by Anna Sugden
Issy refrained from pointing out that the pot was calling the kettle black. “I want that, but it’s not going to happen. I’m lucky to have Sophia. She’s more than enough.”
Her friend blew out a breath in frustration. “I can’t believe you’re prepared to settle. You’ve never settled in your life. Why now?”
“I’m not.” An inner voice called her a liar. “I’m doing the best I can to balance what’s best for everyone.”
“Except yourself. Why won’t you reach out and grab what’s best for you?”
“Because the person I want is not the person I should want,” Issy finally admitted. “He’s that cream-filled, sugar-sprinkled dessert that adds fifty pounds just by looking at it. Totally delicious, but so-o bad for you.”
“I’ll have to let J.B. know that you think he’s a doughnut the next time I see him.” Sapphie laughed. “Is he really that bad for you?”
Issy sighed. “Worse. At least you can stop eating too many doughnuts before you’re sick.” She suspected J.B. was a craving that would never be satisfied.
“I don’t get the problem. From what I’ve seen, you’re well-suited. You like each other, you like being together, you balance each other out and...” Sapphie glanced over at her goddaughter, then lowered her voice. “The s-e-x is amazing.”
Issy’s cheeks heated. “True, but the problem hasn’t changed. He’ll be there for Sophia and that’s good enough.”
“Really?” Sapphie gave her a strange look. “So he’s good enough to trust with your daughter, but not for yourself?”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it? You love J.B., don’t you?”
Issy had thought about that particular question a lot over the past few days. “Yes.” It felt good to say it out loud. “I love him. But that doesn’t change anything.”
“It changes everything.” Sapphie tapped her chin with her forefinger. “Hmm, I’m surprised you’re still friends with me.”
A little startled by the change of tack, Issy said, “Don’t be silly. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Look at the facts. My nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday job is really a five-to-nine, seven-days-a-week job. I travel all the time. I’m never here when you need me and even if I’m on the right coast, I can’t abandon what I’m doing to help you.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. You’re my friend, not my husband.”
“So if J.B. had a staid, rigid and boring job, you’d trust him enough to be with him, even without a ring?”
“I’m not stupid. J.B. wouldn’t be the man he is if he had that kind of job.”
“I know you’re not a fool,” Sapphie said gently. “But you’re judging reliability the wrong way. It’s easy to be reliable when everything’s running smoothly, but life’s rarely a straight, flat road. Security is knowing someone’s prepared to do what’s necessary, despite the obstacles. Who works around, tunnels under and climbs over those obstacles. Someone you can count on when life is at its most messy and disorganized. Hasn’t J.B. proved he delivers in exactly those circumstances?”
Issy didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”
“So, why aren’t you prepared to take a chance on a relationship with him?”
“I am. Or rather I would be.” Issy had tried not to bank too much on the role J.B. would be playing in Sophia’s life. She didn’t want to put too much hope into the possibility of their parenting relationship deepening into something more. She couldn’t take the disappointment if it went belly-up. “The point I’m trying to make is that I’m not the one you need to convince. J.B. is.”
The doorbell rang.
Sapphie smiled. “Perfect timing.”
“Are you expecting someone?” Issy asked as she rose.
“You’ll see.”
Issy shook her head at the mystery and went to answer the door.
Her jaw dropped when she saw J.B. waiting on her front step. “Oh. Hi.”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” She stepped back to let him enter. Why would her friend be expecting J.B.? “Sapphie’s upstairs.”
“Great. So you’re free to go for a walk?”
“A walk?” Issy repeated, confused. “Me?”
“Yes, she is.” Sapphie appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Sophia. “Don’t worry. The little one and I can entertain ourselves. Take as long as you need.”
“Thanks.” J.B. pulled an envelope out of his back pocket. “Your tickets, for my seats, through to the end of the Finals.” He held up a plastic bag with an Ice Cats’ logo. “Two adult jerseys and one baby-size.” He grinned. “My number and name on all three.”
“Then we’re all square. I’ve laid the groundwork, now it’s up to you.”
“Wish me luck.”
“If you need it, you’re not half the man I know you to be.”
Issy watched the back-and-forth between Sapphie and J.B. as if in a daze. “I’ve been set up,” she said finally.
“In a good way.” Sapphie took Sophia’s hand and waved it. “Say bye-bye to Mommy and let’s go have some fun. I need to teach you about cute shoes.”
J.B. held out his hand to Issy.
She placed her hand in his. Their fingers entwined.
They’d got halfway down the path from her apartment block to the lake in the center of the grounds, before her brain cleared enough to speak.
“I’m glad you stopped by. I’ve got something I want to talk to you about. I was going to leave it until after the Cup, but as you’re here...”
He laid a finger across her lips, stopping the words that tumbled out of her mouth.
Her eyes widened. She waited to see what he was going to say.
Nothing.
Instead he leaned forward and kissed her. Hard.
Oh, how she’d missed him. She pressed closer and kissed him back.
Why couldn’t they speak aloud the emotions that their mouths exchanged so freely in that kiss?
When J.B. finally lifted his head, she blinked at him, at a loss for words.
He smiled, but said nothing, too. Almost as if they were both afraid that speaking would spoil the moment. They resumed walking, hand-in-hand, lost in their own thoughts. The silence was easy, companionable.
At the water’s edge, they sat on a bench and stared out at the water shimmering in the evening sun. J.B. put his arm around her. She leaned into him, rested her head against his shoulder and waited for him to speak.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“About what?”
“I’ve decided I want to be more than a name on Sophia’s birth certificate.”
Issy’s heart beat faster. “Okay.”
“I want to be her dad in every sense of the word. For the fun stuff and the tough stuff. For the giggles and the crying—though I’d prefer if she never cried again. Man, that breaks my heart.”
She smiled. “Mine, too.”
“I know I can’t be around every day, like a normal dad, and I’ll probably miss some important events because of my job, but I promise I’ll make it up to her by being around when other dads can’t be. And she’ll never have to wonder if she’s special to me. She’ll know every day, no matter where I am—because I’ll tell her.”
“All right.”
He turned to look at her. “You’re happy with that?”
“Yes. Because I’ve changed my mind, too. I’d rather Sophia had two imperfect parents who love her to death, and are prepared to work together through the highs and lows, to ensure she’s happy and healthy and safe, than two perfect parents who don’t have to figure it all out because their life is boring and predictable.”
Surprise widened his dark eyes. “Really?”
“Other couples make it work—Maggie and Jake, for a start—so can we.”
His lips quirked at her deliberate use of the same example he’d given her during their fight. “Yeah. I think we can, too.”
Was there hope for compromise elsewhere, too?
Once again J.B. fell silent. He pulled her back into his arms and they resumed looking out over the lake. For a man who was always on the move, always active, he was surprisingly still and quiet.
Issy didn’t mind. It felt right to be here with him. So much so that it gave her the courage to take the initiative. “I’ve changed my mind about something else.”
This time he didn’t shift his gaze from the water. Almost as if he didn’t dare. “Oh?”
“Sophia isn’t the only one who doesn’t need boring and predictable in her life. Did you know that my parents lived their life to a schedule you could set a clock by?”
J.B. frowned and shook his head.
“I didn’t realize until recently that I could tell, at any hour of the day, what they’d be doing and how much they’d have drunk. My father’s shifts were Monday to Friday, six to four. My mother’s were the same. Payday every two weeks and by eight o’clock that night, they’d have spent a week’s worth of grocery money on Jim Beam.”
He squeezed her shoulder in sympathy.
“It wasn’t the schedule that was the issue, but the people. What’s the point of being present for your child’s birthday if you’re stoned the whole time? Or Thanksgiving, when you’ve spent the money for the turkey on weed. It wasn’t just the ‘normal’—” she added air quotes “—life that was missing, but their values. They cared more for their own pleasure than for their children or their responsibilities. Actions speak volumes.”
She turned to face him. “Your actions speak volumes. You’ve showed me what an honest, loyal, reliable man you are. That I can count on you whether you’re physically with me or not. In so many ways, you’ve put me and our daughter first. You’ve also showed me that I don’t have to sacrifice fun and happiness to be with the kind of man I’ve always dreamed of.”
Issy took a deep breath, then laid her heart on the line. “I’d like to give our relationship another try. I know you don’t want anything serious and I’m okay with that.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute or two. His silence made her nervous. Had she misjudged his feelings for her?
Eventually he said, “That’s not going to work for me.”
Her heart sank. How had she got it so wrong? “Why not?”
“It’s not enough.”
“I see.” Only she didn’t.
He turned and met her gaze. “I’ve decided I want a commitment with you. A lifetime’s commitment. You know—till death us do part.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in. Even then she wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “You want...?”
He grinned. “Marriage, kids—well, more kids, though not right away—a house, pets, the whole nine yards.” His expression grew serious. “I never wanted to join myself to someone else, because the thought of spending the rest of my life with one person scared me. Somehow I thought I’d lose myself. You showed me how much I’d gain. That one plus one is way more than two. Now I can’t imagine how I could go through my life without you in it.” He took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. “I love you, Bella.”
Happiness burst inside her. “I love you, too.”
“So, will you change your mind one last time and marry me?”
Even though she wanted to yell yes, she said, “We don’t have to.”
“I know. But I want to. The question is—do you?”
“Yes.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Definitely.”
“How about tomorrow?”
Issy laughed. Her laugh faded when she saw his expression. “You’re serious?”
“Very.”
Her pulse jumped. “But we can’t. You need a license.”
“I have one. Sapphie helped me get it.”
That explained their cryptic conversation back at her apartment. “What about the conference finals?”
“They start the day after tomorrow. Plenty of time for us to get married. Though, the honeymoon will have to wait a few weeks.”
“Thank you.” She kissed him again. “It’s a lovely gesture and I appreciate it, but it really isn’t necessary. We can wait. I want your mind focused on becoming champions.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Trust me, any other time I’d be dragging you off to the courthouse. But I don’t need the legal documents to know you’re committed to me. Once you’ve given your word, the job’s done.” She tilted her head. “Didn’t I read somewhere that if you win, you get a day with the Cup?”
“Yes, that’s the tradition.”
“Then we should definitely hold off and have our reception with the ultimate guest—Lord Stanley’s Cup. I can wait.”
“I can’t.” He pressed a swift kiss to her lips. “The game is important, but tomorrow you come first.”
Damn the man—he’d made her cry again. But this time they were happy tears. “Then, tomorrow it is.”
“Good, because thanks to Maggie, Tracy and Sapphie, it’s all arranged. All you have to do is turn up, with Sophia.”
“I...we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Her smile turned sultry. “You’re not going to be one of those guys who insists on waiting for the wedding night, are you? Especially as you have to play the day after tomorrow...” She let her voice trail off suggestively.
It didn’t take long for him to catch on. “It’ll be okay?”
“Oh, yes. I have the all-clear.”
He jumped up, grabbed Issy’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “What time did you say Bellita goes down?”
“As soon as she’s said goodbye to her auntie Sapphire.”
“I have a feeling Sapphie is about to make a swift exit.”
Issy laughed, her heart full of joy. “I do, too.”
They took off running down the path, hand in hand, toward their daughter and their future together.
EPILOGUE
TO QUOTE THE great Yogi Berra, it was déjà vu all over again.
Game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. Overtime. J.B. skating up the ice with the puck and the whole top of the net to aim at.
Only this time J.B. passed the biscuit to Ice Man and headed to the side of the net.
Kasanski fired a beauty of a shot, but the Ducks’ goaltender caught a piece of it with his glove and lifted it over the crossbar. The puck took a weird bounce off the top of the goal and landed on the ice at J.B.’s feet.
He didn’t hesitate.
The goal light flashed red. The horn sounded. The arena went wild.
Players vaulted over the boards. Helmets, gloves and sticks flew into the air and rained down onto the ice.
J.B. leaped into the air with a fist pump and a victorious yell. The weariness, the aches and pains that he’d fought through for so long vanished as he was mobbed by his elated teammates.
What a difference a year made. His skates barely touched the ice as he headed for the handshake line. He remembered well his devastation last year and tempered his exuberance to respect his defeated opponents. The time would come soon enough to let it all out again. It was as hard to know what to say to the guys suffering the loss as it had been to congratulate the winners. “Good series.”
“Good fight.”
“Tough break.”
“Thanks.”
Once he’d made it through the line, J.B. celebrated again with his teammates. Then, as they waited for the arena staff to prepare for the Cup presentation, he went over to the glass and shared the celebration with the people who mattered most to him.
His wife and his daughter. Twelve months ago those two words would have sent fear streaking through him. Today they completed him and brought him a joy that matched the thrill of his success.
His love for his two beautiful, special ladies grew every day. And with it, so did his contentment. His sense of family. With them, he’d finally found a home. A place to belong...permanently.
J.B. rubbed his taped wedding ring with his thumb, recalling their wedding. They would have a proper re
ception at some point, but for him and Issy it had been a perfect day. Bellita had been an angel. He’d had a team full of best men standing with him. Issy’d had Sapphie and the Cats’ women supporting her. There hadn’t been time to get his parents or brothers down to Jersey, but the Badolettis and the Jelineks had stood in for them, as they had for the most important parts of J.B.’s adult life.
He blew a kiss to his mom, who stood beside Issy in his seats. He didn’t know how she’d done it, but his wife had convinced her to come to the Finals. Issy was also helping J.B. work on his relationship with his father. J.B. knew he’d never be as close to his father as his brothers were, but if they could heal the rift between them, he’d be happy.
“Hey, bro, they’re calling your name.” Jake thumped him on the shoulder. “Conn Smythe Trophy. Get over there.”
Stunned that he’d been named the most valuable player for the tournament, J.B. skated through his teammates to accept the heavy silver, maple-leaf-topped trophy from the NHL commissioner. Honored as he was, man, he’d take some stick for this. And his bar bill had just gone stratospheric.
Watching Jake go up to receive Lord Stanley’s Cup was an emotional moment and not only because Bad Boy was his friend. The last time the Cats had won, J.B. hadn’t really appreciated how incredible an achievement it had been. He’d been young and cocky; he hadn’t known better. Now he knew the reality—how truly tough it was to conquer all comers—the thrill of seeing his captain raise the enormous silver chalice over his head was indescribable.
When J.B.’s turn came to lift the trophy, which Kenny handed him, he kissed the cup, then skated back across to the glass and, in gesture of tribute to his family, nodded to them before thrusting the Cup high into the air with a triumphant shout.
Skating around the ice had never felt as good as it did with the Cup above his head.
Then, as he’d promised, he passed the trophy to Mad Dog.
Sometime later the Cats’ families came out onto the ice to celebrate with the players. Once again the moment was uniquely special, as unlike before, J.B. had his family with him.
His mom took a photograph that would later adorn the living room wall of Issy and J.B.’s new home for many years to come—Sophia cradled in the bowl of the Cup, as her parents kissed above her. Visitors would say that she’d captured the perfect moment.