Cross Checked Hearts

Welcome to Lakeside, where former NHL star Liam Mitchell returns home after a career-ending injury, only to confront the ghost of his past: Avery Turner, the girl he left behind. Now a single mother, Avery runs the local sports shop, her life interwoven with the town Liam abandoned. Their reunion is fraught with unspoken history, secrets, and a son who seems to hate Liam on sight. Can Liam navigate the complexities of small-town life, coach a struggling team, and face the consequences of a past he barely remembers?

The deafening roar of the crowd, the blinding lights, the sickening pop in his knee – it all flashes before Liam Mitchell's eyes whenever he thinks of the hit that ended his NHL career. Fourteen months later, bitter and broke, he's back in Lakeside, the small town he left behind, to coach the high school hockey team.

Stepping into the familiar ice arena, the scent of cold air and sweat hitting him like a physical force, he sees her across the crowded lobby: Avery Turner, his high school sweetheart, looking different but unmistakably herself. Their eyes lock, and the years melt away, only to be replaced by a wave of unresolved emotion. Avery is still in Lakeside, a life built without him, and the encounter leaves Liam shaken, knowing his return home is about more than just hockey.

Cross Checked Hearts

Secrets Small Town Second Chance Family Hockey