Page 52 of Defend Her Heart

Planning a wedding with Avery used to be the dream. Am I out of my mind for doing this? Probably. But she needs me. So I’ll pretend it’s not killing me that this isn’t happening for real.

I pretend to be amused. “Yeah, that. I was thinking we should do it as soon as possible. I’m not sure how long the wait time is for those tests, so the sooner the better?”

It comes out as a question because I want this to be her decision. If I had it my way, we’d be heading to the courthouse right after this and calling the doctor the second after we signed the papers.

Avery hums. “Yes, I was thinking as soon as possible, too. I actually called the hospital earlier this week to get my tests scheduled. I figured if I did that, I couldn’t back out.”

The thought of her wanting to back out of this gives me pause.

“Avery, we don’t have to do this. If you’re thinking of backing out?—”

She holds her hand up to stop me. “I’m not. Well, at least not anymore. Today was good. Nice even. I want to do this, as crazy as it is. And honestly, I don’t think I could do it with anyone else.”

My mind immediately goes to her ex-husband. I’ve experienced her doing this with someone else and it nearly killed me. No way in hell would I survive it again, especially now that she’s here in Green Bay. Even if it was fake. I’m busy grinding my teeth together at the thought of her with someone else when I feel her hand land on mine.

“I promise, Connor. I want to do this.”

I place my other hand on top of hers, holding it between mine for as long as she’ll let me. “If you’re sure.”

She smiles, leaving her hand in place and it feels like I’ve won the lottery.

She’s not pulling away.

“I’m sure. Who knows? Maybe it will even be fun. Lord knows I could use some of that.”

There’s sadness in her voice at that, and I squeeze her hand once.

“If fun is what you need, I’m the man for the job.”

“Yeah, right.” Avery attempts another smile but this one doesn’t quite reach her eyes this time. I move the conversation along, not wanting her to dwell on needing fun in her life.

“Let’s pick a date.”

I throw Jefferson’s body into the boards and Ellie blows her whistle, signaling the end of the drill.

“Damn, Connor. Take it easy on me, would ya?” Jefferson rubs his arm like I actually hurt him and I shove my glove in his face.

“Not a chance, rook.”

This may be his second year in the league but he’ll always be a rookie to me.

Coach Lincoln blows his whistle three times, causing us all to turn our head toward him. “That’s all for today, gentleman. See you tomorrow morning for pregame skate.” He skates off the rink, our other coaches following, and I’m about to join them when Niko grabs me by the shoulder.

“You wanna stay out and pass me some pucks? I want to work on my one-timer since I’m on a different side of the power play now.”

Any other day, I’d be the last one to get off the rink. I use any free time I can to work on my skills. But today, I have plans. Plans that involve marrying the girl of my dreams. I know it’s fake but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to enjoy every damn second of it.

“Sorry, Cap. I actually have somewhere I need to be.”

He raises an eyebrow at me, and I know that means he wants more information, but I ignore him and step off the ice, making my way down the tunnel toward the locker room.

After chatting with Avery last week, I found out her first appointment is tomorrow before our game. After tomorrow’s matchup, we travel to Chicago and then Detroit for two road games. If we don’t get this taken care of today, her first appointment tomorrow may not be covered and it’ll be another week before I have time.

It’s killing me not to tell Niko what’s going on. Hell, even my best friend from home, Luke, keeps blowing my phone up because I’ve been even more quiet than usual. He thinks it’s because I wasn’t picked to represent Team USA next monthat the Olympics. Yeah, that sucks, but I saw it coming. This pesky lingering groin injury has been holding me back all season. But the truth is, I’m about to burst with giddiness over the fact that Avery is about to become my wife.

My wife.

The two words have me moving at record speed to undress and shower. My teammates filter into the locker room asking me what’s the rush, but I ignore every single one of them. I slide my dress pants on then grab the button-down shirt I brought from my stall. This might not be a formal occasion, but I’ll be damned if I show up to this in my work out clothes.