A kiss that threated to steal her heart, as well.
Chapter Nine
Cara stopped at the top of the concrete steps then moved to the side, out of the way of the people pushing past her to reach their seats. She looked down at the ticket in her hand, studying it more closely than necessary. Not to see where she was supposed to be sitting, although that was part of it, but to take a few moments to collect her thoughts. To take a few deep breaths and calm her nerves.
To wonder, not for the first time, what she was even doing here.
Travis had asked her to come to the game tonight. She had almost said no—wanted to say no—but he had looked so excited, she found herself agreeing instead. That had been Monday, when he'd taken her to lunch after the doctor's appointment. She'd been so overwhelmed that she didn't think she would have been able to say no either way. Overwhelmed with information. With instructions. With pamphlets and an appointment schedule and a prescription for prenatal vitamins.
With the effect of Travis's kiss in the office after she told him her decision.
With how he'd sat next to her, his hand wrapped around hers as the doctor delved into their medical history. How he'd simply held her, asking questions, stopping to take notes in his phone. Thank God he had, because it was still such a blur in her mind, even now, two days later.
She was officially pregnant. Not that she hadn't been before the doctor's visit, but now it was confirmed. Could people tell? No, of course not. Other than the morning sickness and the slight tenderness in her breasts, there were no outward signs she was pregnant—not that anyone but her would be able to see those two signs. Well, Anna knew about the morning sickness. How could she not, when they lived together and shared a single bathroom in the apartment? And Anna didn't bother to hide her frustration, her impatience. There had been one or two times, since she'd come home and told Anna she was definitely keeping the baby, that she had even sensed something like anger in her friend. She didn't understand it and was afraid to question Anna about it. Maybe she was just reading into it, maybe she was misinterpreting the occasional looks and comments. Why on earth would Anna be angry? It didn't make sense.
Just like Cara coming tonight didn't make sense. But here she was, standing at the entrance to the lower level of the arena, ready to find her seat so she could watch her very first hockey game. She'd never seen one before, not even on television, and she had no idea what to expect.
The arena wasn't as big as she thought it would be. Not that it was small, not by any stretch of the imagination. But for some reason, she had been expecting something the size of a football stadium, with thousands and thousands of seats stretching high above her. And while there were definitely several thousand seats around her, they didn't go on forever as she'd been picturing.
The arena had three levels, with the middle level filled with suites of some kind. Her seat was somewhere here in the lower level. Not on the ice—Travis had apologized for that, though she wasn't sure why—but up higher, near the top of the level but in the center of the arena. At center ice, Travis had explained.
Not that she knew what that was.
What she did know was that she was sitting with some of the wives and girlfriends of Travis's teammates. Women she had never met before. That was why she was still standing here, reluctant to move. Reluctant to find her seat.
Meeting new people was always stressful for her, although she did eventually relax once she became comfortable with them. Would she be able to do that with these women? Would they know who she was, that she was Travis's...what? How would she even introduce herself? Girlfriend? No, they weren't dating. Friend? How could she say that, when she didn't really know him?
As his baby-mama?
Nervous laughter escaped her and she quickly swallowed it back. Did the women know she was pregnant? That it had been an accident? That the two of them had shared nothing more than a one-night stand until recently?
What would they think of her when they found out?
Cara almost turned around to leave right then and there. She would have, if not for remembering the excitement in those beautiful smoky eyes when she had agreed to come tonight. Travis had already done so much for her, accompanying her to the doctor's, paying for the visit and her prescriptions, just being there for her on Monday. Couldn't she at least sit through a silly game as a small way of saying thank you?
The memory of Anna's voice, harsh with bitterness, rushed back to her. Anna thought she was a fool for coming tonight. She'd told Cara that she owed Travis nothing—he was the father of her baby, the least he could do was pay for the doctor visit and the prenatal vitamins. Anna thought he should be paying for a lot more, too, and shouldn't expect anything in return. If Cara didn't want to go to his game, she didn't have to and he shouldn't make her feel obligated.
But she didn't feel obligated. Not even close. What she felt was nervous, nothing more. Uncertainty about meeting new people—women who probably knew Travis better than she ever would. Uncertainty over how they would react, how they would treat her. Would they be friendly?
Or would they ignore her? Judge her and find her lacking? Give her the cold shoulder and make her feel unwelcome?
Cara didn't know. And she wouldn't find out unless she could make her feet start moving in the direction of her seat.
She inhaled the chilled air, catching the fleeting scents of popcorn and hotdogs and beer. Then she made her way over to the usher standing at the top of the steps and held her ticket out. "I'm not sure where this is."
The elderly gentleman studied her ticket then offered her a smile as he pointed behind him. "Three rows down on your right, halfway in."
"Thank you." Cara took the ticket back, tucked it into her coat pocket, then carefully made her way down the concrete steps, counting the rows as she descended. One final deep breath for courage then she made her way to the middle, muttering apologies to the people who had to stand to let her pass. There were two empty seats together so she took out her ticket, glanced at it for the right number, then lowered herself into the cushioned seat next to a woman with light brown hair.
Six sets of eyes turned to look at her. The woman next to her and the two girls sitting on her right, and three women in the row directly in front of her. Cara froze for a split second, not sure how to act. Not sure if she should introduce herself or get up and leave. There was nothing judgmental about the way the women were looking at her—nothing but simple curiosity. But it was still unnerving, still uncomfortable.
The woman directly in front of her offered her a wide smile before shifting the weight of a sleepy toddler on her lap. "You must be Cara. Travis said you were coming tonight."
Cara nodded, still tempted to bolt from her seat and take off running, when the woman made quick introductions, pointing to each woman as she did.
"This is Savannah Weber. She's Aaron Malone's girlfriend. Number fifteen." Cara frowned at the mention of the number, wondering what it meant before she saw the number on the sleeve of the woman's jersey. That must be Aaron's number—whoever he was. The two girls on Savannah's right had the same number on their jerseys—which made sense when they were introduced as Brooke and Isabelle, Aaron's daughters.
"This is Megan Bradley, Jason Emory's girlfriend. Number thirty-six." Cara leaned over and shook the woman's hand, surprised when she caught sight of the colorful Chucks on her feet. Cara bit back a smile, feeling a sense of connection with the woman already.
"This is Jennifer Bowie. She's Tyler Bowie's wife, number thirty. She's also Jason's sister."
"Not that we're speaking right now." A friendly blonde leaned over and took Cara's hand, offering her a bright smile that made her feel at home. "Don't ask. Long story."
Cara started to ask what the woman meant when the first one—the woman who had been doing the introductions—readjusted her grip on the sleepy toddler and offered her own hand. "I'm Courtney Day, Harland's wife. He's number twenty-one. And this sleepy little guy is Noah."
> Cara leaned over, offered the little boy a big smile as she waved at him. "Hi there."
He peeked at her from his mother's arms, offered her a shy smile before hiding his face again.
"He's so cute. How old is he?"
"Three. And don't let him fool you, he can be a little terror. Just like Daddy." Courtney raised her hand, her fingers moving between her and Noah. "Can't you? Yeah. Just like Daddy."
Cara sat back, doing her best to hide her surprise when she realized Courtney was using sign language. Did her shock show on her face? She looked down, suddenly wishing she had some way to hide, hoping she wasn't blushing in embarrassment. If the other women noticed, they didn't say anything. Not that they would have had a chance because another woman was making her way down the aisle, muttering as she threaded her way through the obstacle course of arms and legs, a cardboard tray overloaded with drinks balanced in each hand. Cara held her breath, waiting for the drinks to fall and spill everywhere, but the woman reached her seat without dropping anything.
She used the toe of a worn boot to lower the seat then turned and dropped it into it without missing a beat. And she was beautiful, with fiery red hair curling down her back and clear pale skin. Wide hazel eyes framed in dark lashes met hers a second before the woman nodded a quick greeting then pushed one of the drink trays into her hands.
Cara nearly dropped the tray, fumbled with it before righting it then breathing a sigh of relief when nothing spilled.
"Haley! Give the poor woman a little warning next time."
"What? She had it. I knew she did."
Courtney rolled her eyes, the smile on her face letting Cara know the action was nothing more than good-natured teasing between friends. "And this is Haley Addison, Zach Mummert's fiancée. He's number seven."
"Girlfriend, not fiancée. Not until he proposes the right way."
"He's already proposed six times. How many more times are you going to make him ask?"
"Until he gets it right." Haley tossed a wink at Cara then balanced the full tray in her lap before reaching over to take the tray from her. She pulled the cups out, passing them around with a smooth finesse that surprised Cara.
"Soda for the girls. Extra caffeinated so Aaron doesn't get any sleep tonight." She handed two cups to Cara, motioning for her to pass them down. "Chocolate milk for Noah. Beer for Jenny and Megan. Wine for Savannah—although there's something fundamentally wrong with drinking wine at a hockey game. Soda for Courtney because she's being a party pooper. A beer for me..."
Haley sat her cup in the drink holder by her knee then pulled out one last cup and passed it to Cara. "And soda for the newbie. It's caffeine-free but not diet, because that artificial stuff isn't good for the baby."
For several long seconds, nobody said anything. The shocked silence immediately surrounding her was made more noticeable because of the other noise, the music and laughter and loud voices shouting around them. Cara's fingers tightened around the cup as mortification swept over her.
The baby.
They knew.
But how? Why? Who?
Travis, obviously. He must have told them. Or told his teammates, who had turned around and told these women. But why? Why would Travis say anything to anybody? And how could she sit here with these strangers and act like nothing was wrong, when they must be sitting there, judging her? Thinking—
She didn't want to know what they were thinking. She didn't even want to look up, didn't want to catch them staring at her with pitying glances or judgmental smirks. She wanted to leave, to get up and run home. But she couldn't even do that, not without looking up.
The silence was finally broken by a sharp gasp, the sound filled with dismay. "Haley! OhmyGod, I can't believe you just said that!"
"What? It's not like we don't know." There was no judgment in the woman's voice, no animosity, just simple curiosity—like she didn't understand everyone's surprise.
"But we weren't supposed to say anything!"
Cara swallowed and finally looked up, noticed the expression of impatience on the face of the woman speaking. Megan, the one with the colorful shoes. She shifted in the seat, caught Cara's gaze and offered her a small smile. "Haley has no filter. Just ignore her. We do."
"It's okay. Really." Cara placed the full cup in the drink holder then grabbed her purse and started to stand. "I should probably go. This wasn't—"
"You're not going anywhere." Haley grabbed her arm, holding her in place before she could stand. "And you shouldn't be embarrassed. At all. Besides, Travis was bouncing off the walls with excitement that you were going to be here tonight. If you leave, it'll crush him. So just pretend I didn't say anything."
"Travis was excited? About me being here?" Cara inwardly cringed at the desperation in her voice. Of all the things she could say, of all the things she could have picked up, that was what she focused on? The fact that Travis had been excited about her coming tonight? She wanted to take the question back, to ask the red-haired beauty to pretend she had never asked it, but the other women were already talking. Answering her.
Reassuring her.
Haley leaned over, pinning her in place with those vibrant hazel eyes. "You're staying. Now stop worrying and just relax and enjoy the game." She leaned back, a frown marring her face. "Wait. Have you been to a hockey game before?"
Cara still couldn't find her voice so she simply shook her head. Haley laughed and grabbed her beer then stood. "Jenny, we need to switch. This is Cara's first game. You're going to be able to answer any questions she has better than I can."
The two women quickly switched places, climbing over the seats instead of walking around. Then Jenny was sitting beside her, giving her a crash course in the fundamentals of hockey that left Cara's head spinning. It was too much to take in all at once. All of it. The women, the realization that they knew she was pregnant, Jenny's fast recital of rules. The fact that they seemed to welcome her, that they were truly excited for her.
No, not for her. Why would they be excited for her? They didn't know her at all. They were excited for Travis. Which must mean they were all close, if he had already shared the news with them. She wondered what it would be like to be part of an extended family like this, to have more than a couple of close friends to share things with. She didn't know, had never been comfortable enough with her small group of friends to really open up. It had been like ever since her parents died, her second year in college. She'd been introverted before then, of course—for as long as she coudl remember. But for some reason, she'd become more guarded since the accident that had taken her parents' lives.
Yes, for some reason she didn't understand, she could see herself getting comfortable with these women, could see herself opening up and—
She gave herself a mental shake, firmly telling herself to stop. She was reading into things, making more of this than it was. This was nothing more than a hockey game—a single game that she was attending because Travis had invited her. One game. She'd be foolish to think there would be more, foolish to think she would become friends with these women. Travis and she weren't together. They weren't in a relationship. There was nothing between them except that one-night stand—
And this baby.
That didn't mean they were in a relationship and she'd be wise to remember that.
Wise to guard herself—and her heart—before she got too carried away.
The thought saddened her, made her want to play what if—but only for a few minutes because the lights in the arena dimmed as loud music filled the air. Excitement spread around her as the announcer's booming voice introduced the York Bombers, calling their names one by one as they skated onto the ice.
Cara rose to her feet with everyone else, her eyes straining as she followed each player. Jenny nudged her in the side then pointed at the ice. "That's Travis. Number twenty-four."
Cara leaned forward, her heart tripping in her chest as she watched him skate toward the middle and take his spot next to another player. Was i
t her imagination, or did he look up in the stands, searching? She felt his gaze on her, felt warmth spread low in her belly when their eyes met.
No, it had to be her imagination. Or wishful thinking. She would have to be careful. Very careful. If she wasn't, she could easily see herself falling for the man who captured her attention.
And that was the last thing she could allow to happen.
Chapter Ten
Cara covered her mouth with a hand, covering the yawn she had tried so desperately to stifle. She hadn't planned on staying out this late, not when she had to be at work first thing in the morning. Not that a little after eleven at night was really that late—at least, not for other people.
She raised the glass of iced tea to her mouth and took a small sip, studying the large group of people at the table. Haley was here, sitting on the lap of a tatted player who—at first glance—appeared completely intimidating. That impression disappeared within a few minutes of meeting him, because Zach was nothing more than a giant teddy bear, and completely devoted to the woman curled around him.
Megan was here, too, sitting between her boyfriend, Jason, and his sister, Jenny. The tension between Jenny's brother and her husband, Tyler, was thick and heavy, creating a blanket of oppression over the otherwise happy crowd. Cara had no idea what had happened between the two men but it was obvious something had.
And it was just as obvious that everyone else was simply ignoring it, as if they were used to it and didn't let it bother them.
Neither Courtney nor Savannah were here—both women had left soon after the game ended, explaining they needed to get home and get their respective kids to bed. They had both given her a quick hug before saying goodbye, though, something that had surprised Cara. Their invitation to meet for lunch or dinner had surprised her, as well. Not just because the invitation had been issued, but because it had been sincere.
Playing For Love (The York Bombers, #6) Page 7
