The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife (Blair and Grayson) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2

~GRAYSON~

Lily’s fingers traced the edge of the bridal magazine, her soft smile lighting up the living room of my apartment—one among many.

I stared at the pages of white dresses and flower arrangements she had been circling for the past hour.

“I still think the outdoor ceremony by the lake would be perfect,” she said, glancing up at me. “Something big. We’ve waited this long. . .I want it to feel like us. Extravagant. I want everyone talking about it.”

I reached over and tucked a strand of her light brown hair behind her ear.

Lily Sinclair was my childhood sweetheart. She knew every version of me—the reckless teenager, the hungry rookie, the man who had climbed his way to captain of the Blackridge Wolves.

Marrying her had always been the plan. The only plan.

“Whatever you want,” I told her. “As long as you’re the one walking toward me, I don’t care where it happens.”

She leaned in and kissed me, softly.

The front door opened without a knock.

I heard my father’s voice next. “Grayson. I need a word.”

Lily pulled back immediately. She knew that tone.

Richard Shaw never showed up unannounced unless something was wrong. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze, gathered the magazines, and quietly slipped out of the living room toward the bedroom without needing to be asked.

I stood as my father entered. He looked more stressed than usual—shoulders tense, jaw locked.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

He didn’t sit. “It’s time we repay the Monroe family for everything they’ve done for us.”

I knew that name. My father never let me forget it.

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“This weekend,” he said, voice flat, “you will marry William Monroe’s daughter. There will be no delays.”

The words didn’t make sense at first. I stared at him, waiting for the punchline that never came.

“You’ve got to be joking. Tell me you are.”

“No. This isn’t a joke son, this is reality.” His eyes met mine without flinching. “The Monroes are the reason this family has anything. They’re the reason we went from struggling to millionaires. They’re the reason you’re on the path to becoming a billionaire through the opportunities Monroe Athletics opened for you. William Monroe funded my business when no one else would. He used his influence to get you onto the Wolves and kept doors open that would have stayed shut. We owe them. And debts like this don’t stay unpaid forever.”

My pulse started pounding in my ears. “What the hell does that have to do with me marrying his daughter?”

“It settles everything. Publicly.”

Everything? One marriage?

I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing once before turning back on him. “And what happens to Lily? We’ve been planning our life since we were teenagers.”

“You end it.”

The sentence felt like a punch to the gut.

“I love her,” I said. “I’ve loved her my entire life. You expect me to just throw it all away, father?”

My father’s expression flickered with something that might have been regret, but it disappeared quickly. “I’m sorry, son. My hands are tied. This is bigger than what either of us wants.”

Anger ripped through me so fast I had to clench my fists to keep from putting one through the wall. “You made a deal with my future without even asking me.”

“Watch your mouth.”

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