The Sweet Talker: A Surprise Baby Hockey Romance (Boston Hawks Hockey)

by Gina Azzi

  His sincerity brings tears to my eyes and his expression shifts to one of horror.

  “It’s the hormones,” I explain, dabbing my eyes with the cloth napkin. I take a deep breath and dive in. I tell Aiden all about Noah’s and my arrangement. Our friendship that flourished into more. The fun we had together being tourists in Boston. Nights at Taps. Then, his awkwardness on Thanksgiving and trying to set me up with Aiden.

  “I knew it!” Aiden jabs a finger in the air.

  “Yeah, he wasn’t very subtle,” I agree.

  “Why would he do that? Try to set you up? Why not just end things with you?”

  I shrug but I’ve thought about Noah’s motives a lot. Especially over the past few days. “He knows we don’t want the same things. I think when he met you, and we have all this history together, he thought I’d be better off with someone like you.”

  Aiden catches my eyes and we stare at each other for a long beat before cracking up. “I thought this guy knew you?” Aiden wheezes. “You would be bored to death with a guy like me.”

  “I know, right? And you would be frustrated most of the time with a girl like me.”

  “Someone to organize my sock drawer? I’d be the most passive-aggressive son of a bitch on the planet.”

  We laugh and I roll my eyes, wiping away an errant tear.

  In an instant, Aiden’s expression grows serious. “Then what happened?”

  “I told him,” I murmur, picking at a bread roll.

  Aiden watches me curiously, not saying anything for the first time in his life. It both soothes and annoys me.

  “It didn’t go well,” I add.

  “What happened?”

  “He stormed off, that’s what happened.”

  In an instant, Aiden’s face flushes and his eyes narrow. “I’ll track down the—”

  “It wasn’t like that. I think I, I think I pissed him off.”

  “By carrying his baby?” Aiden scoffs, clearly pissed for the both of us.

  “He was fine at first. Asking about me and if I need anything…” I shake my head, furrowing my brow. “But the second I mentioned that I didn’t have any expectations of him and that I’m not going to follow him all around the country, that my life is here, he got frustrated.”

  “Hold up.” Aiden shakes his head. “What exactly did you say to Scotch?”

  “I knew you knew his name.” I grin. Then, I recall two nights ago for Aiden, who grows stiffer with each word I mutter. “And then he left.”

  “Well of course he left, Indiana,” Aiden chides me. “Are you seriously saying that if someone you were having a baby with told you exactly what it’s going to be like and told you they didn’t need you for anything, you wouldn’t be pissed?”

  “It wasn’t like that—”

  Aiden lifts an eyebrow.

  “I was processing. Trying to make sense of everything.” I stand my ground.

  “And? Did you give him a chance to make sense of things?”

  “He left.”

  Aiden gives me a look. “Has he called you at all?”

  “Four times,” I admit.

  “And?”

  “I’m not ready to talk yet.”

  Aiden whistles. “Damn, I forgot how you can hold a grudge.”

  “It’s not a grudge. I’m just, I’ve got a lot going on at the moment, okay?”

  Aiden tilts his chin toward me, his expression softening. He reaches over the table and clasps my wrist. “You do. God, Indiana. You’re doing a really great job and you’re going to be a really amazing mother. But you need to talk to Scotch. You need to set things straight with him and let him be involved. Even if this thing with y’all was just fun in the beginning, it’s more than that now. It doesn’t matter if you’re together or not, you’re having a baby together. You will always be in each other’s lives, always be connected in some way. You don’t want to start this kid’s life off with two parents who can’t communicate with each other.”

  I bite my lower lip, nodding my thanks to the server as she drops off our entrees. After she runs through our dishes and cracks some fresh black pepper on Aiden’s mashed potatoes, I say, “You’re right.”

  “I know.” He smiles at me.

  “I’m scared,” I admit.

  “I know. But you’ve got this, Indy. You’re going to be a kick-ass mom. And whatever you need, you know I’m always in your corner.”

  “I know.”

  “I just don’t want to be there when you tell Jemmy.” He points his fork at me and I snort.

  “Nah, I better tell Mom and Dad with Noah, don’t you think?”

  “I do.” Aiden cuts off a bite of steak and pops it into his mouth. He groans. “Jesus, Indy. Your man’s got good taste, though. This steak is delicious.”

  “He’s not my man.”

  Aiden picks up his wine glass and gestures it in my direction before taking a large gulp. “He will be.”

  I frown.

  “Trust me, Indiana. That man was trying to set you up with me.” He laughs again, shaking his head. “He cares about you a hell of a lot more than he let on and now that you’re knocked up—”

  I wince.

  Aiden’s smile grows larger. “Well, there’s no way he’s letting you go without a fight. And I happen to know that hockey guys, especially yours, can throw down when they need to.”

  I roll my eyes but find myself grinning back at Aiden. “You really think I’ll be okay?”

  “I know it.” He pushes my plate toward me. “Now eat. You need to keep your energy up. Plus, no offense, but you look like shit. Guess that glow hasn’t kicked in for you yet, huh?”

  I flip him the finger and he laughs.

  But when I take a bite of my delicious steak, I forgive Aiden. And Noah.

  Because this food is amazing and right now, I don’t feel like puking my guts up, so life is suddenly good again.

  28

  Noah

  “What are you doing?” my brother asks as wind whips around my head, traveling through the phone line.

  “I’m pacing,” I snap, walking back and forth in front of the tenement building.

  “Huh? You okay?”

  “East, I gotta tell you something.”

  “Okay,” my brother says slowly.

  “Indy’s pregnant.”

  Silence. Silence for two paces and then fucking joy. “Holy shit! Seriously? Congratulations, man! Wow. I’m going to be the best fucking uncle that kid could ever want. Damn, man. I wish I was there with you guys. How’s Indy doing? How’s she feeling?”

  I blow out a sigh. “She’s avoiding me.”

  “Wait, what?” I can hear the wheels turning in Easton’s head. “You pushed her away, didn’t you?”

  “She’s on a date with Aiden.”

  “Shut the hell up. Noah, why is your pregnant girlfriend on a date with another man at a restaurant that you got a reservation for? What the hell is going on? Jesus, I thought my life was fucked up…”

  “Thanks,” I bite out, stopping to lean against a stop sign. The air is frigid cold and my toes are starting to go numb. Yet, an inferno of anger, pretty much one hundred percent of it at myself, pulses in my temples. “It’s on me. I fucking pushed her to go out with Aiden and then when she found out she was pregnant, she was probably alone.”

  “Alone?”

  “I was at the game.”

  “Oh.”

  “When we talked about it, she had everything mapped out. A whole fucking plan that barely included me. She told me she didn’t want to saddle me with anything. And of course I could be involved but pretty much on her terms. Oh, and she doesn’t want my money.”

  Easton snorts. “So, basically, she’s telling you to fuck off while not really telling you to fuck off?”

  “What do you mean not really? She’s pushing me right out the door.”

  “Nah, man. If she was doing that, she might not even have told you. Or she would but not this early. Tell me, do her parents know?�
�

  “Not yet…”

  “See? You were still her first call. She’s probably scared, Noah. I mean, a baby is a big fucking deal. Everything you told me about you guys indicates things are a lot more serious than either of you let on.”

  “True,” I agree, beginning my walk again.

  “Then, you push her off and try to set her up on a date with another dude.”

  “Biggest fucking mistake.” I plop down on the front steps of her building.

  “Yeah man, but you need to prove to her that she can count on you. She’s not just thinking about herself now but about the baby too. If she feels like you’re going to get cold feet and try to push her away, why the hell should she let you in?”

  I swear, pissed off that my brother grasped the heart of the issue faster than I did. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”

  “I am,” he says with his usual self-assuredness. “Noah, get your girl. Talk to her.”

  “I’m still waiting for her to come home.”

  Easton chuckles. “Relax, man. It’s only eight-thirty. She’s not exactly pulling an all-nighter. You need to man up here. Tell her how you really feel and go all in. Unless, you don’t want to be all in?”

  “I am all fucking in!” I snap, narrowing my gaze at a car’s headlights as it turns onto the street.

  “See, I knew it all along. Now go get your girl.”

  “I think this is them. Pulling up right now,” I say to Easton. “I gotta go.”

  “Call me later, Noah. And congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” I hang up the phone.

  The second the car pulls up in front of Indy’s building, I spring to my feet. The car idles at the curb and I see Indy in the passenger seat. I watch as she unclicks her seatbelt. Her head tips back, her dark hair brushing her shoulders. She laughs at something. My hands clench into fists as I narrow my gaze, drinking in the scene like the desperate man I am.

  She went on the date.

  You made her go on the date!

  She had fun.

  Can I really deny her that? After all the stress she’s carrying around, I’m going to be angry that she’s laughing?

  My temples throb and a hot flash blazes through my bloodstream. Yeah, yeah I am because she should be laughing with me.

  She leans over the center console and I stride toward the car, wanting to rip open the damn door and pull her from Aiden’s kiss. But she’s already opening the door, her quick hug with Aiden not developing into anything more.

  She closes the door, bends down, and waves goodbye. As soon as she turns, she sees me, frozen halfway between the building and the street, and she stops.

  The passenger window of the car slides down and Aiden leans forward in the driver’s seat, his eyes boring into mine. He looks between me and Indy before calling out, “You good, Ind?”

  She nods without turning around, her gaze still latched on me. “I’m good. ‘Night, Aid.”

  Aiden stares at me for one long beat and something passes through his expression. It’s not sinister or angry. It’s…encouraging? He flips his chin at me and I nod, signaling that I’ve got her from here. Aiden pulls away from the curb and my eyes find Indy’s.

  God, she’s breathtaking. Even bundled up in a winter parka and a thick scarf around her neck, her hands tucked into her coat sleeves, her feet strapped into fuzzy boots. You can barely make out her shape and still, my mouth waters.

  “I miss you,” I blurt out the truth.

  “What are you doing here?” her voice is soft but her eyes are hard, hesitant. Fuck, I hate that I put that uncertainty there.

  I tilt my head toward her building. “Can we talk inside?”

  She nods and walks past me. I follow her to the door, up the winding staircase, and into her apartment. When she enters, I help her out of her coat and she turns to look at me over her shoulder.

  I keep my expression as neutral as possible. I didn’t come here to argue with her. I didn’t come here to upset her. I came here to tell her that I’m a man. Her man. Our baby’s dad. And I’m not going anywhere.

  She blows out a breath, her cheeks pinking even more than they did in the cold. Once she shrugs off her coat, I hang it on the hook.

  “How was your dinner?” I ask.

  “Delicious.” She walks into the kitchen and drops a kettle on the stove. “Tea?”

  “Sure. What’d you eat?”

  “Steak.”

  “Nice choice. And”—I work a swallow—“Aiden?”

  “Steak. He ordered for us.”

  I frown, irritated. “Why the hell would he do a thing like that? You can order your own food, Indy.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I know, thanks.”

  I bite down on the corner of my mouth, waiting for her to get to the point. When she doesn’t say anything, just turns calmly back to the tea kettle, I snap. “Indiana, I lied to you. Again.”

  At that, her head whips back around. She backs up until her back rests against the countertop, her hands gripping onto the lip behind her. “Wh-what?”

  “I know I said this was casual. Maybe I even believed I could do casual with you. But it was a crock of shit from the start. I’ve always cared about you more than I wanted to let on. We’re having a baby, Indy. You’re going to be a mother and I’m going to be a father and we’re creating a family.”

  Her eyes track my every movement as I step closer to the kitchen, closer to her. I’m still dressed in my winter gear and I tug off my hat, tossing it onto her little table.

  “It was stupid of me to push you and Aiden together. I was freaking out I guess, knowing that the only life I can provide you right now is one you don’t want. Going to your parents’ house for Thanksgiving, seeing you light up when Aiden walked in the door, hearing about his steady, consistent job as your dad called him son bothered me. Yeah, I was fucking jealous,” I admit, throwing my hands in the air.

  “Of Aiden?” she asks like it’s the craziest idea in the world.

  I shrug, shoving a hand in my pocket and rocking back on my heels. Nothing like going all in and here we are, throwing down all our cards. “Maybe not of Aiden exactly but of the kind of guy he represents. The one who can give you the life you want, the stability, the security. But it was still stupid of me to try to push you away. After that night, I hated how distant you were toward me. It fucked with my head, messed up my play, and that was before you even told me about the baby.”

  We’re silent for a long moment. Worries and desires coloring the kitchen with tension, anticipation, and need.

  “What do you think about the baby?” she asks quietly, her eyes flaring with a hope she doesn’t want to give into.

  “I think that if I didn’t want you, if I wasn’t already in goddamn love with you, I wouldn’t be so, so happy that you’re having my baby.” The truth tumbles out of me, raw and real.

  Tears fill Indy’s eyes, one spilling onto her cheek.

  “No tears, Indiana,” I murmur, closing the space between us. With the pad of my finger, I stop her tear, dashing it away. But then my hand is back on her skin, cupping the side of her face, my thumb swiping across her bottom lip. “No tears unless they’re happy ones.”

  At that she breaks, dropping her head into my chest and sobbing.

  “Shh, baby.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re never going on another date with Aiden.”

  She snorts, pulling back to wipe her eyes and look up at me. “It wasn’t a date. Aiden’s been my best friend for years.”

  “I don’t care. You’re never going on another date with another man who isn’t me again.” The words come out sharper than I intend and while I expect her to give me shit for them, she grins up at me.

  “What are you saying, Noah?”

  “I’m saying that I fucked up and I’m sorry. But from the first time I kissed you, Indy, you’ve been mine. My girl.” My hand drops to her still flat tummy. “Our baby. We’re a family now. And I
won’t have any members of my family canoodling—”

  “Canoodling?” She lifts an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling.

  “With any other men,” I finish, lifting an eyebrow.

  Her expression softens and her hands come up, resting on my biceps. “I hate that you pushed me away, Noah.”

  “I know. It won’t ever happen again.”

  “How do I know that?”

  I sigh, knowing I need to prove my feelings to her. My brother was right; I need to man up. Can’t just be all talk, no action. Sweet words, no follow through. I hold her tighter. “Give me time to show you, babe. Things between us happened fast. We just skipped a whole bunch of steps and now we’re here. I can’t go back and undo the past but I can prove to you going forward that I’m yours. That we will figure this out. That I don’t expect you to drop your career or change your dreams because of my job. We’re a team, Indy. We just need to communicate better.”

  She nods into my chest, the material of my jacket slipping against her chin. “So you’re not going to say anything when I pack a backpack and take eight kids to South Asia in three weeks?”

  I cringe. Fuck, I forgot about her trip. A flicker of worry snakes through me. How am I going to let my pregnant girl go to a developing country in her first trimester?

  “Noah?” she prods.

  “No, I’m going to say a lot of things, Indy.” I feel her stiffen in my arms but I just hold her tighter. “But I trust you. Let’s just check with a doctor first, make sure you have everything you need before your trip, and plan for the unexpected, okay?”

  She wiggles in my arms until I loosen my hold. Tipping back her chin, her eyes find mine. “You’re serious?”

  “I’m always serious when it comes to you. How the hell do you think we ended up in this mess?”

  “You’re not going to try to get me to cancel the trip?”

  “No. But I am going to take you to the doctor’s and help you pack your bag and get you an international SIM so you can call me every day from wherever you are.”

  She smiles, some of the worry draining from her face. “Okay.”