But she was still hesitant and she knew why.

Letting out a long breath, she pushed him out of her mind and nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’m going,” she said. “Plus, you’re right, Daddy. Working out with the guys will help me get to know them and work them harder for the start of the season.” Her father nodded his head, looking as if he knew he was always right. She rolled her eyes before breaking away from her mother and going into the house.

Reaching the mantel, she slowly grasped the box that held her gold medal. A small smile covered her lips as pride burst in her chest. She’d worked hard for her medal. Years upon years, she’d worked for one thing and that was the gold. She knew it was hers, and when they’d put it around her neck, words couldn’t describe the feelings she’d felt. It was as if she had been almost flying. It was perfect, except that the person she’d wanted there, craved to be there to celebrate with her, wasn’t.

Even though they had decided to stop sleeping together, Kacey couldn’t fathom why he would do her like that. Didn’t she mean something to him? If not in love, at least as friends. Instead, Jordie Thomas cut off all ties with her, acting as if their relationship that lasted a good four months didn’t matter. That the nights they sat up talking about everything, the way they made love, and the way he made her feel were all a lie. She hadn’t spoken to him in over six months. Hadn’t seen him or even heard from him. Every time she asked her older brother about his best friend, he just said he was fine. Nothing more and nothing less. Since Karson wasn’t supposed to know that she was in love with his best friend, she never asked more and it killed her inside.

She missed him. Greatly.

But when he didn’t show up for the Olympics, that’s when she knew she needed to let him go. But she was having a really hard time with that. She wanted so desperately to be in love with someone who loved her back. She was almost thirty, still a good two years away, but she figured by now, she’d at least be in a relationship, ready to get married once she brought the gold home. That was her plan, at least. Instead, she brought her gold home to her parents’ house, along with a broken heart.

But Nashville was a new start. Karson had gotten her a job as a trainer with the Nashville Assassins. Something that was hard to get into. She was the first woman trainer in their club, and it only made sense since they had just drafted the first woman on to their team and into the NHL. That Elli Adler was making history for sure. Kacey was excited about this opportunity, knew that she would get along with the guys since they all loved her anyway. Then she’d find someone who wanted what she wanted, who would love her the way she needed to be loved, and she would be happy.

She wouldn’t allow Jordie to consume her soul any longer. So what? It didn’t work out. She knew going in that Jordie Thomas wasn’t into relationships and he couldn’t love anyone. It wasn’t in his DNA. That was fine. It was her fault for falling for him. If she saw him, she’d be cordial. She knew what she was getting into when she went to bed with him. She had to forget him and maybe even forgive him. Because this was her new beginning. It was time to let go of him, the pain and the rejection she felt, and find someone who would never cause her to feel like that again.

That was her plan, at least.

After saying goodbye to her parents, Kacey placed her gold medal in the front seat and drove out of her parents’ driveway for the last time. The next time she would be back, she’d be there to help them move, which they all hoped would be before Karson and Lacey’s baby came. Lacey wasn’t due for another month and a half, and her parents had already had a few bites on the house that Karson had bought her family so long ago. It was sad to see her home go, but she was excited to be closer to her new niece.

As her home disappeared in the rearview, she let out a breath and prepared herself, not only for the sixteen-hour drive but also for what Nashville could hold. Brushing her hair off her shoulders, she drove with her knee as she pulled it up into a mini ponytail. Growing her hair out from her pixie cut had been a pain, but she liked the result. Maybe now Karson would stop calling her a lesbian, not that she really cared what he thought. Having short hair was easy when she was wearing her helmet, and Kacey liked convenience. Now that she was done with hockey professionally, she was ready to look more like a girl. Maybe it would finally attract a good guy, since before, all she could get were douches or a lot of attention from women.

But it was so hard! Everyone talked about how great single life was, but Kacey found it really lonely. She wanted someone to come home to. Someone to hold her at night and tell her she was pretty, even when she wasn’t. Her life partner. The Lacey to her Karson. Unfortunately though, the last three guys she’d dated had been duds. All of them only looking for sex, no one wanting the white picket fence and kids thing like she had.

She had always wanted that. When she was little, there wasn’t a moment she wasn’t playing house. Usually, she made Karson be the dad to her many baby dolls, but that got weird quick when he told her they were supposed to kiss. No way in hell was she kissing her older brother. So then she moved to Barbie dolls, and when she wasn’t kicking ass on the ice, she was in her room, making little worlds with her dolls. It was great and she always knew she was going to be a wife and a mommy.

Hockey got in the way though, not that she minded much. She was good, damn good, and soon that’s all she cared about. She’d always idolized Karson, wanted what he did. And to be able to play the sport he did, she felt, brought them closer. And it had, but while his sights were on the Cup, hers were on the gold medal. Ever since she saw her first Olympics at the age of six, she knew that was what she wanted. Since then, she had worked hard to get to the Games, and when she was finally there, she felt like all her dreams had come true.