Page 45 of Coach Me (Boston Blues #2)

Dex

So, how’s it going?

My message sits unread. Things feel weird. I can’t explain it, call it a dad’s intuition if you want, but something feels off. Especially with Lucie not answering my text. Then, add in the fact that I can see the seats I know they are supposed to be in, but there’s no one there.

I know it was unfair for me to stick Lucie with this today, but I meant every word in that closet. I want to tell Miles about us. I want him to know what she means to me. What she could mean for both of us, really.

Kate is Miles’s mother, no one can take that from her, even if I know she doesn’t really want it. But Lucie…I think it’s very possible that she loves Miles more than she could ever love me and something about that thought makes me so fucking happy.

I want that for my son. I know Miles deserves Lucie’s love more than I do, and maybe a good father would have let her stay the nanny, but I think I’m so fucking in love with her that I can’t stay away.

The first inning sails by with neither team scoring any runs. When Beck steps up to the plate for the start of the second, my eyes drift back over to the seats. Fucking empty.

They’re probably getting food or something, and there’s an insane line. But something deep in my gut isn’t sitting right. I should just step out and call Lucie to alleviate all this worrying.

I step back to make my way out of the dugout, but then Olsson calls, “Hey, Larsen, come here for a second.”

I pinch my eyebrows and weave through the players. I recognize the security guard who’s posted outside our entry to the dugout with Kate right next to him.

I can feel my blood pressure rising. Fuck. I knew something didn’t feel right, but then again, it’s just Kate here…no Miles or Lucie.

The security guard clears his throat as I reach them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this woman is stating she needed to speak with you?—”

“I’m the mother of his child, I think I?—”

For fuck’s sake. “Kate, what’s going on?”

Her face pales. “It wasn’t my fault, Dex, really.”

Bile immediately climbs up my throat. What wasn’t her fault?

“Where are Miles and Lucie?” I grit out, my volume rising like my oncoming anger.

Will appears next to me, as I’m sure he heard his sister’s name. “What’s going on?”

Kate starts waving her hands as she speaks, and I know I’m about to get nothing but excuses. “It happened so fast, I don’t know. Lucie ran into this guy…her dad or something… ”

“Her dad?” Will echoes. I can hear the struggle in his voice. While I want to comfort Lucie at the moment, I need to know where my son is.

“Miles, Kate. Where is Miles?”

Kate practically shrinks in front of me. “He’s…missing.”

It’s a weird thing, feeling panic and fear. In this moment, I feel them both so immensely that it’s physically painful. Almost as if I’m being choked or strangled. Missing. My son is missing.

“Explain. Now.”

“I’m trying to!” Kate whines and throws her hands up in the air.

“No, stop that. Do not play the victim. Do not tell me anything other than what happened. I don’t care about the outside circumstances around it right now. I want the truth and I want it now.”

Kate swallows hard. “We were walking to our seats from the concession stands when Lucie ran into this guy. She called him Dad, but she looked terrified?—”

“Fuck,” Will mutters next to me. I want to acknowledge it, I do, but my son holds priority right now.

“Well, I told her I would take Miles over to the side so she could have a moment alone…but then I got this call from Cedar and Park that I’ve been waiting weeks for…” My glare says every bit of I don’t fucking care, and Kate sighs. “I don’t know, Dex, he was just gone.”

My body goes rigid with terror.

“Fuck!” I yell and storm past Kate and the security guard. I don’t care if I’m on the job. I don’t care that it’s the start of the game, and Olsson knows that.

Storming through the hall, I don’t know where to start but, fuck, I’ll tear this place apart if it means finding Miles .

In my rage, I don’t hear the cleats running up behind me until Will’s right next to me.

“What are you doing?” I snap. I can storm out and most likely get away with it, but Will’s supposed to be pitching tonight.

Will doesn’t stop, he doesn’t tell me to slow down or take a deep breath. He simply matches my pace. “After hearing that two people—who are very important to me—need help, someone else can fucking pitch. We’ll find him, Dex…more likely Lucie will, but you’re getting my help either way.”

All I can manage is to nod back to him. After we find Miles, I’ll tell him how fucking much this means to me, but for now I have to find my son.

“Wait for me!” Kate calls. “He’s my son too, you know. I’m just as upset as you.”

I don’t stop. I physically can’t, so I just holler over my shoulder, not caring if I sound like an ass. “I’m well aware, but this is not the fucking time to play the martyr. Pull your head out of your fucking job and help look for him.”

We burst through the first set of doors. I reach for my phone to try to call Lucie, but not a single call will go through with the number of people here. I manage to get a Where are you? text to go through, but I can’t sit around and wait for her to answer.

We’re getting closer to where it’s going to get majorly crowded, and fans stopping us constantly is going to be a nightmare. I turn to Kate. “Did you at least talk to Lucie before finding me?”

She makes this hurt look on her face, but when she notices me not giving a fuck, she sighs. “Yeah, she knows. I thought Miles might have gone back to her, but he wasn’t there. She said she was going to start looking, and I came to you.”

Will pulls his ball cap off and adjusts it, pulling it lower like that will help distract from the fact that he’s in full uniform.

“Okay, you’re not going to like what I’m about to say, but listen before you freak out.

We need to check medical. Growing up, it’s where I always told Lucie to go if we ever got separated during games.

I’m sure Lucie told Miles the same thing. ”

“Let’s go.” Nodding, I follow Will but keep my head on a fucking swivel looking for any glimpse of Miles or Lucie.

When we reach the first aid and medical room, and I don’t see either, my heart sinks even deeper into my stomach. A thousand scenarios have run through my head, and with each passing minute, they just get worse and worse.

“Has anyone seen—” I start announcing to the room, but a woman steps up to us immediately. She seems like the one running the show with her clipboard handy and a badge hanging from her neck.

“Mr. Larsen, while I want to say it’s a pleasure to meet you, I wish it were under different circumstances. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen Miles. Your nanny?—”

“My girlfriend.” The correction comes out involuntarily. Now isn’t exactly the time to get all territorial, but hearing “nanny” doesn’t feel right.

“Right. Miss Anderson came by here and informed us of the situation. We have a full description of Miles, and I sent some volunteers out with her as well to help with the search.”

“Did Lucie say where she was going next?” Will asks.

The woman reaches for a walkie on her hip. “That girl was determined. I’m sure she’s been to five different places by now. Let me radio and see if anyone has her location.”

Of course, Lucie’s first instinct was to start looking and get all of Miles’s info out. Kate came to me first and, while I needed to know, Miles was Lucie’s priority.

God, I love her for it.

The woman clicks her radio back on her hip. “Okay, everyone is practically all over this stadium now. One of my volunteers said Lucie was headed back to the concessions area where he went missing, then was heading down to the dugouts after that.”

“Great, thank you,” Will replies because I started moving the moment she said where Lucie was going.

I could run around this fucking stadium, but I know Lucie—I know she has a plan and has sent people in twenty different directions already. I’m going to follow her damn lead because I have no doubt in my fucking mind that Lucie is going to be the reason we find Miles.

Kate and Will follow closely behind me. I know part of Will’s concern in all of this is Lucie—I get it, and I hope he knows I want to acknowledge the whole “dad” situation, but I can’t until I find my son.

With the concession stand in sight, I spot Lucie right away as she uses her hands to talk to four security guards in front of her.

She looks just as terrified as I feel, but she’s organized a complete search party for Miles. My feet move to her immediately. Lucie places her hands over her head as the men walk off in different directions.

“Lucie!” I yell for her before she can get the chance to move. When I reach her, I pull her into my arms immediately. “Fuck, Luce. ”

“Dex?” Lucie lets out a small breath before wrapping her arms tightly around me. “I’m so sorry.”

Pulling back, I cup her face and wipe away a stray tear. “Hey, it’s okay?—”

“I’m going to find him, Dex, I swear.” Lucie swallows. “I’m sorry I didn’t come and get you. I was about to, but I had to make sure everyone knew what to look out for first.”

Still holding her face, I stare into her blue eyes as I say, “We’re going to find him, Luce.” Frankly, I needed to say it for myself too.

“Lucie,” Will hollers, pulling Lucie’s attention away.

Her eyes go wide. “Will? What are you doing here?”

Will pulls her away from me and into a hug. “Are you kidding? I’m here to fucking help, and to check on you! They said something about?—”

“Lucie, I’m sorry, I came up short—” A man with dark hair races up to Lucie, but pauses when he sees Will. Pauses is too simple a word, actually—this man crumbles.

Will stumbles back from Lucie. He looks like he just took a punch to the gut.

“Will,” Lucie speaks softly. “It’s okay, he’s sober and he wants to help.”

Callie runs up out of nowhere. “Hey, Olsson told me what happened. I’m here to—Will?”

He pulls her close before speaking to his dad. “You need to go. I can’t?—”

“Son, I’m so sorry. If I could just explain?—”

Will scoffs and looks like he’s about to explode.

Shit, shit, shit. We don’t have time for this right now.

Before I can even open my mouth, Lucie whistles.

“Everyone is going to shut up and swallow their pride right now. I don’t care about the past twenty years at this moment. What I care about it finding Miles, so, everyone, listen up, so we can find my fucking kid.”

Fuck, I love this girl so much.

Lucie steps to her brother. “Will, I love you, but I need you right now. Miles needs you right now. You and Callie, you guys go check the dugout and the Blues locker rooms. I already sent extra security to look on the Crimson side in case he got turned around.”

Will gives her a nod, then meets the man's eyes one more time before Callie pulls him away slowly.

Lucie whips right around. “Dad, you go check our seats in the stadium. They’re on the away side reserved seating closest to the dugout. Check anywhere in that section, really. I’m going to start checking suites.”

When Lucie turns to me, I can see the emotional hell she’s in. “Let me go with you.”

She gives me a small nod, but then Kate cuts in. “I’m going wherever you’re going, Dex.”

Lucie exhales. “You two do the suites.”

“Luce—”

“No.” Lucie’s voice comes out just as strong as it did a moment ago.

“It’s okay, really. We don’t need three people searching one area, Dex.

Pairs are fine for big spaces. You two check there first, and I’ll start at the offices.

I already have people searching the stands in general, and someone’s staying here in case he comes back to this spot. ”

I know she’s right, but damn it, I hate leaving her alone like this. “Okay, meet us back here in ten minutes if you can’t find him.”

Lucie nods before she goes one way, and Kate and I go the other.