She flinches.
“I’m sure the guys on the team are looking out for them, and I don’t know him well enough yet to spot them. But he’s going too hard for too long, and I’m afraid he’s not going to be there for us long term.” The weight on my shoulders lifts just a little at sharing the fears I’ve been keeping inside.
“Am I attracted to him? Absolutely. Do I want to be a family together? I dunno. Maybe. I don’t know him well enough yet to see all of his annoying habits to know if I cansurvive with him and not k-i-l-l him in his sleep. Do I want to date him to see? Of course. And I want him to be an active part of his son’s life, especially considering he’s missed the first couple years. But I’m really scared, Eloise. What if he d-i-e-s because of these injuries?”
With a nod, she reaches her warm hand across the table to cup mine, giving me a firm squeeze. “Talk to him? Find out what’s going on in his head? Perhaps he’s chasing a dream so hard he’s missing everything else around him. Ask him why? I dunno.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know him at all, and neither does Ares really. But he’s worried. I’m not sure if he’s talked to his brothers about it or not, but they’re a tight knit family, so I wouldn’t put it past them. You might be the one to get through to him. You never know.”
I almost laugh out loud, but a snort comes out instead. “I don’t know him either, Ellie.”
“True, but things are different now.” She gestures at Wyatt. “Sometimes things like that change a person’s perspective on things. Your fears are rational. You need to hear that too. You’ve been through a lot—it’s only natural to be afraid history will repeat itself. Especially when he hasn’t changed the behavior that caused it in the first place.”
Her words make sense, but she’s placing a lot of importance on me and my kid with this guy I barely know.
My head says he’s not my problem and to keep him at arm’s length.
Except my heart wants him much closer.
“The Blind Pig or Joensy’s? You got a tenderloin preference?” Raffi kisses me on the cheek. It’s adorable, romantic, and makes his cheeks go pink.
This is most definitely not Raffi’s car. I don’t know who owns it, but it looks pretty new. Smells it too.
“Whatever you want is fine. I’m not picky.”
“You should always be picky, Victoria.” He sounds so stern when he’s scolding me. “Especially about food. Life’s too short to eat subpar tenderloin.”
At this point, I just want to hang out with him. I don’t care about the food, I don’t care about the car, I just want to get to know him to see if we could work together as a couple. Or at least co-parent. That’s non-negotiable.
“It’s Apollo’s car.” He casts a glance across at me. “Apparently I wasn’t allowed to take you out in something that was older than his grandma or likely to break down.”
He told his friends we were going out? I’m not sure how I feel about that.
He pats my thigh. “They don’t know who you are, just that I’m going out. I guess the fact that I didn’t leave the house in gym gear was a giveaway. Apollo just tossed his keys at me and told me not to get cum on the seats.” His eyes widen. “Fuck. Sorry. That’s not… I didn’t. Jesus. I’m nervous. I don’t wanna fuck this up.”
I’m laughing so hard I might pee my pants. Ever since having Wyatt those muscles haven’t been as reliable as I’d like them to. They always tell you to work on your pelvic floor when you’re pregnant, but they don’t quite tell you why. And by the time you figure out the why, it’s almost too late.
“It’s fine. But now I’m tempted to leave a stain on the seat just to prank him.”
He weaves his fingers into mine and holds my hand on my thigh. Bold move, but one I’m more than comfortable with. I want to be close to him. I’ve spent three years thinking he wanted nothing to do with me, so his overt affection warms me like stepping inside after being outside shoveling snow for a few hours.
My skin tingles. I opted for jeans, boots, and a shirt. Casual, but at least three steps up from my daily mom-wear. Raffi’s wearing jeans and a button down. He looks handsome as hell, and there’s a part of me that wants him to find a gravel road and make all kinds of mess in Apollo’s back seat.
But we need to talk, reconnect.
As we wait at a red light, Luke Combs’s “Hurricane” comes onto the radio. I haven’t heard Raffi sing before, but the more he gets into the song, the more I realize he can really carry a tune.
“What?” That lopsided grin is going to be the death of me. It’s the same one Wyatt gives me when he wants snacks or screen time. If the two of them ever pull it on me, I’ll die right on the spot.
"You weren't bullshitting about songwriting, were you?"
He shakes his head. “Gotta get all my feelings out somehow.” He tilts his head. “I’m better at the guitar than singing though. Some of the other guys are way better singers than I am.”
“Don’t downplay your achievements, Raffi. You have talents spanning beyond scoring goals on the ice.” It’s a shot across the bow, probably a tad unfair, but also true.
He falls silent as he pulls off I-380. “How’s it going at the gym with Phil?”
I grunt, rolling my shoulders. “Everything hurts all the goddamn time. As soon as I feel like I’m making progress, or I’m getting good at something, he pivots and makes me do something new. Then everything hurts all over again.”
