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I pressed 'send.'
He was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Although, players were the last kind of guy I should be around. I knew that even before Bam came along. Maybe now I'd listen to myself.
I looked at my phone for a few moments after the email left my inbox. With a start, I remembered why I had my phone out in the first place.
I pressed on Bam's details and sent out a short, but to the point,
Where the hell are you?
I pressed send and waited.
And waited.
"Asshat," I muttered before I remembered there were kids and parents present. Luckily I hadn't shouted it like I wanted to.
I looked up to see Bec watching me, a questioning look on her face.
I shrugged that I didn't know.
She frowned and looked toward Hawk, who shrugged as well. The quarterback didn't look any happier about this than I was.
Hawk looked toward Chase, whose expression said he was as clueless as the rest of us, but not worried.
At least, not worried yet.
By then, I was past worry and into anger. After the gala, I should have known I couldn't rely on Bam. Part of me wanted to storm out and never look back. I could go to Sydney and never think of the Rapids again as long as I lived.
The reasons I couldn't do that were as long as my arm. They started with not letting down the kids and didn't end with the fact I wouldn't abandon my friends, no matter how furious I was at one jerk of a pro football player.
I was equally angry at myself though. He'd been transparent as glass with me from the very start. He told me he'd never settle down, that he was a restless soul. I was the one who painted him to be a good guy, who could be trusted to do what he said he'd do.
At the end of it all, he was the same guy who got into trouble for being in the wrong bar and mouthing off. The guy who bowed to the camera and made everything about him, including this.
Only, I wasn't going to let him ruin this. This would be the most memorable party the kids and the hospital ever saw.
I scanned the room and realised the kids didn't care who was there and who wasn't. Even the ones who were confined to their beds were smiling and singing along to carols which played from speakers overhead.
Later, they would never know if Bam turned up or not. That gave me the strength to manage a smile and move to help the kids to decorate the top of the tree.
"Ho ho ho!" a voice said from the doorway. "Did someone say they've been good?"
"Santa!" the kids shouted. Some went running toward him. Others hung back, smiling shyly.
I exhaled.
He certainly knew how to make an entrance. All of my anger evaporated as Bam, red suit, beard, huge stomach and all, stepped into the room carrying a bag over his shoulder.
I should have known he wouldn't let the kids down.
"Sit down everyone," he said, "I have presents for all." He winked at me before he led the kids over to the tree.
CHAPTER 23
BAM
As promised, and carefully planned, I had a present for every kid in the ward.
Grace sat down with the nurses a couple of days ago to figure out just the right things for the kids who had been there for a while. For others, we had to guess. Then I had ordered pretty much double of everything for new kids, siblings, visitors or another hospital if we had enough left.
