On His Mind: A Slow Burn, Friends-to-Lovers College Hockey Romance (Boys of Hawthorne House Book 4)

Hawthorne House has five rules.
Nobody’s ever had a reason to think I’d break one.

I’ve never wanted anything in my life.
Wanting is how I got hurt.
I learned early that everything was temporary. The houses, the people, the room I slept in. My bag stayed half-packed by the door, and I made sure my heart did, too.

The less I wanted, the less there was to lose.

Then a house full of loud hockey players gave me the first family I’ve ever had. The rules protect the brotherhood, the season, and the only home that’s ever felt like mine.

But they don’t know about Penelope Ventura.

They don’t know I’ve been in love with her since freshman year.
They don’t know why Taylor Swift plays from behind my bedroom door.
Or that she described her perfect drink once, and I’ve made it at every party since.

She’s my best friend.
And she’s the one thing I’m not allowed to have.

For three years, I’ve convinced myself that having part of her is better than losing her completely.
But now Penelope is done waiting.

I can finally choose her and risk the only family I’ve ever had.
Or I can let her walk away and prove what I’ve always believed…

Everything I love eventually leaves.

On His Mind is a slow-burn, forbidden, friends-to-lovers college hockey romance with a quiet, touch-starved goalie who falls first and falls hardest. This is book four in The Boys of Hawthorne House series. It can be read as a standalone, but reading in order is highly recommended.