"I'd give it all up for you, Avery," Finn urges. His hands are gripping onto my cheeks and I don't know why I'm letting him get so close to me when I told myself I wouldn't let this happen. All I know is that I could cry at his touch. I miss him so much. "The job, the team, everything," he continues. I swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes dart between his. He seems so desperate and I want to sock myself in the jaw when I'm tempted to wipe the single tear that fell to his cheek. "Because I've seen what it's like to live without you. I know what it's like to see you with someone else, and nothing is worth that. Not even the NHL." The sequel to Ice.

[actively editing] With her nose in books and his brawn getting him nowhere on or off the ice, they find themselves drawn together, sharing their baggage and learning what it might mean for each of them to love again. Jake Bryers is no stranger to the pressures of being a professional hockey player. It's something that he's dealt with consistently for the past fifteen years. Throughout his career, he's experienced it all-the electric thrill of winning divisions and conference titles, and even making it to the Stanley Cup Finals on more than one occasion. His dream was always to skate the cup at least once, but as he enters the late stage of his long, tumultuous career, he finds himself struggling to perform like he once had as a younger, inspired player. Harper Clark has been proficient at one thing throughout her life-constantly moving forward without really going anywhere. After having moved to the Big Apple to pursue a better life outside of the dangerous one she found herself leading in the Midwest, she finds herself stagnating after getting her degree from Columbia. She quietly enjoys her job at the public library, treading water while the undeniable feeling of discontent grows stronger within her. It's nothing short of fate when Jake and Harper happen to cross paths at the library, and though their lives couldn't be any more different, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another as they try to navigate mending each other's wounded hearts.

"It's kind of ironic, you know? My life has always revolved around being on ice. It only makes sense that I met the girl I love after she slipped on the only patch in the parking lot."