Sledge: The Hockey Player's Secret Baby

by Lila Moore

  He picked up my empty glass and returned to the bar. “When did you start drinking?”

  “I don’t know. Not long ago. It helps me unwind.”

  “Is your life that stressful?”

  “You’d be surprised,” I muttered. I wandered over to a pile of hockey equipment stacked against the wall. “Hey, do you remember when we were kids and we used to play broomball inside the house?”

  Sledge smiled. “You always cheated.”

  “I never cheated! You’re just a sore loser,” I laughed.

  “You cheated all the time. You’re too aggressive. You’d bodycheck me, then steal a goal.”

  “I’m too aggressive? How many times have you been suspended for fighting? Besides, the whole point of broomball is to get rough. No one cares about the score. You’re too competitive.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied with a sly grin. He handed me a drink then ran off into the kitchen. He returned holding two brooms. “Rematch.”

  We pushed the couch out of the way, clearing a space in the living room. Sledge’s condo was huge. We had a sizable makeshift rink. Sledge set down two empty beer bottles at each end of our ‘rink.’ We used these to mark the goals. He tossed a ball into the middle. We met nose-to-nose. Our brooms each rested on one side of the ball.

  “Ready?” he said. I nodded. “On the count of three. One… two…”

  I hit the ball without waiting for three. I slipped around him and headed for his goal. Before he could grab me, I swung and sent the ball straight into the goal.

  “Score! That’s one to zero!” I said triumphantly.

  “Weren’t you the one just lecturing me about how the score doesn’t matter in this game?”

  “It matters when I’m winning.”

  Sledge laughed. “I let you score.” I scoffed. “It’s true. I wanted you to have at least one point before I crush you.”

  Mockingly, I laughed. “Show me what you got.”

  We placed the ball in the middle of our rink. I tried to give Sledge my most intimidating hockey players stare down. I ended up cracking up laughing. He took advantage of the moment and stole the ball. I ran after him just barely managing to cut him off before he scored. I slammed into his shoulder. It was like hitting a brick wall. When we were kids, I could knock him off his feet with a well-timed bodycheck. Now, it was like he was carved out of wood.

  Our brooms fought against one another as I tried to steal the ball. The alcohol had gone to my head a bit; my reactions were slow. I gave up trying to steal the ball and decided to get rough instead. I slammed into his chest and kicked his leg.

  “Ow!” he laughed.

  I managed to get the ball away from him. Sledge tossed his broom aside and grabbed me around the waist. He lifted me off the floor into the air. I laughed and playfully kicked.

  “You sore loser!”

  He responded by tossing me onto the couch. I pulled him down with me. We wrestled on Sledge’s massive couch. I managed to get on top of him and pin his arms above his head. I looked down at him and smiled.

  “Like I said, sore loser.”

  He flipped me over onto my back and started to tickle me. I screamed with laughter, begging him to stop.

  Suddenly, his hands went still and his mouth was on mine. I froze. Sledge pulled away. He stared down at me with a look that suggested even he was surprised by what he’d done. He cleared his throat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have…”

  I pulled him to me and kissed him hard. I bit his lower lip and pressed my body against his. I was on autopilot. My brain had checked out. All I could think about was the maddening pulse of desire between my legs. I wanted him to fuck me so hard that I forgot about all my problems.

  I started to grind against him. I felt him grow hard. It felt like ages since I’d been beneath him, but my body remembered.

  I shivered as his hand passed over my stomach and slid up my shirt. He cupped my breast and ran his rough fingers over my nipple. He started to pull my shirt off. I was so eager to fuck him that I ripped it off before he had the chance to undress me.

  Sledge’s hand slid behind me and unhooked my bra. I pulled it free and tossed it aside. Then he was back on top of me, kissing my neck. His hand slid into my jeans. I gasped. He fingered my pussy, rubbing in quick circles.

  I didn’t think I could get much wetter, but Sledge proved me wrong. He sat up and pulled off his shirt, then he set his sights on me. He unbuttoned my jeans and slowly pulled them off. I lifted my legs as they slid off.

  Sledge kissed the insides of my thighs, then positioned himself between my legs. He reached between us, unzipped his pants then kicked them off. I could feel his cock, hard and thick, as it sought purchase between my legs.

  “Sledge…” I moaned nonsensically.

  The tip of his cock entered me. I braced myself, digging my nails into his thick shoulders. I cried out as he drove his cock deeper. He groaned in my ear. The sound was familiar and alien at the same time. His voice sounded deeper and thicker.

  He pulled out slowly, then drove his cock inside me hard. He started a punishing rhythm, moving in quick bursts of energy. Our bodies flowed together and apart, in perfect sync.

  When he sped up, I matched his rhythm. His strokes came fluidly.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist. Sledge drove his cock deeper. Momentum built, stroke by stroke. It was like a pressure valve that had been building up steam for too long was finally released. I couldn’t contain my desire any better than Sledge could.

  I clawed at his back and moaned like a cat. Sledge pumped into me faster. His hot breath on my skin sent a chill through me. The heat inside me took on a chaotic nature. It spread through my breasts and down to my toes.

  “I’m cumming…” I cried out.

  Sledge grunted in my ear. When we dated I didn’t talk this way. In truth, my words caught me by surprise. I’m not sure where they came from. I felt as if I’d lost control.

  With a final thrust, Sledge drove his cock deep inside me and came. We held onto each other like we’d float away from the Earth without each other’s strength.

  Sledge’s mouth found mine. We kissed between catching our breath. It wasn’t easy; we were both breathing hard. Sledge was still inside me. When he moved, tiny tremors crawled up my spine. I shivered so hard my shoulders hunched and my toes curled. Sledge smiled down at me with an amused grin.

  “What’s so funny?” I teased.

  “Nothing. I just missed this. I missed us.”

  He leaned down and kissed me again. His lips found their way down my chest. We were gearing up for round two when someone started to pound on the door. I jumped and let out a little scream. Sledge looked up.

  “Ignore it,” he said, then went back to leaving a flurry of kisses on my stomach.

  The pounding returned. Whoever it was they weren’t going away.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

  “No.”

  The pounding became louder. Sledge cursed under his breath and jumped up. He pulled on his jeans, but didn’t button them. I hastily dressed as Sledge headed for the door.

  “What do you want?” he said as he pulled open the door. Then his voice changed, breaking and becoming high like when he was younger. “Coach Ellis. What are you doing here?”

  I sunk down into the couch. I hoped my dad hadn’t seen me.

  “Where’s Bobbi?” he demanded.

  “She’s not here,” Sledge said calmly. “Why? Is she in trouble?”

  My father hesitated. I could imagine his face; his eyes narrow, his mouth a straight line set between flushed cheeks. I had no doubt he was furious. Most people withered before his anger.

  “Where is she?” my father demanded.

  “I haven’t talked to her. It was then I noticed my bra was hanging off the back of the couch. At the same moment, my father said: “What the hell is that?”

  I knew he’d spotted my bra. I cl
osed my eyes and held my breath. This was it. He would find me, drag me out of Sledge’s condo and force me to go back home. There was nothing I could do to stop it.

  “What about it?” Sledge replied coolly.

  “Is that Bobbi’s? Is she here?”

  The sound of a scuffle echoed through the room. I waited to be exposed. Anxiety twisted my stomach into knots. Fucking Sledge had given me the most amazing high. My father’s presence plunged me back down into the pits of anxiety and depression. What I wouldn’t give for a pill or two or three.

  “I won’t stand by and let this happen again. My family won’t be torn apart by that girl’s selfish, sinful-”

  “What do you mean ‘a repeat of last time’?”

  “Just let me in,” my father said, avoiding the subject.

  “I’m with a lady friend of mine,” Sledge said, as if he was talking to one of his friends. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to her. If I see Bobbi, I’ll give you a call, coach, I promise.”

  There was a loud bang as the door slammed shut in his face followed by the click of the lock. Sledge walked around to the couch and sat beside me.

  “He’s gone now,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” I whispered.

  “What’s he going to do? Knock the door down?”

  “He might.”

  Sledge gave me a wry look as if I was joking. I wasn’t. “What did your dad mean when he said he wouldn’t stand by and ‘let this happen again’?”

  I sat up and readjusted my clothes. “He forced me to break up with you when he found out we were having sex. You know how religious he is. He was embarrassed and full of righteous anger. I was forbidden from talking to you ever again.”

  This wasn’t exactly a lie. I simply neglected to admit that my dad discovered Sledge and I had been having sex when I became pregnant.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was forbidden. And I was a dumb girl who thought her father was a god. You know how everyone treats him. No one ever dares cross him. I was too scared.”

  Sledge put his hand over mine. “You could have told me. I would have figured something out.”

  “Like what? What would we have done? You didn’t have money at the time. You couldn’t support the both of us. I would have been disowned and thrown out onto the street.”

  “I could have gotten a job.”

  I shook my head. “No. If you’d gotten a job back home, you never would have left. You would have stayed behind for me, then your chance at the NHL would disappear. Staying with me would have ruined your life. It still might,” I said with a sigh.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  I straightened my clothes and rose from the couch. Sledge grabbed my hand and pulled me back down.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “This was a mistake,” I said. “I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have kissed you, or…”

  I looked back at the couch where we’d just had sex. Heat still radiated between my legs. Sledge’s eyes narrowed.

  “You’re not leaving until you tell me what’s going on. You’ve been acting so strange. One minute, we’re laughing having a good time, the next you’re a nervous wreck. You act like being with me is the end of the world.”

  “I’m under a lot of pressure. My father came up here to take me home. It’s like he said, I’m selfish and sinful. He thinks I’m an embarrassment. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t want to leave school.”

  I broke down. I buried my face in my hands, trying to hide my tears. Sledge pulled me close.

  “It’s not the end. You know I would never let anything bad happen to you. If this is about money-”

  “No,” I said quickly. I didn’t want him to think I was trying to shake him down for cash. “I’m fine. I’ll get a student loan and a job. Astrid says the university has good job placement program. I’ll figure it out. It’s my responsibility. It’s just that I’ve never been alone like this before.”

  “You’re not alone.” He wrapped an arm around me. I didn’t fight. I let him pull me to him. “I’m here for you, Bobbi. Just let me take care of you.”

  I wanted to, more than anything.

  “I wish this last year never happened,” I said.

  “So do I. We should have been together. It was always the two of us. You were my best friend, then you ghosted me and I thought… well, that doesn’t matter now. If I’d known your father was behind it, I would have killed him.”

  “And ruin your future?”

  “What kind of future did I have without you?”

  I was taken aback by his response. I looked down at my hands. I’d betrayed Sledge more deeply than he’d ever know. I was ashamed to be in his house.

  “When I was First Overall Draft Pick, when I signed my first contract, got my first check, won my first big game… it was all hollow. I’ve been empty without you.”

  “You deserve so much better than me,” I said.

  “Why do you think that?”

  “I’m not who you think I am.”

  “We’ve known each other since we were kids, Bobbi. What secret could you possibly be hiding?”

  I felt like a knife had been plunged into my gut.

  “Could you make me another drink?” I asked.

  “No. What is this? Since when do you drink?”

  My phone started to ring. Grateful for a distraction, I jumped up to answer it. I pulled my cell phone out of my bag and checked the ID. It was my aunt. I was hoping it was Astrid, but I was relieved to see that it wasn’t my father.

  “I have to take this,” I said. Sledge grabbed the phone from me and answered it. “Hey!” I protested.

  “Listen to me,” he said to my aunt. “Stay away from Bobbi. You don’t have any authority over her anymore. She can do what she wants. If you come near her again, I’ll kill you.”

  Sledge hung up the phone.

  “You know that was my aunt, right?”

  “What? Shit. I thought that was your dad. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You snatched the phone away from me so quickly that I didn’t have the chance to.” He handed the phone to me. “Call her back and I’ll apologize.”

  Sledge ran his hands through his hair and across his scruffy beard. I dialed her number but didn’t hand the phone over to Sledge.

  “Bobbi?” she said, answering on the first ring.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry about that. It was a misunderstanding. I-”

  The sound of a baby crying in the background stopped me midsentence. The sound was loud and close to the phone. No way was it coming from the television.

  “I’m calling to tell you that my decision is final. I won’t be coming to your house on the weekends anymore.”

  I did my best to continue on as if I suspected nothing. Meanwhile, my mind raced. Why did my aunt have a baby at her house? She never mentioned anything about babysitting. Her friends were too old for children and as far as I knew, none of them had young grandchildren that visited. If they did, my aunt would have told me.

  “You’re making a mistake, dear. You don’t want to go to war with your father. I don’t know who that young man was on the phone earlier, but if he’s led you to believe he’ll take care of you, then well…” She chuckled. “I hope you’re not stupid enough to believe the promises of some boy. They’ll say anything to get in your pants, then once the deed is done they run. I would think you of all people would understand that.”

  I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. Was she under the impression that the father of my baby had abandoned me? There was no telling what sort of lies my father had fed her.

  “You’re right,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’ve been a bit disoriented these last few days.”

  Sledge gave me a hard look. “Let me talk to her,” he said.

  I turned away from him. “Daddy is usually right about these things,” I said to my aunt.

  “Of c
ourse he is. You need to go home and cool off for a few days. You’ll see reason once you’ve had time to sleep on it.”

  “Yes. I’m sure you’re right,” I lied. “It’s good to talk to you. Again, I’m sorry about that earlier phone call.”

  “No problem, dear. I’ll see you this weekend.”

  “Of course,” I said brightly.

  I hung up the phone. I had to get to my aunt’s house immediately. There was something fishy going on.

  “What the hell was that?” Sledge asked, more lost than ever.

  “I need to borrow your car.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need you to trust me.”

  I hoped that was good enough reason not to answer Sledge’s question. Judging by the look on his face, it wasn’t.

  “Please? I won’t be long.”

  “I’ll drive you.”

  “I need to go alone.”

  The muscle in his jaw tensed. “Bobbi…”

  “I know. You don’t want to be kept on the outside of things. I get it. You want the truth. I just need you to trust me. I need to talk to my aunt alone. I’ll come right back and tell you everything. I promise.”

  “Okay.” He walked into the next room and returned holding his keys. “It’s the silver Jaguar on the first floor of the parking garage. I parked near the elevators.”

  “Thanks.”

  I rose up on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Sledge turned and our lips met. I kissed him then pulled away. Sledge wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. He wasn’t going to let me get away that easily. He kissed me hard. For a breathless moment, I thought he’d never let me go. I didn’t want him to. Then he was pushing me away.

  “I still love you, Bobbi. I always have. Don’t forget that.”

  I stared at him dumbly. A million competing thoughts raced through my head. I didn’t know how to respond. I took the car keys from him and turned away. I walked out the door without looking back. I was afraid to. What if I saw the passion in his eyes and confessed everything? It would break his heart. He would hate me forever. I pushed on. I had to get to the bottom of my aunt’s secret. I left Sledge’s place with a new found determination.

  14

  I pulled up in front of my aunt’s house. The lights were on inside. I sat out front and waited. I’m not sure what I was looking for, but I felt like I was on a stakeout. Her shadow moved in front of the living room window. All of the windows were covered with drapes. I couldn’t see her, but I could see her silhouette. She moved slowly, pacing back and forth across the living room. What was she doing?