caleb's play-by-play became increasingly outlandish.

As we prepared to leave, Eli whispered something to Caleb, who smiled and glanced my way.

"Yes, she really is my wife," he confirmed, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. "I'm the luckiest guy in Boston."

The words were for Eli's benefit, I knew. Part of the performance. So why did they make my heart race?

In the car afterward, I remained quiet, watching the city pass by outside the window.

"You okay?" Caleb asked, glancing over with concern. "Was that too much? The hospital visits can be intense, especially if you're not used to them."

"No, it was wonderful," I assured him. "You were wonderful with them. Especially Eli."

"You weren't so bad yourself, Goalie Riley." He grinned. "Nice save technique."

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