Page 66 of The Hockey Pact

We spent the next hour crafting the precise approach for the interview and a team statement of support that would follow. As the meeting concluded, Whitman walked us to the door, his expression once again the controlled mask of a businessman.

"Matthews," he said quietly, just before we left. "Make this right."

It wasn't a request but a command, laden with the implication that my captaincy hung in the balance.

"I will, sir," I promised, meaning it with every fiber of my being.

The exclusive interview, carefully orchestrated with Emma, became the most challenging performance of our relationship. Seated in our penthouse living room with camera equipment and lights arranged around us, we faced questions that probed the rawest aspects of our unusual journey.

"Let's address the elephant in the room," Emma began after pleasantries were exchanged. "Did you two enter into marriage as a business arrangement?"

I took a deep breath, acutely aware of the camera capturing every micro expression. "Yes, we did."

"Can you explain why?"

I glanced at Riley, who nodded encouragingly. "I wanted the team captaincy, which ownership had indicated required a more stable personal image than I had at the time. Riley needed financial assistance to save her restaurant, which was struggling due to extended road construction that had decimated foot traffic."

"So it was transactional?" Emma pressed. "A simple exchange of benefits?"

Riley spoke up, her voice clear despite her nervousness. "On paper, yes. We had a contract with specific terms and even an end date."

"That sounds more like a business merger than a marriage," Emma observed.

"It did to us too, at first," Riley acknowledged with a small smile. "But then something unexpected happened."

"We got to know each other," I continued, finding Riley's hand beside me on the couch. "Really know each other, beyond the public roles we were playing."

Emma leaned forward. “When did everything shift for you?”

Riley paused, choosing her words. “It happened slowly. After games, Caleb would swing by the restaurant to help with prep or to hear me complain about kitchen disasters.” She smiled at the memory. “But the turning point was his birthday. I planned every detail because I genuinely wanted him to be happy, not just to uphold our arrangement. It was then I realized my feelings were real.”

The memory she described made my chest tighten.

"And you, Caleb?" Emma turned to me. "When did it become real for you?"

"I think I knew something had changed when I caught myself checking my phone for her messages during practice," I admitted. "Or rearranging my schedule to be atHat Trickfor her busiest dinner services. I started measuring my day by when I'd see her next."

Riley's hand tightened in mine, her eyes sparkling when I glanced at her.

"The million-dollar question," Emma said, leaning forward slightly. "Is it love or convenience now?"

I found myself answering without hesitation. "It's love."

The simple declaration hung in the air for a moment.

"What matters is that we choose each other now, every day," I continued, holding Riley's gaze. "Not because of captaincy or restaurant finances, but because somehow, in the middle of pretending, we found something real."

The interview continued for another hour, covering the timeline of our relationship, the pressure of maintaining appearances, and our hopes for the future. By the time the cameras packed up and left, we were emotionally drained but strangely unified.

"You okay?" I asked Riley as we collapsed onto the couch.

"I think so," she said, leaning her head against my shoulder. "It felt good to be honest, finally."

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Yeah. No more pretending."

"Except now we have to deal with the fallout," she sighed.

She wasn't wrong. The interview generated exactly the mixed reactions we'd expected. Some fans and commentators embraced our honesty and evident connection, finding the unexpected love story charming. Others condemned the initial deception, filling comment sections with vitriol about "fake marriages" and questioning my leadership integrity.

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