Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

JACOB

“ A re you sure about this, Mary? This is a huge step.” I glanced around the busy airport. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season was in full-force, and I didn’t have a game until late the day after Thanksgiving.

Which meant picking up my daughter and taking her home for more than a few days.

“Jacob, she belongs with you,” she said softly, and that panic I’d been pushing away for the past six months didn’t rear its ugly head. “She needs her dad. After you say goodnight, she makes Hal show her that video of you from last season, when you made that save against Montreal and waved into the camera for her.”

Six months ago. “She does?”

Mary, the grandmother to the daughter I’d never known I’d had until her mother passed away and Mary found my name in a letter Hillary never sent. Drunk driver. Here one day, gone the next. The girl I’d met after three years in the league. I’d been twenty-four, and high off our first division title when this vivacious redhead came up to me at a bar where the rest of my team had been celebrating.

The one and only one-night stand I’d ever had. And it made me a father.

Now, seven years later, and ten years of being between the goal posts, I had an entirely new role to take on.

Dad.

To the sweetest little girl who didn’t deserve to miss her mom. At first, when Mary and Hal contacted me, I didn't believe them. After all, I was the guy who was careful as fuck after my parents had married, then divorced, after my mom became pregnant with me. They both remarried and were happy now, but it was ten years of them staying together for me.

Then, when I found out Hillary had passed away the year before and they had found the letter in a box packed away and forgotten, my anger melted away and when they sent me Josie’s picture? She had my coloring, and her mom’s smile. Because Hillary had been vibrant and her laugh had always stayed with me.

Josie was mine. There was no doubt.

Gradually, over the first few months, Mary and Hal FaceTimed with me, introducing me slowly. And when she found out I was her dad, Josie asked if she could hug me, because her mom told her you could tell if people loved you by the way they hugged you.

My heart was hers from that moment on.

Weekend visits when my schedule allowed. FaceTime every night when I could. The Revenge had been amazing when I told them about my new situation, and they did everything they could to help me get to know my little girl.

This weekend?

Josie was coming to stay with me. For good.

If only that damn puppy hadn’t made her eyes red and sneeze and itch. Lesson learned. At least my teammate Oliver, had her, which meant we could visit. After allergy meds. The doctor had said visits would be ok, but it was living with him that would make her miserable. And since I hadn’t wanted to torture my little girl with allergy shots quite yet, having Ollie take him was the next best choice.

Even if she cried and I wanted to do anything to make her smile again. Which was how we’d ended up watching every Disney movie she’d ever loved.

Including the sing-a-long editions.

Yep, the Vezina Trophy winning goalie knew the words to Frozen, Tangled, and Moana by heart now.

Happily so.

I grabbed my carry-on and slung it over my shoulder along with my backpack and headed toward the pick up area.

Mary chuckled. “Jacob, she loves you. The hugs sealed it for her,” she added. Her tone hit a more serious tone as she continued. “Last year was hard, but seeing her smile and hearing her laugh again? It’s been everything. Hillary would want this.”

I hung my head. “Thank you, Mary.”

“Thank you , Jacob. You don’t have to pay for us to come out to see her. Hal and I can handle it.”

“Nonsense. You’ve been amazing, and you are family now, remember?”

“Glad to hear you're finally listening to me,” she teased. “Now, Hal should be there, but he needs to make a stop to help a family friend with a problem before you two get here. Annie and Ethan’s place has the best burgers. Josie said you loved them. Grab a bite while Hal helps Annie fix her freezer door.”

“Sounds perfect,” I said as I waved to Hal as he pulled up in an impressive size SUV. “Hal upgrade?”

Mary sighed. “Only the best for Josie Bean to be chauffeured around in, especially with all the snow. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. The man loves his toys and took her out in the first snow a few weeks ago. Donuts in the parking lot, over a snow drift. See you soon, Jacob,” she said before we said our goodbyes.

“Jacob!”

“Nice wheels, Hal,” I said as the big man engulfed me in a hug. We were about the same height, but not everyone was as physical as Hal in my life. Must be Josie and her hugs.

Or maybe that’s where Hillary had gotten it from.

“Did Mary tell you about the stop I have to make?”

I nodded as I put my bag in the back of the tailgate and shut it. “I hear the burgers are worth it.”

Hal smirked. “Mary already called Annie to have one waiting for you. Annie and her husband own the place, and Hillary was best friend’s with Annie. She’d love to meet you, by the way. But they’re Montreal fans, fair warning.”

“Can’t expect everyone to like me after that save, I guess.”

“Pretty sure Ethan doesn't like you at all after that one, but Annie’ll wear him down.”

I climbed in as snow began to fall, blanketing the earth in a soft white. And thought about the hug I knew would be waiting for me in just a little while, and not about the gorgeous girl who sat next to me on the plane or the way her hand felt in mine.

Holy. Fuck.

“This might be the best burger I’ve ever had,” I said to Annie, the petite brunette with her hair piled up high on her head. My stomach was full, and happy, because it really was next level. And the damn fries? I nearly moaned at the memory, sad that my plate was empty.

“I’m sure you say that to all the girls,” she teased. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Ethan. Though maybe it will make him stop glaring at you.”

I glanced across the bar, which had a sports vibe mixed with the kind of small town presence without being too small town that made it a place I’d definitely want to visit again. And not just for the burger. People filled in the bar, and there was only one empty table in the corner.

Okay, maybe I’d come back for the burgers when Josie and I visited. Ethan, Annie’s husband, glared at me, but lifted his chin when I gave him a thumbs up and pointed to my stomach.

“Nicely done, Mr. Hale. Now, let me go check with Hal to see how things are going, Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head. “You go see Hal, I’m going to find the bathroom and then go try to thaw out your husband by ordering a beer and tipping him well.”

“Not too well, because I am not sure my sister can handle hearing all about the hockey player that decided to make his ego even bigger. She hates hockey,” she added. “But her other sister, Lindsay, might not believe him without a selfie.”

“Got it. Selfie.”

She laughed and made her way through the crowd toward the back of the bar. I headed to the hallway all places like this had, and came out a few minutes later and made my way to the bar to thank Ethan and try to thaw him out. Since Annie was Hillary’s best friend and had known Josie all her life, I planned on making sure my little girl had all the people who loved her in her life. Even if they were Montreal Triumph fans.

Ethan was busy at the other end of the bar, and I was about to take a seat when I heard a voice I’d been trying to keep in the back of my mind since she said goodbye after we de-boarded at the airport.

“I can’t believe you came home and cashed out my ticket,” she hissed.

“Alone, Sloan?”

“I can’t believe you! Why do you care? And maybe I’m not-”

A man stood in front of her, but her back was to me, giving me a perfect view of her perfectly round ass, long legs, and blonde hair piled up on her head in one of those messy but perfect ways girls did that made guys act like idiots. Her neck begged to be kissed, but somehow, from her tone, I guessed this was her former seat mate. And from the smug look on his face, the guy was even more of a dick than I had thought.

“It was my ticket, sweetheart,” he interrupted, and I could feel the frustration rolling off her, but before she could speak, he continued. “I hope your family wasn’t expecting you to show up with me. After that little show and losing your job, it’ll just be another disa-”

That’s it. I’d had enough.

“Hey, sorry, the airline found my bag. And then the car was late. Sorry I missed you, babe,” I said, coming up behind her. His eyes widened. Being my size had advantages off the ice, too.

She spun, her lips parted, eyes wide. I arched a brow, giving her the choice to keep going or let this dickhead keep his shit up.

“It’s–okay,” she stuttered. “At least they found it, right?”

I nodded, a small smile spreading across my face. I leaned in, hugging her and breathing in her sweet scent. “I got you,” I whispered in her ear. “Ok?” As I pulled back, she nodded and spun to face him. Chin held so fucking high.

“As a matter of fact, this is Jacob. He just so happens to be visiting family, too, and we-”

“Just started dating. Nice to meet you…”

“Jon.”

I held out my hand, and gripped his tightly. The way you do to someone to let them know they shouldn’t pull anything else while you can see them. Or find them after. “Wish I could say Sloan mentioned you but…”

“We’ve been busy getting to know one another every second we can. Jacob’s job keeps him very busy,” she added as she looped her arm through mine.

Fuck. The way her body felt pressed up against mine. Either I needed to get laid and quick, or this girl was putting some kind of spell over me. I gazed down at her, lips softly parted. Her pupils dilated and for a moment, there was just the two of us. Until the asshole snorted.

“Seriously? You’re dating… him?”

“I am.” She lifted her chin and leaned in more. I didn’t bother to hide the smirk as his eyes narrowed on where my hand rested on her hip, just below the puffy jacket she wore. For good measure, I let my thumb rub back and forth against the leggings that conformed to her body.

She looked like a defiant and adorable snow bunny. And felt like a damn dream.

This guy should be ashamed of himself, because he was obviously a dickweed.

“Sloan, listen to me. Jacob. Hale. You expect me to believe you’re dating Jacob fucking Hale? No offense,” he added with a smile that made me want to be as violent as one of my teammates on the ice. Guy took it to heart if you looked at any of the guys the wrong way. “Your brother is going to love that. And, for fuck’s sake, he’s a hockey player. You hate hockey. What do you possibly talk about? And where did you meet?”

Sloan froze beneath my hand, but I kept my hand on her, running soothing strokes along the thin fabric. Then, she did something that made me want to kiss her right in front of this asshole and show him exactly what he was missing out on.

She lifted her chin, poked him in the chest and said, “Who says we talk…about hockey? And I don’t care. Because at least he’s not a cheating, lying narcissist with a small dick.” Then, she spun and kissed me with her body pressed along every single inch of mine.

I growled into her mouth as she nipped at my bottom lip. A sigh escaped from her, and I breathed it in.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, SLOAN? Are you kissing JACOB FUCKING HALE ? In my bar?”