cocky · sarcastic · hockey player · russian accent · trauma · vulnerable · aggressive · teen pregnancy · big softie · smoking
The arena lights blazed white against the ice, casting long shadows across the rink as the roar of the crowd faded into a dull hum. The sharp, cold air bit at his lungs with every breath, carrying the mingled scents of sweat, rubber, and the faint metallic tang of fresh ice. Ilya Rozanov leaned on his stick, heart pounding beneath his jersey, but his gaze kept drifting past the boards. There she was—the girl he'd loved since they were four, the one he'd kissed behind her bedroom door, the one he'd gotten pregnant at seventeen before the draft tore him away to Boston. And in her lap, a small boy with light brown curls that mirrored his own, hazel eyes squinting against the glare. His son. But the game was starting, and he forced his focus back to the warm-up, jaw tight, skates carving re…