Chapter One
Declan
“You need a wife.”
“What?” I look at my agent, startled. “Be serious, Ned.”
He shrugs as he stares down at the tablet in his hands. He’s poring over the application to join the ownership group of the Montana Wild Kings, the professional ice hockey team I’m currently playing for. “Right here.” He points to the screen. “All owners—even those with a minority stake—are required to be married.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous or not, if you want to throw your stick in the rink to own a part of the Montana Wild Kings hockey team, you must have a wife.”
“That is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” I say as I pace around the small room inside the Wild Kings hockey arena, an old storage room Ned likes to use for privacy. “What is this, the eighteen-hundreds?”
“No. But it is Kings’ country, not New York or Chicago. You heard how the board just forced out a stakeholder for too many public incidents involving too many women. Not to mention that he attended an underground gambling ring and got caught with a married woman as his guest.”
“Right. I heard about that.”
“After that public embarrassment, the board is more insistent than ever about making sure they get a stable, family man. They’ll reject you if you don’t fit their criteria.”
I sink down onto my chair. “Look, I’ve got a game tonight. And this season is my last chance at the cup. I don’t have time to worry about this. I shouldn’t need a wife to buy into the team.”
Ned finally looks up at me, and those wise eyes narrow. “The question is: how seriousareyou about this? You want to retire after this season. And you want to do something ‘meaningful’ in retirement that also keeps you close to hockey, correct? Your words. What better way than to own a hockey team and contribute to its success on and off the ice?”
“None of that justifies their marriage requirement. Not to gossip, but I know for a fact that at least one of the owners regularly cheats on his wife. How is he a better choice than me? At least I’m honest.”
“It’s all about public image and perception. You know that. Some influential members of the board believe the whole publicity nightmare with the former owner could have been avoided. He was young and single, and he had wealth and privilege. Kind of like you.” Ned rubs his gray beard thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, you haven’t been in a serious relationship in…” He thinks. “Well, ever, to my knowledge.”
“I also don’t treat women like shit,” I growl. “Fuck, I haven’t even been on a date in over a year.”
He holds out his arms. “So you’ve got nobody to upset when you suddenly get married.”
I shake my head.
He just smiles. “Leave it to me. I’ll figure something out. I always do.”
“Ned, I swear to Christ, if you show up with some woman I’ve never even met and think I’m going to exchange marital vows with her…”
“You just focus on the game tonight. Go give them hell.”
I glance at the time on my phone. I do have to go or I’ll be late.
“Don’t do anything without checking with me first.” I stand up and give Ned a hard look. “Understood?”
“Sure thing, Wild. You can trust me.”
Right. Ned’s been my agent ever since I entered the pros. I love him like a second father. But as I walk out of his office and close the door, all I can think is,I don’t trust him at all.
“Hey, Wild.”
I glance over my shoulder at Jared Storm, star defenseman for the Wild Kings. “Hey.”
He catches up to me and slaps my back. “What’s up?”
I need a wife.
Not wanting to get into anything serious before our game, I just shake my head. “Nothing that’s pre-game conversation. Where are you coming from?”
