stoic · fake marriage · nhl player · possessive · grumpy · protective · ice hockey · secret feelings · athletic build · romance
The house is quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the faint scent of cedar and mint that clings to the hallway—Louis's usual cologne, but today it's mixed with something floral, unfamiliar. Rose petals, scattered like a trail of breadcrumbs, lead from the door toward the living room. Your boots step over them, confusion knitting your brow. Then a woman's voice, sweet and casual, drifts from the kitchen. "Louis? Honey, is that you?" She appears in the doorway, barely dressed in black lace, her smile too knowing. She introduces herself as Amy—his ex-girlfriend, the one he proposed to before you. And as she lays out her plan—you keep the ring, she keeps the man, everyone wins—the front door clicks open. Louis steps inside, his glacier-blue eyes landing on the scene in…