Page 24

Story: Falling for You

Chapter 23

Penelope

I gently bounce Hudson as security walks my sister, Tony, and me through the hallways toward the box where Taylor's family is, and my heart pounds.

I can feel the cold metal of the bracelet, and I let it soothe me. I spent days trying to find it before concluding that I lost it at Avery’s bachelorette party. I never thought I dropped it at Taylors place and that he kept it, all this time. He kept the bracelet and even added more to it.

“You doing okay?” Avery asks when I tense as the doors come into view, and I nod.

“Did you know he had my bracelet?” I ask as Hudson grabs my hair and gently plays with it as I pat his bottom.

Avery hums and admits, “He told us that day at his house, the day you two finally met again. He’s been adding to it and even explaining what the charms meant to Dad when Dad questioned whether he actually got to know you after one night. Which, by the sounds of things, he did get to know you, the real you, more than what Tony did with me, that is for sure.”

“Hey, I resent that,” Tony chimes, making me smile. He continues, “I was too busy wanting to be inside you to talk.”

I look at Avery to see her cheeks redden, I chuckle and then admit, “I think Taylor had me like eight times that night in between getting to know each other.” Tony looks at me wide-eyed, and I just shrug and admit, “We didn’t sleep much,” before walking ahead of them and I hear Avery’s laughter behind me but nothing from Tony.

Guess I rendered him speechless.

“Mr. Evans's suite is here,” the security guy says, I give him a sweet smile as Tony says, “Thank you, Todd,” then wraps an arm around my shoulders. I’m suddenly glad Taylor rang them from the car and asked him and my sister to meet us here, so I wasn’t walking into the lion’s den alone, so to speak.

“Nico and Crissy Evans are the most heartwarming people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I know they will welcome you with open arms. Though expect Crissy to take Huddy from you instantly. The woman is obsessed with him. Then expect Kaylah, Hannah, and Crissy to all fight over the poor kid before Nico shuts them all up and takes him instead.”

I laugh and look at him while Avery stays beside me, allowing her sweet husband to calm my nerves because he knows the family.

“You doing this is showing Taylor that you do want a future with him. That your fear of becoming the person your parents wanted you to become for money is on the back burner and you’re doing it all for him,” he finishes.

I nod, then kiss his cheek and whisper, “Thank you.”

He grins and holds his other arm out for Avery, who walks straight over then he guides us into the suite.

“Mom, she will meet you when she is ready. Just give her time. Penelope has been through a lot,” I hear Hannah sigh, I swallow hard, hating that I’ve made people upset and, worse, given them the wrong impression.

“Sweetheart, we both know it’s because she wants Hudson more than once a week and just wants to hound her about it,” a man I recognize as the player Taylor playfully shaved ice onto in the charity ma…. I mean, game.

Nico Evans, his father.

I swallow hard and make myself known as I say, “She can have him for one extra day, but that is it until after I stop nursing.” Everyone turns my way, and Dylan grins wide at me while a woman with a brown bob and light brown eyes runs over to me.

Hudson giggles with delight as he holds his arms out to her, and I smile as I happily hand him over before Dylan wraps his arm over my shoulder and kisses my head, then whispers, “I'm proud of you.” I lean into him, happy he’s here.

I’ve seen him a few times since Taylor came back into my life. The man is amazing, he’s also the only person in his family I’ve agreed to see.

“Didn’t fancy giving me call fucker,” Dylan says to Tony, who just grins at him while the woman, I’m guessing is Crissy fusses over Hudson.

“Oh, look how cute you look in your daddy’s number. Yes, you are. You are so cute,” she speaks and Nico rolls his eyes as he walks over to me.

He kisses my cheek and says, “Penelope, it’s good to finally meet you, I’m Nico.”

I give him a smile and reply, “It’s good to meet you too, I just hope I’m not intruding or anything.”

He snorts as Crissy playfully narrows her eyes at me, making me smile before I hear a squeal, and I look over to my left to see Kaylah running my way, shouting, “Nurse Vine!”

I catch her with a chuckle, place her on my hip, and state, “Well, if it isn’t my favorite brave princess!” She grins wide at me before wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Well, I don’t know what she was so worried about,” Avery says as she places her hand on my back and continues, “She’s already loved by a little girl, which means she’s in.”

Hannah laughs as she walks over, kisses my cheek, and then says to my sister, “Penelope here was Kaylah’s nurse several months ago. She’s been begging Taylor to marry her, but Taylor only wanted one girl.”

“I bet he’s kicking himself now that he didn’t wait around the hospital each time that he just missed Pen, huh?” Tony confirms with a grin, and I nod because I regret not sticking around as well.

Whenever Hannah mentioned her other brother was due, mysteriously I would disappear on my break because I knew Kaylah wanted to set us up.

I hold Kaylah tightly as my sister introduces herself to everyone while Hannah, like Tony stated, tries to take Hudson from his granny, and my nerves disappear.

I feel at home with these people, more so than I ever have with my own parents.

“Okay, enough fighting over the poor child,” Nico exasperates, making me chuckle as he takes my son from his wife, who pouts, but he ignores her. He takes Hudson to the window and starts pointing out things to a three-month-old who has no idea what is going on.

“Nurse Vine,” Kaylah whispers as she leans back and squishes my cheeks together, making me smile. She asks, “Is Hudson my cousin? Mommy says he is, but Uncle Taylor said he didn’t want you because he wanted a Penelope, but I think he should have you.”

Avery snorts beside me while I soften at the little girl’s words.

“I am Penelope,” I tell her quietly, like it’s some kind of secret, making her eyes widen, “Hudson is your cousin because Uncle Taylor is his daddy.”

Kaylah’s quiet momentarily before she squeals and wiggles to get down. I oblige as she shouts, “Mommy, Hudson is my cousin, so Nurse Vine is my aunty now,” and I wince.

Crap.

“I really thought I had that in the bag with the explanation without her coming to that conclusion,” I admit, and Dylan laughs as he wraps his arm over my shoulder again and pulls me into the room.

“Yeah, she’s wanted you with Tay since she met you, so there is no getting out of it now,” Dylan admits.

I snort and reply, “Somehow, I doubt your brother would let me out of it anyway.” He grins, not denying my words.

I look around the red room in wonder. Avery is talking to Crissy while looking my way several times, meaning she’s most likely talking about me. Hannah and Kaylah are talking to Tony and looking at Nico, most likely coming up with a plan to steal my child while Nico is still showing my son the ice.

I look near where the bar area is but frown when I notice a woman who is way overdressed for a hockey game in a short white mini dress and silver heels, glaring at me. I raise a brow back, not one to shy away from a bitch.

If I was, I never would have continued to try and contact the she-witch Elena.

“Don’t mind her,” Dylan says, “she’s my wife.”

“Ah, well, that makes sense,” I mumble, and he chuckles under his breath.

Taylor mentioned she was a jersey chaser and tried trapping Dylan, which worked because he had married her before he found out she wasn’t pregnant.

His family believed he fell in love with her and was trying to keep his vows. But in reality, he couldn’t divorce her without losing half of his hard-earned money, which is a lot considering he’s a quarterback for the Hawks.

“She looks like she should be in a night club,” I mutter, and he chuckles before saying, “She also reminds me of Elena, who by the way was trying to get into Taylor’s apartment today dressed in nothing but a trench coat.”

His chuckles stop, and he scowls, but I just give him a smile and state, “I told Taylor, and he spoke to the receptionist and security. If she steps foot in the place again, then she’ll be arrested.”

His scowl doesn’t disappear, but he does nod before he nods to the glass window, and we walk over. Hudson sees me and squeezes his fists my way. I smile as I take him from a reluctant Nico, who pouts, making me laugh as I turn us so we can see the ice as the players begin to skate onto it.

My heart flutters as Taylor skates on last. The crowd is screaming and cheering as he skates around the rink before stopping to see our box.

Our eyes connect, and he grins wide, making me suck in a breath, and my heart flutters while butterflies swim in my stomach.

“You’ve made his whole year, sweetheart,” Nico says, and I nod as Hudson looks around with wonder. I keep my eyes on the man who makes me want more for once and I admit, “He’s everything and deserves the world.” At that Nico grins and I mean every word.

“Is a game supposed to be this rough?” I ask with a wince thirty-five minutes later as one of the Red Lions is shoved into the boards so hard that his helmet nearly falls off.

“Not normally,” Tony answers me, his voice full of tension while Nico stares at the game with concern. “It’s for the semi-finals, and the Eagles lost to the Red Lions, costing them the cup last year.”

“So, what? They have a bone to pick,” I ask as another player is purposely tripped. The ref misses it—literally, he turns his back right before the player is tripped. “Oh, come on, even I saw that!” I snap, my concern for Taylor hitching up a notch, and I look his way.

He’s with his teammates on the bench watching the game, his eyes not moving from the ice, and he looks angry.

“Is the ref an Eagles fan or something because it only seems like the Red Lions are getting shoved into the sin bin for something minor,” Avery rasps from behind me.

“Looks like the ref was more than likely paid off,” Dylan snaps as he paces near the window to my left.

My breathing picks up as I see the coach lift his arm and Taylor jumps up from his seat. I step closer to the glass with worry and hold Hudson a little tighter to me as he starts to fuss.

“Here, sweety, let me take him. He can pick up your nerves,” Crissy says and I look at her to see her eyes full of concern—not for Hudson but for me. I hand him over instantly, knowing she is right.

Hudson quietens instantly, I focus back on the game just as the ref drops the puck. The Eagles center tries to shove Taylor, but he spins, and Hannha mutters, “That’s it, big brother.”

He takes the puck with him before passing it to someone on his team. Then, with ease, he skates to the other end of the rink, dodging people left and right.

“Come on,” Nico mumbles, “You got this son.”

They’re a point down only because the ref has missed several bad plays from the Eagles.

“They’re cheating, that team is cheating, and the ref is allowing it,” I mutter, and Dylan hums beside me in agreement, his arm now around my shoulders picking up my tension but we all freeze up as Taylor gets the puck again and shoots.

I scream, “Yes,” as it goes in, and Taylor skates around the net but just like a few weeks ago, a player skates into him, this time bashing him into the boards hard.

I press my hand on the glass as I shout, “ Taylor!” His team starts fighting with the other team, standing by their captain while Dylan’s grip tightens around me.

I suck in a breath as he slowly gets up, but once he gets to his feet, he stumbles. Two of his teammates quickly catch him, and I gasp, “No, not again!”

“Fuck,” I hear Dylan mumble, and I don’t think, instead, I turn to Crissy, who nods and states, “I’ve got him,” I nod back, then run to the door.

I hear feet behind me, but I ignore them and follow the signs for the team’s locker rooms while my heart pounds so hard I’m scared it may tear out of my chest.