CHAPTER 17 #2
“Oh, who are you smiling like that for?” Erica teased, but I cringed as my mother picked up on it and tilted her head in my direction.
“What are you smiling at, Sasha?”
Oh Shit, this was the moment. I couldn't lie to my mother. I didn't want to lie about Lucy, but having my mother and Erica know about her made her open to criticism. Open for questioning and open for debate, which she was not.
“It's a girl I met. She's nice.”
“A girl?” Erica batted her eyes.
“How old is this girl?” My mother looked over the bridge of her nose.
“Thirty-two.”
“So, not a girl. A woman.”
“Yes, a woman.” I thought all the things you're not supposed to think about in front of your mother.
“Is she from a good family? Does she have children? What does she do?” My mother went down the list.
Erica smirked over her dinner, completely ecstatic that she wouldn't have to say another word the entire night.
My mother wasn't going to let the subject go until she knew every last bit about Lucy.
But the more questions she asked, the more I realized there was nothing wrong.
I was just a guy in love who talked about the girl he loved. Woman.
My mother could find no criticism. My mother could find no reason to tsk at me.
I was an adult, Lucy was an adult. And by all intents and purposes she looked better on paper than I did.
Owned her own home and business, a family girl who chose them first, hell, it was going so well I even spilled the beans on Lucy going all Lucifer on Luca in the tunnel.
“Hm.” My mother crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, you must bring her for dinner.” She said as she cleared the table.
It was a nice suggestion, but I could tell my mother was upset. Something was off.
“What's wrong? You don't like the sound of her?” I brought plates to the kitchen.
“No, it's just a mother doesn't like the idea of being replaced.”
“That's not possible Matka.” I rubbed her back as she did dishes and bent low to kiss her head. “Thanks for dinner.”
◆◆◆
Me: Happy you got some sleep. I know I still need it.
Lucifer: How was practice?
Me: I got some shit about you, but all good things.
Lucifer: Thank goodness
Me: I told my mom about you
Lucifer: Shit, that is serious
Me: She wants you to come over for dinner
Lucifer: Would love that. What about your dad? I've never heard you talk about him
Me: Military man. He is stationed in Germany right now.
Lucifer: Is that how you got the Sarge nickname?
Me: Kind of. When you first get called up the reporters want to know every little thing about you so my moving around a lot as a kid because of my dad was a good sound bite.
They called me the Military kid. And my first time on the ice, my first big hit, I saluted the crowd.
Sounds stupid now, but that is how I got the name.
Lucifer: Not stupid at all. Just rare that it isn't some version of your last name. Technically you should be Dimi or Trovey
Me: I was Trovey for most of my life, my old friends still call me that.
Lucifer: Really? Gosh, hockey players are so predictable.
Me: Come back to my house tonight
Lucifer: No, I have to work tomorrow to make up for yesterday and I got my Doctor's appointment squeezed in for Monday.
Me: With the surgeon already?
The thought made me nervous. I wanted to suggest that I go with her but I had a game, and I didn't know if that was too soon. I wasn't her husband. But I cared.
Lucifer: Yeah, they had a cancellation. I would rather get it over with already, less time to worry.
Me: Don't worry, it will be great. You can handle whatever happens.
But I was worried as shit.
Lucifer: I know, but thanks
Me: You'll let me know what happens when you are done?
Lucifer: Sure
Me: Can I see you?
Lucifer: You are obsessed with me
Me: Maybe a little
Not a moment later a Facetime call came in. I accepted quickly and squinted to see her in the dark.
“Jesus, you can turn the lights on you know.” I laughed.
“It's eight p.m. and I'm still tired.” She yawned.
I tried to casually look behind her in her house. There was a tall bookshelf behind her, but not much else. I wanted some clue as to what her home life was like. Was it all custom furniture and antique patterns? Or was it cozy and colorful?
“You look beautiful.”
“Oh Sarge, you can barely see me.” She twirled her hair around her finger.
“I know, but I'm into you and I'm just thinking of you naked.”
“I'm not naked though.”
She tilted the phone down so I could see what she was wearing. And fuck, she was wearing my shirt.
“You stole my shirt?”
She giggled. “I'll return it I promise. I just wanted something to snuggle in.”
“You're obsessed with me!” I laughed. She could tease all she wanted but not when she felt the same way.
“Ehh, maybe a little.”
“You know what I keep thinking about?”
“I'm not sure I want to know, Sarge.” She sipped on a glass, her lips teasing me around the rim.
“You put in good effort. You know, when we were together.”
“What?” She screamed and laughed, covering her face with her arm.
Her breasts bounced in my shirt and I almost lost it when I saw her tout nipple beneath the fabric.
“Well, what am I supposed to do just lay there? Be some pillow princess? I want an orgasm too you know?” She giggled and laid down on the couch, her face getting all cute and smooshed.
“No, I know. I'm just saying I like it is all. And I really like you, Lucy.”
I was giving big confessions. Maybe it was because I talked about her to my mom, maybe it was because even the guys noticed how she affected me.
Or maybe it was the way I felt when I was around her, safe.
A woman had never made me feel safe before.
Safe in the fact that she had my back, that our passion was really hot, that she made me laugh.
And she never made me feel like the bad guy when I got off the ice.
That really got me. I had dated some women that brought out the mean in me and liked that I was the guy who beat people up.
And I didn't like the way I felt around them.
I never felt that way with Lucy. She never made me feel nasty or that I had to be the guy puffing his chest or throwing his hands around.
“I don't know what to say without sounding dramatic.” She whispered into the phone as we stared at each other longingly.
I fucking longed for her.
“I want to hear it.” I whispered back. Maybe I needed to hear it.
Lucy was all flirting and sarcasm, foul mouth and sex. What I wanted from her was to express some feelings. I wanted her to tell me she felt the same way about me.
“Hell, Sasha. I can't stop thinking about being in your arms. But it's more than that.
It isn't just a physical thing. I smile when I see your texts.
I want to hear from you in the morning and say good night before I fall asleep.
I think about you all the time. I want you all the time. I'm just trying not to act so needy.”
“Stop trying.” I smiled into the phone.
“No, it's so embarrassing. Here I am all foul mouthed and I melt for your stupid gorgeous smile.
I'll have to give back my tough chick card.
I'll have to, I don't know, give in to the idea that I'm not meant to be alone with my vibrator.
Which, I'll have you know has been very good to me.” She smirked. Her cheeks flushed in the darkness.
“Lucifer. I would never make you give up your vibrator. You know I'm a team player.”
She snorted into her glass. “Promise?” Her eyes turned soft. The softest I had ever seen her.
“Swear.”
Her eyes shimmered and my heart beat. She was all I wanted.
◆◆◆
Me: Good luck today, I'll be thinking about you. Everything is going to go great!
Lucifer: Thanks, safe travels, I'll be thinking about you too. I'll let you know when I know something
◆◆◆
As soon as the wheels of the plane were down in Nevada, I took my cellphone out of airplane mode and waited for a text to come through.
My fingers were so nervous I almost dropped the phone on the floor.
Lucy's appointment was two hours ago and I was hoping she would have given me an update while I was in the air.
A ping from Reed's phone startled me. But then my phone pinged, along with everyone elses on the plane.
Lucifer: Can you call me when you get to the hotel?
Shit. That was it. That was the only text she gave me. Not an “everything is fine.” Or “It went well.” She just needed to talk.
“Everything OK, Buddy?” Murph was reading my face.
My heart started to race, my stomach dropping to my knees with every beat. “I'm not sure.”