Gauging the Player: A One-Night-Stand Sports Romance (The Playmakers Series Hockey Romance Book 3), стр. 33
For an instant, Ivy seemed at a loss for words, but she recovered. “Yeah, I think you’d begood for her. Now all we have to do is convince her to let you in.”
Chapter 11
If Wishes Were Wings, I’d Crash
If Gage didn’t believe he was in trouble the night before, he knew it for sure the next day when he called his sister for advice.
“Hey, Gage. Awesome game last night! I’ve been showing the video of your game-winning goal to everyone in the office. What the hell kind of explosives did they shove up your butt?”
He laughed. “No explosives. Just an extra dose of orneriness as we get closer to playoffs, I guess.”
“Well, you should be that ornery more often, Baby Bro.”
“Duly noted.” He was seated at his kitchen counter, staring at the pines beyond the window, while Hobbes had a sniff-fest around the fireplace in the family room. The cat had been smelling his way around his new digs all morning. “Hey, Sar, have you, uh, ever dated anyone with kids?”
“No. Why?” Her voice had a decidedly suspicious ring to it. He’d expected as much.
“Just curious.”
“Wait. Are you dating someone with kids? Wait. Are you dating?”
“Haha, very funny. And it’s none of your business.”
“Which means you are dating someone with kids.” Her tone softened. “You must really like her. Do you think she’s ‘The One’?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, double-guessing his wisdom in calling her. Three generations of women had hammered him with “The One.” Damn romance novels, setting ridiculously unbelievable standards.
“Sarah, I haven’t known her that long. How the hell would I know if she’s the one, the two, or the nine-squared?”
“So back to this woman you’re dating.”
“We’re not exactly dating, but the more I’m around her, the more I want to be dating her.”
Whoa! Had he really said it out loud? To his sister? Shit, he was spewing confessions to sisters like a malfunctioning water dispenser.
His worry over the wisdom of sharing was erased a beat later when Sarah said, “And you’re hesitant to date her because she has a kid?”
“No, I think I can work with that part.”
“So what’s holding you back?”
He let out a wry chuckle. “I’m not sure. She is. I think. It’s weird because there’s this … this spark whenever we’re together, and I’m pretty sure it goes both ways. But I also feel like she’s got walls up, and I wonder if it’s me reading her all wrong and she really doesn’t want to date me, or if it has something to do with her daughter. I mean, that’s gotta be tough, right? You want to protect your kid, and there are all these whack jobs running around. It’d probably make you think twice about getting involved with someone.”
The other very real possibility, one he kept to himself, was that Lily was still in love with Jack. Had her loyalty made her run that night? Guilt was a powerful motivator, a fact Gage understood only too well.
“To tell the truth, Sar, I’m not sure what to do if I want to get close to this woman. I don’t know a thing about kids. How am I supposed to act around them?”
His sister let out a strangled sigh. “Gage, I’m gonna tell you something—and don’t you dare hold it over my head—but I’ve always thought you’d be a phenomenal dad. You have a shitload of patience. You always take care of everyone without whining. I don’t know what your family would do without you.”
This touched him with warmth and guilt. He wasn’t the Superman his family always made him out to be. Hell, if he weren’t so self-centered, he’d be back in the Bay Area with them instead of chasing his pro hockey dreams. He “took care of them” by spending money, which was selfish in itself because it soothed his conscience.
“I think you’re giving me way too much credit, Sar.”
As if she hadn’t heard him, she barreled on. “You’re also wise beyond your years, Little Bro, though God knows where you get it from. Not Mom or Dad, that’s for damn sure.”
“I get it from Grandma,” he said without thinking. He felt a familiar stab in his chest. God, he missed her. How long had it been since he’d talked to her? He needed to call her. Today. Would she know who he was? Would she know what a phone was?
“And another thing,” his sister continued. “You do know how to act around kids. Don’t you visit kids in the hospital and sponsor a kids’ hockey team?”
“Yeah, but that’s different.”
“Is it? How old is the daughter?”
“Five.” A thought flared in his brain. “Same age as my mites.”
“There’s your answer!” Triumph rang in Sarah’s voice. “Take the little girl skating. Get to know her and let her get to know you. If she doesn’t already skate, teach her. Hell, add her to your mites team!”
“Huh. Hadn’t considered it.”
“That’s why you have me, the all-seeing, all-knowing—”
“Thanks, Yoda,” he deadpanned. “What if I make her nervous, though?”
“You don’t make anybody nervous. Well, except the goalies who want to drop their jockstraps when they see you streaking in,” she laughed. “Look, just relax and be yourself. That’s really all you need to do.”
Though he wasn’t convinced Sarah had it right, he texted Lily when he hung up. About the fan mail …
His phone chirped immediately. Well, hello to you too, Professor. I haven’t had a chance to dig in yet.
He could practically hear her musical laugh, and he found himself smiling at nothing in particular. Like a complete idiot.
Gage: No problem. I was thinking we should go through it together here.
Lily: Where’s here?
Gage: My place. That way you can see where and how I live. More background for social media. Or I