The Backup and the Baby (New Hampshire Bears 7)

by Mary Smith

  “Hey,” he says and notices Klara. “Nova drop her off?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did she look?”

  “I don’t know. She has big sunglasses on.”

  “Well, I saw her and you did a number on her.”

  I sigh and pat Klara’s mouth dry. “I didn’t mean to hit her. I wouldn’t ever hit her. This is all Alden’s fault.”

  “Ha!” Nathan scoffs. “No it’s not. This is your fault fair and square.”

  “I was having a bad day.” I explain.

  “Bad day? Bad day! No, Teo. A bad day is having mismatched socks. Hitting the woman you love, blowing up at your friends and teammates, and getting sent home by the owner is a fucking fucked up.”

  “I was released.”

  “Huh?”

  “Oliver released me.”

  Nathan looks perplexed. “He didn’t tell us that. He said he sent you home to rest.”

  “What? But he told me so.” I think back to him in my face, and I’m certain he told me I was released.

  “You might want to talk to him. Coach Long was even talking to me about you playing at home tomorrow.”

  I’m confused. I try to think back but I was hungover. Maybe I did hear him wrong. I don’t have much time to think about it when I hear a knock on my door.

  “Nova.” Nathan greets her with a hug. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  She’s lying.

  “Come in.” Nathan steps out of the way and she strolls in.

  She’s beautiful but is hiding behind the sunglasses. Because of me.

  “You want something to drink?” Nathan asks her.

  “No thank you. I came to pick up Klara.”

  I hand her over to Nova and gather up her toys and other items. Nova coos and cuddles Klara, until my daughter pulls off her sunglasses.

  “Holy fuck.” I drop the items and cup her face. She has a dark black eye and a massive bruise on her cheek. How fucking hard did I hit her? “Nova, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Could you grab her items? I need to get going.” Her tone is colder.

  “May we talk?” I need to tell her everything and now is the perfect time.

  “Teo, I have to go. Some other time, okay?”

  “Sure.” I give in because she’s getting upset and I don’t want her to. I stuff everything in the diaper bag. “I can walk you out.”

  “Fine.” She turns on her heels and heads out.

  I follow her and try to think of a way to explain it all to her. I want her to understand she means something to me. I wait for her to secure Klara into her seat and hand her the bag.

  “Nova—”

  “Stop.” She holds up her hand. “I know you’re going to apologize, and I accept it. It’s fine. I know you would never hit me, and it was an accident. But I’ve realized you’ve been right all this time. We’re not meant to be together. It’s time for us to put Klara first in our lives and move on with our personal life.”

  I stammer on my words to form a thought, but nothing comes out.

  “I have to go. I’ll see you soon.” She shuts the door and leaves me.

  I SIT OUTSIDE Oliver’s office. My leg is bouncing up and down showing how nervous I really am. I thought I wanted to leave hockey. Hell, I was convinced of it. But now, since it has been out of my life for the past week, I’m ready to lose my mind. On top of that, Nova isn’t talking to me. Janan has brought Klara to my apartment the last several days.

  “You can go in, Teo,” Franceen announces.

  I thank her as I open Oliver’s door. Sitting around the table is Janan, Oliver, and Nova. Her bruises are not as dark but still very clear to see how bad they are. I take a deep breath and sit down.

  “Teo, it’s time to have a heart-to-heart.” Oliver leans back in his chair. “How’s your week been?”

  “Truthfully, worst week of my fucking life.” Sure, cussing isn’t the best thing to say in front of your boss, or former boss, but it is true.

  “Well, it’s been eventful here.” He looks at Nova, who is staring at the table. “I lied about releasing you. Although, in reality, I really was planning on it, but Nova came to your rescue. Therefore, you can rejoin the team.”

  My mouth drops. Is he serious? “What?”

  “I believe you heard me.”

  I nod. There’s a great elation pulsing through me. This is a second chance. This joyous feeling in me is because of a second chance. It’s because of Nova.

  “I would like to renegotiate my contract.” The words come quickly out of my mouth. Before I couldn’t stand being on the ice, and now I don’t want to be anywhere else.

  Nova stands and I watch her go to the desk and come back with some papers.

  “My Nova is very smart,” Oliver states as he slides a stack of papers over to me. “She wrote this up a few weeks ago. She told me people lose their ways from time to time but always come back.”

  I flip through the pages. It’s a three year contract making a little bit more than I do now. I know it’s Nova’s doing. Right here is my future. I want to be in Manchester with Klara...and Nova.

  “Do you have a pen?”

  Nova hands me one from across the table, and I quickly sign my name.

  “Team practice starts soon. You need to get going,” Janan says taking the contract from me.

  I have so much to say, but nothing is coming out. I’ve been given a second chance and I’m grateful. “Thank you very much.”

  “You need to thank Nova. I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t give second chances.” Oliver nods over to her.

  “Thank you, Nova,” I say with sincerity.

  She simply nods, still looking away from me.

  “Teo, go ahead to practice.” Oliver points to the door, and I take the hint to leave.

  Walking into the locker room is extremely hard for me. I’m not sure of the reception I’m about to receive. It could go either way. Nathan’s right when he said I’m the only one to blame. I shouldn’t have let Mother get to me. I know how she is. She’s been the same since I was a child. I should have been the bigger person and let her words roll off my back.

  I need to do it from now on.

  I push open the door and the entire room turns to look at me. I’m not sure what to think, but none of them look pleased. I have a lot of apologizing to do.

  “It’s about time your lazy ass showed up,” Alden speaks up first. “What were doing? Sitting on the beach drinking Mai Tais?”

  The room chuckles.

  “Not really.”

  “Nathan has been all lost and confused without you.” Alden continues.

  “Well, I’m back and for the next three years.” I take off my jacket and head over to my stall.

  “You’re not quitting?” Nathan grins.

  “Nope. I just signed my new contract.” I slap his back. “You’re stuck with me.”

  “I’m glad.”

  I get dressed and follow Nathan out to the ice. This feels right. This is where I belong. Maybe in three years, I’ll look back at my dreams and pursue them then, but right now I want to be a backup goalie to Nathan. This is where I need to be.

  THE GAME IS a bit insane. The crowd seems to be louder than ever before. We’re playing against our biggest rivals, the Portland Kings, and even I’m shouting from the bench.

  A fight breaks out in front of Nathan’s net. He’s been on fire tonight, stopping every puck in his paint. He makes it look easy. I’m truly impressed by his talent. As the fight grows, Nathan gets involved in the shoving match. He usually stays out of them, but the defenseman clocks Nathan in the jaw. I knew it would piss him off and he starts to throw punches. It’s a hot mess as the refs try to break it up. Then I hear it. Nathan yells out in pain and grabs his hand.

  Oh shit.

  He comes skating to the bench. “I broke my fucking hand.”

  “Are you sure?”

  As the medical staff comes over, I can clearly see he has b
roken at least a couple of fingers.

  Fuck.

  “Teo, get in the net.” Coach Long hollers over to me.

  I grab my mask and skate to the net. I quickly warm up my legs and stretch out to release the coldness from my muscles. My adrenaline always pumps harder when I’m in the net. This is a big deal. If Nathan’s hand is really broken I’m going to be starting for a while.

  This is my time to show them all I’m still in it.

  The shots came hard and fast from the Kings. They want this win as bad as we do. I dive, spin, jump, and stretch as far as I can to ensure no puck comes close to the red line.

  I’m tired, but it pays off when Vance gets a goal. Then Shade comes in with another. Then Cabel. Then Remington. Then Kyson. When the final buzzer goes off, the crowd erupts and the guys come over to me to celebrate.

  I needed this win. Not just to prove to everyone else I can do it but prove to myself this is where I belong. I’m meant to be in this net. I’m meant to be on the ice. I’m meant to be a hockey player.

  WHEN I RAISE my hand to knock on Nova’s door, I’m almost as nervous as I was when I walked into the locker room. I thought of using the doorbell, but Klara may already be asleep.

  My breath catches when Nova answers the door. She’s short, but her incredible legs are tight and toned. It makes me excited to see she’s in shorts.

  “Teo.” She greets me and I can’t tell by her tone if she’s happy or not.

  “I came by to see Klara.” And you.

  “She’s being stubborn tonight.” Nova nods over to the living room. “She may be waiting for you as well.”

  My beautiful daughter is laying on her back trying to stick her foot in her mouth. She’s still in her Bears outfit, wearing my numbers.

  “Hi, söt flicka.” I lay down on the floor next to her. “Are you being hard headed tonight?”

  Klara rolls over on her tummy and reaches for my nose.

  “She’s five months old today.” Nova informs me.

  Shit! I forgot the date!

  “Well, I’ll have to do something extra special for you.” I kiss her hand that’s resting on my face.

  “I’m going to do some dishes.” Nova leaves us alone.

  I gather my daughter up in my arms and head toward her bedroom. I’m certain Nova has fed her. I change her into her pink pajamas with cupcakes smiling on them and begin to rock her to sleep.

  I love these moments with Klara. I never thought rocking my baby to sleep would bring me such joy, but it does. It brings me the greatest of joys. Soon Klara’s stunning eyes grow heavy and she’s sound asleep. For good measure, I hold her a few moments longer before placing her in the crib.

  I find Nova in the kitchen with papers spread out around her. She’s vigorously writing something and I lean against the doorway to watch her. I know Klara has a lot of my characteristics but she has a lot of Nova’s as well. More than just her nose and hair.

  “She’s asleep.” I finally announce walking further into the kitchen.

  Nova looks up. “Thanks.” She returns to the papers.

  I hold onto the back of the chair next to her. “What are you working on?” Small talk has never been my strong suit.

  “Several of the Rams players’ contracts are about to expire. Uncle Oliver wants me to negotiate them.” She doesn’t look up.

  “Do you have a moment to talk?”

  “I already accepted your apology.” She still keeps her head down.

  “Nova, I wish you knew how awful I felt about that night.” I sit down next to her.

  “I’m sure you do. I know you didn’t mean it.” She sets the pen down and looks over at me. “It’s why I stood up for you with Uncle Oliver and Janan.”

  “Thank you. I mean it too. I thought I was ready to leave hockey, but clearly, I’m not.” I reach for her hand but she pulls away.

  “With Nathan hurt, you’ll be playing more.”

  “Yes, but...um...I want to talk about us.” It’s time for me to come clean with her. To tell her I want a second chance.

  “There is no us, Teo. The only us is the fact we’re parents to Klara.”

  My heart sinks. “N, please don’t say such thing. I heard you.”

  “What?” No one should be sexy with a perplexed expression, but she is.

  “The night you broke up with Liam, I heard you say you still loved me.”

  She shakes her head. “Not anymore.”

  “Huh?”

  “I thought I did, but this past week I’ve been thinking a lot. My life has changed, and not just with Klara. Everything. I thought I loved you. I realized I simply care for you. We created a beautiful baby, and I’ll forever be thankful for her, but you were right about me. I’m different. I should have talked to you that night at the party, but I didn’t do it. I’m a liar because I kept Klara from you. I broke your trust, and it can’t be repaired. I think it’s best we both move on.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Is this true? Have I missed my chance? My chance with Nova?

  “N, I said those things because I was upset.”

  She holds up her hand. “Please don’t try to appease me. I’m okay. Plus, I’m certain you’ll find someone else who will be amazing in your life. Someone who won’t lie to you or break your heart.”

  My heart is shattering right here in Nova’s kitchen.

  “I’ll be in the office tomorrow, but Emma will be here with Klara. You can come anytime, but I have to get back to work.”

  She’s throwing me out?

  She’s telling me to leave.

  I don’t want to.

  “Goodnight, Teo.”

  My body gets up and I move toward the front of the house.

  “Goodnight, Nova.”

  When I close the door, I swear I hear sobbing.

  NATHAN BROKE THREE fingers. This means he’s out for a while. Back at the apartment he was really disappointed in himself. Now, he’s worried about being pushed back to the minors. I tried my best to reassure him. He’s too damn good to be in the minor league. Everyone knows it too. However, I understand how he feels. Every player has those same thoughts when they’re hurt.

  As much as I want to be supportive for Nathan, my head and heart hurt from the pain of losing Nova. I barely slept the past two nights thinking about her. I went to the house to see Klara and hoped I could speak to her again. Emma told me Nova had to work late. I’m pretty sure it’s because she doesn’t want to see me. She’s avoiding me at the arena as well. I stopped by her office and Franceen said she wasn’t there. I knew she was lying because I saw her car in the parking lot. I let it go and hope she’s on the plane with us as we travel to Montana today.

  As we load up, I’m constantly looking around for her–still nothing. I began to worry something is seriously wrong.

  “Taden.” I tap his shoulder. “May I ask you something?”

  He turns. “She’s fine,” he answers my unasked question. “She’s escorting Kit Waters today. She’ll be in Montana.”

  “Oh.” I try to hide my disappointment, but I know it’s there. I turn and go back to my seat next to Alden.

  This is going to be a long trip.

  ALDEN, SHADE, CABEL, Hamilton, and I are shooting pool at the hotel bar after practice when I see Nova cross the lobby. I hand my stick to Cabel and race out to catch her. We’re going to talk.

  “Nova,” I call out to her but it’s then I notice she’s with someone. Kit Waters. “Hey, Kit. Good to see you again.”

  “You too, Teo. I guess I’m your backup for a while.” He smirks.

  “Seems so.” I focus back on Nova. “I need to speak with you.”

  “Is it work related?” she asks calmly.

  “Um…” I stammer a bit by the odd question. “No it’s personal.”

  “I’m busy. Kit and I are heading out to meet up with Uncle Oliver and Uncle Tad.” She spins away from me and rushes toward the door.

  “Bye, Teo.” Kit half waves and follows No
va.

  I nod to him still too shocked by Nova’s actions to say anything to him. I go back to the guys who are all staring at me.

  “She ditched ya?” Alden smirks.

  “Yeah.” I take the pool stick back, but I don’t feel like it. “I really fucked up.”

  “Tell us,” Cabel asks and the guys and I gather around a standing table.

  I don’t know what came over me, but I spilled my guts to them. I tell them about my mistrust of women and where it came from. I tell them about how much Nova and I fell in love and what happened at the party. I tell them about my heartache of losing her, giving her a second chance, and the pain of finding out about Klara and missing out on her life. I tell it all.

  After a few beers, the guys are all silent after I told them everything. I don’t think I’ve ever talked this much before.

  “Now, what am I going to do?” I ask them.

  “Bro, you’ve pushed her away so many times you shouldn’t be shocked,” Alden speaks up first. “Nova is an amazing person. You need to do a lot of ass-kissing.”

  “Agreed.” All the guys say together.

  “Well, how do I do it? What do I need to do? I can’t lose her.” I’m begging for help. “I’ve never been in love and I’m lost here.”

  “Kiss up.” Cabel repeats Alden’s advice. “Yes it sounds lame, but you’ve proven to her you don’t want to be with her. Now, you need to do the opposite.”

  “But not just ass kissing.” Hamilton jumps in. “Nova loves to be someone’s first. She’s a huge romantic. You need to show her how you’ll put her before everyone else.

  Put Nova first.

  This is something I can do.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nova

  I’M THANKFUL FOR the early afternoon game. It means we’ll be back in Manchester before Klara goes to bed. I’m sitting in the box with Uncle Oliver and Conner but not hearing a single thing they’re saying. My eyes are on Teo in the net. I know he wants to be with me, but I can’t do it. He was right. We’re not meant to be together.

  It hurts.

  I try to look at other players on the ice and watch the game, but my eyes fall upon him every time.