23. Stefan
23
STEFAN
It’s the second intermission and we’re leading Vegas, three to one. I’ve scored two of our three goals. I’m on fire tonight, and the crowd is going wild. The bar after the game is going to be cray-zy. Normally when I’m in Vegas, I skip the bar and hook up with this chick named Raquel. She’s one of the bunnies I was with when Chelsea came home. Raquel fucks like a rabbit and sucks dick like a Hoover. I’ve been avoiding her calls and texts all day but just before the game, she sent a photo of her and a friend naked together. I’m sorely tempted to head over to her place after the game, but I’ve promised Alicia I’ll behave while I’m away. I’m not sure what’s happening between the two of us, but I kind of want to see where this will go. I mean, we share a child. I know she’s with Tyrone, but surely baby daddy trumps boyfriend, right?
“Stefan,” Wren shouts, running into the locker room. She never comes into the locker room during a game or after practice, not since she walked in to see Brayden Sharpe doing the helicopter with his dick. That guy is hung like a fucking donkey and after hearing him and his wife going at it in an alley while out one night, he knows how to used said monster cock.
When I look up, she’s got an expression on her face that I don’t recognize. “What’s up?” I ask when she reaches me.
“It’s Alicia,” she pants, “she went into labor.”
“But the baby isn’t due for another five weeks.”
“Babies come when babies come,” my teammate, Johannes Innes, and dad of three states.
“But there’s still a period to go,” I state like a fool.
My heart is racing and not from exertion from the game. It’s thumping away at the prospect of meeting my little man. I’m about to become a dad. Ever since Alicia dropped the baby bombshell, I’ve been excited and now it’s here. There’s going to be a mini me out in the world.
“Family always comes first, Stefan,” Coach Barber says. “Go meet your baby. We’ve got this.”
Nodding, I stare at my coach and process his words. Then I smile brightly because I’m about to meet my baby. I know I sound like a sap, and the old me would totally be teasing me for being such a pussy.
Then it hits me, I’m about to be a dad. I’m excited and scared. So fucking scared. What if I fuck this up? I’m not the most responsible of people, but I have made strides since finding out I’m going to be a dad. Even Wren said so, and she doesn’t offer me any kind of praise whatsoever. Okay, well, that’s not entirely true.
“Okay,” I mumble.
“I’ll meet you outside,” Wren says and then she’s walking away from me.
While I strip out of my gear and change into my street clothes, the team passes on their congrats. While the guys retake the ice, I race out of the locker room to meet up with Wren. With my bag over my shoulder, I step out of the locker room and find Wren in the hallway with her phone to her ear. She’s glued to that thing but where I play stupid games, she’s working. Non-fucking-stop.
When she sees me, she smiles and wraps up her call just as I join her. “I’ve arranged a car for us to get back to LA, since we travelled here on the team bus. It should be dropped off here in the next fifteen minutes.”
I’m glad Wren is here with me because I didn’t even think about transport back to LA. “Thank fuck you’re here, Wren, I’d be stuck if it wasn’t for you.”
“Just doing my job,” she says.
"No, Wren. This is over and above. Your job is to keep my ass in line, not get me back to LA so I can meet my baby.”
She looks at me pensively, something passes between us but as soon as it arrives, it’s gone again and the sound of her phone receiving a text pulls her gaze from mine. “Car’s here,” she informs me, and then she turns on her heel and walks toward the player entrance.
Five hours later and we’re back in LA. An hour after hitting the city limits, we reach the hospital. LA traffic sucks at the best of times but when you really want to be somewhere, it’s even shittier.
“You should be a race car driver,” I tell her as she pulls up in front of the hospital. “Maybe you need to get Jaxson to sign you with Marshall’s team.”
Putting the car into park, she lets out a breath and unclenches her fists from the steering wheel. “Pffft, I don’t think so, besides, all I did was drive … maybe a few miles over the speed limit.”
“And what about the weaving between cars once we hit the city limits?”
“It was just driving,” she says. “But I got you here. That’s the main thing.” Her voice is timid but I guess she’s tired after the long drive.
Sitting here, I don’t make a move to get out. Suddenly I’m anxious and not sure if I’m ready to do this.
“In you go,” she says, breaking the silence.
“You’re not coming in?” I ask but she shakes her head.
“Apart from Alicia not wanting me there, this should be a moment between mom, dad, and the baby.”
“You sure?”
“Positive, but call me when you want me to come get you.”
“Thanks, Wren.” I reach out and cover her hand sitting on the gearshift. She drops her gaze to our joined hands and lifts it back to mine. She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I climb out before the moment becomes awkward.
Gazing at the building, I just stand here and stare at nothing in particular. The sound of the car pulling away garners my attention. Turning around, I watch it drive away. A part of me wishes I was still in the car with Wren. When it’s just the two of us, it’s peaceful and I feel contentment, but out here it’s a wild world. Generally due to my actions and right now, the biggest consequence of my life is about to become a reality.
I’m about to become a dad, and as much as I’m excited for it, I’m also shit fucking scared. My life is chaotic at the best of times. Add a baby into the mix and it’s going to be volatile. Alicia and I have spoken about what’s going to happen, but what if it all turns to shit? What if this is the catalyst for the end of my career and life?