by Skye Jordan
Her voice faded into anguish, and Beckett couldn’t take it. He dropped to his knees, covered her thigh with his hand, and squeezed gently. Then waited while she pulled herself together enough to go on.
“The placenta was damaged,” she said softly, “and the baby died.”
“Eden…” He had no words and ended up pressing his face to her arm.
“I was over five months along, so even though she’d passed, I had to give birth to her. And they let me hold her after. She was a little bigger than my hand.” Eden opened her hand, palm up. “Her feet reached my wrist. And, God…” She closed her eyes. “She was perfect. So utterly perfect.” She opened her eyes and the slightest smile played on her lips. She even had hair, this wispy little crown of blonde…” She covered Beckett’s hand with hers and curled her fingers around it, her gaze distant. “I named her Summer, because she was due in July.”
After a moment, when she didn’t go on, Beckett lifted his hand to her head and pulled her into him. He kissed her hair. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
She nodded. Another quiet stretch passed before she said, “Lily was sitting five rows down from me and Gabe at the game. I kept trying to ignore her, but I couldn’t. She’s so small and blonde, and God, she’s radiant… I kept thinking how Summer would be two years old now…”
He pulled back. “God, I wish I’d known my sister planned to bring the girls tonight. The team saves a certain section for family tickets.”
Eden didn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d found a way to deal with it and move on. But I obviously haven’t. And Lily…she’s too…” Pain etched her brow. “I’m not ready…”
“Hold on.” He took her chin between his fingers and lifted her head until her gaze met his. “You don’t have to make that decision right now. And you didn’t really get to know her. I have yet to meet someone she doesn’t instantly wrap around her little finger, including every damn member of my team.”
A smile quivered on Eden’s lips but disappeared within a second. “You’ve worked hard to get her to a good place, Beckett. I don’t want to do anything to mess that up.”
He threaded one hand into her hair. “You won’t. You can’t. My family and I have created the strongest base she could ever need. She’s solid and secure and happy, even with all the turmoil in her background. Even with my crazy schedule. She’s not that fragile. And neither are you.” When Eden’s gaze lifted to his, he said, “You are one of the strongest women I know. And you don’t have to move forward alone.”
She sighed but didn’t resist, giving Beckett hope.
He glanced at his watch. “Why don’t you come pick her up with me?”
She gave him an intensely skeptical look.
“It would really help me out with my sister,” Beckett said, begging a little. “She was so pissed when I met up with her after she’d gone after you.” He winced, remembering. “If the girls weren’t with us, I’m pretty sure she would have decked me.”
Eden huffed a surprised, amused “What?”
“She said I should have told you about Lily. Told me I screwed up something that could have been special. She really liked you.”
“She couldn’t. We talked for two minutes.”
“You make big impressions in a short amount of time. Think about our first two minutes together.”
That got the stress in her expression to soften, and the first real smile he’d seen all night lightened her face. “There’s my girl. I knew she was in there.” He kissed her forehead. “What do you say? Come meet my family?”
“I don’t think—”
“By now, Sarah’s probably got my parents all pissed off at me too.” He lifted his brows and gave her his best hopeful plea. “Come on, be a lifesaver, baby.”
“I can’t. That’s too—”
“Hey, we agreed we’ve got a thing here.”
“I think we agreed we both wanted this to be a thing, not that it actually is a thing.”
“This is definitely a thing. And when people have a thing, they meet family and friends. So meet them. If it doesn’t turn out well or you feel weird or Lily still causes you more pain than pleasure after you’ve spent some time with her, then we’ll, you know, call off our thing. And you can say you tried. Really tried.”
She got a pained look on her face. “Your family’s going to think I’m—”
“Beautiful, sweet, smart—”
“A nut case,” she countered, making him laugh.
“Believe me, I know my family. And they’re going to love you.”
18
Eden stared out the window at the moonlight on the Potomac as they crossed the Fourteenth Street Bridge. She didn’t know what the hell she’d been thinking when she’d agreed to this.
“Don’t even think about it,” Beckett said, drawing her gaze. “Do you have any idea how cold that water is right now?”
His allusion to thoughts of bailing into the Potomac made her smile. “You have to admit, it’s not a bad idea.”
“You’re right. It’s a terrible idea.” He reached over and took her hand, then brought it to his mouth for a kiss. Curling his fingers around hers, he rested them on the center console. “Relax, baby. We are a super-casual family.”
She shook her head. “I’m not at my best.”
“Yeah, you are,” he said seriously. “You just can’t see it.”
Eden looked out the passenger’s window again, overwhelmed by Beckett’s acceptance of her history. Of the way she shied away from the most important person in his life. This visit to his family was as risky to their current relationship as an avalanche to a skier.
And Beckett was the crazy-ass daredevil looking over his shoulder and laughing as the mountain tumbled after him.
“Where is your ex now?” he asked, jerking Eden in a completely different direction. “Did anything happen to him? I mean legally?”
“Yeah.” This she could answer with an element of satisfaction and pride. Nothing would bring Summer back, but at least Eden had reaped justice for her. “He’s in prison serving fourteen years for second-degree murder.”
Beckett’s head swiveled toward her, his mouth open. “Seriously? That’s…I don’t want to say awesome, because nothing about this is awesome, but it so refreshing to hear the system actually worked.”
“When you force it.”
“Meaning?”
“My father had considerable influence with the district attorney, and both my parents sided with my ex.”
“What?”
“They said I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. Then they said I should have had the abortion. Then they said, well, what did I expect putting him under all that pressure?”
“Jesus Christ,” Beckett bit out. He rested his elbow on the window ledge and rubbed his forehead.
Eden appreciated Beckett’s anger on her behalf, but she couldn’t let herself get caught up in it or she’d sink like a stone. “So I cracked open my trust fund to hire an attorney powerful enough to get past my father’s pull, and he convinced the DA to file charges. And when I found out how hard John was going to fight it, and how limited the DA’s resources were, I drained my trust fund to keep my attorney on the case. He did the research and put together the supporting documentation necessary to make sure John got the maximum sentence. My lawyer did everything but actually try the case.”
“It really sucks that you had to use money that could be helping you now to put that bastard where he belongs. But on the other hand—”
“It was gratifying to use my parents’ money to do it,” she finished.
“Exactly.”
And, dammit, this was why she was in the car, driving to meet his family. He got her. He wanted her. He accepted her, flaws and all.
She laid her head against the seat and soaked in the sight of his handsome profile as they made their way through Arlington toward the suburbs. “Do you like being a dad?”
“Oh, man.” He shook his head. “I love being Lily�
��s dad. That kid is the absolute light of my life. She turned my world upside down, and I can’t get enough of her. Everything I do or don’t do revolves around what she needs, what’s best for her.”
The overwhelming joy in his voice filled a dark space in Eden’s heart and made her smile.
“I couldn’t manage like I do without my family, though. They watch her when I’m on the road. They help me get her to special classes while I’m at practice. They come to my place and tuck her into bed for my home games. I cover the mornings and get her to school, and we spend most weekends together, depending on my schedule.”
“Gabe said something about your contract coming to an end? What’s going to happen then?”
“Yeah.” He sighed the word, heavy with stress. “This is the last year in my contract with the Rough Riders. I’m at a mid-level age and have a lot of good years left. But the better I play this year, the better my options for the coming years will be. And what I really want is an eight-year contract with the Rough Riders. If I can’t get that, I’d take one with the Capitals, because my priority is to stay here so Lily can stay close to our family.”
“What if you don’t get that?”
He sucked air between his teeth and shook his head. “I can’t think like that right now. I’m livin’ like I’m going to keep doin’ what I’m doin’ until I’m not doin’ it anymore.”
He took a few turns on streets in an upscale neighborhood with large houses on spacious, thickly treed lots, then finally started up a long driveway. “Here we are.”
The house at the end of the drive, nestled into a gentle hill, was the stuff Architectural Digest covers were made of. Multiple levels, lots of glass, a curved main stairway, and double, heavily carved, wooden entry doors reminded Eden of the homes she used to breeze in and out of without noticing all the gorgeous details. Exterior lights, landscaping, and stone pavers created an elegant yet calming welcome.
Eden must have missed something somewhere. A house like this here cost at least a million if not more. “This is the house you bought for them?”
“Mmm-hmm. Wait till you see the back porch. Amazing view of the Potomac. I could sit out there all day.”
He came to a stop in front of the triple garage.
“Didn’t you say you used your first professional paycheck for this?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t making as much then, but the signing bonus helped.”
She pried her gaze off the house and looked at Beckett with her mouth open but thoughts jumbling. “Hockey players must make a hell of a lot more than I realized.”
He met her gaze with a look she couldn’t read. A little amused. A little questioning. Maybe a little sarcastic? “You don’t know how much I make?”
She frowned. “How would I know that?”
“It’s public. All you have to do is google my name and NHL contract and you’ll have as many details about my hockey contract as I do.”
“That’s stupid. Why is it public? It’s no one else’s business.”
His mouth kicked up in the cutest lopsided smile she’d ever seen. He laughed and leaned over the console, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. His were warm and gentle and felt so good on hers. She wanted to sink in and stay there. When he pulled back, he met her eyes and murmured, “Have I mentioned how crazy I am about you?”
Eden’s heart twisted. Emotions and logic tangled. And she groaned.
Beckett’s grin sparkled in the darkness. “You’re crazy about me too.” He kissed her again. “Come on,” he cajoled in that low sexy voice that made heat burn between her legs. “Admit it.”
“Pffft.”
He kissed her again, cupping her head in that way that made her feel precious. Opening his mouth over hers and pressing hers open. Sliding his tongue inside and stroking hers until she sighed out a moan and leaned into him.
“Mmm.” He pulled out of the kiss slowly, leaving Eden a little dizzy and a lot hungry. “Let’s get inside before I change my mind about this visit and take you back home.”
He turned and got out of the car, leaving Eden with a fresh batch of what-the-hell-am-I-doing nerves bubbling to the surface. This was a futile effort. She didn’t want serious. She didn’t want attachments or commitments. She certainly didn’t want a freaking family.
A flutter of panic attacked her stomach as he opened her door.
When she turned toward him, he stroked a hand down her arm. “Hey, relax. Really, this doesn’t have to be a big deal. How many places have you walked into, interacted with people, and walked out? Hundreds? Thousands?”
“Not thousands.” She breathed deep and forced a smile. “But you’re right. I’m fine.”
On the walk to the door, he curled his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Be forewarned, it will be noisy and chaotic. My mother will try to feed you, and my father will try to ply you with alcohol.”
She was smiling when she walked up the elegant curved front steps. Before they reached the front door, a squeal eked out from somewhere inside, followed by a chorus of giggles.
Beckett grinned at her. “Told ya.”
She laughed, but a knot had already formed in her gut and her hands curled into fists.
He leaned forward to open the door, and his smile turned smirkish. “I’m also going to get the ‘Beckett Thomas’ as soon as I walk in.”
The door opened, and a soft ping sounded somewhere close, signaling their entrance. He pressed a hand low on her back and led her into the foyer.
He’d barely closed the door when a woman yelled, “Beckett Thomas…”
She sounded older than Sarah, and her tone clearly indicated he was in trouble.
Beckett sighed, then yelled, “Sarah, you’re such a tattle—”
“Daddy!” The excited voice came along with Lily sprinting along the marble tile, full speed.
Beckett crouched and caught his daughter the same way he had inside the tunnel earlier, smoothly, easily. He tossed her in the air, drawing a round of giggles, then settled her in his arms.
Lily pushed her hair from her eyes and looked at Eden with a smile like pure sunshine. “Hi,” she said. “I saw you at Daddy’s game.”
“Lily, this is my friend, Eden.”
“Hi, Lily.” Eden smiled, and now that Beckett was holding her, Eden could see some of him in her pretty face. She had his dark eyes, her face the same soft triangular shape. And good Lord, but she was beautiful. Her dusty blonde curls were a wild halo around her head, and her little teeth gleamed when she grinned.
The pain Eden expected to stab her heart didn’t come. The knot in her gut was still there, but her attention was diverted from the discomfort by a woman’s voice moving through an adjacent room Eden couldn’t see.
“Don’t even think about grabbing her and jumping in the car, Beckett.” Her voice was stern but not mean. “We need to have a—” She came around the corner and into a wide arched opening. Her gaze settled on Beckett, then jumped to Eden. “Oh.” She stopped, planted her hands on her hips, and tilted her head. “Hello.”
Eden smiled at the woman. She was pretty, like her daughter, with a short, layered head of silvered gold hair and light eyes. Which might explain Lily’s blonde hair. “Hi.”
Sarah appeared behind her mother, darted a look at Eden, then grinned at Beckett, shaking her head. “Oh, man. You slithered out of that one.” She looked at Eden. “He owes you.”
“He certainly does,” his mother agreed with a less than pleased look at Beckett before offering her hand to Eden. “I’m Tina.”
“Eden. Nice to meet you.”
The two other girls who’d been with Sarah earlier in the evening drifted in, and she introduced her daughters as Rachel and Amy.
“Sarah tells me you’re an EMT,” Tina said.
“What’s an EMT?” Lily wanted to know.
“Eden works on an ambulance,” Beckett told her. “She helps sick and hurt people and takes them to the hospital.”
His mother was still holding
Eden’s hand when she darted a look at Beckett, then told Eden, “I’ll bet he didn’t tell you I was a nurse for twenty years.”
“Oh…no, he…” Eden glanced at Beckett and found him grinning. Grinning ear to ear with a glint of I told you so.
His mother drew Eden’s hand through the bend of her elbow and walked her through the foyer into a short hallway. “Spent a few years in the ER too. We haven’t put dinner away yet. Have you eaten?”
“Actually, no, but I’m okay. I’m not really—”
“Nonsense. We have plenty. Do you like pie? I made an apple cranberry.” She grinned, and Eden instantly knew where Beckett’s smile had come from. “I’m taking cooking classes at Sur la Table, so I’m always using the family as guinea pigs.”
“Don’t let her fool you.” A man’s deep voice drew Eden’s attention to the kitchen, and her assessment of the home’s value rose from a million dollars to two million. It was huge and stunning. Sparkling quartz countertops, top-of-the-line stainless appliances, hardwood floors, rich cabinetry, and high ceilings. “She’s an amazing cook.” Beckett’s father was a few inches shorter than his son and roughly the same age as his wife. And Beckett had gotten his dark eyes. “And you’ll need wine to go with the pie. Do you prefer a dessert wine or something different? We’ve got a nice Bordeaux and an unoaked chardonnay I just opened.”
Before Eden could answer or introduce herself, Lily said, “Grandma, I want pie.”
She sounded so different from when they’d walked in, Eden turned to look at the little girl. She had her head tucked under Beckett’s chin, and she yawned. He swayed gently the way so many parents did unconsciously. The image was worthy of a Sports Illustrated cover highlighting an article on the human side of NHL’s most brutal players.
Every soft emotion inside Eden surged to the surface. Her heart tugged and twisted.
“Sounds like someone didn’t eat any dinner,” Beckett said.
“I did too.” Her pathetic attempt at arguing drew smiles all around the kitchen.
“Barely,” Tina said, with an overwhelming amount of love in her eyes. “Want to try to get a few more bites of turkey in? I’ll put whipped cream on your pie.”
