In the Crease
Page 6
“That’s a problem.” She pressed her lips together as her little nugget kicked hard on her bladder. “Not you, kid, but the fact that you’re showing.”
She had a session with Tate Odder in a little over an hour, and since no one at work knew about the baby, she really didn’t want to go to work with her child on full display. But as she took herself in, she was discovering she might not have a choice. Which was bad. She couldn’t let it get back to her family that she was pregnant without a husband. She knew she should just let the trust fund go, but she couldn’t. She had so much debt, and she couldn’t let Wells down. As much as he said he didn’t need the money, she knew he did. Their parents hadn’t paid for college because they knew the money would get to the kids. So instead, they stuck them with debt and told them they’d pay for the books. Wells made decent money as a hockey player, but he wanted a family too, and the money would help.
But for that to happen, she either needed a husband or for her brother not to be gay—which would never happen since Wells had been gay since he was like three.
So she needed a husband.
One who would want to claim a kid that wasn’t his.
She considered pulling a Wedding Date, but unlike the popular movie, in this day and age, you couldn’t trust some dude on the internet. He’d kill her and steal her baby or some crazy shit. Asking Vaughn, her brother’s best friend, hadn’t been the greatest idea either. Not only did he say no, but she knew it would have turned out badly in the long run. He was too immature to keep a secret like that, and she knew that no matter what, she would never fall for him.
Wren had a reputation for being a hard-ass with no soul, hating love and all that jazz, and she knew why she was like that. For the simple fact that she always fell for shitty dudes. She couldn’t control her emotions, and she always found herself in love with a guy who had no intentions of loving her back. She was fat, she was too blunt, and she was too close to her brother and his friends. She was never good enough, which led to heartache because all they wanted was sex. And that was why she only slept with guys.
God, she was a mess.
A pregnant mess.
Rolling her eyes, she reached for her oversized kimono that was covered in pregnancy books before throwing it on and shaking her head.
Her belly wasn’t to be hid.
Fuck.
“How’s it going, Tate?”
Tate Odder look uneasy as he sat across from her. His body was taut, his blond hair falling in his blue eyes as he looked around the room. Anywhere but at her. As with everyone else, her office wasn’t his favorite place. As the team therapist, she wasn’t the most popular person to talk to, but she did her job, and people ultimately loved her for it. Especially, her boss, Elli Adler. Elli thought the world of her and trusted her completely with her boys. Due to that trust, Wren worked hard to make sure that everyone’s mental health was intact.
But Tate wasn’t doing well. His injury had left him pretty messed up physically and mentally, and it was her job to help him see through it all.
Running his hand through his hair, he shrugged. “I’m hurting. Every day.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Frustrated. Angry. I hate it. I miss the ice, but they won’t let me on it until I’m healed more.”
“I can understand your frustration, then. You love the ice.”
“I do. And I want back on. Desperately.”
“Can you tell me why you feel that way?”
Exhaling hard, he shook his head as he looked down to the ground. She felt so bad for him. Stupid injuries. “I feel whole on the ice, and I feel like an asshole for not being whole with my wife and children.”
“You’re a hockey player, Tate. The ice is part of your life.”
“Yes, but my wife and children are a part of me too.”
“I can see that, you know that. So why do you feel like you’re not whole?”
He looked away once more, inhaling sharply before shrugging. “I think I’m jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes, I have a good ten more years left, and I feel like my spot has been given away. That Jensen Monroe has come in and taken over. He won the Cup for us, and I know I should be proud of him—and I am—but I’m jealous. That should have been me.”
Hearing Jensen’s name, Wren felt the hair on her arms stand to attention. She had been going back and forth over whether she should call him. Ask for his help. He was Wells’s other best friend and a great guy, but Jensen… Jensen, yeah, no.
Chewing on the edge of her pen as her stomach moved and wobbled from her crazy kid playing soccer with her bladder, she met his gaze, a small smile on her face. “The jealousy, is it full of anger?”
“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I don’t hate him. He’s a good guy, but I wanted it to be me.”
“That’s understandable.”
As he bit his lip, the little gap in his teeth made Wren smile as he shook his head. “My wife wants me to retire.”
Wren paused, her pen falling to her bottom lip. “How does that make you feel?”
He looked down, trailing his fingers along his scalp. “I think she might be right.”
“Want to elaborate a bit?” she asked after he paused for a good long moment.
“She’s worried that I’m going to push myself too hard, and then, what if I die or I can’t play with my children. That’s not okay with me—or with her.”
“But will it be okay with you to be without hockey?” Wren agreed with his wife, but she needed him to get to that point on his own.
Slowly nodding, he looked up. “I can get a job within the sport. Or something. Maybe as a goalie coach. I know a lot, and Elli would hire me.”
“You do, and I’m sure if you talked to her, she would.”
“Yeah.”
“Is that something you think you want to do?”
“I go back and forth. Sometimes yes, but then no. I don’t know.”
“That’s to be expected, your wariness of the new path. It’s a big decision.”
He nodded in agreement just as the soft bell on her desk rang, ending their session. He looked up, and she smiled with a shrug. “I can go another thirty if you want.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m good.”
She had a session with Tate Odder in a little over an hour, and since no one at work knew about the baby, she really didn’t want to go to work with her child on full display. But as she took herself in, she was discovering she might not have a choice. Which was bad. She couldn’t let it get back to her family that she was pregnant without a husband. She knew she should just let the trust fund go, but she couldn’t. She had so much debt, and she couldn’t let Wells down. As much as he said he didn’t need the money, she knew he did. Their parents hadn’t paid for college because they knew the money would get to the kids. So instead, they stuck them with debt and told them they’d pay for the books. Wells made decent money as a hockey player, but he wanted a family too, and the money would help.
But for that to happen, she either needed a husband or for her brother not to be gay—which would never happen since Wells had been gay since he was like three.
So she needed a husband.
One who would want to claim a kid that wasn’t his.
She considered pulling a Wedding Date, but unlike the popular movie, in this day and age, you couldn’t trust some dude on the internet. He’d kill her and steal her baby or some crazy shit. Asking Vaughn, her brother’s best friend, hadn’t been the greatest idea either. Not only did he say no, but she knew it would have turned out badly in the long run. He was too immature to keep a secret like that, and she knew that no matter what, she would never fall for him.
Wren had a reputation for being a hard-ass with no soul, hating love and all that jazz, and she knew why she was like that. For the simple fact that she always fell for shitty dudes. She couldn’t control her emotions, and she always found herself in love with a guy who had no intentions of loving her back. She was fat, she was too blunt, and she was too close to her brother and his friends. She was never good enough, which led to heartache because all they wanted was sex. And that was why she only slept with guys.
God, she was a mess.
A pregnant mess.
Rolling her eyes, she reached for her oversized kimono that was covered in pregnancy books before throwing it on and shaking her head.
Her belly wasn’t to be hid.
Fuck.
“How’s it going, Tate?”
Tate Odder look uneasy as he sat across from her. His body was taut, his blond hair falling in his blue eyes as he looked around the room. Anywhere but at her. As with everyone else, her office wasn’t his favorite place. As the team therapist, she wasn’t the most popular person to talk to, but she did her job, and people ultimately loved her for it. Especially, her boss, Elli Adler. Elli thought the world of her and trusted her completely with her boys. Due to that trust, Wren worked hard to make sure that everyone’s mental health was intact.
But Tate wasn’t doing well. His injury had left him pretty messed up physically and mentally, and it was her job to help him see through it all.
Running his hand through his hair, he shrugged. “I’m hurting. Every day.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Frustrated. Angry. I hate it. I miss the ice, but they won’t let me on it until I’m healed more.”
“I can understand your frustration, then. You love the ice.”
“I do. And I want back on. Desperately.”
“Can you tell me why you feel that way?”
Exhaling hard, he shook his head as he looked down to the ground. She felt so bad for him. Stupid injuries. “I feel whole on the ice, and I feel like an asshole for not being whole with my wife and children.”
“You’re a hockey player, Tate. The ice is part of your life.”
“Yes, but my wife and children are a part of me too.”
“I can see that, you know that. So why do you feel like you’re not whole?”
He looked away once more, inhaling sharply before shrugging. “I think I’m jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes, I have a good ten more years left, and I feel like my spot has been given away. That Jensen Monroe has come in and taken over. He won the Cup for us, and I know I should be proud of him—and I am—but I’m jealous. That should have been me.”
Hearing Jensen’s name, Wren felt the hair on her arms stand to attention. She had been going back and forth over whether she should call him. Ask for his help. He was Wells’s other best friend and a great guy, but Jensen… Jensen, yeah, no.
Chewing on the edge of her pen as her stomach moved and wobbled from her crazy kid playing soccer with her bladder, she met his gaze, a small smile on her face. “The jealousy, is it full of anger?”
“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I don’t hate him. He’s a good guy, but I wanted it to be me.”
“That’s understandable.”
As he bit his lip, the little gap in his teeth made Wren smile as he shook his head. “My wife wants me to retire.”
Wren paused, her pen falling to her bottom lip. “How does that make you feel?”
He looked down, trailing his fingers along his scalp. “I think she might be right.”
“Want to elaborate a bit?” she asked after he paused for a good long moment.
“She’s worried that I’m going to push myself too hard, and then, what if I die or I can’t play with my children. That’s not okay with me—or with her.”
“But will it be okay with you to be without hockey?” Wren agreed with his wife, but she needed him to get to that point on his own.
Slowly nodding, he looked up. “I can get a job within the sport. Or something. Maybe as a goalie coach. I know a lot, and Elli would hire me.”
“You do, and I’m sure if you talked to her, she would.”
“Yeah.”
“Is that something you think you want to do?”
“I go back and forth. Sometimes yes, but then no. I don’t know.”
“That’s to be expected, your wariness of the new path. It’s a big decision.”
He nodded in agreement just as the soft bell on her desk rang, ending their session. He looked up, and she smiled with a shrug. “I can go another thirty if you want.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m good.”
