Page 54 of Rematch
Mom, however, went the opposite direction, unwittingly putting the fear of God in her. Her comments hadn’t helped her nerves when her mother started listing off Chelsea’s own unspoken fears one by one.
Mom had latched on to Preston’s career as a hockey player, worrying that he was a playboy with a slew of baby mamas scattered around the country. Then she’d managed to work in the fact that he’d be on the road for the majority of the year, so he’d be a much-absent, unreliable source of help. From there, she expressed concern over Preston’s wealth, and how it would allow him to hire a successful lawyer who might find a way to “take Lennon away from us,” if that was what he decided he wanted. That thought was terrifying as shit.
“Chelsea.”
She glanced up and saw Preston was already there, seated in a booth. He waved her over, his smile so friendly and kind that she almost instantly felt calm again. She wasn’t sure what magic he possessed, but she had recognized the man’s ability to put her at ease a year ago, and it was still there.
She crossed the quaint pub, claiming the bench seat across from him. “I can’t believe I’ve lived in Baltimore my whole life, and I’ve never been here.”
“This pub has become a sanctuary for the Stingrays. We come here to celebrate our wins, and occasionally we drag our sorry asses here to drown our sorrows after a loss,” Preston explained.
“I’m going to do you a favor and not share that information with Ethan, or he’ll be camped out here after every game from now until the end of time,” she joked.
Preston laughed. “Go ahead and tell him. Being godfather to our son should come with some perks. I’d be happy to introduce him to my teammates. How was the rest of your day? Get a lot of work done?”
She shook her head. “It was exactly as I predicted. After you left, Ethan spent the next two hours breaking down your entire career with the Stingrays for me, and to make matters worse, it was done show-and-tell style, because he wasn’t kidding about having ninety-seven things for you to sign. I saw way too many jerseys, trading cards, posters, pucks, and pennants this afternoon—not to mention the highlight reels of your best plays on YouTube.”
“Oh my God. I’m not sure whether to apologize or call Ethan to thank him for talking me up.”
“Both are probably in order,” she mused.
“I’m sorry.”
She laughed. “I’m kidding. You’re an amazing hockey player.”
“How could you tell? As I recall, you come from a football family.”
Once again, Chelsea was touched by just how much of their one night together Preston recalled. She’d obsessed over those hours more than she cared to admit, so it was nice to know she wasn’t alone.
“I’ll have to correct that mistake. Or perhaps it’s safer to say, my dad will correct it for me, because when I told him who you were, he looked more than prepared to change allegiances as far as sports is concerned. Trust me when I say, that’s a big damn deal.”
Preston leaned back in the booth, looking equal parts pleased and uneasy. “So you told your parents about me?”
“I did.”
“And?” he prodded.
“And, obviously, they want to meet you.” Chelsea wasn’t sure how much to add to that. While Dad was pretty accepting, Mom was going to be tough to win over. Mainly because Rick hadn’t just been attempting to worm his way back into her life. He’d shown up at her parents’ place shortly after Chelsea’s return to Baltimore with a check that he’d handed to her dad to cover all the money they’d lost on the wedding, offering them the same “heartfelt” apology she’d gotten.
Mom had held on to her anger for a while, but when Rick kept coming back with flowers and small gifts for her and Lennon, Mom had forgiven him.
Not that that was surprising. After all, it wasn’t just Rick pleading his case to her but his mother, Angie, as well. Mom and Angie had basically raised her and Rick together, jokingly planning their wedding from the time they’d been babies, so Mom had softened up way faster than Chelsea.
Dad—bless him—was reserving his judgment, agreeing with her that actions spoke louder than words. Rick’s actions on their wedding day had been deafening. His apology little more than a whisper in comparison.
“I would like to meet them,” he replied.
Given the fact she and Preston were a one-night stand with consequences, it felt awkward to discuss meeting parents with him, but since nothing about this situation could be called normal, she decided to just roll with it. “Did you talk to your parents yet?”
Preston shook his head. “No. I wanted to call them immediately, but I was afraid my mother would hop on the first plane from Seattle to meet Lennon. I figured we needed to chat first.”
Chelsea understood Preston’s uneasiness, because the idea of meeting his parents made her ridiculously nervous. These kinds of introductions felt like a three-months-into-the-relationship thing. Not a “Hey, Mom and Dad. This is the guy I hooked up with after the party and who’s now my baby daddy” thing.
“Hi, Padraig,” Preston said, as the bartender came over to their table.
“Hello, Preston. Sorry it took me so long to get over here. We got slammed at the bar with a bunch of ladies out barhopping for a bachelorette party.”
Chelsea glanced over where the bartender was pointing, grinning at the large group of giggling women indulging in blowjob shots. Given how loud they were talking, it was a safe bet this wasn’t their first stop in the hop.
