“So right around the time I get out, then?”

She nodded. “Guess so. Works out.”

“Yeah.”

“Will you go straight back to Nashville?”

“Gotta get cleared by my PT. He feels like it’ll be another week or two to see how I do out of here before they send me back. I’m ready to get on the ice. It’s killing me here.”

“I bet,” she agreed. “I’m proud of you, though.”

“Thanks.” He shot her a grin before taking a long sip of his iced tea. Usually, he wished there was Jack in it but not for the last week. This last week he’d tried. He wanted to get better. He had to get better.

“Maybe I could come to Nashville?”

He looked over at her, his brow raised. “For? You have a job there?”

She smiled sheepishly, her brown eyes sparkling in the falling sunlight as she held his gaze. She really was a pretty girl and deserved someone who could handle all of her. But she wasn’t into relationships, just as he hadn’t been. Though, after this stint in rehab, Jordie was ready to sing a different tune. Life was so short, and the things he’d heard while being here had made him realize he needed to be healthy and sober to live the life he wanted. He had been so close to losing everything, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

“For us.”

Say what?

“Us?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah, I could get a job at Vandy. I have some friends there who could get me in without any problem. They’ve actually been asking me to move there. Nothing worth moving for until now. But yeah, maybe we can give it a go, an actual relationship instead of just hanging out at rehab. Ha, what a story to tell the kids one day.”

He eyed her and then shook his head. Surely he was hearing her wrong. “Wait, huh? You don’t do relationships.”

She laughed nervously, looking down at her perfectly manicured nails. Everything about her was so put together. The only time she didn’t look like a billion bucks was when she was under him. What a sight, but not the sight he wanted for the rest of his life.

“I usually don’t, and especially not with a hockey player, but I want to now.” She looked up at him. “With you,” she said slowly. Her eyes were wary as they held his and he was a little taken aback.

Yeah, they had become close, but nowhere in there had he ever expected her to say that. Sex, yes—he was irresistible to say the least. But a relationship? No way, but wait, shit… Was this his fault?

Leaning forward, he held her hopeful gaze as he said, “Please say I didn’t lead you on, because I never meant to.”

“No, you haven’t, but I thought maybe you wanted the same thing.”

He shook his head. “Natasha, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to start something with you when my heart wouldn’t be in it.”

“It could be,” she suggested, not looking the least bit derailed. But he shook his head.

“It won’t.”

“Because of her?” she asked, her eyes never leaving his, and he nodded.

“Yeah, she’s important to me. She matters.”

“I’m sure we can fix that. She was obviously not enough to keep. You did leave her and fucked me.”

“She was more than enough. More than I deserved,” he countered, their eyes burning into each other’s.

Looking away finally, she let out a breath. “You could at least give me a chance.”

“It wouldn’t be fair to you,” he said, reaching out to take her hand with his. “You deserve someone who will want you from the beginning. That’s not me. I wanted you for sex, and I’m sorry if that made us a bit messy. I understand if you don’t want to come hang out with me anymore.”

Removing her hand from his, she folded her hands in her lap and shook her head. “It was a stupid idea anyway,” she said, still not looking at him, but he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. “We are good in bed, not out of it.”

When he didn’t answer, because he wasn’t sure how, she glanced over at him. “Thanks for being honest though.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” he promised just as his phone went off. It was a text from Karson.

Karson: Meet your goddaughter, Mena Jane King.

And then there was a picture of the sweetest little bundle of pink Jordie had ever seen. Gasping, he covered his mouth as he took in his new goddaughter, his heart pounding in his chest.

Love. Love at first sight.

“What?” Natasha asked, a little annoyed.

“My goddaughter was just born,” he said as he typed back a quick congratulations. Karson wrote back that he’d call in a bit, and Jordie was excited to hear from him. He was sure to get an earful; Karson’s biggest fear about having the baby was the birth. Jordie was glad it seemed to have gone well. Figured if something were wrong, Karson would have said something. Opening a text to Lacey, he typed.

Jordie: Congratulations, Mama. She’s just as gorgeous as her mama. Can’t wait to see you guys. 38 more days hopefully!

She wrote back almost immediately, the little text bubble taunting him with her unspoken words.

Lacey: Thanks, we wish you were here! She is perfect! She has all of us wrapped around her sweet little finger.

Jordie: Mena Jane? Love it, but what happened to naming her after me? Lol.

Lacey: Mena for Kacey Marie, since there are already too many K’s in my opinion. And then Jane for you, Jordie. ☺