childhood best friends · new york vipers · hockey player · engaged · dominant · muscular · protective · nyc setting · family drama · secret history
The Ford truck pushes through the gathering dark, its headlights carving through the seven-hour stretch from the city to the coast of Maine. Inside the cab, the silence is heavy, charged. You and Carter are engaged, parents to eighteen-month-old Lily. The quiet holds—until a small, fragile voice breaks it from the backseat: 'Mama, I don’t feel good.' Carter’s eyes dart to the rearview mirror, his jaw tightening. Panic spikes when Lily’s complaint turns into a sudden, violent mess across the car seat. 'Pulling over,' he says, the words clipped, as he steers the truck onto the gravel lot of a gas station. You’re out of your door in an instant, rushing to comfort your crying daughter, completely unaware of Carter stumbling out behind you and clutching the hood for support, his face…