Was this some weird trophy collection? How many women has he been through? The Gage she thought she knew collided with the Gage these women knew. Maybe knew.
A headache began blooming behind her eyes from the confusing emotions detonating inside her. She turned her attention to the items she’d accidentally yanked from the cabinet’s interior. One proved to be a box of Trojan Magnum condoms.
Large size. Yeah, that fits—literally. On closer inspection, she noted it was an unopened three-pack. Judging by the expiration date, it was also not a new purchase. She peered inside the cabinet but found no other telltale packages. The possibility popped into her head that he’d worked his way through a few Costco economy-sized boxes as he’d worked his way through the stack in his drawer.
Lily shook off the thought, thinking back to the night she’d spent with Gage. He’d had two condoms with him, and those, he’d claimed with endearing awkwardness, had been in his wallet a long time because he hadn’t been close enough to anyone to put them to use.
The memory of being under him, on top of him, beside him replayed in her head. Their tongues twining. The melting pleasure of him inside her. The lust that had pulsed through her body. All that hardness and heat. Had the B&B had a condom-dispensing machine, they’d have put those in play too. She refrained from fanning herself.
That night she hadn’t thought of him as a pro athlete who charmed his way in and out of women’s panties. Nothing she’d learned about him since had shot down that opinion either, but she’d be wise to remain wary, wouldn’t she? Eyeballing the drawer teeming with women reinforced her caution.
She handled the box, putting it back in its proper place, and a giggle bubbled up inside. The giggle died in the next instant when she picked up the other item that lay on the floor. As her eyes scanned it, her chest compressed. Staring at her from an eight-by-ten gold frame was the picture of Gage cuddled up with the beautiful blue-eyed brunette. The same picture Lily had seen on the Internet. Across the bottom, inscribed in loopy black letters, were the words: “Had such a wonderful time at the all-star weekend! Looking forward to many more nights together. With all my love, Jess XO.”
Lily’s hands trembled as they returned the picture to its hiding place inside the nightstand. Her heart felt leaden, achy. Here, surrounded by his scent, she told herself what she’d discovered didn’t matter because she wasn’t about to fall in love with him.
Lily kept her discoveries to herself at lunch with Ivy, who vented on and on about work. Thank God because all Lily had to do was offer understanding nods and uh-huhs without tuning in. Unfortunately, the picture of beautiful “Jess” and her gushing words about spending more nights with Gage took center stage instead.
That evening, as Daisy and Violet helped Lily clear the dinner dishes, Daisy took her by surprise. “Momma, when can I see Mr. Cage play hockey?”
“You mean on TV?” Gage was on an East Coast road swing, and tonight the Blizzard were playing Tampa.
“No, I wanna watch him play for real. He said I could.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” When had he told Daisy that? Lily bristled with the thought he’d extended the offer without consulting her first. Then she immediately softened, recalling the seemingly bottomless patience he showed Daisy and the other kids on the ice. For a man with no children, he had a way about him that warmed her through and through.
Lily gave herself a mental shake and bottled up the feels. “How about we ask him when he comes back to Denver? In the meantime, you can watch him on TV tonight.”
Both girls clapped and bounced, squealing, “Yes!”
Lily wrangled the remote. “Okay. Let’s see what Mr. Cage is up to tonight.”
She refused to let her mind wander to what he’d be doing after the game or how many “cards” he was collecting on the trip. No doubt he had plenty of options throwing themselves at him. Just like Jack had. The thought jarred her. She’d long ago buried her insecurities over Jack’s sex appeal and the way he’d drawn women like flies to honey. He’d downplayed the part he’d played in the pheromone-fest, just as he’d dismissed the reasons behind Lily’s uneasiness. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing, babe,” he’d say. “It’s because you’re still so young.” Translation: she was acting immaturely.
Locking away the old hurts, Lily cleaned up the kitchen while in the background the girls’ excited chatter blended with sounds of the game. When their attention spans stretched beyond their natural limits, they wandered off to play in Daisy’s bedroom.
Lily perched on the edge of the couch as a seemingly endless loop of commercials aired on TV. She startled when her phone rang.
“Our boy’s really tearing it up on the road,” Ivy gushed. “Did you watch tonight’s game?”
Lily smiled at Ivy’s use of “our boy.” “Is it over? I think I missed it. What did he do?”
“What didn’t he do? He had a Gordie Howe hat trick!”
Alarm bells clanged in Lily’s head. “You mean he got in a fight? But Gage doesn’t fight!”
“Well, he did tonight, and he won! Plus, it was after the fight that he scored his goal and picked up an apple. That’s hockey talk for assist.”
Lily would have rolled her eyes, but her heart was racing like a greyhound around a track. “So he’s okay?”
“He’s fine. You really need to watch the highlights, Lil.”
The TV switched to Gage standing in front of a locker, surrounded by iPads, phones, and mics. Gear stripped off, he was down to a black Under Armour shirt. His head was tilted as he listened to a question, and sweat beaded his forehead and cheeks. He shoved his wet hair back and raised
