Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The stranger’s words echoed through the empty corridor, and Lilly sank back against the wall.
I know dozens of players who wouldn’t care if they knew nothing about their kids. But it happened to the wrong guy. I hope the mother knows she robbed you of your daughter’s childhood.
The words sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
She was certain now that he hadn’t known. Austin hadn’t received a single message from her, for whatever reason…and the thought sickened her.
She had been so angry at him back then, so angry at herself for completely misjudging him and letting him lead her on, that it hadn’t even struck her as odd when he hadn’t responded at all. She had believed he didn’t want to risk his marriage or be a part of Delfina’s life.
For years, she had hated and despised him for refusing to meet his wonderful daughter…yet, apparently, she was the villain in their story.
“Shit,” she whispered, hurrying after Daisy and Delfina. She hadn’t turned back to eavesdrop. She had wanted to apologize to Austin for losing her temper. As soon as Delfina had clung to her hand, she had remembered why it was so important that she and Austin get along.
She hadn’t wanted to argue with him, but he had gotten personal, so she had lied to him, telling him that she hadn’t had the best sex of her life with him and…
She had acted childishly. No, more like defiantly.
But Austin’s very presence made her nervous and he had looked at her so condescendingly…
God, that man drove her crazy! He pushed all her buttons without even trying.
And yet, she should have tried harder. She wanted them to understand each other, at least well enough not to hurt Delfina any further.
“He was very nice to Delfina,” Daisy murmured an hour later, once the game had started and Del was glued to the Plexiglas, waving her foam finger incessantly whenever a Hawks teammate skated past. Austin kept his word and waved back every time he had a spare second — which, admittedly, was rare.
Whatever Del might claim, hockey looked incredibly strenuous to Lilly.
The sport was loud, fast, and physical – brutal!
Just brutal! – and Lilly could barely keep up.
She’d read that Austin was the team captain, but only now did she fully understand what that meant.
Austin yelled at the players at least as often as the coach did from the sidelines.
He seemed to be constantly communicating with everyone, with little gestures, pats on the back, or a nod.
And everyone seemed to instantly understand him.
Yet he still seemed one hundred percent focused on his own game.
Nevertheless, he always seemed composed and in control, and so damn authoritative, not to mention elegant and muscular and…
Her stomach churned as she watched him intently.
Mmm, that pretzel during the break must have been bad.
Del squealed with delight. “He waved again, Mom!” she shouted over the blaring music from the speakers and the stomping, clapping, screaming fans.
Warmth flooded her heart when she saw the blissful smile on Delfina’s face and her eyes stung.
“Lilly,” Daisy whispered in her ear. “Did you hear what I said?”
She blinked and turned to her friend. “What? Oh, yes. He was very nice.”
He had done everything right, and Delfina loved presents, so he’d scored points there too.
“And he’s hot,” Daisy said chattily.
She glared at her, annoyed. “How is that relevant?”
“So you agree with me?”
She made a dismissive gesture. “He’s…decent-looking.”
Daisy clicked her tongue. “And you’re always telling your daughter that lying is a sin.”
“Well, if women are into muscles and attractive faces and generally unbearably over-the-top masculinity, then you could call him hot…”
“But there aren’t any women who find that attractive?” Daisy concluded innocently.
“You have a boyfriend, Daisy! Should you even be thinking about other men’s looks?” she asked, annoyed. This whole discussion was terribly superficial — besides, she had absolutely no desire to think about Austin’s body…uh, looks!
“You know, you don’t go blind just because you’re in a relationship,” Daisy reminded her, amused. “And I understand why you slept with him back then, even though you’re not the type for one-night stands.”
She glanced uneasily at her daughter. “Shh! Lower your voice.”
“Oh, please, Delfina wouldn’t hear us even if we screamed,” she said, unfazed. “She’s completely mesmerized. Nobody listens to us. And don’t tell me you don’t find him hot. You slept with him, after all!”
“That was ten years ago. He might have been attractive back then, but…” …now he looks even better. “I don’t care about any of that now.”
Daisy let out a puff of air. “Really?” she asked, drawing it out. “Because when we interrupted you, it seemed a little…heated between you two.”
“It wasn’t! I’d find a pile of rocks more attractive than Austin Fox, so quit annoying me.”
Daisy smiled broadly and opened her mouth – surely to tease her further – but Delfina interrupted her.
“Wow. He totally knocked that huge guy off his feet!” she announced gleefully. “My dad is very strong.”
Lilly’s gaze slid back to the ice, where Austin was innocently raising his hands while the referee yelled at him.
Yep, he was strong. And Lilly wished he were a little more…a little less overtly attractive. And everything she’d just said was the truth.
The L.A. Hawks won the game three to one and Delfina lost her battle with exhaustion five minutes after the final whistle.
The noise of the jubilant fans didn’t bother her; she’d always been able to sleep anywhere.
She lay curled up in her seat, clutching her foam finger tightly, and snoring blissfully.
After Daisy said her goodbyes, Lilly sank into one of the plastic chairs next to Del and watched her cold breath paint little clouds in the air.
She felt emotionally drained. Seeing Austin again…
It was all harder than she’d expected. She hadn’t believed that their encounter would stir up so many emotions.
That he could anger her so easily. Or that her nerve endings would go into overdrive whenever she was near him.
She didn’t know him, even though he’d made her feel the opposite in just a few hours back then.
Her current relationship was complicated enough; she didn’t need to voluntarily discuss orgasms with him on top of it!
It wasn’t about her; it was only about Del, so…
“Hey.”
Startled, she looked up. Austin was standing over her, his hair damp from the shower, his hockey gear replaced by jeans and a simple white t-shirt with the Hawks logo stretched across his shoulders like the bowstring of an arrow.
Upon careful consideration, she realized that was exactly how she felt whenever she saw him: like a helpless, nocked arrow — with no idea where she’d land.
This time, though, hopefully not on the word orgasm again. At least in the last five years, that word hadn’t become foreign to her, even if she hadn’t had one given to her by someone else since then.
Heat rose to her cheeks and she desperately hoped Austin attributed the blush to the cold. If he knew she was thinking about orgasms in his presence, it might go to his head.
“Hi,” she replied far too late as she rose. She felt the urge to stand on the chair so he wouldn’t tower over her so much, but that might be a little silly. “That was quick...”
“I hurried. I saw her yawning the entire last third of the game…but I’m obviously too late.” Amused, he glanced down at Del as she clutched the foam finger as if it were a precipice and she was about to fall.
“She was so excited to see you, she didn’t sleep all night,” she murmured, gently, stroking Del’s head.
“But she still managed to make it through the game. Oh, and she told me to tell you that she likes the huge, bald man who knocks everyone down. She says he protects you and that’s a good thing.
Everyone needs someone to protect them.” Sometimes her daughter’s wisdom startled her.
Austin chuckled softly — the sound so unexpectedly strange and familiar at the same time that Lilly swallowed hard.
“She means Charkov. He doesn’t take it too seriously that the era of the goons is basically over.”
“The what?”
“The goons. The enforcers. The players who are basically only there to start fights.”
“There are goons?” she asked, horrified. “And you’re telling me it’s not a brutal sport?!”
He waved his hand dismissively, but she could swear she saw a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth. “The position is hardly ever officially filled anymore. Charkov just likes to be…”
“Physical?” she asked dryly.
This time, she knew he was smiling, even though he turned his face away so she wouldn’t see it. Instead, he focused on Del again.
“She looks so peaceful.”
“She can fall asleep anywhere. She doesn’t care what’s going on around her. She’s even slept through fire alarms!”
“I’m the same way; I can sleep even with twenty hockey players snoring around me,” he murmured, looking at Del…and smiling. It was as if he’d hit the jackpot with her, even though he’d only known her for two days.
Lilly’s lungs contracted and her fear that he might break Del’s heart faded into smoke and contentment.
He was so eager to meet his daughter — and for that reason alone, she couldn’t hate him.
No matter what an asshole he’d been back then.
No matter how hard she tried, she still found it difficult to look at him without remembering the past or feeling angry when he called her a liar.
She cleared her throat. “I should wake her up so we can get to the car…”
“I can carry her,” he said quietly.
“She’s heavy, Austin! She’s nine, not a baby anymore, and…”
He scooped Del into his arms like she was nothing but a puck. “My steroid-fueled muscles don’t just look good, they work too. Remember?” he muttered, leading the way out of the arena.
She sighed and hurried after him.