21. Hadley
Hadley
Caffeine. I need caffeine.
And maybe a few more hours of sleep.
Last night was so much fun. Hanging out with the players and their families was more fun than I had expected. I’m paying for it today, but I’d totally do it again.
When Paige first told me about Wags, I was thinking snobby sorority girls who were all in competition with each other. The mean girls of hockey.
That wasn’t how it was at all. The families seemed like one extended family. The women were helping each other with their kids, laughing together, and sharing inside jokes. And this wasn’t even their usual team—just a mix of players and families thrown together for the tournament.
Yet, they were welcoming to Paige and me. They treated us as if we belonged. Like we had a place there, already.
Totally not the ‘Real Housewives of Hockey’ reality TV show vibe I was imagining.
By the time we were leaving, I could see myself with Bryce, hanging out with his friends and their families. Going to games and cheering him on.
Being a more permanent fixture in his life.
Old Hadley would have freaked out.
New hockey-player-dating Hadley… She thinks it feels right in a way nothing has for a long time.
Of course, having Paige with me was amazing and definitely helped make things feel less awkward. I’m so glad she’ll be attending the gala, too.
“Hey girl!” Paige’s voice startles me out of my thoughts. “Want to grab some lunch?”
I glance around the nearly empty library. There’s no programming today, so it’s a light day for attendance. Thankfully, because I’m so tired I’m not sure I could think straight enough to answer questions today.
“Sure,” I say. “Let me get my stuff.” I grab my purse and jacket from behind my desk. “Where do you have in mind?”
She shrugs. “How much time do you have?”
I look at the calendar on my desk. “You know what? I’m taking the rest of the afternoon off. I need a nap before facing my parents.”
Paige slow claps. “Look at you,” she says, smiling. “I’m proud of you.”
I roll my eyes. “For being irresponsible and staying out too late on a work night?”
She scoffs. “Uh, no. That was necessary. I’m proud of you for using your time! You never take time off.”
She’s right. I don’t. Unless I’m sick, and even then, I try to work from home.
“Seriously, Hadley, it’s okay to take time off.” She chuckles. “I’d suggest planning ahead if you can, but sometimes a spontaneous afternoon off is good for the soul.”
I type out a quick message to my team, letting them know I’ll be out for the rest of the day and to call if anything comes up, then I drop my phone into my purse. “Yeah, yeah.” I motion for her to start walking to the doors. “What are we having for lunch?”
“I like this version of you,” Paige says once we are outside.
“What version? Grumpy and overtired? I’m a real treat.” I snort. “And I’m getting hangry,” I say as we reach the corner.
She points to the deli across the street. “Sandwiches?”
“Sure.” I hit the button for the crosswalk and wait.
“No, by the way,” Paige says, rising up on her tiptoes and dropping back down before doing it again. She’s always moving. It’s annoying when I’m this tired.
“No, to sandwiches?” I ask, confused.
She laughs. “Man, you are tired. No, I mean that ‘in love’ is a good look for you.”
“I didn’t say I was in love,” I argue. Not to her, anyway. If I did, she’d never stop talking about it. She’d spill the beans before I ever worked up the nerve to tell Bryce myself.
She chuckles. “You didn’t have to say it out loud. Your actions show it.” She makes doe eyes at me, batting her lashes and smiling like a cartoon cat.
“I don’t do any of…” I wave my hand in a circle in front of her face. “That.” I shudder. That would be terrible.
“No, you’re right,” she says. “That photo in the paper looked like you totally had lukewarm feelings for the hot hockey player.”
I blush. “He is pretty hot, isn’t he?”
She smacks her forehead. “Duh! Though he’s not as hot as Colt.”
“Speaking of,” I say, grateful for the opening. “What’s happening there?”
Paige frowns. “Nothing.”
“You sure?” I ask. The way Colt’s eyes followed her every move last night didn’t feel very ‘nothing’ like to me. We step into the deli and get in the line to place our orders at the counter.
“Yep. He’s not ready to settle down, and I’m not looking to be arm candy.” She chuckles. “Well, not after the gala, anyway.”
“Did he tell you that?” I ask because that’s not the impression I’ve gotten from him.
“He didn’t have to,” she says. “He looked like he sucked on a lemon when Taylor practically insisted he invite me to the gala.”
“I don’t remember that,” I argue.
“Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but he clearly wasn’t interested.”
It’s our turn to order, so I drop it. For now.
After ordering our sandwiches, we move to the side to wait for our food. “Do you want to eat inside or outside?” Paige asks.
“Outside,” I say. “I need the fresh air to keep me awake.”
When our sandwiches are ready, we step out onto the patio and find a couple leaving a table in the shade. Paige hustles over to snag it before someone else gets there. July in DC is hot, so shade is premium real estate. Especially at lunchtime.
“How are you feeling about dinner with your parents tonight?” Paige asks, sipping her sparkling water and fanning herself with a napkin.
“Nervous,” I admit. “You know my parents. Tonight’s dinner will be way different than last night’s.”
Paige nods. “Do you think Bryce can handle it?”
It’s a fair question. My parents, and hers, have been known to run off a few dates over the years.
“I hope so,” I say. “He seems confident he can win them over.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. He’s a good guy. He’s successful. And he cares about you. What more could they want?” Paige asks.
“Someone safe, who lives close and isn’t into sports.”
She shrugs. “We can’t always get what we want.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
Because I know what I want. I’m just not sure how to get it.
My nerves are at an all-time high by the time we step inside the restaurant to meet my parents. I discreetly sniff under my arms. Thankfully, I put on extra deodorant before I left the house, though I think I’ve sweat at least half of it off already.
“Relax,” Bryce says, placing his hand at the small of my back. His touch instantly brings my panic from a twelve down to a ten. “It’s going to be perfect.”
I spot my parents already seated at a round table in the center of the warmly lit dining room. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Here goes nothing.
I nod to where my mother is waving. Bryce guides me through the dining room, his hand never leaving the small of my back. When we get to the table, my parents both stand and shake Bryce’s hand before giving me a quick hug.
“We’re so glad you could make it,” Mom says. “Hadley said you might be too busy to get away.”
Bryce pulls out my chair and waits for me to sit before pushing me gently toward the table and taking his own seat. My mom’s eyebrows rise into her hairline. Score one point for Bryce.
“I’m never too busy to make time for things that are important to Hadley,” Bryce says, reaching over and patting my hand reassuringly.
Dad’s eyes narrow.
I clear my throat. “Thank you for meeting us halfway,” I say, trying to move the conversation along.
“You’re welcome, dear,” Mom says.
The waitress comes and takes our beverage orders, offers us appetizers, and then leaves to make our drinks.
“So,” Dad says, leaning back and folding his hands on the table in front of him. “You play hockey?”
Bryce smiles his most charming smile. The one I’ve seen on the internet when I secretly looked him up after finding out who he really was. Not the smile he gives me when we’re alone.
That’s oddly satisfying.
“I do,” he says. “I played hockey in college while I got a degree in engineering before moving to the pros.”
Dad’s grumpy demeanor shifts. “You have a degree in engineering?” he asks.
Bryce nods. “I always knew hockey would be temporary, and I wanted to have something to fall back on if I needed to.”
“That was very smart,” Dad says. “Where did you go to college?”
“The University of Michigan.”
The waitress stops at the table to deliver our drinks and take our order providing a break in the interrogation.
“What about you, sir?” Bryce asks when she leaves. “Where did you go to college? Hadley tells me you both are professors. I can see where she got so smart.” He smiles at me and winks.
“We both attended the University of Maryland,” Dad says, reaching for Mom’s hand and holding it in his. “It’s where we met and fell in love.”
Bryce smiles. “That’s wonderful,” he says. “Were you both from Maryland?”
Mom shakes her head. “No, I grew up in Boston,” she says. “But after we were married, we decided to make Maryland our home. It’s where we fell in love.”
“It’s where our story began,” Dad says, pressing a kiss to Mom’s cheek.
“What a beautiful story,” Bryce says, a soft smile on his face.
“What about your parents?” Mom asks. “Where did they meet?”
Bryce stiffens, but recovers quickly. “My parents met when they were young. Teenagers, really.” He smiles. “To this day, they’re still in love.”
“Where do they live?” Dad asks. “Colorado?”
Bryce clears his throat and shakes his head. “No, sir. Mom lives in a small town in Arkansas called Piney Brook. My dad lives a few towns over.”
Mom’s smile falters. “Oh.” She presses her hand to her midsection, clearly searching for something to say.
“It’s okay,” Bryce says. “Their love hasn’t always been easy, but I’d venture to say, even through the trials they’ve endured, it’s been worth it.”
Mom nods. “Love usually is.”
Our food arrives and I’m grateful for the moment to slip my hand under the table and place it on Bryce’s leg. That had to be uncomfortable for him, and I don’t know the whole story, but he handled it with so much grace.
He handled them with grace.
Dad makes small talk, asking questions about Colorado and Arkansas, while Mom listens attentively, asking follow-up questions when there’s a lull in conversation.
It’s clear they’re trying to get to know Bryce and give him a chance.
I judged them too harshly. I should have told them I’d met someone sooner.
“So, Game 5?” Dad asks, once we’ve finished eating. “Are you nervous?”
“I am,” Bryce admits. “It’s a big game, and if it goes well, it could mean more bargaining power in the future.”
“What does that mean?” Mom asks, genuinely curious.
“Well,” Bryce says, looking straight at me. “It means in a year when my contract is up in Colorado, I’d have more say over where I’d like to play, for one thing.”
My breath catches. Is he saying he’d move closer to me?
“Oh,” Mom says, looking between the two of us. “I hear there are several hockey teams on the East Coast. Maybe you’d like a change of scenery.”
I would laugh at her obvious hint if it weren’t for the fact I was lost in Bryce’s eyes trying to read the thought’s running through his brain.
Could he relocate closer to me?
A year’s not that long. Right?
I mean, it is. It’s three hundred and sixty-five days, but surely we could make it a year.
“I don’t usually get to pick where I go outright, but I’d consider the East Coast.” He looks at my father and smiles. “It’s growing on me.”
By the time dinner is over, I’m pretty sure my parents are Team Bryce. Dad’s even talking about tuning into the game tomorrow night. I laugh at the thought of Dad trying to watch a hockey game. He’s never sat through a sports game in his life.
Well, not that I know of anyway.
“It was lovely to meet you,” Mom says, giving Bryce a side hug. “I look forward to seeing you again.”
Dad shakes his hand. “It was nice to meet you. When you come to Sunday dinner, you’ll have to tell me how you got involved in hockey.
I think I’d like to hear that story.” He gives me a hug and presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“Make sure you find a time he can come to family dinner. I know your sister and Arthur would love to meet him, too.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Thanks, Dad.” I squeeze him a little tighter before giving Mom a similarly crushing hug.
“I like him,” she whispers. “He looks at you like your father looks at me.”
She steps back, and she and my father walk to the car holding hands.
“I think that went well,” Bryce says. “Don’t you?”
I nod. “I think so.”
He smiles. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
My eyes met his, and the last bit of wall I’d been keeping around my heart crumbles.
I don’t know what comes next, but I know I can’t let him go.