Chapter 5
ISLA
“What did I miss? I heard booing,” I ask as I slide back onto the seat next to Hadley.
“You picked the worst moment to go to the bathroom, which by the way, are you okay? You do that a lot lately.” She sounds frustrated with the game.
“Feisty. Sorry if nature calls,” I defend.
It’s been a few weeks since I found out about my pregnancy, and I still haven’t told my friend. Part of me isn’t ready, because it leads to questions, and I know that the baby will become a central topic for every coffee date. It makes it all even more real.
Hadley’s dad, who was sitting next to her, excuses himself with the cover of finding snacks. I get the feeling he is giving us a moment alone so we can talk, even though he has no clue that my news will require a full-on play-by-play.
My nerves are rocketing because Vaughn is here. I’m thankful for the helmet which blocks me from staring at his smoldering eyes. It will also hurt less, because seeing him is like a knife to my body. It’s clear he is in a relationship with someone and wants to keep to our word and forget our night.
The thought of this situation causes me to feel a little tight.
“What’s up with you?” Hadley wonders. She must be picking up on my somber mood.
“Nothing,” I lie but also sigh.
Hadley seems to be studying me as I stare aimlessly at a patch of ice.
“Nothing to do with who is on the ice?” Her eyes go bold.
It’s a struggle, however I manage to shake my head.
She touches my arm. “Spill it.”
An overwhelming feeling takes over me, and it just rolls off my tongue. “You know how I had that conference in Tampa a while ago?”
“Yeah, the one where you got stuck there because of a hurricane.”
I nod. “I wasn’t exactly alone when I safely rode out the storm in a hotel.”
She seems invested in this gossip. “You were riding someone during the storm, weren’t you?”
I bite my bottom lip. “It’s not ideal,” I admit.
“Why not? It’s great. You are allowed to have fun. Who was it?” She’s far too curious.
I nervously scoff a laugh, very well aware that I shouldn’t give her clues to who this baby’s father is, the baby that nobody knows I’m having. “The guy who just put your husband in the penalty box.”
Hadley’s jaw drops. “Vaughn Madden?”
I scrub a hand across my cheek. “Nobody can know. Especially since my brother isn’t a fan. It was a one-time kind of thing.”
“Really? I mean, he’s not bad on the eyes. Long-distance isn’t ideal, but it’s no different than if he played here in Lake Spark and has to travel for the season.” This is probably why I didn’t tell her; she’s excited for a probability that will never happen.
I place my hand on her arm, needing to calm her. “Take a chill pill. It really was a one-time spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. He wasn’t even there when I woke up.”
“What an jerk.” Hadley isn’t impressed.
“Can we forget about it?” I attempt to plead. We both notice Connor leave the box to hop back onto the ice.
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. But give him a piece of your mind after the game. You’re entitled to that.”
“No, Hadley. We’re all entitled to a no-strings night, and we agreed on the morning protocol. Now, will you focus on your man who just intercepted the pass?” I try to refocus her attention.
I’m very well aware that I might run into Vaughn after this game.
I shouldn’t do this. Not after that call. But I need to make one more attempt.
It’s the least I can do for him or her who is currently in my belly and causing my stomach to swirl. It’s as though the baby can pick up that I’m anxious and decided to make my stomach flop with nerves a few extra times.
I’m standing in the hall near the locker rooms for the opposition, thankful that I’m able to be back here.
Still, I do my best to blend in and stay out of the way.
The Spinners won, which means Vaughn probably isn’t in the best of moods.
However, quite frankly, his dickish move of having someone else deliver the message that I’m never to contact him again causes me to not particularly care about his precious post-game feelings.
I nervously fidget with my fingers as I wait, reminding myself that I need to do this. My head perks up when I hear the door to the locker room open and a few players leave, but not Vaughn.
Oh great, let’s draw this process out.
I’m not sure how many times I glance at the door when it opens with a brief excitement that I can cut the tether on this situation off.
Finally, the door opens, and my chest tightens at the sight of a freshly showered Vaughn in a navy-blue suit.
I want to scold myself for melting a little at the image before me.
His head hangs low until it doesn’t. His eyes zap up because he caught sight of me in the corner of his eye.
It surprises me that his mouth tugs, as if he’s happy to see me.
He quickly scans the area to see if anyone would notice, but everyone seems busy with their own tasks.
Vaughn takes a few steps in my direction.
“Hey, Isla.” His voice sounds soft. “Thought I might see you here.”
“Hi.” I give a ridiculous little wave like I’m a schoolgirl with a crush, but I clear my throat when sense hits me. “Uhm, listen, I know you don’t really want to see me—”
“What?” Lines form on his forehead.
I glance away because his blue eyes on me feel too much, almost as if I should let him off easy. “Come on, Vaughn, I’m a big girl and got the memo that we are very much forgetting… late-season hurricanes.” I can’t muster the words to describe our explosive night.
He reaches out his fingers to gently touch my shoulder, and again, he studies the hall to make sure we’re under the radar. “Again, what?”
“Your… a woman delivered the message that you are very much occupied and—”
Vaughn looks at me as if I’m an alien. “I’m sorry, I’m very lost. I know I didn’t text, which is kind of a shitty move considering we were bound to run into one another tonight. But I don’t understand about a woman delivering a message.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s okay, you don’t owe me an explanation.”
He seems to be thinking and then something dawns on him before he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Oh no. Ugh,” he grumbles. “Did this woman sound like Barbie?”
I lift a shoulder to my ear. “I guess.”
“Isla, she’s no one.”
I hold my hand up. “You don’t need to justify it.”
“Really.” He’s adamant, and his eyes bug out. “My neighbor has a crazy woman who visits their house, and she won’t get the hint that I’m not interested. She had my phone. You must be the call that she erased from my call log.”
I could cry. Hope fills me to the brim; this is a promising turn of events.
“She called you babe and said you two had to go somewhere for drinks.” I need to double-check that this beacon of light isn’t a lie.
He scoffs a sound. “Trust me, that never happened.”
“You only talk to women who are your publicist or from the team she told me,” I list.
Vaughn shakes his head. “Wishful thinking on her part.”
“I was never to call you again.”
“Jesus, that sounds like her… wait, you called me? Why?” The corner of his mouth snags up, and he seems pleased with that news.
Tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear, I bite my lip. I can do this. “I can imagine you have to get on a plane with your team soon.” I’m stalling.
He tips his head down, then back up to capture my gaze. “Actually no, we’re about to go on a three-day break for the holidays, and I’m going to see my brother in the city tomorrow morning.”
“Oh?” My voice rises on octave.
Vaughn licks his lips and his dimples shine, creating the illusion of a sweltering look of trouble.
“We were kind of adamant about leaving things the way they were, so I’m not going to tell you my room at the Dizzy Duck is number 107.
” The mischief in his voice while his gaze pierces straight through me is almost too much, I’m forgetting my mission.
I need to stay on track, not lose my panties.
Tightly, I smile, soaking in the fact that we had a classic miscommunication mix-up, and he just gave the sign that he would bend our promise a little. Honored as I am, sex is really the last thing that should be occupying my brain… yet it’s crossing my mind.
Flicking my eyes up, attempting to ground my feet and stay strong, I shoot out an alternative. “Maybe a coffee or something… I don’t mean that kind of something, not that I have complaints, it’s just we could chat.” Holy hell, I’m rambling.
I must look like a confused squirrel who really could nibble on him right about now.
Yet, Vaughn’s eyes burn me with a type of affection that could be my misfortune. “Sure. Send me a text of where to meet you.”
Our eyes are trapped in a holdout for a few seconds, but then I offer him a half-smile and walk away.
Waiting in Jolly Joe’s, the soda-shop-styled diner, with my tea mug in one hand, I scroll through my phone to admire the ultrasound photos. It never gets old, that feeling of astonishment.
That’s what I will do, tell Vaughn, then show him my phone as proof.
It’s not a cute announcement, but we’re not a couple. We’re two people who accidentally made a child.
The door opens, and Vaughn gives me a nod. He’s now in jeans and a winter coat that he takes off to hang on the coatrack while he stomps his boots on the mat.
I laugh to myself as he approaches me with a stride that everyone calls swagger, complete with a suave smirk that oozes coolness, and my biggest fear comes alive when I notice that determination burns in his eyes. For what? I can only imagine, as I’m smart.
Vaughn slides into the booth seat across from me. “Welcome to Midwest winter. I would say I hope you can handle it, but your job is literally on ice,” I joke.
He rubs his hands together for warmth. “True. Were you waiting long?”