Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Elliot

I should have taken the elevator.

My calves are burning, as are my thighs, and I feel like I'm jostling my kid around as I hustle down to get to the players' entrance so I can shoot footage of the guys coming in. I'm in my trusty ankle-length slacks and my orange away jersey. I had curled my hair, but I got hot quickly with it down, and I threw it up in a messy ponytail that's still adorable. Or at least, that's what Alex said when I left the hotel before him. I don't ride over with the guys. I ride with staff, and when I was leaving, he made sure to kiss me long and hard before telling me how cute I was.

Making it damn hard for me not to want him forever, like he's promising I will.

I can't fight back the little grin that pulls at my lips when I show my credentials and head to the players' tunnel the guys will be walking down to the locker room. We got to Texas yesterday morning, and once we were done with the media and morning skate, Alex and I stayed in his room and napped all afternoon. If I thought the first time he felt our baby kick was a memory I'd never forget, watching him lie between my legs and trace my belly while waiting for the baby to kick is something I almost want tattooed on me.

So I'll never forget it.

Alex looked so handsome, so excited and proud, as his baby kicked and shifted in my belly. While I'd thought the first time they moved was something out of an Alien film, Alex got this dreamy expression on his face, looked at me, and I swore, love radiated off him. I can't believe I thought he'd be mad or not excited for his child. I still wish I hadn't been an idiot and kept this from him for so long, because boy was I wrong.

He'd caught me looking at stuff on Amazon, and when I was in the bathroom, he put in his card information and bought me my whole cart. I'd thought my cart had deleted itself when I saw it was empty, but then I got the order confirmation email. When I complained, he completely ignored me. Didn't even acknowledge my protests, leaving my heart doing a jig in my chest. I even caught him looking at wearable baby carriers, and let me tell you, there is something incredibly sexy about a man looking at baby things.

Still, though, I worry this is all because it's new. Soon, when it gets hard, he'll remember I kept this from him and he'll kick me to the curb. The thought of facing his mother is downright terrifying, for the simple fact she'll know that I fucked up. That I hurt him. Yet he is still choosing me. Alex doesn't chase; he doesn't have to. Girls flock to him, but he wants me. Desperately. And while he says it's not because I'm pregnant with his child, I can't kick that thought.

He could do so much better than a lying, cult-escapee whore.

I can almost hear Clara scolding me for calling myself that. She would remind me that I did what I did to survive and protect us.

But would Alex see it that way?

The sooner I give up my past, the sooner I'll know if we have a future.

Problem is, knowing there's a chance I might not have one with him is what's holding me back.

I want the forever he promises, and I almost consider leaving my past behind. However, my insecurities stem from that, and I fear the only way to get rid of them is to tell him the truth.

See what happens.

How fully and completely I'll be heartbroken.

I exhale as I lean against the wall with my phone in my hand, waiting for the guys to start down the hall. I know the bus is here because Alex texted me like I'd asked. I crouch down, using the wall to lean my ass against as I hold up my phone, ready to film. When I hear laughter, I hit record as the guys start coming down the hall. They pay me no mind, just like I asked them to, and I love the angle I'm at. The guys look striking in their suits, all with their game faces on. I'm excited to see this series play out. We have a really good chance of winning, and I want that for Alex. For the whole Bears organization.

Alex is the last to come around the corner, side by side with Gavin Hepworth, the now-backup goalie. My baby daddy is a tall drink of hotness in a black-as-night suit that hugs him in all the right ways. His shoulders are wide, the fabric taut against his muscles. The black shirt he wears underneath is unbuttoned the first few buttons, his gold chain hanging over his bare skin. He has on black leather loafers, with his suit pants hitting just at his ankles. He went to the barber yesterday, so his beard is all trimmed and so damn sexy.

He looks like he's going to a funeral—the Texas team's funeral.

So hot.

I don't miss the way his eyes fall on me, how he winks with authority as he walks by. I'm breathless, and I let the camera roll a bit longer before I turn it off and stand. When I turn to head to my next spot, I run right into a thick, hard chest. Instantly, the Tom Ford cologne hits my nostrils, and I melt to goo. I look up into Alex's caramel gaze, and my lips slowly curve into a grin.

"You look good enough to eat," I tell him, our gazes locking.

He rolls his tongue on the back of his teeth, and my insides burn. "I was going to say the same about you, mami ."

He leans in, and I tip my head back when he crowds my space. "Are we sleeping in my room or yours?"

"All my stuff is in your room."

He leans in, his mouth by my ear, as he whispers, "Good. I didn't want to waste time moving rooms when I could use that time licking that sweet cunt of yours and making you come all over my tongue."

I giggle like a schoolgirl, my face deep red as I grip the lapels of his jacket. "Alex, not here," I say breathlessly. "Anyone could see."

"So?" he asks, not stepping back. "I think I'll play better, knowing you'll be wet for me all through the game."

I lean my cheek to his chest, inhaling him and loving the feel of his arms. "Watching you play will do that for me."

"Mm," he says, kissing the shell of my ear. "I can't wait to have you tonight."

"Me—"

Before I can finish that sentence, a booming voice fills the hallway. "Cruz?"

Alex mutters a curse before he kisses me again and steps out of my space. When my peepaw's gaze falls on me, his eyes widen. "Elliot? What the hell is going on here?"

I blink as my mind races. Do I go with the truth, or try to come up with something quick? Before I can do either, Alex says, "Giving me a good-luck kiss."

Peepaw's shocked gaze whips to my baby daddy, his eyes so narrowed they could cut him in half. "What?" he hisses, his eyes moving between us. "I thought this ended."

"Nope. It's just beginning," Alex says, and I'm jealous of his confidence. He stands tall in front of my peepaw. His shoulders are back, his jaw tight, and holy shit, he's holding my hand. He has no fucks to give when it comes to me, and damn it, it turns me on beyond belief. But this is bad. Really bad.

I look from him to Peepaw and clear my throat. "I had planned on telling you."

"After you flaunted it all over the arena?"

"We weren't flaunting, Mr. Davenport. I needed a good-luck kiss."

"Get it from someone else," he bites out, glaring at Alex. "I already have enough hockey players in my family. I don't need any more."

"Sorry, but not sorry. I'm not going anywhere. Add me to the top of the list, 'cause I'm the best. On and off the ice." I gawk at Alex, and he shrugs. "What? Tell me I'm wrong."

He isn't, but still! Could he maybe do this with a bit of finesse and not so much cockiness?

But I love his cockiness…

Focus , Elliot!

"Elliot, what are you doing? Are you really going to tarnish your career by hooking up with the players?"

Alex chuckles a bit, but it doesn't have a trace of humor. It's all hostile. "Let me stop you there. Our being together has nothing to do with her career. She rocks this social media department and then comes home to me. Two totally different things."

"Until she's making out with you in the hall!" Peepaw booms, his eyes wild and his face red. "I will not have you making a fool of my granddaughter."

Before Alex can say more, I press my hand to his chest. "That is not what he is doing. Alex isn't like that, and you know it. You didn't act like this with any of my sisters."

Peepaw sets me with a look, his chest heaving. "The hell I didn't. But also, they weren't carrying on with them throughout the arena."

Alex goes to say more, but I pat his chest. "Fine. It won't happen again."

"You're damn right, because this is over," he announces, looking between us. He then sets me with a demanding and authoritative look that has me itching to rebel. "You can't work for me and date the players."

My jaw drops as my breath catches, but not in a good way. How dare he! He tried this with Austen, but she left him for the Assassins. Who the hell am I going to run to? Panic seeps into my core, but before I can even fathom what the hell to say next, Alex laughs.

"Again, sorry but not sorry. We aren't dating. We're in a relationship."

"End it," he demands, and once more, Alex's crazed laughter fills the hallway.

"No can do. She's the mother of my child."

Then his hand lands on my stomach.

Peepaw's eyes about come out of his fucking head before he looks at me with undiluted shock, anger, hatred—I mean, you name it, it's in his gaze. Beside me, confident and cocky as ever, Alex says, "I love her, Mr. Davenport, and I intend to continue to love her and raise our child with her."

All I can do is stand there.

And wait for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.