He’d opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.
“So I just wanted to tell you to your face that I think you’re an asshole and—not that it matters to you—I’ll never forgive you and I’ll never go to another Dragons game for as long as I live. In fact, I’m going to burn all my Dragons stuff and transfer my allegiance to the Sharks.”
Spencer nodded. “I don’t blame you. I’ve been a total oblivious shit to her and I’m so sorry I don’t even have the words. But I’m going to have to find them soon because I was just going over there to see if there’s any chance she’ll forgive me. I can’t live without her, Jade. I love her.”
Jade stared at him, open-mouthed for a moment. “Wait. What?”
“Taylor’s making arrangements to move as we speak. We had a serious talk and I made it crystal clear that there is no chance I want to get back together with her because it’s Maggie I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love Maggie and I want to marry her. I just need to convince her to forgive me. Like right now.”
He would have turned to get into his car, but Jade laid a hand on his arm. “Wait a second.” Her face expressed deep concern. “There’s…there’s something you should know first. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but what the hell. It’s not like I have a rep for being discreet.”
“Just spit it out.”
“Maggie can’t have children.”
Now it was his turn to say, “Wait. What?”
“Maya’s delivery was too hard on her and she had to have a hysterectomy.”
He swore under his breath. Things made a hell of a lot more sense now. “That explains a lot.” He shoved his hands through his hair. “Jesus.”
“So, how badly do you want that hockey dynasty?”
Spencer was confused for a moment, then he understood.
“She told you about that? Jesus. I wasn’t that serious about the dynasty. I mean, sure it’d be fun, but that was just pie in the sky thinking. It wasn’t reality. Maggie is reality. You don’t get any more real than Maggie. I don’t give a shit about whether or not she can have kids.”
Jade regarded him warily, like he was a wild animal she wasn’t sure she could trust.
“So you really want to marry her?” she finally asked.
“If she’ll have me. Do you think I have a chance?”
He broke out in a sweat as Jade considered. She knew Maggie better than anyone.
“I honestly don’t know. She has this idea that she’s not worthy of you. That you’re out of her league, and that deep down you’d really prefer a shiny blonde like everyone else in the NHL.”
He cursed under his breath. “I’ve been fighting this battle from the very beginning.”
“You have to convince her in such a way that she has no choice but to believe you.”
42
Maggie eyed the pink envelope with enough trepidation to sink a small canoe. She hadn’t gotten anything from that address in probably eleven years. But she wasn’t imagining it. Maya’s family had sent her something.
With shaky hands, she opened the envelope and withdrew a card that made Maggie gasp. It was an invitation. To Maya’s Sweet Sixteen party.
She gazed in wonder at the five-by-seven photograph of her daughter, so beautiful, so amazingly grown up. Maya was laughing in the picture, holding a little pug in her arms, and it made Maggie ridiculously happy to see her daughter had the same taste in dogs as she did. Her hair…her hair was just as large and unruly as Maggie’s but somehow Maya didn’t look like a cave woman.
She owns that hair, Maggie thought. She was looking at a young woman who was confident and filled with optimism for her future.
The party was to be held three weeks from now at a hotel in Monterey. The Martins were a well-to-do family. Ted Martin sold insurance. Tess was a homemaker, last Maggie heard. She wondered if Ted and Tess knew that Maggie had been invited. The printing on the envelope had to be Maya’s because Tess had tight, small handwriting.
When she noticed another piece of paper in the envelope—a letter—she got confirmation the invitation came from Maya.
Hi Maggie,
I’m your biological daughter, Maya, and I hope you will come to my party. I told my mom and dad that was what I wanted for my birthday and they FINALLY agreed.
For a long time I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me because well I’m going to throw my parents under the bus and tell you it’s their fault. That’s what they told me which I found out recently was a lie. My mom finally confessed that she was the one who ghosted YOU. Which is totally messed up. Even though I love her a lot I’m so mad at her. But at least she let me invite you to the party.
If you don’t want to see me, that’s okay. I get it. You have a life and so do I. I just thought if you wanted to I don’t know see what I’m like, I think that would be cool. Here’s my phone number in case you want to text or something.
Your daughter,
Maya
(555) 727-1991
Laughing and crying, Maggie read the letter three times. The teacher in her wanted to correct the grammar and punctuation and yet the mistakes were part of what made the letter so precious.
Perhaps the universe had decided she needed something nice to happen, in light of all the shit that went down with Spencer. Was that a fair trade? Maybe. Judging from the letter, Maya was a free spirit with strong will and a mind of her—
The doorbell rang just as her phone vibrated with a text from Jade. Open the door.
Eager to share the letter with her best friend, Maggie hurried to the door only to find it wasn’t Jade.
It was Spencer.
43
Maggie stared at him, feeling like she hadn’t seen him for weeks when it had really only been a few days. The urge to fall into his arms and bask in his steady strength and to feel his mouth on hers again was unbearable, but she had to resist. She couldn’t let that happen. If she did that, she’d end up begging him to choose her over Taylor and she couldn’t risk the humiliation she’d feel when he told her no.
“I got your letter,” he said. “And I’m here to say I’m sorry, Mags. I can’t overstate how sorry I am. I’m nothing but an insensitive asshole who doesn’t deserve you. That’s right, it’s me who doesn’t deserve you.” He walked into her apartment and shut the door, and somehow they ended up on her faded loveseat. “See, Jade told me a few things.”
“I’m going to kill her,” Maggie swore.
“First of all,” he said, taking her hand in his, “she told me that you can’t have children.”
With a soft gasp, Maggie snatched her hand back. “I can’t believe…she had no right…” Her stomach felt like something had curdled inside it. If she threw up in front of him right now, she may as well kill herself.
“Nevertheless, she did and I’m here to tell you I don’t give a flying fuck about that. Pardon my French. You probably have some cockamamie idea that that makes you less of a woman or something. Yeah, that’s right. I can see it on your face that I’m right on the money. But that’s a bunch of bullshit. So you’re missing an organ. Who the fuck cares? I said it before and I’ll say it again. I don’t.
“Yes, I mentioned something about raising a bunch of hockey players that were all chips off the old block, but that was just talk. That’s not a deal-breaker for me, Maggie. If Zach’s the only kid who carries my genes, I can live with that. But what I can’t live without is you.”
All of a sudden, she couldn’t catch her breath. She felt dizzy and disoriented and thought I must have a brain tumor because that was the only reason she could think of to explain the impossible words coming out of Spencer’s mouth. He’d just said he couldn’t live without her. That did not compute.
He pulled out his phone. “I want you to look at this.”
On the screen was a document of some kind. She enlarged it until she could clearly see the words “Rental Agreement” at the top of the page.
“See that?” he asked.
“Stacy found Taylor an apartment and she and Zach are moving in two weeks. I’m so sorry this didn’t happen a long time ago. I let my desire to spend time with Zach override your feelings, and you don’t—” He broke off when his voice got hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You don’t do things like that to people you love.”
His words finally penetrated the fog in her brain. He did love her. He’d never stopped loving her. Not even the knowledge that she couldn’t give him any children had deterred him. He’d made the choice between Zach and Taylor or Maggie. And he’d chosen her.
She started to shake all over, as if she’d just had a near-death experience, and Spencer pulled her into his embrace, his breath warm against her ear.
“I love you, Maggie Hudson. I love your compassion. I love your laugh. I love your wild hair, your intelligence, your incredible generosity of spirit. I love almost everything about you.”
The euphoric symphony that had been playing in her head during that soliloquy of love hit a few bad notes.
“Ah, what do you mean ‘almost’?”
“I don’t like how you don’t think of yourself worthy of happiness.” His voice had softened and curled itself around her like Kirby did sometimes. “If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. Do you know how much joy you bring by just stepping into a room?”
Her bottom lip trembled. “No, but feel free to tell me.”
Laughing softly, he pulled her close for a tender kiss and her heart, which had been clenched so tightly, slowly unfurled. God, she’d missed this. She’d missed him.
“You’re the best thing about my life, Maggie.”
“Better than hockey?” she asked.
“Absolutely better than hockey. You know what hockey does to me? Kicks the shit out of me every night. Especially during the playoffs.”
She laughed.
“And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you have this image of what a hockey girlfriend should look like and that you’re not up to the task.”
Her frown returned. “That’s it. I really am going to murder Jade. I’m picturing twenty ways to do it right now.”
“Forget about Jade and listen to me. If you want to be in that fashion show, I want you to fucking do it. You could rock the catwalk in a way that none of those other women could ever hope to because you’re not trying to be someone else’s idea of beautiful. You are pure Maggie, which is the most beautiful thing about you. Although your ass comes in a close second.” He smiled at her. “Honestly though, I didn’t think you’d want to go through the hassle, but if you decided you wanted to do it, I’m behind you one hundred percent. Just say the word and I’ll get you that invitation.”
“Okay. Maybe I will.”
He caressed the back of her head. “Good. So am I forgiven for being such a colossal idiot? Because I can’t promise I’ll never be a colossal idiot again. That’s just not realistic.”
She laughed again. “Yes, I forgive you. If you’ll forgive me for overreacting. I should have just talked to you like a grown-up about how I was feeling instead of bottling it up inside. I also…I should have told you I couldn’t have children.”
“So we both promise to do better next time,” he said rubbing his cheek against hers.
“Absolutely.”
He kissed her then, and as his lips caressed hers, she thought this might be the most perfect moment that ever existed. Joyful warmth flooded her body and she felt like laughing.
Spencer loved her.
He loved her, not Taylor. She’d seen it in his eyes—a devotion so pure and honest it pierced through all her self-doubt and disbelief. He loved her despite her faults and insecurities and emotional baggage.
True, a life with him wouldn’t be smooth sailing—not with Taylor and Zach in the picture. As Zach’s stepmother, she’d have to constantly decide when to step in, how much to discipline, when to say something and when to keep quiet. But in the grand scheme of things, Spencer would make it all worthwhile. She’d suffer through all that and more because he loved her and she loved him.
He touched his forehead to hers and she smiled.
“Will you promise me something else?” he asked.
“What?” she asked, drawing back.
“Will you promise to love, honor and cherish me like I want to love, honor and cherish you?”
Before she could properly process what he’d just said, he got down on one knee and produced a ring box. When he opened it, a dazzling diamond ring flashed and sparkled at her. All of a sudden, she couldn’t breathe. He was looking up at her with so much love and adoration in his beautiful blue eyes, her own eyes filled with happy tears.
“Maggie Hudson, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please, will you marry me?”
She didn’t even need to think about it.
“Yes,” she said, throwing her arms around him and hugging him with all her might. “Yes, yes, a million times yes.”
And just like that, she was a hockey fiancé.
Epilogue
Maggie had never been so nervous. Insane butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach and for good reason. Scratch that. Sixteen thousand good reasons. That was how much the dress she was wearing right now cost.
She’d owned cars that weren’t worth sixteen thousand dollars.
With a ruffled tulle skirt accented with organza rosettes, the gown fit like a glove. The beading on the duchesse satin corset was exquisite and she’d been assured that when the lights on the runway hit it, the effect would be dazzling, and yet she couldn’t wait until she could take the damned thing off.
She was terrified her deodorant wouldn’t work. She was terrified she’d trip. She was terrified someone would point and laugh at her the way Bobby Hayworth had laughed at her when she’d left the girls’ restroom with a tail of toilet paper hanging out from under her dress.
But it was too late to do anything about it now. The Dragons Fashion Show was due to start in five minutes.
“Don’t touch the hair!” the stylist barked at her.
Maggie willed her shaky hand down and gave the woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I’m not used to this.”
The stylist fluffed Maggie’s coiffure, her brows drawn together like they were magnetized. “No kidding.”
The butterflies flew into a frenzy. None of the fashion show videos she’d watched had prepared her for the reality. An entire team of people was counting on her. Her walking this look down the runway was the culmination of everything, literally. She was the last model in the line, wearing the finale piece.
What ever made me think I could do this? Maggie thought. She didn’t belong here.
She scanned the room, which was buzzing with activity and ten gallons of hair spray. The models stood in a line along one wall. Makeup artists and stylists and the designers themselves darted around, tweaking and primping, even sewing and snipping threads. All the models looked incredibly stunning.
With a start, Maggie realized the show had started. The loud, techno music rose to building-shaking volume. A woman with a black headset and a clipboard was at the head of the line, directing the show. Maggie closed her eyes and made a hard effort to calm herself. She thought about the moment when the show was over and Spencer would come to her and tell her she was beautiful.
When he told her she was beautiful, she felt it in her heart.
Crazily, she thought she owed a debt of gratitude to the kids who’d accidentally let Kirby out of her backyard. If not for their carelessness, she probably would never have met Spencer.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she opened her eyes. The line was moving forward. Ironically, while Maggie was wearing the finale look, Shay had modeled the first one. When Maggie told Jade about the line-up, Jade had cackled with a fierce, vengeful joy.
“You haven’t heard the best part,” Maggie said. “The designer loved the idea of me wearing dolled up cowboy boots, so she’s having a special pair made.”
“Tha
t, my friend, is the effing cherry on the top of the cake,” Jade had declared. “That is going to drive Shay crazy, and I, for one, can’t wait to see that.”
Judging from the murderous look Shay gave her as she returned backstage, Maggie had to agree.
When the time arrived for Maggie to go out there, her heart was beating so strongly, her fingertips were throbbing and she couldn’t hear the music anymore. But she wasn’t going to give up now.
She had a fiancé to dazzle.
Spencer never thought he’d attend a fashion show, but here he was. There were so many women surrounding him, he felt as if he were coated in a film of estrogen that he’d have to shower off later. At least he wasn’t the only guy here. The other Dragons husbands and boyfriends were in attendance too.
“This is my first fashion show,” Maya exclaimed, nearly bouncing out of her front row seat.
Looking at her with great fondness, Spencer once again was struck by the similarities between Maya and Maggie. They had the same gorgeous mane of hair, strong chin and deep brown eyes fringed with lush lashes. She had the same irrepressible spirit as well. He had liked her immediately when they’d met a couple of months ago.
Maggie had ended up not attending the sweet sixteen. She’d thought that occasion was intended for Maya and her friends and opted instead for brunch, about a week after the party. Maya’s parents came and so did Spencer. No way was he letting Maggie face the Martins alone, not after they’d willfully separated her from her own daughter. What might have been a stilted affair wasn’t, due largely to Maya’s exuberance. Brimming with questions for Maggie, she never let the conversation lag. When she wasn’t quizzing Maggie, she was cheerfully sharing details about her life at school, her hobbies, likes and dislikes, and her dreams of becoming a forensic accountant, of all things.
Animal Attraction (San Francisco Dragons Book 2) Page 23
