Page 62 of Ice Daddy
She knew that her dramatic airport exit would be the death knell of any potential relationship between her and Lance. He probably wouldn't be able to forgive her for leaving him like that—butshewouldn't be able to forgive herself for bringing Irie into a bad situation, either.
She had to put her daughter first. That's what a good parent did. But Lance wasn't willing to do the same. His first priority was being a hockey player. That meant he wasn't the guy she thought he was, much less the man she needed him to be.
That told Paige all she needed to know. It'd never work out between them—not as lovers, anyway. She still hoped that Lance would prove to be a good father to Irie. But it was obvious that it'd never work out between them.
Lost, and needing someone to confide in, Paige called her friend, Emily.
***
Emily arrived a half hour later, carrying a bottle of wine. And as soon as she walked through the door, the waterworks started all over—both PaigeandIrie's.
“Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here, girls?” Emily asked, her eyes wide with concern.
“I'm sorry,” Paige whimpered. “I keep making her cry. I'm making it worse.”
“What the hell happened?” she asked as she filled two glasses with wine.
Paige told her everything: how she ran into Lance at the end of her shift yesterday, how she introduced him to both Irie and her parents, how he appeared to beWorld's Greatest Dadfor the span of one night, how they “made love”(complete with sarcastic air-quotes) on the living room floor, and how he'd basically dumped them at the airport by telling them they'd have to live in secrecy.
“Jeez Louise. A lot happened in the past day,” Emily said, her own head apparently spinning.
“I feel like such an ass. I can't believe I let myself get so carried away with him.”
“Well, heisthe father of your daughter, and if he wassaying all the right things last night …”
“He was. Right up until the moment we had to get on that airplane. Then, suddenly, all thewrongthings started pouring out of his mouth. Now I've got no clothes, no job, no way to pay my bills.”
Emily gave a defiant shrug of her shoulders. “Honestly? Fuck him, and fuck the Burger Stand, too. Make him take that paternity test he wants so damn badly! Once he sees the results, he's gonna feel like the biggest shit-heel ever. And then get ready to cash that giant child support check, hon! I know you're hurting now, but once you see that first payment, you're gonna feel alright. And he's going to feel like anidiotfor letting a great girl,the mother of his daughter,go.”
Paige howled. “I don't even care about his money …! I just wanted him to be—”
“Something he's not?”
Paige slumped. “Yeah. I guess so. Ugh, but he had mesoconvinced.”
Emily shook her head. “Athletes, man. You really can't trust ’em.”
“I don't even know what I'm supposed to do next.” Paige downed the rest of her wine glass. “Wanna know the worst part?”
“What's that?”
“I keep second-guessing myself. What if I made the wrong choice? What if I should've given it a chance? He kept saying he wanted me to go with him, Em. What if it's not his fault? What if the team really did put him in an impossible situation?”
“You went with your maternal instinct, Paige, and that's the most important thing. Like you said, Irie has to come first.”
“But Ilikehim. Yeah, he's cocky and kind of an ass. But he's also funny and hot and even a little bit charming, andugh,you should've seen how good he was with Irie!” She let out a defeated wail. “I just wish things could've worked out with him …”
Emily polished off her wine and refilled their glasses. “Maybe I'm just tipsy from this wine, but—” She stalled. “Nah, nevermind, I shouldn't say it.”
“Just say it, Em. After today, I'm so tired of people not saying what's on their minds. It'd be so much easier if everyone was honest instead of being afraid to speak their truth …” The irony wasn't lost on Paige that she'd doneexactlythat with her parents.
Emily raised a palm in thought. “I was going to say, maybe he'll come to his senses? I don't want to get your hopes up, but it sounds like everything happenedreallyfast. Maybe he'll sack up and try to get you back?”
“We both know he won't.”
She frowned. “If he's not the guy you need him to be, he won't. But if heis,I think he'll find a way. I don't know if a guy can fall in love with his daughter like that, and maybe evenyoutoo, and be content with just paying you to make the problem go away. A good man will battle for his family. All you have to do now is sit back and see what kind of man he truly is.”
“It's a nice thought, but …” Paige shook her head. “I wouldn't count on it.”
