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CHAPTER TWO

MARLEE

“ E eek!” I throw my arms around Blakely Rivers, my very best friend. “I’m so excited that we’ll get to see more of each other!”

“Right?” She hugs me back, grinning from ear to ear. “I feel like I finally made it, you know? I’m going to be in the press room! No more community hockey games or Little League baseball. I’m covering the big leagues now.”

I give Blakely a high five before we both sit at a small iron table outside Harold’s Hotdog Diner. “Yeah, you are. And you’re going to be so damn good at it. And the guys are seriously so great. They’re going to love you.”

“Meh. It’s okay if they don’t.” She shrugs, smirking.

“I’m not afraid to press them on their weaknesses and really dig into the meat of the game.

I love the thrill of hockey and it’s been one of my dreams to have a job like this, but I’m not going to get all soft on them in the press room.

” She lifts a finger. “Especially just because I’m a woman. ”

I lean forward across the table, my brows arching. “The only female reporter in the room, might I add.”

“Damn straight.”

Smiling, I take a deep breath and release it as I lean back in my chair. “Seriously though Blakely. I’m so glad you’re going to be closer to me. I feel like I need you now more than ever.”

She cocks her head. “What do mean? You seem to be thriving here. Are you not loving Anaheim?”

Blakey Rivers and I met in our freshman year of college when we were paired together as roommates. She was studying sports journalism and I majored in sports management. Blakely was on scholarship at Portland University playing hockey for the Portland Storm and she was good at it.

The best, actually. Team Captain and all.

But playing forever wasn’t her passion.

She wanted to be a sports journalist and travel the world watching professional sports teams while learning the ins and outs of what made those teams tick.

More than that, though, she was my very best friend from day one on campus. As an only child to a single mom, life was lonely at times, but once I met Blakely all that changed.

“No, I love it here,” I tell her. “Don’t get me wrong. My job is amazing. The guys on the team are so down-to-earth and friendly. There’s not one who is hard to work with.”

“Okay.” Her brows furrow. “So why do you need me now more than ever?”

“Well…” I steal one more breath before digging into the meat and potatoes of my life. “Remember I told you I had something I wanted to talk to you about?”

She nods. “Yeah.”

“Okay, so, I’m just going to come out with it.” I sit up straight and look my bestie in the eye as I tell her, “I’ve been thinking long and hard over the last several months about trying to have a baby.”

“Okay.” Blakely smiles. “I never doubted you would want to be a mom one day. Why is that news?”

“Because I want to do it alone,” I say, hoping she isn’t going to chastise my crazy idea.

“Right.” She leans back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. “Because Anthony is no longer in the picture.”

“Right.” I nod and then wave my hand. “So long, douche nozzle. Fuck you very much for caring.”

Blakely snickers. “Yeah, you did the right thing there. So why have a baby now then? Why not wait for the right guy? Or gal…let’s say partner. Whatever floats your boat.”

I shrug my shoulder. “Because I’m tired of waiting for the right guy. I’m not so sure he exists. I’m over thirty now so the clock is ticking and I just feel…I don’t know. I feel ready. Like this is my time.”

“And you’re not worried about going it alone? Especially with your travel schedule?”

I shake my head, pursing my lips. “Not in the slightest. My mom raised me all alone…well, for the most part. And she did a pretty damn good job if I do say so myself.”

Blakely smiles. “That she did. You’re perfect.”

“Ugh.” I rip off a piece of my hotdog bun and toss it in my mouth.

“If I were perfect, I’d be married and having the best sex of my life with a super-hot guy who turns out to be the perfect dad.

” I sit up taller, trying to appear more confident.

“But that’s okay. I can do this. And as far as my work schedule goes, my mom moved to Anaheim a few years ago to be closer to me so I know she’ll help out.

And we have excellent childcare at the arena. ”

“Well alright then.” Blakely nods and gestures to my stomach. “Let’s get you a bun to put in that oven. How is that going to happen, by the way? Do you go to sperm bank or do you have to know a guy willing to make a donation?”

“Actually, you can do it either way. They even have home insemination kits you can buy over the counter.”

She lifts a brow. “Don’t they just call those turkey basters?”

I huff a laugh. “They may as well, right? You can buy anything online these days...”

I glance away, unsure if I should tell Blakely about Ledger Dayne or not. Hell, I don’t even know if what happened a few nights ago in New Orleans was real or not.

Was Ledger being my donor all Layken’s idea?

Is it a ridiculous idea?

I mean, I know him so it could be weird.

And chances are he’s not the least bit interested.

Unless he is interested.

Is he really thinking about it?

“What aren’t you telling me, Mar?” Blakely asks, eyeing me curiously.

Her voice pulls me back to reality. “Huh?”

“You went somewhere in your head just now. So, what aren’t you telling me?”

She’s always been able to read me like a book. It’s her best friend superpower.

I take a quick breath and then swallow a few gulps of water before I tell her what’s on my mind. The truth will come out at some point anyway so I may as well just say it.

“So, a few nights ago we were in New Orleans for Oliver and Scarlett’s wedding.”

“Right,” she says, lifting her glass to her mouth. “A friend of mine covered their story.”

“So, I was dancing with Ledger Dayne at the reception and Layken Ollenberg comes waltzing over with Griffin and says something to me about considering Ledger as a possible sperm donor.”

Blakely’s sip of water comes shooting out of her mouth. Her brows arch and her eyes grow huge. “Oh, my God! Sorry!” She wipes her mouth with her napkin. “Are you talking about Ledger Dayne, Anaheim Star left wing? That Ledger Dayne?”

“Mhmm,” I say, watching her, amused but no less confused.

Her eyes narrow. “Have you guys…”

“Nope.”

“Never?”

“Have I ever slept with Ledger?” I shake my head. “Hell no. I don’t make it a point to sleep with anyone at work, most of all one of the high-profile players. Are you crazy?”

She shrugs. “I mean it’s not like the man isn’t hot as balls. If he looked my way, I’m not sure I could keep myself from looking back.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong,” I tell her. “He’s definitely an attractive guy, but why would Layken even say that to me in his presence unless they were talking about it beforehand and he was interested?”

“So, Layken told him?”

“He said she mentioned it, but it’s not like he offered right then and there on the dance floor, you know? It’s not like he dipped me and said, ‘My sperm bank is at capacity and needs to clear out its inventory. Care to accept a large deposit?’”

Blakely nearly chokes on her laugh. “Oh, my God what if he had said that?”

I laugh right along with her. “I would’ve snorted. One hundred percent. But coming from a guy like Ledger Dayne, I probably would’ve thought he was kidding and shrugged it off as Ledger Dayne’s flirting humor. I’ve seen some of those guys flirt like the pros they are.”

“Have you seen Ledger flirting with women?”

“Of cou—hmm…” I cock my head, my brows pulling together.

“Actually, now that I think about it, I can’t say that I have with certainty.

I’ve seen him laughing with the guys at the bar after a game, but unless he has some other plan I don’t know about, and not that I’ve spent any amount of time stalking him, I think he always just heads to his hotel room afterwards. ”

“And you don’t spend time hanging with the guys after games?”

“Nah. I usually keep to the front office team. I suppose that might change now that Layken is with us and she’s married to a player but in seasons past, nope. Never.”

“Does Ledger have feelings for you or something?”

I shake my head. “No. Not that I know of. Why would he?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “Just asking. Trying to figure this all out.”

“I mean listen, if Ledger Dayne would’ve waltzed into my office at any point and asked me out, I doubt I would’ve ever said no but,” I shrug, “I don’t know. It’s weird.” We sit staring at each other silently and then I ask, “It’s weird. Right?”

Blakely takes a deep breath and releases it as she considers her answer. “Yeah I guess it’s weird but then what if Layken was being serious? Would Ledger make cute babies?”

I scoff. “Uh, have you seen the man? Yes. His babies will be gorgeous.”

“Healthy past?” Blakely asks. “Healthy family?”

“I guess I don’t really know but I haven’t heard anything to the contrary. We’ve honestly never spent a huge deal of time together.”

“Does he want kids? That’s probably a big question you’ll have to ask him because if you’re wanting to be a single mom and raise this child on your own, but he also wants kids in his future, he might not like the idea of having to see his own flesh and blood running around the arena when he doesn’t have parental rights. ”

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

She bobs her head. “But then again, you won’t know until you ask.”

“So, you think I should ask?”

“I think there are definitely benefits to knowing your donor instead of going to a sperm bank and selecting someone’s jizz through a collection of magazine type questionnaires.

Not that I’m saying sperm banks are bad.

I’m not saying that at all. I just think it could be nice for you to know the person who fathers your child.

Even if you don’t have a relationship with him. ”

“Hmm.”

So much to think about.