Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“I just want you not to be upset if she’s not overly warm,” I explain to her. “Don’t pressure her on things, and try not to go overboard with your involvement in the pregnancy. Let her reach out to you for what she needs, which probably will not be at all.”
“I hate this for you,” my mom murmurs. “Just hate it. It’s not how I wanted your role as a parent to be. I wanted you to have love along with it.”
Pushing up out of my chair, I go to my mom and squat down before her chair. I put my hands on her knees and give her a reassuring smile. “I want something more with Stephanie and I’m going to try to get it. But it’s going to be a slow process, and I’m a patient man. I want you to be patient too, and it will all work out the way it’s supposed to, and I’ll know that I’ve done everything in my power to make it happen.”
My mom gives me a misty-eyed smile and puts her fingers in my hair brush to it off my forehead. Her eyes roam over my face. “How did you get to be so wise? You’re making my job obsolete.”
Laughing, I tell her, “I had good instructors. You and Dad are pretty fantastic at your parental jobs.”
“Okay,” she says as she pulls her hand away from me. “I’m going to sit back and let you run this show, as long as you promise me that you’ll be careful not to get hurt.”
“I promise,” I say without hesitation, but only so she’s assured. There’s a real chance I’m going to get hurt if Stephanie can’t let her walls down completely, but my mom doesn’t need to be burdened with that.
“Let’s go back inside,” I say as I stand up and hold my hand out to her. “Stephanie will be here soon.”
My mom lets me pull her up from the chair and we start walking back up to the house. “So we’re done talking about this, huh?”
“For now,” I tell her as I squeeze her hand.
“What should we talk about then?” she quips.
“Let’s talk about how bad your daughter is,” I return evilly, knowing the best way to get heat off me is to throw it onto Simone, and I don’t feel guilty in the slightest.
Mom grimaces and groans, “That girl. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.”
“Well, you can’t kill her,” I tell her seriously. “Max, Malik, and I won’t let that happen.”
“Oh hush,” she chastises with a light slap to my stomach. I do a pretend “ooph” like it hurt. “Your father and I aren’t going to kill her, but we are going to make her pay. Oh, how we’re going to make her pay.”
“She’ll be in debt to you forever,” I say with a laugh.
“Yup,” she agrees. “Unless she goes back to finish her degree.”
“I think she will.”
My mom comes to a halt and turns to me with hopeful eyes. “Has she told you that?”
I shake my head. “But Simone is a bright girl. Smartest out of all your kids, truthfully. She’s just flexing her muscles a little bit and figuring out her life. Maybe even rebelling a little. But I’d lay money on the fact she’ll go back at some point.”
“God, I hope so,” my mom says wistfully. “We don’t care if she doesn’t want to go to medical school, but she’s so close to that bachelor’s degree. It would be such a waste.”
“Agreed, and Simone knows that too,” I assure her. “My advice is to let it play out and don’t pressure her. She’ll figure it all out eventually.”
“I’m not sure what to make out of this mature, wiser Lucas Fournier,” my mom teases as we walk up the staircase to the back deck. “You’re just so damn self-assured about everything that I’m feeling useless.”
“Never,” I say with a laugh. “Just wait until I’m up to my elbows in baby shit and puke. I’ll be in full-blown panic mode.”
“I cannot wait to see that,” my mom says with a laugh as we hit the top of the deck.
I smile but don’t say anything. I can’t wait to see it either.
Chapter 20
Stephanie
“Come on, ref,” Simone yells at the top of her lungs as she bangs her fists on the glass. “Open your eyes, you moron. That was hooking.”
I snicker along with Jules, who’s sitting beside me as the Cold Fury whiz down the ice on a power play. My eyes focus across the ice to the players’ bench and I take a peek at Lucas. He just came off his shift and is sitting forward with one hand on the board, watching the game intently.
It’s such a thrill watching him play. Knowing that this gorgeous, smart, and caring guy who happens to be an accomplished professional hockey player wants me. It’s even hotter how much he wants this baby growing in my belly.