Page 69 of Rematch
Chelsea turned around, surprised to discover Ethan and Allyson standing behind them. They’d clearly heard the last part of the conversation, hence Ethan’s comment.
Allyson grinned sheepishly at Ainsley, waving her empty beer can. “First one went down way too fast. Thought you might judge me.”
Ainsley laughed. “I used to work in a dive bar. No judgment from me, I promise.”
“Preston didn’t want anyone after you,” Ethan said, his gaze locked with Chelsea’s. While Mom was still Team Rick, Ethan was all in on Preston. “And you were the same.”
Chelsea snorted. “I was trying to navigate my way in a new country, then I was pregnant, and then I was caring for a newborn. It’s not like I had loads of time to rock the dating scene.”
“And if you had?” Ethan’s brow rose, letting her know she still would have been obsessed with Preston, even if she hadn’t had his baby.
She pursed her lips because she hated lying.
Before anyone could say anything more, the announcer asked everyone to rise for the National Anthem. She, Allyson, and Ethan made their way to the front row, Ainsley and Erika claiming the seats right behind them in the second row.
Chelsea expected to be distracted by everything she just learned, but the second the announcer introduced Preston as part of the starting lineup, she was spellbound. Watching him in person was way better than on TV, and it was official—she was a hockey fan for life.
Ethan sat between her and Allyson, explaining the parts of the game they didn’t understand, and Chelsea was amused by Ainsley’s extremely colorful language whenever one of the Florida players did something she considered dirty.
The five of them took turns grabbing rounds for the others, while putting a serious dent in the snacks. They cheered loudly when Blake scored a goal in the first period, groaned when Florida tied it up in the second, and lost their minds when Preston scored late in the third period, putting the Rays back in the lead. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Chelsea was riding a high unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
As they rose from their seats, she hugged Erika and Ainsley, feeling like she’d just made two new friends. They exchanged numbers so that the three of them could find a day to attend another game together. Erika’s attendance was dependent on her work schedule. She was an ER doctor, and Ainley was apprenticing to become a tattoo artist.
As they left the box, Chelsea’s phone pinged with an incoming text from Preston.
You guys want to join us at Pat’s to celebrate the win?
Chelsea glanced at the time, torn. It was only nine-thirty, and while she really, really wanted to see Preston, she also missed Lennon.
“Please say yes,” Ethan said over her shoulder, reading her text. “Lennon’s asleep.”
She sighed. “I know he is, but…” If tonight was like every night the past week, Lennon would wake up between midnight and one a.m. for a bottle, then go right back down, sleeping until five or six. It had been bliss.
“If you go, we can go,” Ethan said, gesturing to him and Allyson. “Without looking like stalker fans.”
Chelsea smirked. “There’s no hope you won’t look like a stalker. You’re already drooling at the prospect of hanging out with the Rays.”
“Cupcake,” he pleaded. “Do it for me, please? This is seriously a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Chelsea laughed. “Are you ever going to outgrow peer pressure?”
“Never!” Ethan replied dramatically.
“Fine. But, for the record, I don’t think this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.” Maybe that was a lofty statement, but Chelsea knew it was true. Preston was committed to Lennon, and by extension, her. Because he was an amazing guy, his kindness also extended to her friends.
Chelsea texted Preston back.
Sure. Meet you there?
Preston replied with a thumbs-up.
See you there in an hour.
She added her own thumbs-up to the thread, then texted her dad—there was no way she was texting Mom—to let him know she was having a drink with Ethan and Allyson and would be home later.
Dad said exactly what Ethan did: Lennon had been asleep for hours and they were perfectly capable of doing the midnight feeding. Then, bless him, he told her to stay out as long as she liked and to have some fun.
With the exception of that late dinner with Preston, Chelsea hadn’t gone out on her own at all since Lennon’s birth because all of her “dates” with Preston had included their son.
