42. Devon

Devon

Lola is pregnant.

It comes across my TV at five in the morning and again at seven —a replay of the broadcast from last night when I was at the bar with the guys—when I'm pacing in my hotel room, hands in my hair. Now, I can't think about anything except Lola and the fact that she's not answering any of my messages or calls.

When I glance back at the TV, I see it scrolling there again—a happy announcement from the couple. I already have several texts from Melissa and Percy asking me to please answer my phone and tell them this is some kind of practical joke.

Apparently, with the contracts we signed, The Vipers could be facing a lot of risk and liability if Lola really is pregnant. But I have no idea if it's true because she's not answering her phone. In fact, it's going straight to voice mail, which is only sending me further into a spiral.

Is it possible Lola could have been with someone else during our fake relationship?

No—I was with her almost constantly, and between the traveling and the fake dates, she wouldn't have had any time to see someone else.

Lola Burke is pregnant with my baby.

The thought drops into my stomach like a rock, settling there and blocking everything else. I'm not sure how to feel about it. More than anything, I want to make sure she's okay. I want to know what she's thinking and what she wants to do about this situation.

I jump when someone pounds on the door to my hotel room, and I turn to see it open before I can get to it. Grey walks in, his face full of alarm, his eyes darting around the room as though Lola might actually be in the room with me.

"What the hell, man?" Grey asks, his voice low. "Is it true?"

"I don't know," I croak, shrugging and clearing my voice. I hold up my phone as though Grey will be able to tell just from looking at it that Lola isn't answering me. When he gives me a quizzical look, I clear my throat again. "She isn't answering me."

"Did you guys have a fight about something?"

I stare at Grey for a second, and then it dawns on me that from the outside perspective, this is a very strange reaction to such news. But Grey doesn't know the truth—that Lola and I are only fake dating. That we're not really together. That right now, she's just found out she's pregnant by a man she's been pretending to date for her reputation's sake.

It also means Grey doesn't understand the repercussions of this. I'm sure that when I finally speak to Melissa and Percy, they'll inform me swiftly that the board has revoked the offer to use the facilities. They might even tell me I've been kicked off the team.

I sink into the nearest armchair when I think about Lola and what this might mean for her. She was so excited to be writing again, so excited about the publishing deal. Whatever happened in her career, this was going to be her redemption to her fans and to the industry.

What's going to happen now if they pull her publishing deal?

"What are you not telling me?" Grey demands, his eyes narrowed. "As your coach, I'm telling you that you need to spill right now. Because this shit could cost us the championship."

"Yeah, yeah," I murmur, rubbing my hand over my face. Technically, according to the terms of the contract, I'm not allowed to tell Grey. But if Lola and I have already lost what we were getting out of this arrangement, what could be the downside to telling him the truth?

All at once, I tell him everything—from how meeting Lola was just a cute media thing at first until the PR teams cooked up something bigger and how we had already hooked up at that point but decided to keep it to ourselves so we could get what we wanted most.

And now, neither of us has anything.

"Holy shit, man," Grey breathes when the story is finished, laughing a bit and shaking his head. "I gotta say, I didn't think anyone would ever top me and Ellie, but it sure does look like you and Lola have us beat, doesn't it?"

"Sure, great," I mutter. "Wonder what the prize is."

"Man," Grey says, "all talk of the championship aside, she has got to be feeling pretty down right about now."

"Yeah," I groan, rubbing my fist against an open palm. "But I don't want to invade her privacy. Especially because we aren't actually together, you know?"

"You said you love her. Did you mean it? Or was it just part of the schtick?"

"No, that was real. Everything was real. On my end, at least."

"Well, if she won't answer you, you go to her."

"Go to her?" I echo.

"Yeah," Grey says, nodding. "Invade her privacy, or at least make her tell you to go away. Do everything you can. Show her that you'll keep showing up when she needs you."

"Yeah," I say, nodding back and pushing out my cheek with my tongue as I think it through. "No, yeah, you're right. I'm going to do that."

"But Devon?"

"Yeah?"

"You get back here in time for the game and come with your hockey head on your shoulders. Got it?"

"Got it, coach."