Chapter 1
Brett
She falls into my arms and I catch her and lift her off her feet.
“Holy shit,” Ellie shrieks.
“People are taking videos,” Eden says wide-eyed.
I swear under my breath and whisk Willow down the couple stairs and back on the ice.
“Noble, get back here. Where the hell are you taking her?” Jacob Heaton barks at my back.
Fuck him. This woman had my baby, and I didn’t know. She is the mother of my child and I will make sure she is safe and cared for.
Kaleb and Jacob are on my heels as I walk through the tunnel. When I arrive to the locker room, I walk inside. “ Where is the doctor?” I shout.
Everyone comes to a standstill watching me. Coach Sanders comes out to me.
“What the hell are you doing?” he shouts. “Is that Willow?”
“She fainted. I need Dr. Dillon,” I say. Coach knows Willow because she’s been good friends with his daughter Patty for years. They went to school together in New York.
Willow stirs in my arms and then her eyes turn wide. “Brett, what’s going on?” Her voice is groggy. “Put me down.”
“You fainted,” I tell her. “Let the doc check you out.”
I walk her into the exam room Dr. Dillon has set up. Jacob stands beside us. “I can take care of my sister,” he says tersely.
“So can I,” I bite back.
I place Willow on a chair and tell the doctor what happened. He checks her blood pressure and he gives her the all clear.
“Excuse me,” I say once I know she is okay. I make my way to the bathroom this time, Kaleb is following me.
“Brett, are you okay?” Kaleb asks, sounding concerned.
I make it to the stall in time to vomit in the toilet. I don’t even know what is happening to me. My head is spinning as I remember Willow’s words. She had my baby without telling me. She sent me a text saying she was pregnant and thought I didn’t want the baby. I vomit again and then I heave.
“Shit, Brett,” Kaleb says. “This is going to be okay. Maddie kept insisting something was up at Christmas. I told her she was being ridiculous but she had some weird intuition about this.”
Sweat prickles my forehead and I feel like I’ve been knocked out by a tractor trailer. I leave the restroom stall and throw cold water on my face and rinse my mouth. Then I grab the counter and look in the mirror because none of this feels real. I’ve entered some alternate universe that is fucking with me.
Coach enters the bathroom. “Your little tantrum was caught on video. It’s gone viral,” he says.
Fuck me. This night keeps getting better and better.
“How much of it?” I ask.
“Everything,” Coach Sanders answers, his lips turned down. “Even the part when she tells you she’s pregnant and you told her to bark up another tree.” He has the decency to wince.
“That wasn’t me, Coach,” I say.
“I got that part too. Talk about a whole clusterfuck of events, Noble,” Coach says, but at least he sounds sympathetic.
“This is going to be okay,” Kaleb assures.
“Dude, I have a kid,” I say to him. “I don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl.”
I push off the counter and walk past Coach and Kaleb. I head out of the bathroom and straight for the exam room.
“Are you okay?” I ask Willow, who is sitting on a chair drinking some juice.
She nods.
The doctor also assures me she is fine.
“Can everyone give us a minute, please?” I ask.
Everyone clears out of the room, except for Jacob Heaton. Can’t say I blame the dude; I’d go apeshit if something like this happened to my sister too.
I give Jacob a look. “Look, bud, I appreciate you’re looking out for her but I need a minute, and I’m not the enemy,” I say to him.
“Don’t bud me,” he bites back.
I don’t attack though because I kind of get where he is coming from now.
He looks at Willow and she nods.
“I’ll be outside that door,” he tells her.
“Thanks, Jacob.” She gives him a crooked grin.
My stomach is in knots and my head is spinning.
With the door closed, I grasp my hair. “I need more information, Willow. Why didn’t you try to contact me before tonight?”
She blows out a breath. “After that text message I was so upset. I told myself I couldn’t think about you or hear about you. I didn’t want to be stressed because it was bad for the baby.”
I nod in understanding.
“My friends didn’t know you were Maylee’s father. They thought I hooked up with someone else and after that text message, I felt it was best they believed the lie,” she continues.
“So I have a daughter?” The words leaving my mouth make my lips quiver and tears fill my eyes. Who am I?
She nods. “She’s five months old and perfect.”
I inhale and exhale but it doesn’t ease the tightness in my chest.
“I tried messaging you so many times before I told you I was pregnant. I was hoping to have a phone conversation,” she explains and tears fill her eyes.
“Only it wasn’t me getting your messages. Dammit, I should’ve cancelled the phone right off the bat, instead I waited to find it.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we had such a mix-up. In my head you were a player who just wasn’t interested, and it broke my heart.”
“Damn, Willow, I’m so sorry I gave you that impression. I’ve been through a lot since the night we were together,” I say.
“When your sister came to town and you took her in, everyone was shocked. Then Ellie got close with Maddie. I wanted to come clean about you being Maylee’s father, but I kept remembering those damn words. Go bark up someone else’s tree. I’d have nightmares about those words in my head,” she says, making my heart fracture.
I hiss, gripping my hair.
“You really thought I was that big of an asshole?” I sigh.
“You had a reputation and you didn’t answer my calls, and that text message came from your phone. What was I supposed to think?”
A knock comes on the door.
I open it to see Coach.
“I think you need to sit out the rest of the game,” he says. “You also went on the ice during intermission. You might get fined.”
“My head is spinning,” I admit to him. Even though he works us hard, he is a good guy and an amazing father to Patty.
“Brett, it’s best if you take a mental health leave. Let this situation die down in the media and take care of what you need to take care of,” Coach says, laying a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I agree, my head bowed.
“Two weeks, Noble. Figure your life out,” he urges. I lift my head to look him in the eyes, he points his finger at me, nailing me with a look that says don’t fuck this up.
“Thanks, Coach.”
He nods. “Willow, you take care.”
“Thanks, Mr. Sanders.”
With that, Coach leaves and I close the door.
I turn back and look at Willow. She is just as beautiful as the night we met, but she looks tired and worn down. I think of Maddie taking care of Asher those first few months. They were hard but she had Mom helping her and I would come home when I could. I realize I don’t know where Willow has been all this time and who has been helping her.
“I need to see her,” I say to Willow.
Her blue-green eyes turn round.
“I missed so much time,” I say, feeling like my heart is twisting.
“I just don’t understand how this happened. How we could’ve miscommunicated so badly,” she says.
“Willow, I need to see my daughter,” I repeat.
She blinks and stands quickly but she almost tips over, and I catch her arm. “Of course, Brett. That’s why I’m here. I wanted to ream you out and tell you that Maylee deserves a father who cares because she is so perfect and she deserves the best.”
“I’m glad we are on the same page,” I reply, feeling the tension in my chest ease. “Can we go now? I’ll just get changed.”
“Yeah, sure, let me just tell Jacob,” she says.
“I’ll go shower and get dressed in the meantime.”
We open the door, I nod to Jacob, then I walk past him. I head to the shower, and I hear Willow talking to him. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but she tells him how she had me all wrong, that it was one big misunderstanding, and I want to see Maylee.
“Damn, Willow. Of all the scenarios, this is not one I thought of,” Jacob says to her.
“He wants to see her,” she says. Her voice cracks and then she is crying.
I take a quick shower but I feel choked up too. I soap up my body and as the water runs over my body, I cry because I have a daughter I haven’t met. I rest a hand on the shower wall and let the sadness and tears rack my body but I don’t take long because Willow is waiting, and I have a daughter to meet. Besides, I’m good at holding back my tears. I had to be when my own father would disappoint Henry, Maddie, and me all the time. I think about missing Willow’s entire pregnancy and the first months of Maylee’s life. It’s time I will never get back. I never wanted kids. I’m pretty sure I said that to Willow the night we spent together. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for her to believe I was the asshole who told her to bark up another tree. I also feel like shit because my father abandoned me on the regular, and here my own daughter maybe feels like I abandoned her. It causes all kinds of guilt to take root inside me.
I head out to my locker, where I have my suit hanging. I decide to put the suit on because there may be reporters outside. I’ve already caused a debacle for charging at Willow the way I did. I don’t even know what got into me, other than I saw red when I saw her at my game with another man. It doesn’t make logical sense because I am far from the jealous type.
I throw my duffel over my shoulder, with whatever clothes I brought with me to Nashville, and walk back out to the area where Willow and Jacob are waiting.
“All set,” I announce.
Jacob nods and walks off. Willow waits.
“Where is it that you’ve been all this time?” I ask her.
“My family’s farm is in Sugar Meadow. It’s about an hour drive from here,” she explains. “I’ve been living there with my mom and three brothers.”
“Three, huh.” Shit, that’s a lot of angry testosterone to be dealing with.
“Four, actually, but my other brother lives in New Haven,” she explains.
“So, Maylee’s been growing up on the farm?” I say instead of worrying about her angry brothers. “Sounds like a busy house.”
“It is.” She rolls her eyes, but it seems playful. “I keep thinking of you as some asshole player. A different you is not registering in my head.”
I bite my lip. “Is that the impression I gave you that night? I thought we had fun.”
“Did we have fun?” she asks, twisting her lips.
“Shut up, I can still hear you two,” Jacob scoffs, walking a few feet ahead.
Willow winces.
“That’s the snark I remember,” I tell her.
“I’m not snarky, Brett. I just. . .”
“What is it?” I ask.
“I want the best for my daughter. If we can co-parent. If she knows she can rely on you. . .”
“Willow.” I pause, turn, and look her in the eyes so she can read my truth. “I promise you; I’ll always be there for Maylee.”
She nods and blinks and we continue to walk, but we stay silent as we make our way to Jacob’s truck.
“You take the front seat,” Willow offers.
“I’m good in the back,” I assure.
“Take the front seat, Brett. The back is much smaller,” she insists, and it isn’t a question.
I sit up front with Jacob Heaton. When he starts the engine, I turn to him. “We got off on the wrong foot. I’d like to start over. You’re my daughter’s uncle. I’m her father, it’s important to get along.” I extend my hand for him to shake.
He looks at my hand like I have some disease but then his attitude melts away and he shakes my hand. “I’ve got you pinned in my mind as the devil. It’s going to take me a minute to make sure that isn’t the case.”
“Jacob, geez,” Willow hisses from the back seat.
“That’s okay,” I assure. “Glad to see he’s been around watching out for you. But now I am here, Willow, and you are the mother of my child. I plan on being here for you too. Whatever you need.”
Jacob gives me a side glance and a look that tells me he’s impressed but skeptical.
“Thanks, Brett. I’m glad you’re on board for this partnership.”
Willow talks matter-of-factly and my mind takes me back to the night we met.
Her dad died and we drank too much. We danced. . .
“I’ve got to go to the restroom,” Willow said.
“I’ll come with you,” I said to her because there can be sketchy people and all kinds of things could happen in these bathrooms.
“Are you crazy? There’s no way,” she replied.
“I didn’t mean for sex,” I clarified. “You’re drunk. I’ll watch out for you. There can be douchebags in a place like this.”
“The only one I need to be careful of is you, Brett Noble. You’re slick.”
I laughed so hard my shoulders shook. This girl was a big cynic and I loved it. She wasn’t digging relationships. She didn’t want to settle down. She was basically the female version of me, only way better looking with legs that went on for days.
I followed her to the bathroom and she laughed all the way, but she didn’t let me enter when we reached the door. “You wait here,” she said, her hand pressing on my chest. I liked having her hand on me. I looked down at her red nails and pictured them scratching my back.
“I’m going to take a piss too,” I said.
I entered the men’s room and took a leak, thinking how much I liked this girl. I’d never had this much fun with a girl before. She was real. She wasn’t a puck bunny who was after me, who thought they could lock me down and enjoy my salary.
Willow was perfect. The words startled me but my brain was a little fogged from the drinking. I zipped up my pants and headed to the sink to wash my hands. Then I waited for her by the ladies’ room. When she came out, she walked right up to me and kissed me. My arms wrapped around her as we kissed. She tasted sweet as our tongues did a little dance. My cock grew hard and she walked me back to the wall. My back connected and I began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” she asked with a frown.
“You take what you want. I like it. That’s what I usually do,” I replied to her.
“Do you have a problem with a woman who takes what she wants?” she asked, pinning me with a glare.
“On the contrary. I’m down. Problem is, you’re drunk and I have morals. I’m not having sex with a girl who is as drunk as you,” I said to her.
“Fuck,” she hissed and she broke into laughter. I laughed too. “Let’s go eat something, then we can fuck.”
“You’re my dream girl,” I informed her.
She took my hand, and we left out the back door of the club.
“Sure I am. You probably say that to every bunny you meet,” she teased.
“Only you aren’t a puck bunny. I haven’t been out with a real girl since high school,” I admitted, allowing her to guide me into the cold night.
“Where is your jacket?” I asked her.
“Shit. I left it at the club. I’ll text one of the girls to grab it for me,” she shrugged.
“You’re going to freeze that cute ass off,” I said to her, and it was amazing. She was wearing a tight, little white leather miniskirt, and the girl had legs on her. She’d matched it with a fuzzy, blue cropped sweater that was long-sleeved but showed off some skin on her stomach. Her chocolate brown hair ran down her back in soft waves. This girl was stunning and moody, and I was here for it.
“Take my jacket,” I offered and I passed her my suit jacket. She put it on and it hit her mid-thigh.
“Wait, why didn’t you date any normal girls in college? Unless you didn’t go,” she said.
“I went to college in Michigan. And they were all puck bunnies in college too.”
Willow froze.
“Was it something I said?” I asked with concern.
“My father spent some time as an assistant coach for Riverside U,” she said and her voice cracked.
“That’s where I went,” I said, feeling bad.
“That’s where all the top players go to get in the NHL,” she said. I found it refreshing how much she knew about hockey. “Daddy was a student there. Played on their Division One team then got injured senior year. He spent a decade as an assistant coach. He always spoke about the good old days of playing on the team and coaching. He was always bitter about how his career ended. How our family didn’t have money,” she said and then she teared up. “I need to shut up. I don’t even know you.”
“I think we’re past that, don’t you?” I swiped at her tears and wrapped my arms around her and we both shivered. “I need to get you out of the cold.”
I pointed to a pizza place a couple of stores down.
“Pizza sounds so good right now,” she groaned, and she pulled out of my embrace. She took my hand and we ran toward the pizza place as snowflakes fell from the sky. I felt like a teenager right then as we ran through the streets. I was wearing my sneakers, but Willow had on a pair of heels. I didn’t take my eyes off her ass and legs as she ran.
“Stop checking me out,” she chided, laughing as she looked back at me.
“I can’t help it. You’re one of the hottest women I’ve ever seen,” I said to her.
“You have to stop with the cheesy lines if we’re going to hang out,” she insisted.
“Or you are just going to have to get used to compliments because I was just saying what I think,” I informed her.
We made it into the pizza place.
“Shit, my wallet is in my jacket,” she hissed. Then she pulled her phone out of her shirt and texted her friend. She bit into her bottom lip and all I could think about was kissing her, tasting her. “Okay, phew. They have my jacket, but I can’t pay for the pizza, so I owe you.”
This woman.
“Willow, there was no way I would’ve let you pay for the pizza anyway. Should we get a whole pie?”
She raised her brows.
“I’m a big guy with a hearty appetite,” I clarified. Her eyes ate me up and I liked the way she looked at me.
“We’ll take a large pie,” I tell the man behind the counter. Then I looked at Willow. “What do you like on your pizza? Pepperoni, vegetables. . .”
“That works.”
We made the order and I asked for two cappuccinos because it looked like the kind of place that had authentic Italian coffee.
“I’m not drinking coffee in the middle of the night, Brett.”
“I need you sober, Willow,” I reminded her.
“Because you want to get lucky,” she said, sounding back to her moody self.
“No, I want to rock your world and I can’t make you come apart if you’re drunk.”
She licked her lips and pressed her thighs together.
“I’m not coming apart for you. I never do, so don’t get your hopes up,” she stated and walked off and sat in a booth.
I waited for the cappuccinos and then walked them over to the table. “Did I hear you right?”
“You aren’t that drunk,” she sassed.
“Woman, I will make you come apart if you give me the chance,” I promised and passed her the cappuccino. She lifted the sugar dispenser and poured a lot of sugar into the cup. Then she used the little wooden mixer and took a sip.
“This is delicious.”
“Not as delicious as I’m sure you’ll taste.”
She spit out the cappuccino onto the table. Some landed on my shirt. “Geez. Are you a prude?”
“Prude?” she asked me back.
“Pizza is ready.” The man who was working the cash register had our pizza in his hand. He placed it on a pedestal in the middle of our table.
“That looks amazing, thank you,” I said to him.
“It looks so good,” Willow agreed.
I didn’t know what to make of this girl, but I was having fun with her.
She took a slice and groaned with the first bite.
“That good, huh?” I groaned too when I took a bite. It was easily the best pizza I’d ever tasted.
She ate the slice fast and licked her lips.
“You’re going to groan so much louder when I eat you,” I said to her because I had to have this woman. She was snarky and beautiful, fun.
She didn’t say anything.
“Are you feeling sober?” I asked.
“I’m still tipsy but I know what I’m doing.”
“My place is across town,” I told her.
“Mine is a couple of blocks from here,” she replied and her tongue darted out. She licked her lips and all I could think about was crashing my lips to hers.
“But you don’t have a key,” I reminded, my gaze fixated on those luscious lips.
“No, I said I don’t have my wallet, the key is right here.” She reached under her sweater and I assumed into her bra. She showed me her key.
“What else do you got in there?” I grinned, peeking at the top of her sweater like I wanted to see what other jewels she was hiding.
She laughed. I liked the sound a little too much. We dug in and ate another slice of pizza. . .
“What is the population of this place?” I ask. It looks like no one lives in this town. We passed a strip of some stores and now it’s a whole lot of land.
“Sugar Meadow is a small farming town,” she explains. “Probably a couple thousand at most. I basically know everyone in town.”
I nod.
“We’ll be home in a few minutes,” she says.
My stomach begins to turn. I’m about to meet my daughter. When I say those words, they don’t feel real. I haven’t had time to process.
Jacob turns onto a dirt road. We pass a barn and I see all kinds of animals off in the distance, but it’s dark so I can’t really tell. All I know is this place is big. We drive up to a main house. Jacob parks the car and we get out, and something tells me not to expect a warm welcome.