Page 57 of Romancing My Grumpy Goalie

I pull back and look at her. “What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details, but it’s all over the news right now. I read it in the town newspaper. I know it was really bad. Something with his knee.”

“That doesn’t sound good. Do you know if he’s home?”

She shakes her head. “You could try calling his brother.”

“Of course. Jace would know.” I pull my phone from my purse.

“I’ll leave you to it. I have a coffee to get.” She waves at me and heads into Josie’s as I search for Jace in my contacts.

“Bye,” I say over my shoulder.

I rush into the hospital. Jace said he was just getting out of surgery, and I could come join the family and friends in the waiting room.

When I get there, the room is full of guys from the team. They’re crowding around the bed so much I can’t see Lucas.

One of them steps to the side, leaving a gap that reveals Lucas’s face. Our gazes meet, and his face is an unreadable mask.

The guys turn to follow his gaze, and one of them grins. “Your woman is here, Hensley.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

My heart thumps, and I wring my hands.

“We should give them a moment,” Jace says, and the guys shuffle out of the room, making awkward catcalls and whistling.

Lucas smiles thinly at them before turning his attention to me. “I’m a little loopy.”

“It’s okay. I won’t hold anything you say against you. At least not too much,” I tease.

“It’s not like I wouldn’t deserve it.” He turns his head away from me.

“I’ve been really worried about you,” I whisper.

He turns back to me, and his eyes are watery. “Is that so?” he asks in a gravelly voice.

I take his hand. I don’t care about Jeremy anymore. He can threaten all he wants. I’ll take his sorry rear to court. He won’t get Nolan just because I want to find some happiness. He’s probably dated plenty since he’s left. Discovering Lucas was hurt changed something inside me. I’ve let Jeremy control me for years, and I’ll not stand for it anymore. Luckily, Lucas will be okay, but what if it had been life-threatening, like a car accident? You never know how long you have someone. And I’m wasting time, letting the ghosts of my past control my future.

Our gazes meet, and he squeezes my hand.

“I need to tell you something.” He coughs. “I’ve been?—”

The door opens, and a nurse walks in, clipboard in hand. "Hi, Lucas. Just stopping by to check your vitals and see how your pain levels are doing."

Lucas nods slightly. "It's manageable."

She smiles reassuringly, jotting notes. "That's good to hear. If everything stays stable overnight, Dr. Marshall said we can discharge you tomorrow morning after physical therapy sees how you're handling crutches.”

I let go of his hand. “I should probably go. I know you have a lot going on.” But my heart aches with the loss of his touch. With the loss of him and all he’s going through right now.

He nods, his face rearranged back into the mask he had on earlier.

So much is unsaid between us, and I’m not sure it’s something I’m ready to fix.

A week has passedsince my visit to the hospital, and Lucas has been constantly on my mind. Thursday, I pick up a pizza and take it to his place. Jace told me this morning he’d been home a few days and might need some cheering up.

Honestly, the guy is probably trying to set us up like usual. But I’m not sure where Lucas stands—or sits, in his case—about us. Especially since his injury might mean he’s lost his career. Would he consider sticking around town now? I have no idea. He’s not exactly the most talkative guy.

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