by June Winters
Ella grinned. “Anyway, the fact that she's staying at a hotel means you've got an uphill battle to win her over.”
“Yeah. True. Damn.”
Ella patted his back. “Don't give up yet, big bro. Hey, why don't you come see how the room looks so far? And if you're done in here, I could use your help.”
“Yeah, okay, let's do it.”
Chapter 30
Lance
Three agonizing days.
It wasn't that long in the grand scheme of things, no, but for Lance it might as well have been an eternity. The first day, he and Ella cleaned and painted in Radar's old bedroom. They called it quits at midnight, but they still had more work to do in the coming days.
It took every ounce of strength he had not to call or text Paige. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to hear Irie's voice on the phone. He wanted to start convincing Paige, and he wanted to know what she was thinking. But, like Ella told him, Paige wanted some space and he had to let her have it. There was only so much he could say over the phone. The real test would be in person.
The second day brought a welcome distraction, if only for a couple hours: a Brawlers practice.
Lance never cared much for practices. He viewed practices like a free skate: not a time to bust his ass, but rather a time to socialize and joke around with the boys. He was the type of player who seemed destined to be a star, who stood out at as a phenom at every level of hockey he played. Among his many genetic blessings, he possessed the flashy, quick-as-lightning and soft-as-butter hands that made handling the puck so effortless and easy, as if it were attached to the blade of his stick with a string. His skill simply couldn't be taught—a player was either born with it or not. And thanks to those attributes, he never saw the point in working hard in practice. He could coast through drills on raw talent alone, only giving a half-assed effort that left coaches tearing out their hair in frustration.
When he entered the dressing room, the team burst into a round of applause. The boys were glad to have their star player back. He was the bench-standard, after all, and if he wasn't busting his ass, why should they?
But that day, Lance commanded the room's attention, his voice booming. “Alright, that's enough. Get ready to work out there today, boys. We're not losing this next game.”
The room silently stared at him, mouths open and eyes wide, as if they were waiting for the punchline to another one of his jokes so they could finally go into a belly-busting uproar.
But today, there was no punchline. Lance took his seat at his stall and started suiting up.
“I'm serious, boys. Next game's a big one. We want to make the playoffs this year, right? Then it's time to start stringing some wins together. It starts today.”
The room quieted as the team strapped on their protective pads.
Captain Shea, sitting across the room, wore a coy smile.
***
Lance pushed his teammates hard in practice. The power of concentrated will coursed through his veins. He needed to win that game, because losses had a way of spoiling your mood and ruining your whole night.
And if he wasn't in the right frame of mind to do what he planned to do, he knew his entire demeanor would be like a sad puppy's. Which would obviously turn her off. And then she'd probably say no. In front of everybody.
Lance galloped around the ice like a race horse, daring his teammates to catch him. He embarrassed Quinton Brooks by putting the puck between the towering defenseman's legs, leaping around his gargantuan body, and then sprinting ahead to score on a break-away.
Normally, he didn't want to make his teammates look bad in practice. Today, though, he didn't care. Everyone had to get better. Lance needed the team to be better. He needed every single member on the roster to reach their potential.
After line rushes, Shea slid to a stop next to Lance. The aging veteran bent over at the waist, sucking air. If there was one thing you could say about Shea? His body wanted to slow down, but his mind just wouldn't let it.
“That suspension really lit a fire under your ass, eh, Coots?” he panted.
Lance winked at him. “Something like that.”
“Keep it up. I like what I see.”
Lance whacked Shea's shin pads with his stick. “Pretty sure the boys hate me right now, though.”
The captain laughed. “Yup. That's part of the gig. I always thought that part would appeal to you.”
“I could get used to it,” Lance said with a smirk before he pushed off with an explosive stride and rejoined the play.
***
“Whew.”
That was a common refrain around the dressing room after practice, heard amongst the chorus of Velcro straps tearing apart. The boys were exhausted, many still wanting for air, and everyone moved slower and stiffer than usual.
“Good practice today, boys,” Lance said proudly.
For his own sake, a soreness throbbed deep in his muscular thighs. It was the good kind of soreness that let you know you'd put in a hard day's work.
Coach entered the dressing room, walked over to Lance's stall and slapped him on the shoulder. “Good hustle today, kid.”
After showers, the team dressed in their suits and, one by one, headed for the parking garage, where Wally would fetch their cars.
Lance stayed behind and waited for Shea. Shea was always the last Brawler to leave after every practice and game, thanks to an hour-long stretching routine that he needed to keep his 37-year-old body from seizing up on him.
Shea seemed surprised that Lance was still in the room. “You're still here?”
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay. What about?”
Lance broke yet another one of Kip's rules and told a member of the team all about Paige and Irie, and how he intended to win them back.
Shea seemed stunned. “You sure you want to do that? You know this might blow up on you, right?”
“I know. I'm just telling you what I intend to do. So if you think I shouldn't do it, now's your chance to talk me out of it. It's still your team, after all.”
Shea scratched the back of his neck. “Remember when I told you that you had to find something outside hockey to live for?”
“Yeah.”
“Looks to me like you've found it. At the end of the day, a family is all a man's got, Lance. Your career will be over before you know it. Trust me, it comes fast—faster than you realize.” Shea waved his hand around the dressing room. “But family is far, far more important than all this bullshit.”
Lance bobbed his head. “Thanks, Shea. That's what I needed to hear.”
“You're welcome, bud. And good luck.”
Chapter 31
Paige
A sickening nervousness bubbled in Paige's belly as her plane circled Logan International Airport. They were stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for traffic on the runway to clear before they could touch down.
But Paige knew she didn't truly have a reason to feel anxious. She wasn't meeting Lance at the airport. She'd purposely not told him the details of her flight because she didn't want him there to greet her.
She viewed the stay in Boston as if it were a business trip. She and Irie were in town for one night only, and the first order of business was simple: they were going to take that paternity test to finally prove that Lance was the father.
The second order of business was taking a stroll around the city and seeing if she could actually picture herself starting a new life in the city with Irie. Her parents had encouraged her to move to Boston. She was against the idea at first, but the more she thought about it, the more it started to make sense. Lance would be closer to Irie, which would make his visits a heck of a lot easier, rather than trying to fly Irie back and forth between cities every other weekend.
And it wasn't like she had much tying to her Nashville—sure, she had her parents and her friends. But beyond that? She no longer had a job and she wasn't in school anymore. Why not start over in a new city? Once Lance
had his proof, he could start paying child support. That'd sweep away Paige's financial burden, and she could finally go back to nursing school.
The future was looking up.
The only thing that wasn't certain was how Lance would react to all this.
And maybe that was why she had a sick feeling in her stomach when the plane's tires touched down on the ground.
Stay strong, Paige.
She had an inkling in her gut that Lance would try to win her over somehow. His silence the past few days was telling. She knew he was planning something. He'd said as much. But she wouldn't just move in with him on a whim. That ship had sailed.
And all she could hope for was that he'd understand.
Watching the city whiz past the window of the cab, Boston didn't feel like one of the biggest cities in the country. Paige imagined the city would be more like New York—towering skyscrapers, stinky and polluted air, snarling traffic jams, crowded with people.
One of the first billboards they passed featured a familiar name and face. “Welcome to BOSTON! Home of LANCE COUTURE and the BOSTON BRAWLERS.” It was strange, seeing him already. Having him smile upon them from sixty feet in the sky, like some kind of Boston saint.
The cab meandered through the compact streets of downtown Boston and dropped Paige and Irie off outside the hotel. Once Paige checked into her room and settled down, she took a deep breath and called Lance.
He answered right away, sounding excited. “Paige! Hi! Where are you?”
Paige replied in a tone that was true to her mindset: all business. “Hi Lance. We just made it to our hotel. You still have time to take the paternity test today, I hope?”
Her directness threw him off balance. “Well, uh, yeah, we could do that …”
“That'd be great. You have the address here, correct?”
“Er, yeah.”
“So, can you meet us here at one o'clock?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“See you then. Bye.”
Paige hung up, feeling proud and in control.
***
Right on time at one o'clock, there was a knock on her hotel door.
Paige swung the door open, holding Irie on her side. The tall hockey star, dressed in a navy Armani suit with chalky white pinstripes, greeted her with a radiant smile and a massive bouquet of red roses that he thrust forward.
“For you, Paige.”
Irie smiled and laughed at the sight of her father.
“Hi, Irie! Come here, baby girl, lemme hold you.” He reached out and took Irie into his arms.
Paige took the bouquet from him with a frown. “You shouldn't have, you know. We're only staying one night.”
His confident smile was suddenly lost. “One night?”
“Yes. We're only here so we can take your paternity test.”
He reached for her hand. “But Paige, I wanted to show you around. There's so many places I wanted to take you two—”
Paige freed her hand. “We'll take this one step at a time, Lance, so we don't rush into anything. Before anything else happens, the first thing we need to do is take your paternity test.”
He frowned. “You know, I've been thinking about that, and it's really not necessary—”
Her eyes grew. “What? Yes, it is! It's the whole reason I came out here.”
Lance paused to blow raspberries on Irie's cheek, making her howl with laughter. “But the thing is … I don't need it, Paige. I really don't. I feel like the act of getting that damned test only proves I don't trust you or something. Which isn't the case. At all. Paige, you have no idea how much I want to take that day at the airport back. I'd do anything to go back to our old plan, to have you move in—”
She sighed. “Lance. Please. The paternity isn't just for your sake. It's for mine, too. I might need it for legal recourse if you decide you don't want to help out with Irie.”
Lance swallowed. “But trust me, that's—”
“Please, Lance.” She grabbed her coat and put it on. “Can we just go get that test over with now? For our peace of mind?”
He dropped his gaze. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Chapter 32
Lance
Shit. This is going wrong.
Lance had expected an uphill battle, like Ella had warned him, but he hadn't expected Paige to act so coldly towards him. He'd expected to be able to charm his way past her defenses, like he had back in Nashville. But whether it was a warm glance, or a gentle touch on her shoulder, or a story he thought she'd find funny? She shut him down at every turn.
On the drive to the doctor's office—which he really didn't want to do—she barely seemed to listen to him. She stared out her window quietly, only chiming in with an unamused, huh or oh really or no kidding when it was appropriate.
But at least he could still make Irie laugh. All that girl needed was a goofy face in the rear-view mirror, and she'd be rolling on the floor—if she weren't safely strapped into the top-of-the-line, snap-and-go stroller and car seat combo he'd showed up with just for their excursion.
(Heck, he thought Paige would be impressed with that purchase, but she barely gave it a second glance!)
Lance started doubting his plan. At the doctor's office, he snuck off just long enough to fire off a text at his sister.
“We're a little delayed, Honey Badger. She insisted on taking the paternity test after all. P.S. I think this might be going badly.”
“Really? Oh no!”
“What should I do?”
“Have you tried apologizing for being a huge, huge, HUGE idiot for getting on that plane when you should've stayed with her?”
“Groan. Guess I'll try harder. Do you think I should I still bring her by? She might not even want to come.”
“It can't hurt to ask, right?”
***
The paternity test was a breeze. The doctor swabbed everyone's cheeks and said they'd receive the results in 3-5 business days.
“That's it? Easy enough,” Lance said.
Back in the car, Lance stuck the key in the ignition, but hesitated to turn it.
When Paige noticed he wasn't starting the car, she finally looked at him with her brow raised. “Something wrong?”
“Yeah, Paige.”
“Well, what is it?”
“I feel like an idiot. I never should've gotten on that plane and I'm sorry I did. I should've stayed with you.”
She turned away, eyes darting out her window. The little “Hm” she muttered all but said she totally agreed.
“If I could get a redo on that moment, believe me, there's not a chance I'd leave you two again. It's all I could think about the past three days. I can't even tell you how heart breaking it was, watching you and Irie storm off while she cried.”
“So why did you leave?”
“All I could think about was how I'd get in trouble with the team.” He put his hand on her thigh. “That was dumb. That was super dumb, and I know it. I've been trying to keep them happy, but when it comes down to it, you two are all I really have. Yeah, hockey is important to me, but not nearly as important as you two. I care about you two way, way more.”
Paige frowned. “But you barely know anything abou—”
He cut her off. “Don't say that again. It's not true anyway, okay? For two years I've been thinking about you, wondering where you were, wondering if I'd ever see you again. And I know that there was a reason for that, Paige, and that reason is our daughter. I also know you're a great Mom. That you've struggled through a bad situation for two years, all alone.” He smiled. “I know you're even more beautiful than I remember.”
Her stony features softened. “Lance …”
He smiled sneakily. “I know you're still great in the sack, too.”
She stifled a laugh. “Of course you'd say that.”
“I wanna show you where I live, Paige. Come back to my condo.”
“You're not going to try to convince me to move in again, are you?” Paige asked with a sneaki
ng grin. “Because I'm serious, Lance. Honestly, I still like you—I just think we need to seriously pump the brakes and take things a lot slower.”
At least she finally seemed to be warming up to him. But his heart did drop when he heard that. How the hell could he go through with his plan now? What he had in mind was the opposite of pumping the brakes.
“I uh, I was going to try to convince you to move in, actually,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Lance …!” she squealed.
“Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Anyway, my sister's there waiting for us. So I hope you'll come.”
Touched, Paige smiled sweetly. “Your sister? Ella, right?”
“Yep. She really wants to meet you and Irie.”
“Aw. Okay, fine, let's go.”
Chapter 33
Paige
She tried to keep reminding herself: Stay strong, Paige!
Paige was so proud of how she handled herself when he showed up at her hotel door, looking all dashing and fashionable in his expensive suit. She acted so nonchalantly, as if it were everyday a hockey star showed up outside her hotel door begging for forgiveness. She refused to fall for his perfect smile. And when he gave her that bouquet of roses, she acted like they were going straight in the trash.
Yeah, that'll teach him!
But at a certain point, she stopped feeling like she was being strong, and started to feel more like she was purposely acting cold just to punish Lance.
He didn't deserve that, did he? He seemed like he was genuinely sorry. Of course, she didn't know what to believe anymore. She didn't know if she could trust herself. But taking that paternity test was like letting a burden off her shoulders. Once that was done, Paige felt freer. And then Lance started saying all the right things again …
Call it a moment of weakness, but whatever, Paige agreed to go see his condo. She thought it was cute that his sister was waiting there for them. Plus, Lance probably wouldn't try to get weird if his sister was there, right?
