Jake’s stomach lurched at the threat to sit him out completely. If he couldn’t find a way to stop Maggie messing with his head, he’d have to give her up.
Time had just run out.
He toweled off, rubbing his skin nearly raw as he tried to figure out what the hell to do. He dressed slowly, his fingers fumbling with his shirt buttons. Though the room buzzed with the victory high, he couldn’t get past how he’d let his teammates down. That wouldn’t happen again. He clenched his jaw. More importantly, he wouldn’t let Adam down.
His cell beeped with a text. He grabbed the phone, then tossed it aside with a snarl of disgust. Nick had been calling for weeks. Jake had told him he hadn’t looked at the damn boxes, but the guy refused to let it go.
He deleted the message without reading it and grabbed his gear. “Cover for me, Tru. I want to avoid the postgame media call.”
“Sure. Get out of here.”
Jake slipped out of the locker room and headed for the family area, where Maggie stood waiting for him. Despite her carefully bland expression, her eyes were shadowed with emotional turmoil.
Her lips curved into a tentative half smile as he approached, making his heart lift.
“It’s good to see you.” He leaned down and pressed a swift, hard kiss to her lips.
Her heightened color was the only sign of how his kiss had affected her. “You don’t think Emily would let me miss a game, do you?”
“Whatever the reason, I’m glad you came.”
“Me, too.” She cleared her throat. “We should talk.”
Jake kept his tone deliberately light, even as his gut tightened. “No problem.”
He slung an arm across her shoulders, taking comfort from the way she relaxed into his body rather than stiffening. They headed out toward the underground parking lot, where the team cars were warmed up, ready for their owners. Jake veered between optimism and pessimism about the reason she wanted to talk.
Damn, this relationship business was tough. He’d rather face Stemgarder any day.
Once they were in his SUV, he tackled the subject head-on. “What happened at the game?”
She bit her lip. “I’m sorry I missed so much of your play.”
“That’s okay. I sucked anyway.” Jake maneuvered out of the arena and onto the busy streets. He knew he should tell her the problems it had caused him but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. “I was worried. Was there a problem?”
“You could say.” Maggie sighed. “My solicitor called. Lee won’t back off on his demands for Emily to go to England.”
Irritation spiked as she explained about her ex’s wedding and his demands. No wonder she’d been upset. Why couldn’t the jerk leave Maggie and Emily alone?
“I know he’s only insisting on these fittings because he needs the media coverage.”
Jake frowned. “Why?”
“His contract is up for renewal at the end of the season and he’s desperate for good publicity. After our divorce, the team threatened to get rid of him if he didn’t get his act together. He thinks the wedding exclusive, especially the shots of Patty and Emily together, will present a nice family image and help his case.”
“His demands are still impractical.”
“I offered to send Emily’s measurements and promised to get her there a few days early for a final fitting.” Maggie grimaced. “As it is, Emily doesn’t want to go to the wedding. Even if I can convince her to go, she’ll hate having to wear such a fancy dress.”
He fought to keep a straight face. That’s my girl! “I guess your ex didn’t like that.”
“Lee’s threatened to overturn his agreement for Emily to spend the year in the U.S. with me. He also wants joint custody.” Her voice wavered. “Samantha doesn’t think he’ll succeed, but it’ll be almost impossible to stop Lee from getting some form of shared custody.”
“But you’ll fight him?”
“I’ll do what I can.” She sighed. “Which brings me to the reason for our talk. I was going to tell you I’d come to the gala evening, but now I’m not sure.”
Damn the jerk. “What difference does this make?”
“With all the publicity Lee’s wedding will get, I think I should keep a low profile. The media will rake the past over enough as it is. Better if I don’t fuel it further by being in the public eye myself.”
“I don’t get how attending a charity dinner would harm your position.”
“In itself, it won’t.” She bit her lip. “But Lee will be desperate to convince everyone that he’s the better parent and he’d love anything that would suggest I’m an unfit mother. I can’t afford anything to go wrong. The merest whiff of trouble could do terrible damage.”