Anton (Chicago Blaze 1)

“How about you?” Vic asks Luca, tipping his beer bottle back for a drink.

“I’m taking the kids to Disney for a week.”

“How fun,” Mia says, grinning.

“Yeah, there’s this great program for kids who have lost parents in combat, and they’re sending a bunch of families down there. We’re going at the same time.”

“That sounds like a great program for the team to raise money for,” Mia says.

“They’re fantastic. The kids have all made friends with other kids who have lost parents.”

I give Luca an appreciative nod. “You’re doing a great job with them, man. I know it’s a lot of work, but you should be proud.”

Luca sighs softly. “Thanks. I do the best I can. They’re great kids. I just feel spread really thin sometimes. I don’t think I’m enough to make up for their mom or their dad, let alone both.”

“Don’t think of it that way,” Mia says. “No one can replace their parents. Just take the challenges one at a time and celebrate the small wins.”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Hey Luca,” Vic says, tipping his head toward Bree. “You gonna get with her?”

Luca lowers his brows in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? The only thing I want to get tonight is a decent night of sleep.”

“Just asking.” Vic puts his hands up innocently. “I didn’t want to beat you to it if you wanted her.”

Luca laughs. “Yeah, if I wanted her, she’d drop your ass in a hot second anyway.”

“Bullshit.” Vic turns to Mia. “Which one of us would you rather get with?”

“Neither.” She rolls her eyes.

“But if you had to pick—” Vic prods.

“Nope.” She shakes her head firmly. “Not going there.”

We finish our drinks and Vic picks up the check, probably so he can leave Bree a note with his number. Mia gives me a quick kiss as we’re leaving the table and I feel like the luckiest man in the place. Hell, in all of Chicago.

The night I came into Lucky Seven with Alexei turned out to be lucky indeed. I stumbled across Mia by chance, but I’ll be deliberate about making her so happy she’s mine forever.EpilogueMiaFour months laterThe Chicago Blaze home crowd is more fired up than I remembered. Everyone is wearing red and quite a few people have hand-lettered signs ready to wave in the air. It’s the home opener, and these fans are ready for some hockey.

I am, too. Anton’s been working his ass off training to get ready for the season. He indulged in all our favorite foods with me for the first few weeks of his break, but then he went back to his usual diet.

We eat so much grilled chicken that I swear I’m going to start clucking soon. And I eat more vegetables in a day now than I used to eat in a week. I feel like Dix as I scowl at my plate sometimes. At least now that I’m in school again, I can snag doughnuts on my way to class.

“Hey, Mia,” Lily West says when she spots me. “I’m so glad you came! I saved you a seat.”

She moves her bag from the seat next to her in the Blaze’s friends and family section. I smile at her gratefully as I sit down.

“How was your summer?” she asks me.

“It was great.”

“I hear you moved in with Anton, that’s fantastic.”

“I did.”

I was spending most of my time at his place, so I let Anton persuade me to move in. Anita found a new roommate who’s a close friend in her law school class. I still stop over and see her and Dre at least once a week. As he grows and changes, I feel pangs for kids of my own.

After a long discussion, I agreed to live with Anton without paying him. He was adamant that I keep my money for my grandpa’s care. Since I only need to make spending money now, I’m down to working two nights a week at Lucky Seven.

With some of my extra time, I’ve started volunteering at a local homeless shelter. I discovered a passion there I never knew I had. There are so many single moms whose stories are just like my own. They feel ashamed and powerless because of abusive relationships.

I mentor women at the shelter, and I’ve found that empowering them empowers me. When I hear their stories of being controlled and put down, it’s eye opening. Many people don’t want to admit they’re being abused because it feels like they knew and made a choice to stay, at least for a while. As I sit in group sessions with the women I’m mentoring, though, I see the truth lighting in their eyes when they’re told how abusers work.

They manipulate. They lie. They offer hollow apologies and promises to do better.

I thought I wanted to work in event planning when I finished my degree, but I’ve found my true calling. I want to work at a homeless shelter for women and children, helping them find a way forward after abuse and other hard situations.