Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(110)
“What is it that you do?”
“I’m a lawyer. Well, technically, I was a lawyer. No, wait. I still am, but now I’m a sports agent.”
I smile. I like that he’s rambling a little. It means he’s as nervous as I am.
A sports agent, huh? “Really? For which sport?”
“Hockey.”
Wow.
“I currently live in Colorado,” he says.
“You’re kidding me.” If he finds it strange that I get excited over this detail, James doesn’t show it.
“Not kidding. Small world, right?”
I can tell he knows something.
“Ellie, I might not know everything about you, but I do read the news, and I keep up with professional hockey. When I read Bianca’s post, I got curious, so I dug deeper. I know who your brother is. I also know it was announced that you’re dating Kingston Rush, who happens to be Heath Rush’s older brother.”
“You know Heath?”
James nods. “I know a lot of people.”
I feel my face heat. “Yeah, definitely a small world.” I take a sip of my water, then look back up at him. “Can I ask how old you are?” It’s probably a really stupid question considering I slept with this guy at one time, but he looks … younger than I thought he would be.
“I just turned thirty-three.”
A flurry of numbers goes through my head and I gasp. “Oh, my God. That means…”
“I was only nineteen when we met.”
“But you were at a club.”
His grin is a bit devilish. “Fake ID.”
I giggle. I can’t believe this.
“But don’t worry, I have grown out of that phase. I assure you.”
I look in his eyes and see James is no longer smiling. “Trust me. That’s not what I was thinking. We were both young.” Apparently, him more so than me. Which, I think, is the strange thing. I had no idea.
“So, first steps?”
I glance down at the table. “I think we should take this slow. Unlike the first time.”
He chuckles. “I think that’s wise.”
“Maybe you and I can get to know each other a little better before I introduce you to Bianca. And I think a paternity test is fair. To you and to her. I hope that doesn’t offend you, but—”
James reaches out and touches my hand. “Ellie, like I said, this is new to me. I only found out I have a daughter a week ago. Sure, it’s been thirteen years, and I don’t want to waste too much time before I get to see her, but I trust your judgement. I’ll follow your lead.”
I can’t help it, tears spring to my eyes. I’ve spent the last week coming up with worst-case scenarios. I imagined meeting him for the first time and having him tell me that she couldn’t possibly be his, although I’m not sure why he would’ve shown up if that was the case. I also thought about what would happen if he decided he wanted to take Bianca away from me.
Instead, this man seems genuinely interested in meeting his daughter, and he’s being incredibly mature about it.
“Do you have a picture of her?” he asks. “Of when she was a baby?”
Smiling to myself, I pull out my phone. If he wants pictures, I’ve got pictures.
Kingston
My chest hurts.
It actually feels like something is squeezing my heart. Or perhaps it feels like there’s an anvil sitting on my ribs. One way or the other, the pain makes me aware of every breath I take.
Ellie texted me this morning to let me know she was going to meet James today. I didn’t ask where and she didn’t offer. I think I should have. It’s been five hours since she was scheduled to meet him. I want to call her, but I don’t. Rather than simply ask, I’ve been sitting on my back porch, staring out at the lake for the past two hours. A million questions have gone through my head during that time. And it’s a broad spectrum of worries making my head ache.
What if James wants to be Bianca’s father? I could totally understand that. Bianca’s a great kid and Ellie’s a great mom. Any man would be proud to be part of that.
Will Ellie decide that the best thing for Bianca is to be with the man? I can see that happening. It only seems natural.
What if James doesn’t want to be Bianca’s father? Let me tell you, any man who would not want to be that kid’s father is an idiot. Total f*cking moron. And the only reason that could happen would be if the guy refused to get to know her. He wouldn’t get to find out how smart she is. Or how funny. Or how she’s got the sweetest giggle and that she likes banana splits with M&Ms on top. He would never know how bright her smile can get because he didn’t get to witness her fifth birthday when she received some sparkly princess dress and her eyes lit up as big and bright as the sun. He would never know how sweet she can be because he wasn’t around when she insisted that Spencer and I both take her to the father-daughter dance when she was eight.
The thought of him not wanting anything to do with her makes rage burn through me, and I want to punch the bastard in the face. I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t know how it’ll play out. I can’t even pinpoint what I want.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I want Bianca to be happy. I’m sure finding her father and establishing a relationship with him would be the best thing for her. Provided, of course, that he’s good enough to be her dad.