Time to Shine

Time to Shine is a novel in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series of hockey romance novels.

Landon Stackhouse, a quiet, introverted goaltender for the Saskatoon Bandits, a minor league team affiliated with the NHL's Calgary Outlaws, receives a call telling him he has been called up to the NHL. Calgary's backup goalie, Gilbert Morin, has been injured, and Landon is needed to fill the roster spot. He packs quickly, treating the trip as temporary. His relationship with his parents is loving but strained, shaped by guilt he has carried since his older sister, Erin, died in a car accident eight years earlier.

In Calgary, Landon enters the locker room feeling invisible among superstars, including his idol, veteran goaltender Antton Niskanen. Casey Hicks, Calgary's young star left winger known for his dimples, pink skate laces, and relentless friendliness, approaches Landon with easy warmth. Team captain Lee Ramsay also welcomes Landon, warning that Casey never stops talking. After the game, Casey tries to rally teammates for a night out, but everyone declines. He goes home alone to his large house, struggling with an intense fear of the dark that he keeps hidden from everyone.

When the team announces Morin's injury will keep him out until at least January, Casey offers Landon a room in his house. Landon agrees but chooses the basement bedroom for privacy, disappointing Casey. They settle into a domestic routine: Landon cooks, Casey chatters, and they watch movies on the couch. During practice, Landon impresses the team by stopping nearly every shot in breakaway drills.

Their bond deepens through small moments. When Casey comes home with a swollen lip after a fight during a game, Landon tends to his injuries. On a flight to Seattle, Casey casually mentions a date with a man, revealing he is bisexual. Landon retreats to the airplane bathroom, unsettled by his own emerging feelings. He reflects that he is most likely gay but has not figured himself out, and he resolves to keep his crush in check.

The night before his first NHL start, Landon sits in his dark basement bedroom wearing a goalie mask, a calming ritual he has practiced for years. His thoughts turn to Erin, who died just weeks after he was drafted to a junior hockey team in Quebec, and to the guilt of leaving his grieving parents to play hockey in another province. The game against San Jose is a disaster: Landon allows six goals and is pulled. Niskanen quietly praises one save and shields Landon from the press. That night, Casey brings grapes to Landon's closed bedroom door and talks through it until Landon laughs and opens it.

Coach Patrick confirms Landon is not being sent back to Saskatoon. Landon's father calls and tentatively mentions visiting for Christmas and attending a game, a significant gesture since his parents struggle to watch him play, fearing they could lose their only remaining child. Landon starts again against Detroit and wins with forty-three saves. Casey kisses the chin of Landon's mask on the ice.

During a late-night power outage, Casey comes downstairs terrified and finds Landon sitting in the dark wearing his goalie mask. After Casey calms down, they sit together by battery-powered Christmas lights, and Casey confesses his lifelong fear of being alone in the dark. Landon shares the full story of Erin's death and the guilt that has shaped his life. Casey holds Landon's arm and tells him he did nothing wrong. Landon suggests they sleep upstairs together, and both fall asleep immediately. From that night on, they share Casey's bed.

In bed one night, Landon reveals he is attracted to men and later admits he has never had any sexual experience. Their fingers brush and intertwine under the covers, and Landon panics at the intensity, turning off the lamp. Casey sighs but accepts it. The tension between them builds, culminating in a night dancing together in Las Vegas that Landon abruptly cuts short.

At the team Christmas party, teammates West Ackerman and Gio Rossi independently tell Casey they can see he is in love with Landon. Outside in the cold backyard, Casey asks if it would be a terrible idea to kiss Landon. Landon says it would be a great idea, and they share their first kiss, warm and laughing against the frigid air. Back at home, they move from the couch to the bedroom. Casey declares it the best night of his life.

The next morning, Landon's parents, Mike and Joanna Stackhouse, call to say they are arriving that day. Landon tells Casey he is not ready to reveal their relationship. Casey leaves to give Landon privacy for a long-overdue conversation. Mike and Joanna reveal they have been seeing a counselor and apologize for not being there for Landon after Erin's death. Landon, who had been convinced they resented him for leaving, is stunned. They assure him he was a grieving teenager who did nothing wrong.

As their sexual relationship deepens, Landon sets boundaries about certain kinds of intimacy, and Casey reassures him without hesitation. Landon starts against Washington on the night both families attend and records a shutout, winning in a shootout. Outside the locker room, Landon meets Casey's father, Hockey Hall of Famer Dougie Hicks, along with Casey's mother, Michelle, and grandmother, Eleanor. Both families travel to a rented cabin near Banff for Christmas. Casey's sister, Brooke, accidentally reveals that Casey told her about the relationship. Landon tells his parents privately, and they reveal they already knew and are fully supportive. Christmas is the first holiday since Erin's death where Landon feels truly happy.

After Christmas, Morin is cleared to play, and Landon is sent back to Saskatoon. Casey calls Landon his favorite person, visibly holding back a bigger declaration. Weeks of misery follow. Landon stops answering Casey's texts, believing a clean break is kinder. Casey confides in Lee Ramsay, who advises him to tell Landon what he wants. Landon's parents urge him to stop punishing himself and give the relationship a chance.

Casey acts first, rerouting a flight to Saskatoon during a Toronto layover to meet Landon's team bus outside the arena. Casey tells Landon he is in love with him. Landon says he loves Casey too. They spend a day together in Landon's apartment, committing to a long-distance relationship.

In early March, Niskanen breaks his arm and is ruled out for the season. Landon is called back to Calgary. Morin, knowing his own abilities have declined, gives Landon an emotional pep talk, urging him to seize the opportunity. When Morin struggles in the first period against Los Angeles, Landon replaces him and stops every shot for the rest of the game. Casey scores the overtime winner, and Calgary takes over first place.

Landon moves back into Casey's house, and they settle into life as an established couple, open about their relationship. In an epilogue set the following December, Landon is firmly established as Niskanen's goaltending partner. He and Casey host the team Christmas party at their home. On the rooftop patio, Casey drops to one knee in the snow and proposes. Landon says yes, joking that he will look better than Casey on their wedding day. They kiss and laugh together, both finally home.