The Right Move Summary: Tomforde’ Vulnerable, Fake-Dating Sports Romance That Hits Hard
A Quiet, Steamy Romance Built on Acts of Service
Some love stories shout from the rooftops.
Others unfold in the quiet acts—braiding hair during a fever, secretly funding a future, buying a house for a family not yet born.
Liz Tomforde’s The Right Move belongs to the second category.
This second entry in the Windy City series brings together two people who seem wrong on paper: a man who views his apartment as a sterile sanctuary and a woman who fills every space with color and conversation.
The summary that follows is built for readers who want to know what happens, who these characters are, and whether the emotional journey fits their reading mood—before they commit.
The book is set against the glittering, high-pressure backdrop of professional basketball and hockey in Chicago.
It trades loud romantic gestures for something rarer: a story about two people learning that being seen completely is far more terrifying—and far more valuable—than being desired.
Explore more Liz Tomforde book summaries for insights into the full Windy City series.
TL;DR
Indy Ivers walks in on her boyfriend of six years with another woman. With no apartment and dwindling options, she moves in with her best friend’s twin brother, Ryan Shay—the new captain of the Chicago Devils and a man who treats his life like a press release: controlled, clean, and emotionally locked down.
What starts as a tense roommate situation becomes a fake relationship when Ryan needs to prove to his general manager that he has softened enough to lead.
They write bucket lists.
They share space.
And slowly, the pretending stops.
This is a story about infertility, past betrayal, public pressure, and the kind of love that plans years ahead without ever saying a word.
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The Right Move Summary: How a Fake Relationship Became a Quietly Loud Love
SPOILERS AHEAD. This section recounts the full story, including the ending.
Indigo “Indy” Ivers works as a lead flight attendant for the Chicago Raptors hockey team. Her life cracks open when she finds her boyfriend Alex in their shared bed with another woman.
After spending the summer with her parents in Florida, she returns to Chicago broke and desperate for housing. Her best friend Stevie Shay convinces her twin brother Ryan to take Indy in as a temporary roommate.
Ryan Shay is the starting point guard and freshly named captain of the Chicago Devils. His public persona is robotic, distant, and meticulously maintained. His apartment reflects the same philosophy: minimalist, spotless, and silent.
Indy is warm, messy, and emotionally expressive. The two coexist awkwardly until Ryan’s general manager, Ron Morgan, pressures him to appear more relatable. Ryan impulsively claims Indy is his girlfriend.
To sell the lie, they agree to fake-date. They create reciprocal bucket lists—Indy teaches Ryan how to be emotionally present, a “book boyfriend”; Ryan teaches Indy independence and self-reliance.
Beneath the arrangement, both carry heavy private burdens. Indy has Diminished Ovarian Reserve and is saving money to freeze her eggs. Motherhood is her deepest goal. Alex had always dismissed her timeline.
Ryan carries a wound he tells almost no one about. In college, a girlfriend named Marissa manipulated him into believing he fathered her child.
He learned the truth at the hospital the day the baby was born. The experience broke him and triggered a two-year depression.
The fake relationship deepens during a glamping trip and team events. Physical proximity grows charged. Ryan earns his first technical foul when an opposing player falls into Indy’s lap during a game.
He kisses her outside the arena to shield her from Alex. He tells himself it is acting. He knows it is not.
Ryan helps Indy experience pleasure but then retreats, terrified by his feelings. When Indy gets the flu, he cares for her with quiet precision—braiding her hair, making soup, staying close. The shift is undeniable.
Then Ryan sprains his ACL. Facing a potential season-ending injury, he spirals. Indy’s steady, nurturing presence pulls him back. They finally cross the line from fake to real.
A positive pregnancy test found in the apartment triggers a crisis. The test belongs to Stevie, but Ryan’s visible panic wounds Indy deeply. She believes he will never want the family she longs for.
She stays with their friend Rio to clear her head. Ryan does not give speeches. Instead, he reveals he bought a large house outside the city—for them, for a future.
He also quietly paid for her fertility treatments months earlier, having known since December that he wanted forever with her.
At Maggie’s wedding, they declare their love publicly. Ryan confronts Alex and leaves no ambiguity about who Indy belongs with.
The book ends with them moving into their new home and hosting a celebration for the team’s playoff berth.
The Epilogue: Four years later, Ryan and Indy are married with two children—Navy, adopted, and Iverson, their biological son born from their last viable embryo.
Ryan has a championship and two MVP awards. Together, they run a foundation supporting Chicago’s youth.
Summary by Chapter
SPOILERS BELOW. Chapters are grouped into the story’s major narrative movements.
The Forced Proximity & The Robotic Roommate (Chapters 1–5)
After her breakup with Alex, Indy is persuaded by Stevie to move into Ryan’s minimalist apartment. The arrangement immediately pits her colorful chaos against his sterile discipline.
Ryan views his home as a protective isolation zone from media scrutiny. He finds himself distracted by Indy’s presence despite his resistance. They establish strict cohabitation rules, including no overnight guests, and begin navigating the awkward new reality.
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The Ruse & The Bucket Lists (Chapters 6–12)
Ryan lies to his general manager and introduces Indy as his girlfriend. To maintain the deception, they create reciprocal bucket lists designed to teach each other about independence and emotional availability.
The shared project deepens their emotional connection. Ryan’s protective and possessive instincts emerge. Indy begins to see the private man underneath the superstar’s controlled exterior.
The Shift from Fake to Real (Chapters 13–20)
A glamping trip with Ryan’s boss forces them to share a bed and navigate public intimacy. Sexual tension escalates sharply.
An on-court incident during a basketball game triggers Ryan’s first-ever technical foul after an opponent lands in Indy’s lap. He later initiates their first kiss outside the arena to protect her from Alex, then insists internally it was just the ruse.
Vulnerability & The Breaking Point (Chapters 21–24)
Ryan helps Indy reach orgasm but immediately retreats in fear. A period of coldness follows.
When Indy contracts the flu, Ryan’s unwavering care reveals the depth of his feelings. After he suffers his knee injury, he finally shares the traumatic story of Marissa’s deception and explains why trust terrifies him.
The Pregnancy Misunderstanding & The House (Chapters 25–41)
A positive pregnancy test belonging to Stevie causes a critical confrontation. Ryan’s panicked reaction makes Indy believe he rejects her deepest dream of motherhood.
After a brief separation, Ryan corrects the misunderstanding by revealing he bought a house and has been planning their family since January.
He discloses he paid for her fertility treatments in secret, proving his commitment through years-long intentions.
Playoff Victory & HEA (Chapters 42–Epilogue)
Ryan makes a publicly honest statement about the burdens of perfection, ending the ruse with his boss on his own terms. The couple moves into their new home and celebrates a playoff berth with their found family.
Four years later, they are devoted parents to Navy and Iverson, living the quietly loud love they both fought to earn.
Books Similar to The Right Move
The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer — A fake-dating hockey romance where a protective athlete helps a woman move on from her ex, matching The Right Move’s central trope and emotional vulnerability.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace — A sports romance pairing a figure skater with a hockey captain forced to share training space; features the same blend of forced proximity and athletic pressure.
The Play by Elle Kennedy — A team captain navigates discipline, rules, and a roommate-to-lovers arc that echoes Ryan’s tightly controlled world unraveling through intimacy.
Consider Me by Becka Mack — A playboy hockey player falls hard for a woman who challenges his lifestyle, mirroring the emotional shift Ryan undergoes throughout the story.
The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy — A legacy athlete struggles under the weight of perfection and public scrutiny, reflecting Ryan’s battle with his robotic public persona.
Pucking Around by Emily Rath — For readers drawn to the found-family dynamics of professional athletes and the high-heat, emotionally layered sports romance atmosphere.
Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Ryan Shay | Starting point guard and newly appointed captain of the Chicago Devils who maintains a rigid, solitary lifestyle after a devastating past betrayal. |
| Indigo “Indy” Ivers | Lead flight attendant for the Chicago Raptors hockey team recovering from a six-year relationship and pursuing her dream of motherhood. |
| Stevie Shay | Ryan’s twin sister and Indy’s best friend, serving as emotional anchor for both main characters. |
| Evan Zanders | Professional hockey player for the Raptors, Stevie’s fiancé, and Ryan’s close friend who offers a playful counterbalance to Ryan’s stoicism. |
| Rio DeLuca | Young defenseman for the Raptors and close friend to Indy who provides her a place to stay during her separation from Ryan. |
| Ron Morgan | General manager of the Devils whose skepticism about Ryan’s leadership drives the fake dating arrangement. |
| Caroline Morgan | Ron’s wife who forms a genuine bond with Indy and helps her husband see Ryan’s humanity. |
| Alex | Indy’s ex-boyfriend of six years whose infidelity and dismissive behavior initiate the story’s events. |
| Maggie | Indy’s childhood friend whose wedding serves as a milestone for Ryan and Indy’s public relationship. |
| Kai Rhodes | Professional baseball pitcher and single father, a friend of Ryan’s who occasionally asks the couple to babysit his son Max. |
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FAQ
Does The Right Move have a happy ending?
Yes, The Right Move ends with a happily ever after. The epilogue shows Ryan and Indy married four years later with two children, living in the house Ryan bought for their future.
Is The Right Move a standalone or part of a series?
The Right Move is the second book in Liz Tomforde’s Windy City series. It can be read as a standalone, though characters from the first book, Mile High, appear prominently.
What is the fake dating scenario in The Right Move about?
Ryan tells his general manager that Indy is his girlfriend to appear more personable as team captain. The lie requires them to attend events together and eventually develop real feelings.
Does The Right Move address infertility?
Yes, the book addresses infertility through Indy’s diagnosis of Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Her goal to freeze her eggs and become a mother is a central emotional thread.
What is Ryan Shay’s backstory trauma?
Ryan’s college girlfriend manipulated him into believing he was the father of her child as part of a scheme for financial support. He discovered the truth at the hospital the day the baby was born.
Are there cameo appearances from other Windy City characters in The Right Move?
Stevie Shay and Evan Zanders from Mile High are central supporting characters. Kai Rhodes, the protagonist of a later book, also appears as a friend who asks the couple to babysit his son.
How does The Right Move end for Ryan and Indy?
Ryan reveals he secretly paid for Indy’s fertility treatments and bought a house for their future. They marry, adopt a daughter named Navy, and have a biological son named Iverson via their last viable embryo.
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