Page 124 of Going All In

“I know you don’t want to end up like me. You think I gave up on a career because of your father’s busy schedule and having kids.”

“Mom,” Darcy started, but her mother held up her hand.

“No. Having the three of you is my most important job. I didn’t want anything else. I know I’ve pushed all of you to find happiness, but I never expected you to do something like this just to avoid it.”

Darcy wanted to disappear.

“I’m so sorry, Mom. I know you want us to be happy. I do appreciate everything you and Dad have done to help me with school, but I need more than just financial support. I need you to understand that this is important to me.”

Her mother scooted closer, wrapping her arm around Darcy’s shoulder. “I may go over the top with trying to help, but it’s with love. It’s always been with love. And I can see that your degree and future career are important to you. I just don’t want you to focus only on that and miss out on finding someone great to be with. Your father and I really are very proud of you, and I’m sorry if we don’t show it enough.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Darcy whispered. She’d needed so badly to hear that, more than she realized.

“So, if you were fake dating, why do you look like your heart is broken?”

Darcy bit out a watery laugh. “Because I might’ve stupidly fallen in love with him and then I panicked and told him it was over.”

“Oh, Darcy. I knew that boy loved you, and fight it all you want, you’ve never looked happier. The way he looked at you reminded me of how your father looks at me. Every person should be so lucky to find that.”

“And I threw it away.”

“You got scared. That’s very typical of you. You’re like your father in that way. You know, he got scared one time. Tried to tell me I deserved better because he was always in school and working.”

“Really? What did you do?”

“I told him to get over it. That we would always make it work, and doing our best was all that mattered.”

“So what do I do now? I haven’t even texted him, and it’s been days.”

“You need a grand gesture. I’ve read about them in my books, and they always work,” her mother said.

“Yes. A grand gesture.” Ally ducked out from the hallway, flashing them a smile. Of course she’d been listening. She always is.

“I don’t know. Can’t I just talk to him?”

“That would be a start. And a shower. Start with that,” her mother said, patting Darcy’s hair.

“I love you, Mom. I’m so sorry for what I did.”

Her mother squeezed Darcy in a hug that reminded Darcy of being a little kid. She could always count on her mom for the best hugs.

Hell. She was a horrible daughter.

“It’s okay. Part of me understands. You get your determination from me, you know?”

“I believe Jake calls that stubbornness.”

“That too. So what are you going to do? Jake is it for you. I know it and you know it. Now you need to make sure Jake knows it,” her mom said.

If only it were that easy.

Fucking hell. They’dlost. In double overtime. When the goal horn sounded for Vegas, in the middle of the second overtime, Jake didn’t want to believe it. That their season was over. And on home ice. That everything they’d busted their asses for was over. The energy in the locker room was a mixture of anger, frustration, and grief. They’d wanted it so fucking bad.

Not that every other team in the league didn’t feel the same way. The sports analysts had said this was the Strikers’ year and Jake had wanted to believe that more than he’d let on. He wanted to hoist that Cup. To do his part to show the owners that he was a valuable part of the team and wanted to be here for the long haul.

He couldn’t be upset with his numbers. They were solid, and the only thing he could do now was wait. Wait for the contract negotiations and hope that Ralph got him the best deal possible, a deal that would keep him in San Francisco.

But the other downside of losing was now he had all the time in the world to dwell on Darcy and think about where he’d gone wrong. Not that he hadn’t spent way too much time in the past four days thinking about her. But at least he could pretend that it was in the back of his mind.

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