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She glanced down at Hunter as they passed. He got claps on the back from his friends as his father beamed with pride.
It hadn't taken Eli more than a few minutes of his time, but it had meant everything to Hunter.
He was so good with little kids. So genuine. Her heart ached as she put a hand on her stomach, glancing down. When this day was over, she had to tell him about the pregnancy.
As the float crawled along, she took a seat on one of the chairs and enjoyed the happy atmosphere. Twenty minutes later, as they approached the stage, her phone vibrated with a text.
She glanced down at the screen and saw it was from an unknown number. Frowning, she clicked the message.
A screenshot of theLucky Bounceblog popped up with the headline, "And Baby Makes Three?"
Her heart began to pound as she stared down at the photo collage under the headline. The first was a picture of her at the pharmacy holding the pregnancy test. The next photo was Eli kissing her on the ice after they won the Cup. And the last was a picture of them at the Palisades Hotel & Casino nightclub. Eli had his arm slung around her shoulders, and they were gazing at one another, smiling.
That fucking traitorous bitch.
Lyla's wish of good luck had nothing to do with good will at all. She'd known all along she was going to set this in motion.
To her horror, she realized the photo had been sent to Eli's number as well. Peering around wildly, she finally saw him at the opposite end of the float, clinking beer cans with Shaw. His phone was still in his pocket.
But for how long?
She fired off a text to Lyla.
Holly:What the fuck is wrong with you? We had a deal!
Lyla:I kept my part of the bargain, Holly. I didn't tell Eli you were pregnant.
Holly:No, you just put it on the front page of the blog and sent it to his phone!
Lyla:I didn't send him anything. I have no idea what you're talking about. Have a nice day. :-)
She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands. All she could do was pray that Eli had so many messages he wouldn't even notice this one until the parade was over, so she could explain before he saw the text.
Biting down on her lip, she sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm herself, hoping luck would be on her side for the rest of the day.
Sadly, she was fairly certain it was about to run out.
* * *
Eli followed Shaw up onto the stage and glanced out at the massive crowd, who had spilled in from the Strip to surround the stage once the buses had dropped the players off. His family, Holly, and the rest of the players' friends and families were safely cordoned off on the side of the stage.
He saw Holly standing next to Penn and his sisters and breathed a sigh of relief that she looked to be in good shape. After she'd left Ryder's party early, he'd worried about how she'd handle the heat and the crowd today. Heat seemed to make her MG act up, and he didn't want anything happening to her.
Once the team was up on the stage, all wearing their Cup champions t-shirts and hats, Coach Finley grabbed the microphone to address the fans.
"We went through hell and back to get here today, but here we stand. These guys laid it all on the line—battling amazing teams, accruing their share of injuries, and sacrificing their bodies and their hearts to bring this trophy home to you. Vegas, this Cup belongs to you!"
Ryder grabbed the Cup and held it over his head as he walked to the front of the stage, and the crowd went wild.
Eli grinned at Shaw. "Are you going to say something when it's your turn?"
Shaw snorted and waved a hand. "Maybe. I'm not too drunk yet."
Ryder took the microphone from Coach Finley. "We love you guys, and we're going to do our best to keep the Cup right here in Vegas."
Eli laughed as the crowd screamed their approval. Damn, they were loud.
Ryder nodded to Fally, who sat off to the side in his wheelchair. "I want everyone here to give it up for this guy. He's a huge part of our team—our beating heart—and one of the best wingers to ever play this game. We wouldn't have gotten this far without him. Fally, here you go man. We love you."
