Page 65 of Ice Daddy
“Asshole.” She threw her drink in his face and stormed off in a huff.
Lance wiped the drink—by the smell of it, gin and Diet Coke,ugh—from his face.
Ella had seen the whole thing and she sidled up to his other side. “Damn, what'd you say toher?”
“I told her I wasn't interested.”
“You?Youweren't interested—inher?”Ella tilted her head and watched as the furious girl strutted off.
“I know. Shocking, isn't it.”
“Now Iknowsomething's wrong.” She sat next to Lance and grabbed his hand. “Lance, I'm so sorry that I ruined your day by throwing that surprise party for you. I know that's what bothering you, okay? You don't have to lie for my sake. I really thought you'd love it …”
He shook his head. “It's okay, Ella. Really, it's not that.”
“Then what is it?”
Lance sighed. “I fucked up today, Ella. I fucked up the best thing I think I ever had.”
“Are you in trouble with the team again?!”
“No. Not that.”
“Well whatelsecould possibly be so important to you?”
He sighed. “If I tell you, you can't tell anyone.”
“I won't tell a soul.”
Chapter 28
Paige
Despite a mild hangover, Paige woke the next day feeling stronger. She knew what she had to do now. She'd already started the process when she told her parents she was moving to Boston—now she just had to finish it.
They wouldn't be happy with her. Their opinion of her might drop. But in a way, that was her just desserts. Actions had consequences, didn't they? She wasn't the perfect daughter she'd painted herself to be. She wasn't the victim, cruelly left to raise a child by herself by a dead beat ex. No, but she'd willingly led her parents to believe that Adam was Irie's father. Because it madehimlook bad instead of her.
It was time to face the music.
Paige grabbed her phone. After the blowup with Lance yesterday, she'd turned her ringer off—she didn't want to talk to anyone but Emily until she figured out what she had to do next.
Sure enough, Lance had bombarded her phone with calls and texts. She flipped to the beginning of his wall-of-texts and began to read:
“Paige, I'm sorry.”
“I hate how things went down at the airport. I can't forgive myself. I'm only trying to do right by everyone and it keeps blowing up in my face.”
“But I'm crazy about you and Irie BOTH. I want you both with me. I don't care anymore what the team wants from me. Just you, and Irie. That's all I want.”
“Let's just try to talk this one out, okay?”
“You don't even know how insane this whole situation is making me … please text me back.”
His anguish was palpable. Reading his sad messages made her own heart throb with a pitiful longing.
She scrolled down and read some more. He'd stayed up late, apparently—and was probably drinking—because he continued to send texts well into the morning, texts that became littered with typos. She felt like a mean bitch, but she couldn't help but laugh at his typos.
“Paige I'm durnk. Plaese respond.”
