“But in all seriousness, if you want to spend some time with Billie later, I can double as a decent wingman.”
When he holds out his fist for me, I bump it straight back. “Thanks, man. This past week has been a fucking nightmare.”
Leaning back against the wall, Archer clicks his tongue. “Last time we spoke, you told me you didn’t have any kind of feelings for her. That isn’t strictly true, is it?”
The next couple of seconds feel like an eternity as I chew over my response. I can’t keep denying how I feel—to myself or to Archer. It’s been a long time since I fell for a woman, but I know my heart is heading that way with Billie. The thought of claiming that what we have is purely physical makes me feel sick. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to avoid catching feelings, yet here I am, sitting on this bench, trying to fight the fact that I’m falling. So, if anything is a testament to how strong I feel or how inevitable we are, then this moment right here is exactly that.
Acceptance should make this whole situation straightforward. Instead, all it does is complicate things further because we can’t be together. Not in a relationship or even for a single night. I’m failing at keeping a lid on my emotions, and that’s not something I’ve struggled with before.
“I’m so confused,” I sigh. “All I know is, my poker face is cracking, and I’m in so much fucking trouble. Despite all the dangers, I keep wading into deeper waters with her.”
Archer already knew what was going on in my mind before I voiced the words, his head nodding along as I speak.
“Are you too far gone to pull back?”
I shrug my shoulders, frustration creeping into my bones. “I don’t even know anymore.”
He looks at me then, no sign of humor in his features. “You need to act and do something before it’s too late and I’m attending my defenseman’s funeral rather than lifting this year’s Cup with him.”
I try to answer, but he carries on, apprehension and understanding laced in his voice.
“If you’re too far gone to pull back, then you need to approach Scott and talk to him about where your head’s at with his daughter.” He slaps his thigh. “But if you can still put a stop to this … well then, you need to have a serious conversation with Billie and set clear boundaries between you.” He knocks his knee against mine. “I’m all for my friends falling in love, but not if it means picking up the pieces of their lives when everything ultimately blows up in their faces. I’m telling you now, Emmett, if you keep going down this road and you two end up falling into bed together, you need to be prepared to kiss your friendship goodbye, possibly along with whatever you have with Billie. This could fuck up her relationship with her parents, too, and you already told me that she’s been through a lot.”
All I can do is stare ahead at the wall, gut contorting while my head and heart face off with each other—a war sparked by the logic in my goalie’s warning.
“I’m falling hard.”
From my peripheral vision, I see Archer’s subtle nod of acknowledgment. “I know, buddy.”
It feels like I’m ingesting razor blades when I breathe my next breath. “You asked me if I’m too far gone, and the answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean that I’m too selfish to resist pulling back.” On the next swallow, the razor blades rise into my throat. “You were right when you said that the best things happen when you least expect them because Billie and Blake are everything to me.” My voice wobbles, no matter how hard I try to keep it steady.
A warm palm rests on my shoulder. “Fuck, Emmett, I’m so sorry that you’re going through this.”
Closing my eyes, I pray that the darkness will make my next sentence slightly easier to admit. “And the fact that she means so much to me is precisely why I have to let my girl go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
BILLIE
“You, girl, are one hundred percent starting to show.” Kendra rests a palm over Jenna’s rounding stomach. “And I’m making the call right now—you’re having a boy.”
Darcy tuts from beside me, dropping her eyes to Jenna’s belly. “I actually think it’s twins. Whenever Tommy’s involved, a person would be naive to predict anything other than chaos.”
The way she delivers her statement in a thick British accent has me chuckling under my breath. Sitting alongside these girls for the game was the most fun I’d had in months, each of them filling me in on stories over the past few seasons. A personal highlight has to be Archer catching Collins and Sawyer going at it in Kendra and Jack’s infamous spare bedroom.
“It’s not twins.” Kate sidles up alongside Jenna, swishing a mass of silky blonde hair over her right shoulder. “When I was three months pregnant with June and Will, I was already picking out maternity clothes.” She motions to Jenna’s stomach. “This bump right here has all the hallmarks of a baby boy.”
Kendra smiles triumphantly. “Ooh … what will you name him?”
As the girls all continue to talk around the bar, my attention wanders to Dad and Emmett, deep in conversation a few tables away from where we are all standing. My eyes instantly find Emmett’s, and a wry smile tugs at his lips.
I want to know what he’s thinking, but trying to find a moment with him, where we can slip off and talk, is proving to be impossible.
“Wesoneed to meet baby Blake!” Darcy’s animated voice pulls me back into the group.
“I’ll admit,” Collins says next, swirling mint leaves around in her mojito, “as far as babies go, Blake is probably one of the cutest I’ve seen.”
Kate snorts a laugh, her hand reaching out to rest on Collins’s forearm. “I remember when Will was born. I was kind of horrified at the state of his face when he popped out. It was all scrunched up. For a second, I contemplated asking the midwife to put him back.”
