“Don’t you have practice?”she asked.
“Informal.I don’t have to—”
“Go.Please.It will be good for you.And there’s something I need to do.”Millie rose, paused to look down at Bree in her crib, and walked out of the room.
Luka
Millie had been right.Getting a stick in my hands, flying across the ice, and slamming pucks into the net helped me clear my head.I had no idea how executives sat through meetings.That shit was brutal.Hockey made sense.Love, relationships…not so much.
Two and a half hours later, drenched in sweat and grinning like a loon as Maxim cursed me after a fuckingfantasticdeke, I leaned over, hands on knees, and let myself glide across the ice.
“You good now?”Cruz asked as he skated up beside me.
“Yes.But no.”
Cruz made a humming noise.“What did you do?”
I rose to my full height and glared.“Why do you think I did something?”
Maxim slapped his giant paw on my shoulder.“Because we’re men and we fear our feelings and do dumb shit to make them go away.”
Cruz skidded to a stop at the rink’s exit and pointed at Maxim.“That.”He led us off the ice.
I sighed, demoralized, as I admitted that I had, in fact, been stupid.Or at least not approached Millie’s feelings with the care I should have.I told them about Trent’s comments on the plane and her guarded, hurt reaction to my suggestion of the paternity test.
Cruz gave his head one shake, then let it drop.“That’s partially my fault.I should have considered how she’d take that—especially knowing what a snake her father is.And Gunnar’s asshole comments.”
“There’s so much on her plate right now.She just had a baby, for God’s sake.She shouldn’t have to litigate her entire life on top of that.Yet that’s exactly where we are, and I can’t make any of it go away.”
Maxim nodded, meeting my gaze when I finally lifted it.
But it was Coach Whittaker who answered.“Sounds like what I did when I freaked out about how much I loved Trix and Paloma, even though I knew I wasn’t good enough for them.”
I glanced over my shoulder, too tired and heartsore to be angry my coach was eavesdropping.“But you’re happy now?”
He smiled.“Yeah.Even when they make me crazy, which is often.”He pressed his lips together.“Those two are good at it.”
“Because they know you so well.And it’s probably part of their love language,” Cruz offered.
Millie
My hands shookas I picked up the small box I’d had delivered while Luka was at his practice.My heart pounded, but my grip was sure.I met him in the living room when he returned.
He was freshly showered, but his face was pinched.He searched my eyes, seeking answers I hoped I could give him.
“Would you sit down?”I asked.
He moved toward that giant armchair and sat.I walked toward him, my legs wobbly, and dropped to my knees between his spread ones.I set the box on his thigh.
“What’s—”
“Your engagement ring,” I said.
“You boughtmean engagement ring?That’sa thing?”
I nodded.“Oh yeah.”I shrugged.“The jewelers off Montrose had many choices.”
We both smiled.Montrose was at the epicenter of the vibrant gay scene in the city.Houston was a lot more cosmopolitan than outsiders gave it credit for; probably because the city also embraced its roughneck roots.
