38. Lukas

In early March,I stride into our nutritionist Zoe's office, gliding on a high from the brutal practice. She greets me with a bright smile and gestures for me to take a seat across from her as she pulls up my file on her sleek laptop.

"Lukas, great to see you. Let's dive right in, shall we?" Her tone is warm yet professional. I nod, trying to focus on the nutritional jargon she launches into and not the way her silky blond hair brushes her shoulders as she animatedly points at various charts and graphs.

There was a time not long ago when I would have turned on the patented Lukas Dvorak charm, deploying a heated glance and suggestive quip to lay the groundwork for getting her out of that pencil skirt and into my bed.

But now, as Zoe details the optimized ratio of proteins to carbs I'll be consuming, I'm struck by how much I've changed.

How much loving Emma and the guys has changed me.

"So, in summary, we'll be increasing your caloric intake on practice days by 500, but we need to keep a close eye on…" Zoe's voice fades into the background as I marvel at the profound shift in my priorities and desires.

The shameless playboy is gone, replaced by a man deeply fulfilled by real intimacy and a true sense of belonging. With Emma, Ryan, Alex, and Slade, I've discovered a happiness and security I never knew I needed.

They see me, all of me, and love me because of it, not in spite of it.

It's fucking incredible.

"How does that sound, Lukas? Think you can handle the menu changes?" Zoe asks, snapping me out of my reverie. I flash her a grin.

"No problem, doc. I'm all in."

And I mean it. I'm all in, on every front that matters—my nutrition, my game, my relationships, my new life. The journey here hasn't been easy, working through the hurt and misunderstandings with Ryan, lowering my walls to let Emma and the others in.

But god, has it ever been worth it.

My fingers itch to text Emma, to tell her for the hundredth time today how crazy I am about her, how she's turned my world upside down in the best possible way. But I refrain, knowing I'll be seeing her gorgeous face soon enough.

After Zoe and I wrap, I stride out of her office, lost in thought about what I'm going to do to Emma and Ryan when we meet up at Ryan's place tonight.

I barely register the insistent buzzing of my phone as I navigate the hallways of the practice facility. It's only when I've nearly reached the locker room that the persistent vibrations finally break through my reverie.

Frowning, I fish the device from my pocket, my brow furrowing as I take in the barrage of notifications and messages from my teammates and friends.

"Dude, you see this?" one text reads, followed by a link.

"What's going on with you and Emma? Ryan too?" another demands.

My pulse quickens, a sense of unease settling in my gut as I click on the link, my thumb hovering over the screen. The page loads, and I feel the blood drain from my face as I take in the shocking headline splashed across the gossip site.

"NHL Star Lukas Dvorak Caught in Steamy Love Triangle!"

Beneath the bold text, a series of grainy but unmistakable photos stare back at me. Pictures of Emma, Ryan, and me at that dinner in Miami, our intimate body language captured in damning detail.

In one shot, my arm is draped over Emma's shoulders, my lips brushing her ear as I lean in close.

In another, Ryan's fingers are laced with hers, their joined hands resting on the tabletop in a gesture that screams of tender affection.

My blood boils as I scroll through the images, each one a frozen moment that seems to tell a scandalous story. The captions beneath the photos are even worse, speculating about the nature of our relationship and the potential fallout for the team.

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath, my mind reeling with the implications.

This is bad. Really bad.

If the media runs with this, it could turn into a PR nightmare for the Blizzards.

And Emma…fuck. Emma's worked so hard to prove herself, to earn her place on the team.

The last thing she needs is this kind of salacious gossip undermining her credibility.

I try to calm my racing thoughts, to think through our options. But all I can focus on is the urgent need to find Emma, to make sure she's okay.

I glance at my phone again, realizing with a sinking feeling that I haven't heard from her since the story broke.

She might not even know yet.

Shoving the device back into my pocket, I take off at a jog, my destination clear. I have to get to Emma's cubicle, to be there for her when she inevitably discovers the headlines. My mind races as I navigate the hallways, searching for the right words, the perfect way to reassure her that we'll weather this storm together.

Because we will. We have to.

This love, this incredible, complicated, wonderful thing we've built with Ryan and Alex and Slade, it's worth fighting for. Worth facing down whatever challenges the world wants to throw our way.

I just pray that Emma sees it that way, too.