Page 147 of One Good Puck
“I’m sorry this mess happened, Gavin. I’m sorry you had to leave in the middle of the game. And I’m sorry the Bashers lost tonight.”
“Abby, I don’t care about that.”
Yeah, I hate losing, but tonight’s game was the last thing on my mind. All I cared about was finding Emma and bringing her to Abby.
She shakes her head, fighting tears. “I’m sorry if you end up getting in trouble for all of this.”
I lean back, holding her face in my hands. “I’m not. I don’t care about anything except that Emma is safe.”
It’s the truth. If I end up getting fired by Alan because of how I left in the middle of the game, I’ll be pissed for sure. Being a hockey coach is a huge part of who I am, and I love it. But I don’t regret what I did. Emma and Abby are more important than all of it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“I told you that I’d be there for you always, Abby. I meant it.”
Emotion flashes in her eyes. She gives me a wobbly smile. “I love you,” she says in a soft voice.
“I love you too.”
I kiss her softly.
“Let me take you home,” I say. I’ll deal with the fallout from Alan firing me tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to go home with Abby and Emma.
I scoop Emma, who’s still sleeping, into my arms. Together, Abby and I walk out of the arena and to my car.
Chapter 57
Abby
“Have you heard from Alan yet?” I ask Gavin as we cuddle together on his couch.
He hugs me tighter and kisses my temple. “Not yet.”
I gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the living room. The soft glow of early morning peeks above the snow-covered Rocky Mountains in the distance.
When we woke up this morning, Gavin told me about how the Bashers general manager threatened to fire him if he left the game to look for Emma last night. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe he could be so harsh. But Gavin explained that’s the kind of guy Alan is—only focused on winning, no matter what.
Gavin said he expected to hear from Alan sometime today to get the official word that he’s been let go. Sophie called earlier to check up on us, and he mentioned it to her, but she’s the only other person who knows.
I cup my hand over his stubbled cheek and gaze into hiscrystal blue eyes. “Could I maybe call Alan and tell him what a jerk he’s being?”
The corner of Gavin’s mouth hooks up. He kisses me. “You don’t need to do that, sweetness.”
Soft footsteps echo from across the house. We look over and see Emma walking toward us from her bedroom.
“Good morning, honey.” I hug her, then scoop her up and sit her next to me on the couch. I swipe her messy hair out of her face and kiss her cheek that’s puffy from sleep.
“How are you feeling, kiddo?” Gavin asks.
Emma blinks sleepily and shrugs. “Tired. And hungry.”
“Well, I can fix the hungry part. How about some chocolate chip pancakes? Those were Sophie’s favorite as a kid.”
Emma flashes a sleepy smile and nods. Gavin hops up and heads to the kitchen while Emma and I stay on the couch and watch her favorite morning cartoons on TV.
Emma looks up at me. “Mom?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“That man who took me last night said he was my dad. Is that true?”
