Page 53 of Pucking Secret

Tears form in the corners of my eyes as I gaze up at her. She’s right. Of course she’s right. That doesn’t make what I have to do any easier.

“I know,” I whisper. “I know, I need to tell him.”

She nods. “And might I advise doing it before your mother stops by to see you? If she finds out about Owen and confronts him before you tell him, it could be a disaster.”

Ugh…I’d almost forgotten about my mom being in town. I still haven’t reached back out to tell her when she can come visit Millie. Honestly, I’d been trying to repress it. She hasn’t called again either, and I assume she’s having too good of a time with her new boytoy. I know if she gets the chance, though, she’ll ripOwen a new one, and it won’t matter to her whether he knew about Millie or not.

“God, she’s going to think I’m pathetic for getting close to Owen again,” I mumble.

Gram waves her hands dismissively. “It doesn’t matter what Laura thinks. It’s your life, Stacey, and you can live it however you want. Your mother will cause trouble if she’s given the chance, though, so it’s best that you get ahead of that possibility while you still can.”

“I will. I promise.” Catching sight of the alarm clock next to Gram’s bed, I let out a short gasp. “Oh! I’ve got to go. Millie has her ice skating performance tonight and I need to pick her up and take her to the rink to get ready.”

“I’ll come with you,” Gram says, her smile widening again.

“You will?” I ask, delighted. “Gram, Millie will be so excited! But I thought you had Bingo tonight and were going to wait and go to the regional show next month with me, Grace, and Skyler? This one is just a local show, so there won’t be too many performances.”

Gram rolls her eyes. “Don’t even get me started on the Bingo drama, Stacey. There are some old biddies around here who don’t know how to have fun and try to ruin the good times for the rest of us. They can handle themselves without me. I want to see Millie skate.”

I laugh, not bothering to ask more about whatever drama is going on with Bingo. I’m just thrilled she’s going to come to the performance. Millie has been wanting to show off her new skills to Gram for weeks.

“Okay,” I say. “Let’s get going then.”

Gram grins and pushes to her feet. “Lead the way, my dear.”

When Gram, Millie, and I arrive at the skating rink, it’s already busy with other kids getting ready for the performance and parents, friends, and families filling the stands. As I scan the arena, my gaze lands on Owen sitting in the front row of the stands, next to a couple empty seats. I freeze and my heart starts to race. God, he looks so good. His hair is a little more mussed than usual, and a few strands fall across his forehead. He’s wearing a Night Hawks pullover and dark blue jeans. Heat pools between my legs. I lose my breath for a moment before I’m able to pull myself together again. He waves at us with a wide smile.

“Owen!” Millie exclaims, rushing over to him. She jumps into his arms and gives him a tight hug.

“Hey, kiddo,” he says, squeezing her back before lowering her back to the floor.

Gram and I walk up behind Millie and I can’t stop staring at him, stunned.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

His smile softens as he looks up at me. “I made a promise to Millie that I’d come.”

My heart seizes and it’s suddenly difficult to breathe, even as warmth floods me. Oh, right…I do remember him saying that. I didn’t actually think he’d show up, though.

“Why didn’t you say anything about coming?” The corners of my mouth twitch into a grin. “And how’d you know where the rink is?”

He chuckles and shrugs. “I wanted to surprise my girls, so I asked Grace.”

His girls? Something inside me melts at those words and my knees go a little weak. Jesus, this man is driving me crazy.

Along with the rush of delight, though, is more guilt. He’s acting like we’re his, but he doesn’t know the full truth.

I can’t keep doing this. I have to tell him.

Millie is practically bouncing up and down in her excitement.

“Now you can watch the experts skate,” she boasts to Owen, giving him a cocky grin. Her blue eyes sparkle, and the strands of curls — just a few, which broke free from her tight bun — bounce up and down every time she does. She looks so adorable in her sparkly pink leotard and skirt, I just want to scoop her up into a bear hug and kiss her cheeks until she’s squealing with laughter.

“You go out there and show me how it’s done,” he tells her.

“Millie!” her skating instructor suddenly calls. “Come on over here, honey. You need to get ready.”

Millie turns to try and rush away, though it’s difficult since she’s wearing her skates with skate guards on. She gives us a wave before joining the other kids at the edge of the rink.

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