Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“No,” he says tiredly. “Marek stayed back to get Gracen and Lilly packed up. He’s going to drive them down in Gracen’s car.”
“So she’s just up and leaving her life there? With only a day to do it in?” I’m completely bewildered over Marek’s behavior. He’s so carefree, funny, and kind. He seems like sort of a dick now, to be honest.
“Apparently,” Reed says, and the disgust I hear in his voice is clearer. I don’t think he agrees with the way Marek is handling it either. “No clue what he intends to do with them once he gets here.”
“Does Lilly even know that Marek is her father?” I ask, and then think to ask something else. “How old is she?”
Reed shrugs. “I guess around three. Gracen had found out she was pregnant literally the day that Marek broke things off with her. She didn’t tell him because he didn’t want the responsibility of a relationship, or something like that. I don’t know. It’s all so convoluted and I don’t think anything good is going to come of this.”
There’s no doubt Reed is really bothered with this and a flush of guilt sweeps through me because I set all of this in motion. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have meddled and pushed Marek to go there.”
Reed’s chin jerks inward and his eyebrows shoot up before he shakes his head at me. “This isn’t your fault, Josie.”
“If I would have stayed out of it, you probably could have talked him into ignoring it,” I point out.
“And Marek would have never known he had a daughter,” Reed counters, and I know he’s right. His voice goes soft when he adds, “But this is going to be hard for him. He’s not used to having that responsibility. He’s going to have to build a relationship with his daughter, and he’s missed out on three years of figuring out how to be a dad. Going right into the hockey season, and having a rocky relationship with Gracen, this could be disastrous.”
“This is a big year for you guys,” I murmur as I think about all they are facing as defending two-time Cup champions. The pressure is immense this year, especially since their team is still pretty much intact and expectations are they will do it again.
“The biggest,” Reed says with a wan smile. “It’s been almost thirty years since there’s been a three-peat Cup champion.”
“But they have you,” I say with a bright smile as I tilt my head at him. “So it’s practically damn guaranteed.”
All of the stress that seemed to be emanating from Reed vanishes and he laughs. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me across the couch as he lies down and I come to rest on top of him. His hands go to my ass and he presses me into his pelvis and, well, hello there.
Reed is definitely excited to see me.
My eyes drop to his mouth because all I can think about is kissing him right now. But his words stop me short when he says, “It’s going to be a really trying season, Josie. The pressure will be intense and travel is hard on relationships. You need to know that.”
I frown at him as I push myself up, resting my forearms on his abdomen so I can look down at him. “That’s an odd thing to say out of the blue like that.”
“What? That the season is going to be stressful?”
I shake my head. “No. That it will be hard on relationships. It sounds like a dire warning. Or a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or even some type of setup for you to lead into a deeper conversation.”
Because Reed has never gotten this serious on me before, I actually kind of expect him to laugh it off and tell me that’s not really what he meant. But instead his expression turns somber and he stares at me intently. “I can’t devote the same time to you during the season.”
I push up on him further and now I’m getting angry. “And I never once expected you to or even asked you to.”
My anger isn’t returned. His voice is soft and sympathetic, as if he’s apologizing in advance for something. “I know you didn’t. I didn’t say that. It’s just that we’ve had a great summer and it’s been very carefree.”
“So by definition and the pessimistic sound of your voice, the fall is going to be awful. Is that what you’re trying to say?”
He shakes his head, his eyes turning tender A hand comes up and strokes my hair. “No, Josie. I’m just saying it’s going to be different. And I want both of us to acknowledge that and be prepared for it.”
I stare at him a moment, my eyes searching his frantically for some hidden meaning. I feel like he’s trying to say something but just won’t say it. This goes nowhere fast, as Reed just holds my gaze, his expression so neutral I can’t tell what he’s really thinking.