Page 45 of Make Your Save

Rowan is on the other side of the glass and he half bends down so the three of us look like we’re allstanding together. Nova smiles, taking a few pictures before she looks pleased.

“I’ll send them to you and you can show him then,” Nova tells me as I turn back to Rowan. His eyes meet mine once more, a tenderness settling within the deep hues of blue in his irises before he’s called back to warm up.

He winks at me, sending a shiver down my spine, before he slides his helmet back over his head and puts his glove back on. I watch him as he turns around, heading back over to the net as the guys all begin to line up.

“Holy shit, is that Rowan Taylor’s fiancée?”

“Ew. She’s probably just another woman he’s sleeping with.”

Reality comes crashing down around me, but I knew this was a possibility. Ignoring the whispers from the fans, I stare out at the ice, keeping my attention solely on Rowan before it’s time for us to head up to the suite.

We all knew eventually this would have to come out to the public. It’s not like it’s big news or anything like that, but the fan base for some professional sports teams can be crazy from what I’ve heard.

Rowan warned me that if people caught wind of it, it could go a few different ways. There could potentially be people sticking their noses in business that isn’t theirs. The media could have a heyday with it and run rampant through the headlines, spreading rumors. There’s also the potential that no one would really notice or things could just blow over quickly and we wouldn’t get a lot of attention from the media.

Regardless of what happens, Rowan wanted Lucy and me here to support him and truly, that’s the only thing that matters.

For the next few months, we’re a team, and I plan on being the best teammate he’s ever had.

Even if it ends up costing me my heart.

CHAPTER TWENTY

ROWAN

Press after the game turns out to be less of a dumpster fire than I was expecting.

After managing to cinch another win, I’m the one who ends up having to talk to the media afterward. Much to my surprise, I’m not pressed about details on Lucy and Hadley. A few questions are brought up in regard to them and I set the record straight with limited information. I confirm that Hadley is in fact my fiancée and that Lucy is my daughter.

The interview was cut short by Coach Landry interjecting and I wasn’t able to answer the question about how I managed to keep it a secret this long.

And now Hadley is silent the entire fucking way home.

I don’t know what I said or did wrong. I didn’t even know she caught the interview, but she must have been watching it as it was broadcast on the TVs in the wives’ room.

We pull into the driveway and she sits with herhands clasped in her lap as the garage door slowly slides open. I glance at her, hoping she’ll look at me, but when she doesn’t, I pull the car into the garage, letting the door close behind us.

As I turn off the engine, I glance in the rearview mirror, and I see Lucy’s still asleep. Hadley turns her body slightly, the Aston Archers jersey she’s wearing shifting as she undoes her seat belt. It makes a sound as it slides away from her body.

“Where did you get this?” I ask her, tilting my head to the side. “Whose name is on the back?”

Hadley looks at me, reaching for the door handle. “I got it at the game.” Her tone is off and her voice is clipped. “It’s yours.”

My eyebrows pull together, confusion washing over me. She was silent the entire car ride and now this is just not like her at all.

Reaching for her, my hand wraps around her wrist before she gets the chance to fully open her door. It slams shut and she whips her head to the side, looking at me with her eyebrows raised. “I’m tired, Rowan.”

“Tell me what’s going on. The silence is fucking killing me, Had.”

Her eyebrows lower, pulling together in the slightest movement as her expression softens. “It’s nothing.”

“To me, it’s something,” I tell her, my hand still wrapped around her wrist as my gaze probes hers.

She falls back against her seat, my hand sliding closer to hers as she drops her eyes down to the ring on her finger. “I overheard some fans talking in the crowdtonight during warm-ups when they saw Lucy and me,” she says quietly, her voice barely audible.

“Baby, no...” I murmur, the tips of my fingers drifting across her palm before I lace them through hers.

Heat creeps up my neck and my heart stalls in my chest as I realize I just called her baby. I clear my throat, attempting to brush past that little word...

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