Page 26 of Pucking Fate

“Sorry, man,” I tell him. “I’ve been busy. And I’m not in town. I’m actually up in Bethesda.”

“Bethesda? Like Maryland?”

“Yeah, it’s a suburb near D.C. I drove up here a few days ago.”

“What in the world are you doing up there? Reliving our loss?”

“Nah, I haven’t even thought much about the championships lately,” I admit. Which is a good thing. “I’m up here visiting…someone.”

“Someone like who? Who would Christian Riley, a man who fucking loathes driving anywhere, even in his fun, fancy sports cars, be willing to travel that far to see?”

I shove my fingers through my mussed hair, missing Maya’s fingers tugging on it. “It’s a long story.”

“It’s a long story?” he echoes me.

“Yes.”

“I thought I was your best fucking friend. Give me the long or short version, but I want the deets.”

“Fine,” I huff, praying I’m not making a mistake by talking about any of this. “Can you keep a few secrets?”

“Can I keep a few secrets? I know you didn’t just ask me that, asshole.”

“Right. Sorry. I’m not trying to be a dick, but this isn’t just my secret,” I explain to him.

“Okay?”

“Well, I just recently, like during the playoffs actually, found out that I have a son.”

There’s a long moment of silence on the other line. “Aw, fuck, man. Some girl got you thinking you’re her baby daddy?”

“No, it’s not like that. He’s definitely my son,” I assure him, even though I haven’t had a DNA test. “His name is Finley, and he’s about to turn five.”

“Five weeks old?”

“No, fiveyearsold.”

“Goddamn. So why are you just finding out about him now?”

“You know how Preston Lawrence kept trying to murder me on the ice every game?”

“That’s one scary ass dude,” Luke remarks.

“He is, and he used to be my best friend when we were playing in the minor leagues together. Then I started dating his sister Maya and it ended badly. I knew she was pregnant, but didn’t think she would keep the baby since she was nineteen and just started college. I thought that’s why Preston hated me, you know, because I did something stupid that hurt her and knocked her up.”

“He hated you because she had your kid?”

“Yeah, she had my kid and her and Preston have been raising him. Maya and Finley both lived with Preston until he recently moved to Greensboro.”

“I heard the news. Couldn’t believe Lawrence was actually coming to play with us.”

“Well, he is.”

“And you’re fine with having him try to kill you from the bench?”

“No, it’s not going to be like that anymore. At least I hope not. We’re good now that he finally told me the truth, and I told him Maya dumped me way back when. Maya wasn’t too happy about him spilling shit to me without telling her, but we’re figuring things out…”

“So, you’re up in Bethesda, figuring things out with your baby mama and your son?”

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