Rushing the Goal
Page 18
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Clearing her throat, Lucy nodded. “Yeah, baby.”
“Ugh, I don’t like going over there.”
Her heart broke a bit as she met her baby’s eyes. “I know, baby, but Dad wants to see you too.”
Angie shrugged. “All he cares about are Heidi and Nina.”
“Why would you say that?”
“’Cause he doesn’t ever want to go to anything I like. It’s only what they want.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Lucy announced, because that was not fucking okay.
“No, don’t. Y’all will just fight and I don’t want that,” Angie said sadly. “I just miss Grandma—and River.”
Of course she did. They had been living with her mom since she left Rick. “We can go see them when I pick you up on Sunday, okay?”
Angie nodded, looking out the window. “What about Jude and Claire, and Jace and Avery and Ashlyn? I miss them too.”
Another problem with having such a close-knit family, they all missed each other so much. “Well, we are going to Florida after Christmas and staying with Jace and Avery and baby Ashlyn. And Jude and Claire are coming for Christmas and I think at the end of January, if Jude doesn’t get invited to the All-Star Game.”
“Which he probably will. He’s, like, the best.”
Lucy laughed. “Please don’t tell him that.”
Angie giggled. “Mom! You know it’s true.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy agreed with a smile and Angie grinned back at her just as her phone started ringing.
Jayden’s ringtone.
“Ooooooh, he’s in so much trouble,” Angie sang as Lucy nodded in agreement, hitting answer on her steering wheel.
“Jayden Mitchell.”
“Should I duck when I see you next?” he asked wryly.
“I would.”
“Okay, listen, I’m sorry. I’m a coward, but I thought you wouldn’t take her if I wasn’t gonna be there.”
She made a face. “Whatever. I’d take her no matter what. You don’t need to apologize to me, you need to apologize to her. She was nervous. You know how she can get.”
He made a sound of defeat and cleared his throat. “Angie, baby, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Jay,” she giggled. “Mommy was soooo mad!”
He chuckled. “I know. I’m a jerk. Do you forgive me?”
“Of course!”
“Lucy?”
“I am thinking of a long list of bad words that I could include with no, but Angie’s in the car.”
“Thank God,” he breathed and Lucy smiled. “But really, I’m sorry.”
“Whatever.”
“I love youuuuu,” he sang and Lucy smiled.
“I love you too, but I’m still mad.”
“I know, I’m sorry. But please tell me you didn’t hit my boy, BP?”
“BP?” Lucy asked confused.
“Benji Paxton? He showed, right?”
“Oh yeah! He was soooooooooooo awesome, Jayden! He’s coming Wednesday too,” Angie cheered and Jayden laughed.
“Cool dude, huh?”
“I don’t know. Who volunteers to coach a bunch of girls? Seems a little unusual to me.”
“He’s a really great guy. I seriously only had to call, and he didn’t even question me. Just said he’d be there,” Jayden said, which didn’t change Lucy’s mind. She didn’t like him. Or maybe, she didn’t like that she thought he was hot. Or nice.
Man, she was fucked in the head.
“Can’t he just be nice, Mom?” Angie asked and Lucy shrugged. She wouldn’t allow herself to tell her daughter that no man was like that unless they were disgusting perverts.
“Or a child molester,” she said under her breath, and Jayden sucked in a breath.
“Seriously, Luce?”
“What?” she asked innocently and Angie made a face. “It was a joke.”
“What’d she say?” Angie asked.
“Nothing,” they said at the same time.
“But a really, really cool dude. Supernice, and that’s awesome that he wants to keep helping. He’s kind of a hermit.”
“A hermit?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t get out much. He’s quiet.”
“No, he’s not. He was superfunny,” Angie complained and Jayden chuckled.
“Weirdoooo,” Lucy sang and Angie glared.
“Mom!”
“Sorry,” she said, rolling her eyes. Apparently everyone was a fan of Benji, but she was not and she needed a topic change. “So how’s Baylor?”
Sucking in a breath, Jayden let it out slowly. “Not good. They are pretty sure she’ll need another surgery, and even then, they aren’t sure if she’ll be fixed. She cried the whole way home. Coach is trying to convince her to retire from the NHL. That he can get her a job at Bellevue as a girls’ coach or even a guys’ coach.”
Lucy shook her head, her heart dropping for her sister-in-law. Baylor’s dad, who was marrying their mom, was the coach at Bellevue University. He had been saying he’d get her a job for the last year. No one wanted to see Baylor get hurt anymore. It was getting really scary. “Yeah, what are you thinking?”
He didn’t answer right away, but when he did, the emotion was thick in his throat. “I don’t know how many more times I can take watching my wife get hurt on the ice. I’m so worried about her that it’s affecting my game.”
“Ugh, I don’t like going over there.”
Her heart broke a bit as she met her baby’s eyes. “I know, baby, but Dad wants to see you too.”
Angie shrugged. “All he cares about are Heidi and Nina.”
“Why would you say that?”
“’Cause he doesn’t ever want to go to anything I like. It’s only what they want.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Lucy announced, because that was not fucking okay.
“No, don’t. Y’all will just fight and I don’t want that,” Angie said sadly. “I just miss Grandma—and River.”
Of course she did. They had been living with her mom since she left Rick. “We can go see them when I pick you up on Sunday, okay?”
Angie nodded, looking out the window. “What about Jude and Claire, and Jace and Avery and Ashlyn? I miss them too.”
Another problem with having such a close-knit family, they all missed each other so much. “Well, we are going to Florida after Christmas and staying with Jace and Avery and baby Ashlyn. And Jude and Claire are coming for Christmas and I think at the end of January, if Jude doesn’t get invited to the All-Star Game.”
“Which he probably will. He’s, like, the best.”
Lucy laughed. “Please don’t tell him that.”
Angie giggled. “Mom! You know it’s true.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy agreed with a smile and Angie grinned back at her just as her phone started ringing.
Jayden’s ringtone.
“Ooooooh, he’s in so much trouble,” Angie sang as Lucy nodded in agreement, hitting answer on her steering wheel.
“Jayden Mitchell.”
“Should I duck when I see you next?” he asked wryly.
“I would.”
“Okay, listen, I’m sorry. I’m a coward, but I thought you wouldn’t take her if I wasn’t gonna be there.”
She made a face. “Whatever. I’d take her no matter what. You don’t need to apologize to me, you need to apologize to her. She was nervous. You know how she can get.”
He made a sound of defeat and cleared his throat. “Angie, baby, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Jay,” she giggled. “Mommy was soooo mad!”
He chuckled. “I know. I’m a jerk. Do you forgive me?”
“Of course!”
“Lucy?”
“I am thinking of a long list of bad words that I could include with no, but Angie’s in the car.”
“Thank God,” he breathed and Lucy smiled. “But really, I’m sorry.”
“Whatever.”
“I love youuuuu,” he sang and Lucy smiled.
“I love you too, but I’m still mad.”
“I know, I’m sorry. But please tell me you didn’t hit my boy, BP?”
“BP?” Lucy asked confused.
“Benji Paxton? He showed, right?”
“Oh yeah! He was soooooooooooo awesome, Jayden! He’s coming Wednesday too,” Angie cheered and Jayden laughed.
“Cool dude, huh?”
“I don’t know. Who volunteers to coach a bunch of girls? Seems a little unusual to me.”
“He’s a really great guy. I seriously only had to call, and he didn’t even question me. Just said he’d be there,” Jayden said, which didn’t change Lucy’s mind. She didn’t like him. Or maybe, she didn’t like that she thought he was hot. Or nice.
Man, she was fucked in the head.
“Can’t he just be nice, Mom?” Angie asked and Lucy shrugged. She wouldn’t allow herself to tell her daughter that no man was like that unless they were disgusting perverts.
“Or a child molester,” she said under her breath, and Jayden sucked in a breath.
“Seriously, Luce?”
“What?” she asked innocently and Angie made a face. “It was a joke.”
“What’d she say?” Angie asked.
“Nothing,” they said at the same time.
“But a really, really cool dude. Supernice, and that’s awesome that he wants to keep helping. He’s kind of a hermit.”
“A hermit?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t get out much. He’s quiet.”
“No, he’s not. He was superfunny,” Angie complained and Jayden chuckled.
“Weirdoooo,” Lucy sang and Angie glared.
“Mom!”
“Sorry,” she said, rolling her eyes. Apparently everyone was a fan of Benji, but she was not and she needed a topic change. “So how’s Baylor?”
Sucking in a breath, Jayden let it out slowly. “Not good. They are pretty sure she’ll need another surgery, and even then, they aren’t sure if she’ll be fixed. She cried the whole way home. Coach is trying to convince her to retire from the NHL. That he can get her a job at Bellevue as a girls’ coach or even a guys’ coach.”
Lucy shook her head, her heart dropping for her sister-in-law. Baylor’s dad, who was marrying their mom, was the coach at Bellevue University. He had been saying he’d get her a job for the last year. No one wanted to see Baylor get hurt anymore. It was getting really scary. “Yeah, what are you thinking?”
He didn’t answer right away, but when he did, the emotion was thick in his throat. “I don’t know how many more times I can take watching my wife get hurt on the ice. I’m so worried about her that it’s affecting my game.”
