Page 58 of Press Your Luck

I gave him a look. “Same difference.”

“Same result, maybe, but not the same difference. Not being with you because of her career is different from not liking you.”

“As you said, the result is the same.”

“You know, Pierce, you and I have been a part of professional hockey for a long, long time. The fans give us some leeway when we fuck up. But Naomi, she’s got to prove herself. If her fans learned about you two, they could definitely see it as a conflict of interest.”

I nodded. “Our fans might not like it either.”

“Yeah, well, they like Bo, so we’ve got that going for us. But listen, what I learned when I fell for Analyn is that when you find love, you should grab onto it with both hands. The rest of the stuff doesn't matter."

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You just told me to forget her and focus on Porter.”

“I did if she’s just a momentary attraction. If it’s more, then you should pursue it.”

I wanted to grab his words like a lifeline. I wanted to believe that with the same time and patience I needed with Porter, I could win Naomi. But I couldn't ignore the obstacles that stood in our way.

"Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

"Good.” He gave me another supportive pat on the shoulder.

Deciding I’d had enough drama for one night, I gathered up Porter and we headed home. For once, Porter prattled on and on about a game he'd played with Laina.

Reed’s advice confused me. On the one hand, he said to focus on Porter and forget Naomi. But then he said if I truly felt something for her, I needed to pursue her. Did I feel something? Yes. It was more than lust, but I couldn’t know if it was love. I just knew my mind, my soul, was continuously drawn to her.

When we got home, Porter got ready for bed with minimal effort. Once he was asleep, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of whisky and took it onto the balcony. The sky was clear, and the moon was like a giant golf ball in the sky. Despite knowing I needed to let Naomi go, I couldn’t not think about how beautiful she was, the way she'd looked up at me with those captivating hazel eyes, and how effortlessly she'd handled Porter. My heart ached, wishing she wasn’t so adamant that we couldn’t work.

I sighed. I was going to make myself crazy constantly yearning when there was no hope. What there was hope for was bonding with Porter. I needed to find common ground with him and create opportunities for connection.

Video games. That was the answer. I needed to enter his world and learn to understand him there, and video games would be my way in.

I sipped my whisky, feeling a renewed sense of determination. I would be the best father I could be to Porter. And Naomi... well, I wished I could forget her. I knew I couldn’t. The best I could manage was to put my thoughts of her aside for now. Maybe, just maybe, one day, Naomi would see me as more than just an older man coaching a rival team.

I downed my drink and headed inside to the extra bedroom. I turned on Porter’s gaming system, determined to learn how to play.

26

Naomi

The team office was unusually quiet. I tried to concentrate on the stats of our opposing team this week, but my mind kept drifting back to the party the other night. The way Pierce had looked at me, the intensity of his blue eyes as he extended the invitation to dinner, haunted my every thought. He just wanted help with Porter, so why did I read more into it? The only reason I said “no” was because I knew I couldn’t resist him if he still wanted more. My life was so complicated right now, and I couldn’t afford to go where my heart was wanting to lead me. Yes, I was pregnant with his child, but parenthood wasn’t the key to a lasting relationship. Even Pierce’s saying he wanted to pursue this attraction didn’t mean anything other than he wanted to exhaust this burning attraction. No. I couldn’t get caught up in Pierce. My focus needed to be on the team and my baby.

As if on cue, the alarm on my watch went off, reminding me that it was time to leave for my doctor's appointment to have an ultrasound. I quickly gathered my things and headed out.

The doctor's office was warm and inviting. Several very pregnant women sat discussing pregnancy issues, such as sciatica and cravings. I wondered if that was standard or if they were special. I wouldn’t mind cravings unless they were gross. But I definitely didn’t want sciatica.

I was invited back, where a nurse took my blood pressure and temperature. She explained the procedure to me and then left me to wait for the doctor. As I lay on the examination table, my heart raced with anticipation and fear. Except for the nausea, I didn’t feel different, so I think a part of me didn’t believe I could really have a baby growing inside me. An ultrasound would reveal the truth, and I wasn't sure I was ready to face the reality of my situation.

The doctor walked in, introducing himself as Dr. Lyman. He smiled and had me lift my shirt as he squeezed gel on my belly. Was it rounder?

“Based on your report of your last period, I’m thinking you’re about ten weeks, but we’ll take measurements to make sure.”

“Okay.”

He rubbed the wand over my belly, every now and then stopping, studying the screen, and then moving the wand again. Was that normal? Was something wrong? Maybe he couldn’t find a baby. Maybe I wasn’t pregnant after all. How strange that the idea of that made me sad. The wand moved over my skin, and I held my breath, waiting for him to tell me what he saw.

"Interesting," he murmured, his brow furrowed as he studied the screen. For a moment, he went quiet, moving the wand around with a precision that made me increasingly nervous.

"Is something wrong?" I glanced at the screen, trying to make sense of the images.

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