Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“He and Harrison and Grazer play in lock step,” the other announcer said. “If the Coyotes’ defense shows up to a game, that first line is pretty much unstoppable.”
During a timeout, the cameras showed the cheering crowd, which included Beau’s fan club, The Foxes. It blew my mind that those women showed up to every home game to hold up signs saying, “Fox rocks my socks.” One of them wore a T-shirt with a picture of his smiling face on it.
Reality hit me hard and fast. I was a fool, catching feelings for a man who was a literal superstar. Beau had been right to stop things that night. I’d be better off dying a virgin than giving myself away to a man with triple digit notches on his bedpost.
My mom woke up, her face scrunched in confusion. “How long was I out?”
“I don’t know. It’s almost seven.”
“Wow.” She got up from the chair and picked up the remote. “You’re not watching this, are you?”
“No.”
Tie game or not, I couldn’t fixate on anything involving Beau. It could only end one way—with my heart broken.
I was fortunate to have a part of him in my child. That would have to be enough.
“Should we watch the ball drop?” my mom asked.
“Sure.”
It was the first New Year’s Eve in years I wasn’t alone. A year ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d spend it with my mom, expecting a baby of my own.
My life was quiet and simple, but I liked it that way. It was enough.
The next morning, I woke up more rested than I had in a long time. I didn’t feel the need to reach for the Saltine crackers on my nightstand to settle my stomach.
I hoped pregnancy sickness was one of several things I could leave behind for good on the first day of a new year. Mom and I could go get groceries and maybe go out for a movie or do some shopping. Maybe it was time to tell her I was pregnant.
I got up and peeked in the doorway of the guest room, but it was empty, the covers a tangled mess.
“Mom?” I called out, walking into the kitchen.
It was empty, too. Maybe she was running an errand. I started some water in my teapot and went to the living room to look out the big picture window and see how much snow we’d gotten the night before.
My gaze stopped on my desk as I walked past my office nook. My laptop was gone. I always kept it in the same place, on the left-hand side of my desk, and there was a bare spot where it usually was.
My heart thundered with worry. I had confidential work for clients on that laptop, and even though it was encrypted, nothing was unbreakable.
And worse than that was knowing deep down what had happened to it. Why did I trust anyone but myself? I never seemed to learn.
I ran to my bedroom in a panic, praying I’d find my most treasured possession—the silver Tiffany watch my grandma had left me. My grandpa had given it to her for their 50th wedding anniversary and unlike the computer, it was irreplaceable. He’d had it engraved on the back with I love you, Sunshine, his nickname for her.
My jewelry box was on a shelf in my walk-in closet, and tears filled my eyes when I saw that one of the drawers wasn’t all the way closed. Someone other than me had gotten into it.
A couple of rings that weren’t worth much were gone, and so was the watch. I sat down on the edge of my bed and sobbed into my hands.
I’d been burned hard twice in the span of a week. And this time I’d let my mom do it to me, trusting her when she’d proven to me so many times that I shouldn’t.
Never again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Three months later
Beau
“Check it out.” Our backup goalie, Drew Horner, turned the screen of his cell phone around so I could see it. “That’s my niece, Shelby Grace McNeil.”
“She’s a cutie,” I said, smiling at the picture of a red-faced newborn wearing a bow the size of her entire face.
“Yep, I’m an uncle now. I can’t wait to buy Shelby her first hockey stick.”
I nodded, my mind a million miles away.
Shelby. Hearing her name reminded me of the woman I’d been trying my best to forget about for three months now. I’d texted and called several times after Christmas, but she’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me.
I was at war with myself for the first month, torn between wanting to respect her wishes and knowing she was wrong. There was something between us, and it had caught me entirely by surprise that night. I knew I was intrigued by her and I felt an attraction, but I’d been able to stop myself from acting on it before then because I knew it wasn’t a good idea.