Good Boy (wags, #1)

The first book in the WAGs (wives and girlfriends of players) series is set in the world of professional hockey and follows the romance between Jess Canning, a woman searching for direction in life, and Blake Riley, a boisterous forward for a Toronto hockey franchise.

Jess, the self-described screwup of her large, high-achieving family, has spent months planning the wedding of her brother Jamie to Ryan Wesley, known as Wes, one of Blake's teammates. She serves as maid of honor and is determined to prove she can pull off a flawless event. Blake, the best man, has been pursuing Jess since they slept together the previous spring while caring for Jamie during an illness, an encounter Jess considers a mistake born of loneliness after a breakup. Blake spent months sending her flirtatious texts she ignored, and their dynamic at the rehearsal dinner is combative but charged with attraction. Blake delivers a surprisingly tender best man speech, presenting a video montage of Wes's childhood photos he spent months compiling, including a picture he secretly scanned from Wes's wallet.

On the wedding day, Blake reveals a major surprise: He has convinced Wes's estranged mother, Angela Wesley, to attend by calling her every day until she agreed. While Jess, Jamie, and their mother, Cindy Canning, all tried for months to contact Wes's parents without success, Blake quietly flew Angela in and gave up his hotel room for her. The ceremony is deeply emotional, and Wes breaks down during his vows. Afterward, Jess slips away from the reception in tears. Blake follows her and learns she is crying because her mother's praise feels so rare and because she dreads admitting she wants to quit party planning. Blake encourages her, telling her everyone has a "superpower" and she just needs to keep searching for hers. Their conversation turns physical: Blake kisses her, and Jess initially resists but gives in. Blake drops to his knees and gives her an orgasm in the garden. Despite this encounter, Jess avoids him for the rest of the night. She tells her mother she wants to attend nursing school, inspired by the nurse who cared for Jamie during his hospitalization. Cindy is concerned about the cost but cautiously supportive.

Three months later, Blake discovers through Wes that Jess has moved to Toronto to attend a nursing program after getting off a waiting list. She never told Blake directly and ignored his texts all summer. When they cross paths at Wes and Jamie's apartment, Jess firmly tells Blake they will not sleep together again, insisting she needs to focus on school and that his reputation as a player makes him a bad risk. Blake responds that they are more than friends and promises to wait until she sees it.

Jess struggles to adjust to nursing school and her rigid roommate, Violet Smith, whose academic intensity and competitiveness erode Jess's confidence. During a clinical observation at a pediatric oncology ward, Jess bonds with Leila, a teenage cancer patient knitting a hat for her brother, but fails to complete her assigned observational notes and flees the ward in tears. When she confesses this to Blake, he gently draws out details she noticed without realizing it, such as bruising, dark circles, and unsteady breathing, proving she absorbed more than she thought. He also suggests she take Violet to a bar to bond, advice that works well when Violet turns out to be a devoted hockey fan, starstruck by Blake and his teammates.

At the bar, Blake physically intervenes when Will O'Connor, a brash new teammate, flirts aggressively with Jess. Afterward, Blake and Jess end up having sex in his Hummer. Blake asks Jess to be his fake date to his sister Brenna's baby shower as a buffer against his ex-fiancée, Molly. At the shower, Blake's family is stunned when he introduces Jess as his girlfriend, since he has not brought anyone home in five years. On the drive home, Jess reveals she overheard Brenna and Molly discussing a lost baby and offers sympathy. Blake's explosive response reveals the truth: Molly faked the pregnancy to prevent him from leaving. She claimed she was three months along, prompting him to announce the news to his family, but he discovered the lie when he surprised her at what was supposed to be a sonogram appointment and found her requesting fertility medication from her gynecologist. He kept the secret for five years to protect Molly's friendship with Brenna, allowing his family to believe she had miscarried.

As the weeks pass, Jess and Blake grow closer despite her insistence they are not dating. At a charity benefit for Broken Paws, a dog rescue organization, Jess learns about Blake's extensive volunteer work and sizable personal donations. They hook up in a coat closet after the event, but when O'Connor catches them sneaking out, Jess dismisses the encounter as "something a little stupid," stinging Blake deeply. He confides in Lisa, the bartender at the team's favorite bar, who advises him to tell Jess what he wants directly.

After Jess finishes her grueling pharmacology final, she texts Blake and goes to his apartment, where they share Chinese food and ice cream. Their evening escalates into sex in his bed, and afterward Blake declares they are officially dating. Jess objects, but Blake begins texting her every night during his road trip, signing off each message with "Good night, girlfriend."

The relationship reaches a crisis at a Sunday lunch at the Riley home. Molly casually remarks that she remembers how hard pregnancy was, perpetuating her lie in front of Blake's family. Brenna confronts Blake in the kitchen, berating him for being insensitive to Molly and revealing she takes Molly to dinner every year on what would have been the baby's due date. Blake snaps and shouts that there was no baby. The outburst is heard by the entire family, and Blake storms out. Moments later, Brenna begins vomiting and collapses. Jess recognizes symptoms of preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication involving high blood pressure, from her nursing studies. She urges the family to rush Brenna to the emergency room. Brenna undergoes an emergency cesarean section and delivers a healthy girl named Annalise Jessica Daly, the middle name honoring Jess's quick thinking.

The experience cements Jess's confidence in her nursing abilities and deepens her bond with Blake. Wes and Jamie discover the relationship when they catch the couple kissing in an elevator, and after initial shock, Wes accepts it when Jess confirms they are together. At her end-of-trimester meeting with program director Carol Taylor, Jess learns she earned strong marks across the board, enough to retain her scholarship. Carol notes that both Jess's clinical instructor and Leila spoke highly of her work.

Blake acknowledges to himself that he is in love with Jess but hesitates to ask her to move in, still scarred by Molly's betrayal. The turning point comes when Molly shows up unannounced at Blake's apartment. Jess answers the door and refuses to let her in, telling Molly that Blake protected her reputation for five years at his own expense and declaring she will not let anyone manipulate him again. Blake overhears the exchange and is deeply moved. He tells Jess he loves her and asks her to move in. Jess reveals her own surprise: She has arranged through Broken Paws to get Blake a chocolate Labrador puppy, knowing how much he missed the dog Molly gave away after their breakup. Blake names the puppy Puddles, and Jess agrees to move in.

The novel closes with Jess attending her first hockey game as an official WAG. Blake scores during the game and blows a kiss to the camera, and the jumbotron captures their kiss at the tunnel entrance. Jess has found both her calling as a nurse and her place alongside Blake, fully embracing her new life in Toronto.