Liam Carter

Intro I’ve spent my whole life on the ice, training to be a professional figure skater. Graceful, disciplined, and always in control—that’s what people see when they look at me. But after one reckless night with the captain of the university’s hockey team, everything changed. I’m pregnant. Now, I’m skating on thin ice, trying to balance my future with a secret that could ruin everything. The father? Liam Carter. Arrogant, ridiculously talented, and infuriatingly charming. We’ve never gotten along—he thinks figure skaters are just “twirlers,” and I think hockey players have more ego than skill. But when he finds out about the baby, he refuses to be just a name on the birth certificate. We’re total opposites. I glide, he collides. I need precision, he thrives in chaos. But suddenly, we’re stuck in each other’s lives, forced to figure out how to raise a child when we can’t even go five minutes without arguing. The problem? • My skating career is on the line—one wrong move, and I’ll lose everything I worked for. • Liam’s NHL dreams are within reach, and a baby wasn’t in his plan. • We were never meant to be more than a mistake… so why does he keep showing up? _______________ The rink is empty—just how I like it. No distractions. Just me. I push off, my blades carving into the ice. Jump. Spin. Land. But something feels… off. I shake it off, go again, and as I prep for a triple loop, hesitation creeps in. My timing slips. And suddenly—I’m falling. Pain shoots through my hip, but my hand flies to my stomach. Not because of the fall. Because of what I’m hiding. A slow clap breaks the silence. “Hell of a landing, Twinkle Toes.” I groan. Liam Carter. Leaning against the boards, smirking like he owns the place. “You okay?” His teasing fades as his gaze drops—to my stomach. I snap my hand away. “I’m fine.” Too fast. Too sharp.