Chasing Paige (Washington Guardians Hockey Book 2)

by Ellen Devlin

  ***

  Micky grabbed a few beers from the fridge on their way to the living room.

  “Holy shit, Becks. You were not kidding. She’s beautiful.”

  Chris had a grin a mile wide. “And smart. Brilliant, really. And funny. And sweet and kind.”

  Micky just shook his head slowly, smiling, listening as Chris extolled Paige’s virtues to him.

  “I’m really happy for you, Becks. You know that, right?”

  “I know. Thanks, man.” He clapped Micky on the shoulder and asked, “Hey, where’s your flavor of the month?”

  “Ha! More like flavor of the week lately. And I unloaded the latest flavor two weeks ago. I enjoy flying solo during the holidays. Makes the odds ever in my favor, if you know what I mean.”

  Chris shook his head. “Damn, Micky. I do hope you wear party hats.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I always wrap it. I do not need any complications in my life. Shit, the last thing I need is some puck bunny trying to tell me she’s pregnant.” Micky shuddered dramatically, and Chris rolled his eyes again.

  Micky got a sly grin on his face and asked, “So, are you gonna tell me or what? What’s she like behind closed doors?”

  “Jesus, Mick. Remind me why the hell we’re friends again. I am not going to tell you anything.” But his smile said everything, and Micky threw back his head and laughed.

  “I knew it. Grace in public; tiger in the sack. You’ve found the perfect woman.” He wrapped his arm around Chris’s shoulder. “Okay, Becks, now tell me about the rest of your life.”

  “You’ve just seen it. Hockey and Paige. That’s about it for me. And I’m a happy man.” Taking a drink from his beer, he said, “What’s going on with you, besides your never-ending parade of willing women? Still a spiky bastard or have you finally warmed up to your teammates?”

  Micky’s eye darkened slightly. He scowled at Chris momentarily and said nothing.

  “So,” Chris responded, trying to lighten the mood again, “clearly still a spiky bastard. Got it.”

  Micky relaxed, not even realizing that his whole body had tensed in those few moments. “Sorry, Becks. Some things don’t change, I guess.” He stood up, put his arm around Chris’s shoulders, and said, “Come on, let’s go rescue Paige from my mom and sisters.”

  ***

  They spent several hours with the McCullins, laughing and reminiscing, with Colleen embarrassing Chris as often as possible with stories from when Chris and Micky were younger. Paige had a wonderful time.

  As they were preparing to leave, Kathleen pulled Chris aside for a moment and gave him another hug and a kiss on the cheek. “She’s lovely, Christopher. Treat her well.”

  “You know I will.” Chris beamed at her.

  Kathleen patted him on the cheek, saying, “I do, sweetheart. I do. You take care of yourself, now too. And for heaven’s sake, come visit more often! Your mother might not tell you, but she misses you terribly.”

  “I will do my best.” Chris picked her up in a hug one last time before they went back to the car to head to his mom’s house.

  ***

  The drive to Chris’s mother’s house was just about an hour and a half, and Paige spent most of that time asking more questions, now that she had met the McCullin family.

  “So, tell me again how you met them. And did I hear Kathleen call you her ‘extra son?’”

  Chris chuckled and said, “Yes, I’m the extra son. You didn’t meet Joe, Micky’s younger brother—he’s a really nice guy too—but there are the two boys and then three girls. I’m the extra.

  “When I started really playing competitive hockey, it was tough on my mom. It was just the two of us—my dad had left when I was really little—so my mom had to try to work full time and get me where I needed to be and somehow make ends meet. Which was amazing of her. She did so much to ensure that I had a chance to do what I dreamed of doing. But anyway, lots of things were not close by where we lived.

  “I went to a development camp when I was right around thirteen or so that was not too far from where we are now. My mom dropped me off for the week, and I didn’t know anyone else. That first day, there were a bunch of guys who obviously knew each other and had been playing in the same clubs for a while, and one of the guys started giving me a hard time. You know, the usual, bragging about his goal scoring, where he’s been playing, naming impressive coaches, making comments about how my teams and coaches weren’t as good, that kind of thing. Scooter was acting like kind of a jerk…”

  “Scooter?” Paige interrupted. “Seriously?”

  Laughing, Chris said, “Yeah. Colleen really wasn’t kidding about the nickname thing. I don’t even remember the guy’s real name anymore.

  “Anyway, we were starting camp off with a scrimmage, and Scooter and I were on opposing teams. Right after he walked off with his little fan club, this big guy on my team came up, nudged me in the shoulder, and just said, ‘No worries, I got this.’”

  “That was Micky, I assume?”

  “That was Micky. He was big and intimidating even then. I was feeling like crap—I didn’t know anyone and was really shy and not feeling particularly confident by that point—and didn’t know what to expect.”

  Chris started laughing at the memory. “We had our scrimmage game, and Micky put Scooter into the boards every single time he was out there.” Looking over at Paige briefly, he said, “Seriously, Paige. Every single shift—wham—into the boards. He even got called on a few penalties for doing it when he shouldn’t have based on what was going on in the game. It was nuts.”

  Turning back to the road, he continued, “After the game, Micky came over, gave me a big grin, stuck out his hand, and said, ‘Hi, I’m Micky.’ I knew right then that we were gonna be friends for life. I just knew it.”

  “What happened with Scooter?”

  “Scooter came over to me and mumbled a quick, ‘Nice game,’ and that was it. He ended up being an okay guy, and we got along. He played through college but didn’t end up trying to make a career out of it.”

  They were quiet for a few minutes, and then Paige said, “Wait, that doesn’t explain your ‘extra son’ status with the McCullin family.”

  “Oh, right! Well, at the end of camp, when my mom came to pick me up, Micky brought his parents over to meet my mom and explained to everyone that it would make a lot of sense for me to stay at their house sometimes for tournaments and travel.” Chris chuckled again. “I’m sure he had worked it out with his parents already, but he sounded like he was presenting the entire idea as his own. Once my mom realized that this would really work, she was thrilled. And so was I.”

  He had a wistful look on his face and a small smile. “I spent so much time with them, Paige. I stayed at their house as much as I stayed at my own—maybe more—and they took me to tournaments and practices and games. They really are my second family. They were so unbelievably generous with their time and space, and just themselves. Micky’s parents are a huge part of how I ended up being a pro hockey player. I owe them so much.”

  Paige reached over to hold his hand and said, “They clearly love you and consider you part of the family.”

  “Yeah, it’s amazing. Micky is my brother in everything but blood. I’m telling you, I knew it when I met him.” Stealing a small look at Paige, he said, “There are a few things in my life like that…things that I have just known. It’s hard to explain, but it’s true. I just knew that I was going to play hockey or die trying,” he joked, “pretty much from the first time I put on skates. And I just knew that Micky was going to be my friend for life.”

  For a brief moment, he considered telling her that she was the third thing in his life that he was absolutely certain of but decided it was not quite the right time.

  Chapter Twenty

  They pulled up to a moderately sized, beautifully kept house, decorated with Christmas evergreens and accented with white lights. It was dusk, and the house looked like it could be on the front of a Christ
mas card, elegant and inviting.

  “It’s beautiful, Chris. Did you grow up here?”

  Chris turned into the driveway as he answered, “No, but close to here. We lived in a double-wide trailer in a trailer park about five miles away.” He shut the car off and turned to Paige briefly. “The first thing I did as a pro was to buy this house for my mom. She didn’t want anything big, and she had always liked this neighborhood, so I thought it would be perfect.”

  Paige watched him get out of the car and walk around to open her door. A gentleman, without a doubt.

  She took his hand and stopped him for a moment as they walked toward the house.

  “What?” he asked her with a smile.

  Paige stood on her toes and put her hand on his cheek, encouraging him to bend down for a kiss.

  “You’re wonderful,” she whispered.

  Chris tilted his head a bit, and his smile conveyed his pleasure at her comment.

  “Come on,” he tugged on her hand, “let’s have you meet my mom. She’s going to love you.”

  ***

  Emily Beckman opened the door before they reached it, beaming at her son. She hugged him, stood back to look at him, as if he had grown since she last saw him, and then hugged him again. And then turned to Paige.

  “Mom, this is Paige.” Turning to address Paige, he said, “Paige Smith, Emily Beckman. My mom.” He gave his mom another squeeze, adding, “And my biggest fan.”

  Paige put her hand out, but Emily ignored it and pulled her in for a hug.

  “Welcome, Paige! I’m so glad to finally meet you. I don’t hear from Chris as often as I should,” she threw a playful, chiding look to her son, “but every time I do, I hear about you.” She bustled a little, saying, “But come in, come in. Paige, what can I get for you to drink? Are you hungry?” Paige demurred as Emily turned to say, “Chris, why don’t you get the luggage out of the car so you can get settled? The guest bedroom is all set up for you two.”

  Chris was grinning and kissed Paige on the top of her head before going back out to the car.

  Emily chuckled, watching him walk away.

  “He’s crazy about you. You know that, right?”

  Paige smiled and replied, “I’m pretty crazy about him too. Your son is a lovely person, through and through.”

  “He is at that,” she agreed, preparing cups of tea. “So, tell me about you. You teach English, right? What’s that like? How big are your classes? Do you enjoy the work?”

  Paige told her about her work, finding Emily to be very friendly and easy to talk to. Chris made a few trips to the car and back, peeking at the two of them chatting each time he passed, a grin permanently on his face.

  After the luggage was all set in the guest room, he returned to the kitchen just in time to hear his mom say, “Oh my goodness, I agree! Grammar is so important. It just isn’t stressed as much now, at least not in the media. It makes me crazy to hear a news reporter make basic grammar errors.”

  “Yes! Or commercials! It’s like nails on a chalkboard to hear them. Did no one notice? No copy writers? No producers?”

  Chris sat down at the table, saying, “So, I guess I need to thank my mom for correcting me all of those times.”

  “Absolutely,” Paige answered immediately.

  “I could never get away with saying, ‘Me and Joe are going to the movies.’ There was always, always the immediate correction: ‘Joe and I.’” He chuckled. “I had to repeat it back properly, or no one was going anywhere with anyone.”

  They shared a laugh, but Paige said, “Good grammar is very sexy, Chris.”

  He immediately turned to his mother and exaggeratedly bowed over her hand, saying, “Thank you, thank you,” over and over until she laughed and swatted him away.

  ***

  They spent the evening talking and laughing, until Chris’s mom went off to bed.

  “I will see you two in the morning.” Kissing Chris on the cheek, she added, “Christopher, you being here and bringing Paige is the best present I could ever hope for.”

  Paige was amazed at the relationship Chris and his mother shared. Her own upbringing had been so…different. This seemed almost idyllic. And yet she had grown up living a comfortable middle-class life in a big, single-family home, while Chris had grown up in a life of financial struggle, living in a trailer park.

  “Your mom is wonderful, Chris.”

  “Isn’t she?” He held her hand as they sat on the couch together. “She worked two jobs so I could play hockey. She was a secretary by day and then had a moonlighting job doing transcription from home so she didn’t have to leave me alone and could tuck me into bed each night.” She could see the emotion on his face talking about it. “She sacrificed so much so I could have the life of my dreams, and every year she says that the best Christmas present in the world is me coming to visit.

  “Between my mom and the McCullins…” his voice rasped, “they gave me everything, Paige. Absolutely everything. I can never repay them.”

  Paige gently pulled him down so he was lying on the couch with his head in her lap and then ran her fingers through his hair and stroked his face.

  “I’m the luckiest man in the entire world,” he said quietly.

  ***

  Christmas morning Paige awoke early, climbing out of bed quietly so as not to wake Chris. Emily was awake already, in the kitchen, making breakfast for the three of them.

  “Merry Christmas!” Paige said quietly, and Emily greeted her with a hug.

  “Merry Christmas, Paige! I take it Christopher is still sleeping?”

  Paige accepted the cup of coffee Emily offered to her, replying, “Yes, I didn’t want to wake him up. My schedule is skewed early, so it’s rare for me to sleep in very late, at least not during the school year. During the summer is a totally different story.”

  She offered to help Emily with breakfast, but as expected, Emily insisted that Paige sit and drink coffee while she prepared the food.

  After they had been chatting for a bit, Paige said, “Chris mentioned last night that you sacrificed a great deal to help him succeed in hockey. Being a single mom, working two jobs…it’s amazing, really.”

  Emily sat down at the table with her, everything now either baking or staying warm until Chris woke up.

  “It was all worth it. Every minute. Look at how successful he has become. And now, how happy he is. Truly, Paige, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him this happy without skates on his feet and a hockey stick in his hand.

  “It’s what every parent wants for their children—for their kids to be happy and more successful than they were.”

  Paige responded without thinking, “Not every parent.” At Emily’s surprised look, she added, “Only the good ones,” with a smile.

  Feeling that more of an explanation was called for, Paige opened up, saying, “My relationship with my mother is not…good. Not healthy. I would go so far as to say unhealthy, except I’m much better about controlling the situation than I used to be. Mostly that means very limited contact.”

  “I’m so sorry, Paige.”

  Paige smiled and said, “Thank you. Me too.”

  They sipped quietly for a few more minutes, until rustling sounds and footfalls indicated that Chris had awoken and was out of bed.

  “Ah, finally,” Emily said with a smile. “I knew he wouldn’t sleep too late. It is Christmas, after all. He’s never been able to sleep late on Christmas.”

  ***

  They opened gifts after breakfast; Chris gave his mom several small things that he knew she would love, along with the complete itinerary for a trip to St. Paul for the Grizzlies home game against the Guardians in February.

  “One of these days I will get you to come visit DC again,” he said.

  Emily responded with a smile. “And one of these days I will take you up on that offer again. But I always look forward to seeing you play in Minnesota.”

  Paige gave Chris three pairs of cufflinks.

  “I notic
ed that you have several shirts with French cuffs,” she said, “but I’ve only seen you wearing one set of cufflinks.”

  He looked closely at them. “Guardians logo—very nice, the guys will love that, thank you. And the seal of the University of Minnesota!” He looked up at her, touched that she remembered where he went to college. “And…”

  “The last ones are tiny hockey rinks,” she said. “Because you taught me about the game.”

  Chris tilted his head slightly as he looked at her.

  “What?” she asked. “Do you like them? I was afraid that the ones you have might have a great deal of sentimental value or something…”

  “I love them,” he interrupted. “I love them, Paige. Thank you.”

  She smiled. “You’re welcome. Merry Christmas.”

  “I have something for you too,” he said, moving to pick up a box and interrupting her protest, continuing, “I know you said the trip was your gift, but this is just something small I really wanted to get for you.”

  She tore the paper and opened a box to find a pair of white figure skates.

  “Oh, Chris…thank you. I’ve never owned a pair of skates before!”

  At the shocked looks from both Emily and Chris, Paige laughed and said, “You forget that in Pennsylvania and Virginia, people almost always have to go to rinks to skate! I didn’t grow up being able to just head out to a pond. I’ve always just rented skates from the rink. But I haven’t been for years.” She thought for a minute. “A lot of years. I’m not sure I remember the last time I went skating!”

  “Well,” Chris said with a smile, “I have a solution for that. Later tonight, I’m going to take you to the pond where I skated all the time as a kid.”

  “As long as you’re ready to hold me up!” she replied. “I make no promises about my ability to stay on my feet on skates.”

  ***