Page 150 of Rush the Edge

I lived six years without her and didn’t find an ounce of happiness that didn’t belong to a little black puck.

I won’t go another six without her.

“Where’s our devil girl at?” Malaki plops onto the bench beside me and squirts water into his mouth.

I grind my jaw back and forth.I don’t know.

“Pst.”

Malaki and I turn and glance down the bench to see Reese standing there.

A noise leaves Malaki that sounds an awful lot like a moan.

I roll my eyes. “Put your dick away.”

I leave him behind to calm his boner and head for Reese. She has her daughter on her hip with one of those foam tridents that Daisy throws into the crowd. She’s sort of cute, smiling up at me with big brown eyes. I wink, and her baby laughter fills the space between Reese and me.

“Hey…” Reese puts her daughter on her other hip. “So, Daisy told me to first tell you not to panic.”

A knot grows in my throat. My hackles rise. “What’s wrong?”

Fuck, did River find out about us?

Actually, that may be a load off my shoulders.

“She’s at her apartment.”

“Devil girl isn’t coming tonight?” Malaki slides up beside me and starts to play with Reese’s daughter. She bounces up and down in Reese's arms, pulling her hair in the process. “Hey. Hands off your mama!” Malaki laughs.

“Reese,” I stress, trying to gain her attention.

After Malaki takes the toddler for a lap around the ice, Reese glances back at me.

“Daisy is sick. Cindy said it was fine for her to stay home, especially since it’s not a playoff game.”

“Sick?” My stomach drops.

Is it her Lupus?

Reese nods while watching Malaki and her daughter closely. “I dropped off some medicine and soup before coming. She looked exhausted. I offered to stay with her, but she shooed me away, telling me she was just going to sleep. She wanted me to relay the message to you because you hadn’t texted back. She also told me to tell you not to panic.”

I hate to break it to her, but I feel panicked.

Malaki brings Reese’s daughter back.

“Oh, and she said to stay put,” Reese adds.

My chest tightens.

But does she need me?

She’d never admit it if she did, but what if she does?

I glance at the time ticking down until the game starts.

Malaki and I head back to the bench, and I’m as silent as a monk.

“You’re not going to stay put, are you?” he asks.

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