Offensive Plays: A Surprise Baby Hockey Romance (Heatwave Hockey Series)

26. Libby

Ican’t stop crying. The second I feel like I might be able to move on, to put this all behind me, thoughts of my sweet Michael and the way he so calmly wanted to take care of me, bring the tears back full force.

Which is why I’m here—in the only other place that’s ever felt like home.

Sherrie walks slowly trying not to spill the tea on the tray. I rise quickly and try to take it from her.

“Sherrie, let me,” I tell her. She moves her shoulder to block me from the tray.

“Sit down, Libby. You’ve done enough for me, my love. It’s my turn to serve you.”

I stand there just staring at her as she sets the tray down. I can see the vapor coming out of the tea pot. And I only sit when she gives me a stern look before pouring the hot water into the tea cup.

“Fine,” I say, returning to my seat.

“This one is a lavender chamomile for relaxation,” she explains as she pours. Being careful when she hands me the cup.

I give her faint smile as I take it. “Thank you.”

I blow the hot liquid and she slides over the honey. “In case you like it sweet,” she winks.

My heart is so full from the love this family so freely gives to me.

Kesley and her dad pop in from the garage door, Liam following close behind them.

“Aunt Libby!” He screams out when he sees me.

I quickly blot my eyes so he doesn’t see the tears that have gathered there.

“Hey my sweet boy! You happy to be done with first grade?”

He sets his backpack down near the table. “Oh yeah, my teacher says that one day I could be an astronaut. I told him that’s cool, but I should probably finish second grade before I start thinking about jobs like that.”

I chuckle. There’s nothing like being around my nephew and his insanely smart brain to make me feel better.

I practically raised this little boy when Kesley needed help and had to work several jobs. I was lucky enough to not need the work, so I offered my time to care for him.

He comes over to me and gives me a big bear hug.

“What’s this for?” I say into his curly brown hair, squeezing him.

“You look sad. When I’m sad, I like hugs from people I love.”

Okay… great. There go the tears again.

If this is what it’s like to have a kid love you, then maybe being a mom wouldn’t be too bad after all.

“Hey snooks! Can you go upstairs and grab your hockey gear? Daddy’s going to be by in a little bit to pick you up for youth night,” Kesley says.

“Ok, mom.” Liam lets me go and looks at me, swiping his little thumb against my cheek.

A weird and unexpected sound bubbles out of me. I think I just tried to say, “Thank you.” And instead, a garbled mess of emotions escaped my lips.

“Love you, big man,” I whisper to him.

“Love you too, Aunt Libby.” He leans in and says. “And if it’s about a boy. Just tell me, okay. Me and dad can go beat him up.”

He pushes a fist into his open hand and I literally laugh out loud.

“Thank you. But, I think I’ll be ok.”

He nods and bounces out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“Just like his Daddy that one,” David says. “Always ready for a fight.”

“It’s in his blood,” I admit. “O’Connors are fighters.”

Kesley slips into the chair next to me and grabs my hand, taking it into her lap. “You all are.”

I give her a half smile and she shakes my shoulders. “Libby, you’re going to be okay. I can’t think of a more deserving person to be a mom than you.”

“You’ll be the best of us,” Sherrie adds, taking a sip of her tea.

“You’re all way too kind,” I say, stirring some honey into mine.

“Have you given any thought as to what you’re gonna tell your boy toy?” Kesley asks.

I still, giving a quick look over to her dad who gets the picture and waves as he heads back out into the garage. “I gotta go… uh… fix an engine,” he says.

Sherrie gives him a knowing look.

“He kind of knows. I told him it was a possibility,” I say, referring to our moment in Vegas before I fled.

“Okay, so… what did he say?” She asks.

I take a deep breath before saying, “He seemed so calm about it. Eerily calm. Like it wouldn’t be an issue at all.”

“That’s great,” Sherrie says. “The way he reacts to pregnancy news says a lot about a man.”

“Yeah?” I ask her.

“Big time,” she says. “My first was a surprise. David and I weren’t even married yet,” she admits.

Kesley does a double take. “She was?”

Sherrie laughs, “Your sister, Kira? Yes, total surprise. We weren’t so careful our first few times and still getting to know each other,” Sherrie explains.

Kesley holds a hand up to her mom. “Nope, I don’t need to know these details mom.”

“Iwanna know,” I say leaning in, both hands wrapped around my tea cup.

Sherrie ignores her daughter and continues, “David was a beast in bed.”

“Oh god! Mom!” Kesley pushes her chair back and excuses herself. “I gotta go check on Liam.”

Sherrie and I both laugh.

“Anyways,” Sherrie continues. “David was a beast in bed. Unlike any man I had ever met. I was always so careful before him but he was…” she pauses. “Different. He cared about how I felt and made me feel…”

“Worshipped?” I say.

She gives me a look, “Yes. Worshipped.”

I nod, knowing exactly what she’s talking about.

“I’d never felt that way with anyone. But with him, this unexpected side of me just bloomed. He knew exactly how to water my garden, if you catch my drift.”

I laugh. “So when I realized I was late and we had been a bit careless, I was worried I ‘d lose him for good. That a baby would change everything.”

“And what happened?” I ask, sipping my tea.

“He was elated. He said, ‘There isn’t anything I want more in the world than to have a physical manifestation of our love in the form of a human that represents the best of both of us.’”

“That’s fucking cute,” I say.

“So fucking cute,” she agrees, and we both laugh.

“So we got married. We had Kira. Shortly after came Kesley. And then our sweet Becks. I had a few pregnancies that didn’t take and those were some hard years for us. But we had our girls. And we knew that one day we would get to see our little family grow into more.”

She looks at the picture of her kids with their spouses and their kids. There in the corner is my own brother holding Kesley to his side, Liam balanced on his shoulders. All of them are smiling.

I feel that rush of emotion again. The kind I can’t contain. And tears start to fall.

Sherrie slides a napkin toward me.

“When you find the right person for you, Libby. Everything is just better. The things you thought would be hard to face, become lighter. And everything is so much more worth it.” She sips her tea peacefully, unaware of the way she just cracked a hole into the walls around my heart.

I swallow hard, looking back at the family photo and back to her.

“It’s not what I had planned,” I admit.

“It never is.”

I nod. I guess she’s right. We can’t control who the heart wants anymore than we can control the passing of time.

“So,” she leans back still holding her cup to her lips. “Who’s the boy?”

I grin. “Someone unexpected,” I say.

She nods. “Good. Those are the best ones.”