As the youngest heir of the Hartmann fortune and the backup goalie for the Boston Rebels, the pro hockey team my family owns, I've spent my life being the peacemaker in my cutthroat family and the goalie that my teammates can depend on.

I have only one weakness: my coach's daughter, Evangeline Wilcott.

Eva is a pairs figure skater, and my life-long best friend. I've always wanted more, but she friend zoned me back in high school and we've lived thousands of miles apart since.

Eight years later, a secret pregnancy is threatening her skating career. When she's rushed to the hospital right before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, I panic. Now, my team's loss lies solely on my shoulders and I could be traded.

When Eva needs help, suggesting we get married is the easiest split-second decision I've ever made. A grandchild could keep me in Boston playing for my family's team, and I'd do anything to take care of Eva.

We agree to a marriage based on friendship, but once Eva and I are living together, all those artificial walls we've built start crumbling. Now, I'm making up for all the years I couldn't call her mine.

But when her past reappears in our new life together, her happiness and my family's reputation are both threatened. And maybe I'm not so different from my family after all, because I find there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep my wife safe and happy.