Page 39 of Press Your Luck

“And now, another on the way.” I thought her story was sweet. I was a hopeless romantic. Not that I believed in true love. Well, I did, but just not for me.

“I’m glad you’re joining us because it’s not easy being the only single girl in the group,” Betts said.

“Are you single?” Analyn asked. “I know you don’t like the media attention, but it sounds like you and Max are still going strong.”

Ugh. Again. My life was turning into one groan after another. Maybe I should tell them the truth. I’d told Pierce the truth.

“If she doesn’t want to discuss the media attention, she doesn’t have to. I still stick with we’re two single ladies,” Betts said.

Inwardly, I thanked her for giving me a way out of talking about the chaos that was my life.

It felt like ages since I'd allowed myself to relax and simply enjoy the company of friends.

"Thank you, guys," I said as the evening was winding down. "This night has been just what I needed, and I don’t mean a celebration of the team’s victory."

"Let's take a picture to remember this night," Ruby suggested, pulling out her phone and opening the camera app. We all huddled together, our arms around each other, smiles lighting up our faces.

"Say 'whimsical food',"Analyn called out, and we laughed as we repeated the phrase while Ruby snapped the photo. The image captured the happiness and camaraderie we shared, even in the face of my tangled personal life.

“I think it’s great that you can all be friends considering how Analyn and Ruby are married to men who are part of a rival team,” Betts said.

Analyn waved away the concern with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "What happens on the ice has no bearing on what happens off the ice," she said, grinning at me. "We're friends, not rivals—and that's all that matters."

Her words made total sense to me at first. Our friendship had nothing to do with hockey or our jobs. It occurred to me that if I could be friends with members of the rival team, why couldn't I date one? The realization hit me hard. For a moment I allowed myself to consider Pierce’s proposal. But almost immediately, I dismissed it. Friendship and dating were two different things.

The media wouldn't care if I was friends with Analyn and Ruby. They'd just see it as an interesting situation. But if they knew I'd slept with Pierce... Well, that would be a media field day they'd never let me forget.

"Naomi?" Ruby's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "You okay?"

I forced a smile onto my face, hoping it looked genuine. "Yeah, just thinking about how lucky I am to have friends like you.”

As we continued our evening, laughing and sharing stories, I pushed thoughts of Pierce and the complications he'd brought to my life away.

19

Pierce

Idragged myself out of bed, my body feeling like dead weight. My sleep had been restless ever since the game against Naomi's team a few nights ago. It wasn't the loss that was gnawing at me—it was losing her. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, grumbling under my breath as I shuffled across the cold hardwood floor.

The doorbell rang, echoing through the condo like a foghorn. That's what woke me up.

"Coming." I called out, trying to suppress the irritation in my voice. I swung the front door open, expecting to find some package delivery guy or maybe even Reed. Instead, a boy stood on my doorstep, clutching a suitcase like his life depended on it. He couldn't have been more than ten or eleven, with dark hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?” I asked.

The boy poked at a cell phone and then thrust it at me. I took the phone, glancing at the screen. A video played of a woman in her mid-thirties.

"Hey, Pierce," she began.

My brow furrowed. This woman knew me? How?

“What are the odds that you remember me? Twelve years ago, in Milwaukie. Jeannie Brown. We spent a night together. Well, the result is standing right in front of you. His name's Porter, and he's your son."

What the fuck? Her words hit me like a sledge hammer.

"I figured I’d raise him on my own, but things have changed, and I can't care for him anymore. So, I'm asking you to take him in, at least for now. I'll call soon to explain everything."

The video ended, and I stared blankly at the screen, my mind racing. A son? I scanned my brain to remember her. The truth was that there’d been a lot of women back then. Good God, what if they all came forward with a child? Or what if this was a scam?

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