Lily turned to her sister. “You-know-who asked if he could take Daisy and me to see the Dillon ice castles.”
Ivy’s face lit with a big-ass smile. “Nice!”
“I said I’d think about it.”
Ivy rapped her on the head. “Hello, earth to Lily! What’s to think about? Hot, rich guy—who also happens to be nice—wants to whisk you away. How can there be any answer but yes?”
Lily rubbed her head. “I don’t know. I mean … you see how Daisy idolizes him. What if we get close and it all ends up in the toilet?”
Fans excused themselves to get past, and Ivy and she stood to make way.
Ivy spoke out of the side of her mouth, her tone soft. “What if? If you’re ever going to take a chance again, he’s a great candidate. You said he’s really good with Daisy. And if she idolizes him, doesn’t that make things easier?”
Lily chewed her lip. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Hey, I get that it’s scary. But even if you pass on him, that’s not gonna change. The next one will be scarier, and the one after that until you’ve scared yourself into a lonely corner you can’t get out of.” She tugged a strand of Lily’s hair. “And speaking of idolizing, I’ve seen the way that man looks at you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I think he’s in love with you. You have feelings for him too, right?”
Without a doubt. But Gage in love with her? Was she in love with him? “Yes.”
“So go with it. See where it takes you. Live a little.” Ivy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.
Lily realized she’d needed validation, and Ivy had given it to her. Something akin to champagne bubbles rushed up from her belly and popped in her head, leaving her a little dizzy. “I guess I’m going to Dillon.”
Chapter 25
Parenting 101
Gage sat in his running car in the arena parking lot, shaking his head. He’d just played the shittiest game of his life. They’d lost seven-to-four, and he’d barely registered a shot, much less a point. His legs had felt like lead, and his precision had been so off it was in a different time zone. His brain had been stuck on an endless lazy river ride.
The only bright spot had been seeing Lily and Daisy in the stands wearing his jersey. It had done funny things to his insides and dosed him with a huge measure of pride.
His attention caught on someone walking purposefully toward his car. Hunter. Shit. Gage lowered his window, and Hunter leaned down when he reached him.
“Me and the boys are going clubbing. There’s a good chance we’ll wind up at the Sapphire. I figured after the shitty game you just had, you could stand some adult entertainment to take your minds off things.” Hunter gave him a smirk.
“While I appreciate your concern and the kind offer,” Gage’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “going to a strip joint is not going to help my mood.”
“Suit yourself.” With a shrug, Hunter loped away.
Gage dragged his hands over his face and through his hair, expelling a lungful of air. Going home to a cold, quiet house wasn’t going to do anything to lift his dark mood either. He thumbed Lily a text.
Gage: You still awake?
Lily: Barely. Someone kept me up all night.
That brought his first chuckle tonight.
Gage: And he loved every minute of it. He added a winkie emoji and kept going. Wish you guys could have stuck around till the end. Did Daisy enjoy the game? Other than me stinking up the ice like a boatload of fish?
He wasn’t sure why, but the question of whether Daisy enjoyed herself was important to him.
Lily: LOL. She was over the moon to be there watching her “Mr. Cage.” You’re her hero. And the jersey? A big hit. Thank you again.
Shoulders he hadn’t realized were tight eased, and his chest expanded an inch or two.
Gage: Looked a little big on her. Guess I got the wrong size.
Lily: She’ll grow into it. Literally. She won’t take it off. She wore it to bed tonight.
He laughed aloud. Seriously?
Lily: Seriously. You made one little girl very happy.
This pulled his spirits out of the dumpster.
Gage: Glad to do it. Did I make one big girl happy too?
Lily: Without a doubt.
Suddenly, he felt as if he was running on empty, and it wasn’t because he was tired. He missed Lily, and he wasn’t even home yet.
Gage: Can I come see you?
Lily: Now?
He cringed a little but fired off his reply. Yes, now.
Long minutes passed.
Lily: Hoping to get lucky, Professor?
Gage: Hoping you’ll sing to me and cheer me up. Just want to see your pretty face.
Lily: That bad?
Seeing her and holding her while he pulled in the sunshine scent of her hair were what he needed right now. They were the cure-all to his blues.
Gage: I’m only 10 mins away. Promise I won’t stay long.
So much time passed—at least it felt that way—that he started to back out of his parking space. The text he’d been waiting for finally chimed.
Lily: Then I’ll see you in 10.
His heart grew wings and started to fly. By the time he parked in front of her tidy little house, the recall of the awful game was fading. When she opened the door—still wearing his jersey—raised up on tiptoe, and threw her arms around him, the memory vanished from his consciousness altogether.
“Hey,” she murmured when she’d finally pulled away and closed the door behind them. Her curls were piled on top of her head.
“Hey. Thanks for letting me stop by.” I needed this.
The lights were low, lending the place a warm ambiance.
“Something to drink?” she offered.
“Bourbon, if you’ve got it.”
She crooked a finger. “Right this way.”
She reached into an upper cabinet, and that’s when he noticed her legs were bare. He took in the sight as the jersey
