Page 66 of Her Hat Trick Daddies
I pop a white chocolate star into my mouth—velvety, rich, finished with a hint of dark. My eyes flutter closed at the taste.
Maybe… just maybe.
A soft knock on the doorframe makes me jump. I glance up—
And there they are. David. Andy. Shane.
All three of them, standing in my office like the ghosts of every choice I haven’t made yet.
My breath catches, and even if I don’t want to admit it, something in my chest lifts.
And for the first time in days, what I want doesn’t feel so out of reach.
Chapter 19
Shane
Catching Leighton off guard with that smile is like sunlight breaking through after a storm. A blush tints her cheeks, her lips parting just slightly, and her eyes are glassy with something I don’t deserve. Especially not after the way I acted.
She didn’t expect us. Any of us. But least of all, me.
Her office smells like a mix between a flower shop and a chocolate boutique, and even though I had a hand in making that happen, standing in the middle of it now, I feel unworthy to be here.
Her eyes dart from David to Andy, then to me. She looks at me… then looks away. That one flinch, like I’m someone she can’t trust to hold her gaze, cuts deeper than I thought it would.
I deserve it.
“Leighton,” I say, my voice low but steady. “Can we talk? Just the two of us?”
She exhales, the sound loaded. “Fine.”
I’ll take it. It’s more than I expected. Turning to the guys, I give them a nod, and they wordlessly step out, hovering just beyond the door. Close enough to hear, but far enough to give us space.
I sit down across from her, on the other side of her desk, heart pounding like it’s about to hammer through my ribs. “I need to tell you something. A story. And… it’s not an excuse for how I acted, but it’s something that’s haunted me for a long time.”
She nods, silent but listening.
“I was with a woman named Callie. I thought I was going to marry her. I was head over heels. Blind, honestly. But the more time passed, the more I realized she was in it for the wrong reasons. She loved the lifestyle. The fame, the money. She told me what I wanted to hear, played the part.” I pause, searching her face to make sure I still have her attention.
“I see,” she says quietly, but I can tell she’s listening hard.
I take a breath and push forward. “One night, I overheard her talking to a friend, saying she was bored with me. That she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up the act. When I confronted her, she denied it. Swore she didn’t mean it. Funny how the threat of losing me changed her tune. Because, like clockwork, she tells me she’s pregnant. I was so damn excited. I wanted that baby so bad. She even showed me a positive pregnancy test. How? I have no idea.” I shake my head, the memory still fresh. “So, of course, I stayed. I loved her. I thought we werehaving a kid together. Even if I wasn’t sure anymore that she really loved me.”
Leighton’s shoulders stiffen, a crease forming between her brows. But she says nothing.
“But as time went on, things didn’t add up. Every time I asked to go to her appointments, she had an excuse. Said they squeezed her in last minute, always when I was at practice or on the road. Eventually, the truth came out. She faked the whole pregnancy. All of it. Just to keep her lifestyle. She never wanted kids. I was… broken. Pissed off. Lost.”
Leighton’s eyes glass over, her voice cracking when she finally says, “I’m so sorry, Shane.”
I swallow hard, the weight of old grief flooding back. “How does someone do that? How do you lie like that, to that level, just to hold on to something?”
My throat cracks, but I force the words out. “And it wasn’t just about Callie. That whole thing dragged up every shitty memory from my childhood. No one ever really gave a damn about me. I was bullied right up until high school. My foster siblings used to beat the crap out of me, and the foster parents? They didn’t care. I never fought back. I just took it. Because if I lost that house, it’d just be the same in the next one, and I’d have to figure out a whole new set of rules just to survive.”
Leighton’s eyes don’t leave mine. She’s really seeing me, seeing all of it.
“Yeah, I’ve got a temper,” I admit, my voice low. “But I’ve never hurt anyone. Not then, not now. Well… unless it’s on the ice.” I manage a dry chuckle, but my throat is tight. “I can’t do to someone what was done to me. I can’t even imagine it.”
I draw in a breath, steeling myself. “So, when you told me about Luna,mydaughter, I freaked out. How could I not? I accused you… pushed you away. Because nothing good ever happens to me. Not really. Until you.”
