33. Millie #2
“Oh, was I not supposed to tell people that?” She taps a finger against her pink lips.
She’s like a life-size Barbie, all bright pink and bubbly.
“Hmm, probably not. Brooks is pretty quiet, but Sara is a blabbermouth. You’ll love her.
Just you wait and see.” She clutches my arm, and her eyes go wide.
“But don’t tell her I’m living in her apartment. ”
I snort as the elevator door slides open and she pushes me inside. “How does she not know?”
“She gave me a key to use one night when I was visiting, and I sorta just stayed.”
Situating the stroller to one side of the small space, I side-eye her. “When was that?”
She bites her lip. “A month ago.”
Head tipped back, I laugh. I haven’t laughed this much in months. “But why?”
When the door opens on the ground floor, she peeks her head out and scans the lobby. “All clear.”
“Who are you hiding from?”
“Sara!” she hisses, exasperated.
I scoff, even as I’m smiling. “I thought she was your best friend.”
“She is, but she’ll be all Lennox, you need to grow up . Get a real job and stand up to your family .”
“Oh, I get that. My friends are judgmental too.” Just the thought of Chrishell and Taylor sends a bitter chill rolling through me that has me tugging my jacket tighter. I haven’t thought of them since I got on the plane on New Year’s and blocked their numbers. And good fucking riddance.
Lennox turns around and gives me a far too knowing frown.
“That came out wrong. Sara really is the best. She’d be right to yell at me.
I do need to grow up and stand up to my family.
Just need a few more days—or weeks—to lick my wounds.
” She stares at me for another beat, then she spins and heads to the door.
Outside, I adjust Vivi’s hat, pull her blanket up to her chin, and adjust the canopy of her seat to block the cool wind. April in Boston is still chilly, but the sun is out, and the breeze is mild. “Where to?”
She shrugs. “I’ve barely left the apartment—too afraid to be caught. You know where to get good coffee around here?”
I pull out my phone. “I just moved here, so Google it is.”
We find a spot and head down the street, following the map on my phone.
“So Hockey Daddy?” she teases.
“Wow.” I grip the stroller and shake my head. “You’re like a dog with a bone.”
“I could take my guesses, but if I do, you might blush.” One eyebrow lifted, she smirks.
“No, please, have at it.”
She rubs her hands together in glee. “Fine. If I had to guess, you’ve done just about everything with him, and it’s not new.”
I blow out a breath to combat the tightness in my chest. “It’s definitely not new. In fact, it’s so old it’s over.”
“No it’s not.” Her smile is kind. “It may feel that way, but I’ve known Gavin most of my life.
” She pulls the coffeeshop door open and holds it for me.
“He’s wildly protective of his brothers, so I can only imagine he’d be far more so with his daughter.
So if he’s allowing you to take care of her, to move in and be alone with her, then I promise, it’s not over. ”
I ignore the way that lights a fire in my belly and how my heart races at just the thought of him allowing me to truly be part of their lives.
“How do you know him so well?”I ask as I push the stroller inside.
She points to the corner where there’s a table lined with cozy benches. The sun filters in, softly highlighting the quaint space in a heavenly glow. “Go sit with Vivi. I’ll grab food and drinks. What do you want?”
Once she’s got my order and has popped into line, I park the stroller beside the table.
As expected, Vivi fell asleep in her seat.
It takes everything in me not to pull her out and hold her against my chest. Never wake a sleeping baby, they say, but they , whoever they are, have never spent time with this beautiful girl.
Snuggling with her was irresistible before. Now that I know that her mother just left her outside Gavin’s door? Yeah, I get why Gavin doesn’t put her down.
Last night, while I couldn’t sleep, I finally googled his name. The images that populated included dozens of him skating around at practice and before games with her in a sling on his chest.
If I ever see that in person, my ovaries might just jump out of my body and latch themselves on to him, begging him to impregnate me.
It’s wild. Only a few months ago, the idea freaked me out. But now…God, Gavin as a father? It’s otherworldly and so damn hot.
Lennox plops onto the bench across from me. “I used to date his brother.”
I tear my attention away from Vivi. “Huh?”
“You asked how I knew Gavin so well. His brother was my high school sweetheart.”
Jeez, this girl’s ability to pop from one topic to another makes it hard to keep up.
“Brooks?”
She laughs. “That’d be awkward, right?” Her lashes dip down. “No. Aiden.” If I’m not mistaken, his name comes out softer.
“Ah, the funny one. I can see that.”
She smiles.
“Is he still dating that vapid woman all the guys hate?”
Lennox lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “No idea. I don’t really ask about him, and we don’t talk.”
Oh, hmm. Lennox doesn’t seem like the type to leave a relationship on bad terms. She just seems…I don’t know, direct, maybe?
“Was he a jerk in high school?”
Her blue eyes widen, and she laughs. “God no. I don’t think that boy has a mean bone in his body.”
“So what’s the story, then?”
She pulls her shoulders back and smirks. “It’s ancient history, that’s what it is. Yours, on the other hand”—she looks pointedly at Vivi, then me—“is very much in play. So tell me, how do we fix things with Hockey Daddy and get you the happy you so obviously want?”