Page 35 of The Unexpected Lineup (Lost in Translation #2)

DON’T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD AGAIN

RASMUS

T he sound of the puck dropping marks the start of the last three minutes of the second period. The arena fills with excitement, fans cheering loudly. But I let it all fade away, locking my focus on the play unfolding before me.

We’ve got an advantage on the power play as one of the Beavers’ players got two minutes for high sticking.

From the corner of my eye, I spot Lewis Farrington.

A well-known dirty player of their team who also (unfortunately) happens to be Haisley’s ex.

The same ex who mistreated her. All I want to do is erase that smug smile from his face.

“I saw your big news on social media before the game,” Farrington taunts, skating beside me. “Enjoying my leftovers and got her pregnant? What a fucking mistake, man.”

My stomach drops. What the hell is he talking about? We haven’t posted anything yet as we agreed to keep it quiet until after the season. But someone must have leaked the information .

Fuck, the pregnancy was supposed to be ours alone. Private and safe from the world. Now it’s out there, discussed openly, twisted into a weapon in Farrington’s arsenal.

I don’t respond. I can’t. If I open my mouth, I’ll lose control. I’m filled with anger but also a rush of adrenaline. The game is still ongoing, but all I can focus on now is his damn voice. My grip on the stick tightens, my knuckles turning white.

“Bet she didn’t tell you how she used to beg for it. Pathetic little thing.” He’s persistent, his tone dripping with contempt. “I don’t blame you, though. That sweet pussy can make a man go?—”

Every ounce of control I’ve been holding onto fractures, and red fills my vision. Dropping my stick and gloves, the cool air bites my bare hands as I close the distance between us in one swift motion.

“Don’t you ever talk about the mother of my child again,” I snarl, taking hold of the front of his jersey. “You had your chance with her, and you blew it.”

His face falters for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovers, too cocky for his own good. “Or what? You gonna hit me? Go ahead, Westerholm. Show everyone you’re as weak as I said you were. So weak that you managed to knock up a hockey whore.”

The last bit of my restraint snaps. My fist is already flying toward his face. It connects with a sickening crunch. Farrington stumbles, his head jerking back, eyes widening in surprise. He wasn’t expecting me to actually hit him.

He tries to hit me back but misses. My body moves on its own, fueled by pure instinct to protect what’s mine. I pull my hand back, ready for another swing. But before I can make contact again, strong arms wrap around me, pulling me away while someone holds Farrington from trying another hit.

“He’s not worth it,” Jasper says with a serious tone, his grip firm. “Don’t get yourself into more trouble because of him. Trust me.”

“Fuck him.” My chest heaves as I glare at Farrington, who’s wiping blood from his nose with the back of his hand. “He’s never allowed to think about her again. End of story."

“You’ll regret this,” Farrington spits out, but there’s no fire left in his voice. “I hope the pussy is worth it.”

I can’t move because Jasper won’t let me go. But I lower my voice so only he and the jackass can hear me. “If you mess with my family one more time, it won’t stop here. Haisley and that baby are my fucking world.”

The refs come between us, their whistles piercing above the rest of the noise. My chest heaves, adrenaline still running through my veins as I shake off Jasper’s grip. Farrington is skating backward now, spitting blood onto the ice as he goes. I’ve never wanted to punch someone more in my life.

“Keep your cool, Ras,” Jasper reminds me. “Let him go. It’s over.”

One of the refs skates toward center ice. The arena falls into a murmur, everyone waiting to hear the verdict.

“Team Peacocks, number nineteen. Two minutes for instigating, plus a game misconduct for fighting.”

Well, fuck. Here we go.

Our fans erupt in protest, a mix of boos and groans filling the air. At the bench, Coach Presley shakes his head in disappointment. I don’t blame him. I knew fighting was stupid. But I had to do it. I had to protect her honor.

“Team Beavers, number thirty-five. Five minutes for fighting.”

Farrington winks as he skates toward the penalty box, blood trickling down to his white jersey. I don’t even care that I did what Jasper did to me a year ago. I hope the jackass feels every second of the fight for the rest of the week. Who am I kidding? I hope he feels it for months to come.

Another ref skates over to me, motioning toward the tunnel leading off the ice. “Let’s go, Westerholm. That’s enough for tonight.”

My jaw clenches as I take one more glance at the scoreboard. We’re still tied. Lee or someone else will have to sit out my two-minute penalty, too. Fuck me.

I give Farrington one last glare and step off the ice. The noise of the arena fades into a dull roar as I walk toward the locker room. I can already feel the weight of what happened pressing down on me.

You let him get to you , the voice in my head whispers. But another part of me doesn’t care. Because I meant what said—Haisley and our baby are now my family…and I’d do anything to protect what’s mine.

Sitting on the floor in the corner of a quiet locker room, I ignore the texts from Haisley and my family.

I don’t want to talk with them being this wired up.

Instead, I scroll through social media, reading what people have to say about the pregnancy.

The comments are a mess, some celebratory and some disgusting.

A few fans are speculating on whether the baby had something to do with my trade.

Others are calling her names she doesn’t deserve. Some assholes even debate if it’s mine.

This is not helping with my racing thoughts at all. What a rookie mistake!

I grip my phone so hard I think I might crack the screen. I should be with her right now. Holding her. Telling her we’ll get through this. Instead, I’m alone, stuck in this locker room, reading strangers’ takes on the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

I need to hear her voice. Fuck about waiting until I’m more Zen.

The call rings a few times and she picks up. “Finally,” she huffs out. “I saw the fight. What the fuck happened?”

“Exactly what I predicted back at the cabin. Farrington’s a dick and when he started chirping about you and the baby, I lost it. Shouldn’t have, but I did.”

“I get why you did it, but the timing couldn’t be any worse. It’s all over social media with the news about the pregnancy. We need to have a chat with the Peacocks PR team as soon as possible. Might need to schedule an appointment for tomorrow.”

Her words make me wince. “I’m sorry for causing more mess to clean.”

“I know you are, but it wasn’t your fault alone,” her tone softens. “And I can appreciate you wanting to be there for me, defending my honor. But maybe next time don’t have a fight on camera.”

I run a hand through my sweaty hair, leaning back against the cold wall behind me as her words settle over me. She’s right. I should’ve thought it through better, but everything happened so fast. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t thinking about cameras.”

“I know you don’t want to let anyone disrespect me, but we knew this was going to be messy. Especially since you were traded to the team my family owns.”

I let out a sharp breath, my grip on the phone tightening again. “I can’t stand that people are already running their mouths. Some of them are saying shit I don’t even know how to respond to. They’re already calling you names, questioning if it’s mine?—”

“I saw,” she cuts in. “I don’t know what’s worse, the idiots who think they know everything or the ones who don’t even care enough to get the facts straight.”

“Does it bother you as much as it bothers me?” I ask, weighed down by the question. “You were so worried about it beforehand.”

“It does, but I’m trying to remind myself that we’re not the ones putting the misinformation out there. We tried to stay out of the media.”

“I’ll try to fix it because I’m the reason it got much worse.”

“And I appreciate you for it,” she responds quickly, but I can hear the crack in her voice.

“But we’re already dealing with so much, getting to know each other while preparing for the arrival of the baby.

And now this. I feel like it’s all spiraling out of control.

Can’t we just have a moment to breathe?”

I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be the one to protect you from the chaos. But I fucked up today.”

“You didn’t fuck up, Rasmus,” she says softly. “You just didn’t think it through. That’s all. I get it. I really do. But let’s try not to get into any more fights, okay?

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Now how about you get out of that locker room and come to me, so I can actually see you?” Her voice is low, the resignation unmistakable. “I’m not dealing with this whole mess by myself.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m not leaving you hanging.”

“You better not,” she teases, but I can hear the warmth in her voice. “And Rasmus?” I hum, so she continues. “I’m glad Farrington got what he deserved. But no more fighting after tonight. My nerves can’t take it while pregnant.”

Her playful tone makes me laugh for the first time during the call. “Deal. See you soon.”

To calm myself after the call, I fish out the ultrasound photo I carry with me everywhere from my wallet.

I trace the baby’s little features, thinking about how they’ll look.

Will they have my brown eyes or Haisley’s beautiful light green ones?

They better get her cute nose over my bigger one.

Perhaps their hair will be as dark as mine instead.

But who knows. Genetics are weird.

We lose by one goal. And it fucking sucks. Especially since I’m responsible for tonight’s result. My fight with Farrington flicked the switch, changing the game dynamics completely.

Once my team starts filing in, nobody says a word. Felix gives me a pat on the back as he passes, but beyond his act of kindness, no one speaks. The mood is somber, and I hate being the main reason for it .

As I’m getting ready for the ice bath to calm down and heal my muscles, Jasper pauses at the door. “How’s your hand?”

The adrenaline dulled the pain earlier, but now that he mentioned it, the throbbing ache makes its presence known.

“It’ll be okay,” I say with a shrug, flexing my fingers to prove my words.

“You hit him pretty damn hard.”

“I said it's fine!” I shout, standing beside the tub. “You should fucking learn to listen and leave me alone.”

Jasper doesn't leave, though. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” I mutter, avoiding his gaze.

Taking a deep breath, I dip my first leg into the icy water. The second one follows, and I sit down. The cold is a shock to my entire system. But I welcome it. I close my eyes, hoping Jasper takes the hint.

“You can’t ignore me, Rasmus."

My eyes snap open, and I glare at him as he gets into the ice bath beside mine. Does this guy think we're besties again, or what? Why can't he let me be alone?

I let out a frustrated sigh. “Someone leaked the news about the pregnancy and it’s all over the hockey social media. This was exactly what Haisley was afraid of. Now she has even more reasons to move out of my place.”

“And you want her to stay?”

“Of course,” I huff in annoyance. “You heard what I told Farrington. I meant every single word.”

“Does she know about your, um, deeper feelings? ”

That’s a loaded question. I’ve tried my best to show how I feel. And then there was the talk we had earlier today. But does she really know how I have fallen for her? I probably should’ve said something way before now.

“I take your silence as no,” my teammate chuckles, shaking his head. “I'm starting to see what the issue is.”

“Fuck,” I mutter. The cold is making its way deep into my muscles, but it doesn't stop the frustration bubbling inside me. “Why is it so hard to express what I want? I’ve said a lot to her, but not the most important things.”

“You’re asking the wrong person. I hid my feelings for years and then took it out on you.”

I chuckle humorlessly, remembering the time he broke my nose. “And I did the same to Farrington. But at least they didn’t give me a long suspension.”

“They wanted to make an example out of me. Fighting has gone down in the League since then.”

“Yeah,” I agree, my mind briefly wandering back to tonight. “I think tonight was the first fight in weeks.”

“True,” Jasper says and lets the silence hang between us. “You should really talk to her.”

I scoff. “What if I say the wrong thing?”

Another what if I hate.

“Haisley’s a smart woman,” Jasper says with an easy confidence. “She’ll understand even if you don’t have the right words to express how you feel. But you’ve got to give her the chance to hear you out. Sitting around and saying nothing isn’t going to get you anywhere. ”

I hate knowing he’s right. “How about the team? What should I tell them?”

“The truth.”

“About everything?”

He nods and checks the clock on the wall, getting up from the tub. “No time like the present.”