“Sit down.” He’d pulled it during the last game and she watching him sit down as she took another sip of the organic juice. He was dressed in a tee shirt for a workout and she pressed into his skin with her fingers. “You see Todd about this?” She worked closely with the team medical staff and all of the guys knew that nothing would get by either of them.
“It’s mild. Just a little muscle pull and it will heal. Don’t even suggest my staying out of the game because it isn’t happening.” Walter told her, making her laugh as she massaged him hard and deep.
“Such the cocky center you are.” She teased him back comfortable as her stomach rolled, realizing how hungry she was. He did too, chuckling.
“Did you forget to eat?” Walter teased her and she grimaced as she thought back to how she was throwing up nothing over eating.
“I was sleeping too late.” Holly glanced at the clock on the wall. “Mike should be here in about fifteen minutes. I can grab something after that.”
“Want some company?” Walter offered and she accepted easily. Despite his arrogance on the ice, she really liked him as a friend. She finished him up before grabbing a banana from her bag to eat before Mike came inside. Walter stayed in to chat as she pressed against his leg, laughing sadly inside as she realized that she was surrounded by hot guys every day and not tempted by any of them. That was reserved for Aaron. She checked on the intensity of it, choosing to ice it today after she was done with the intense massage. “We’re going to grab some grub at The Diner. Want to join us?” Walter asked Mike, who agreed as she glanced up with a frown on her face. “Is that cool, Holly?”
“Yeah, of course. I was just thinking about something.” She smiled at them to make it seem like everything was fine even as her head started to hurt as the thoughts invaded her mind.
An hour later, Mike was ready for the day’s practice and she was starving. They headed out onto the street to walk the short distance to the diner as Holly felt her mood rapidly changing, hating this part of pregnancy. Holly remained quiet knowing that she’d let loose on her roommate a few times in this state before she’d fed herself. It wasn’t pretty.
It took a few minutes with fans stopping them to get autographs from Walter and she stood back and watched as she sighed softly. They finally made it into the glass doors and she felt eyes on her as she stepped up to the hostess and asked for a table.
Aaron stood outside and across the street, watching her go inside with two of his teammates. He frowned, not blind to the fact that Holly was getting closer to Walter as time passed. Aaron couldn’t tell her not to spend any time with the players even as he was constantly aware of how beautiful she was and how they might want to get involved with her at levels that she might not be able to handle.
CHAPTER TWO
Holly pushed away her plate with a happy sigh, seeing the absence of all of the food that she’d ordered. The guys were done as well, wiping their faces with napkins as Walter observed her with an intent gaze. He offered to pay for all of them as she shook her head and he insisted, laughing as Mike instantly accepted.
“Fine.” Holly gave in, watching as Walter threw some big bills on the table. The three left with Mike going back to the arena for some light exercise to stretch himself out and Walter left eying Holly as she stared at him. “What? I said thank you.”
“I’ve just been noticing things the last few weeks. I am a little worried about it.” Walter told her, making her heart race as she wondered what he meant.
“Meaning what?” Holly pressed, challenging him with her eyes.
“My little sister is pregnant right now. Lil is about three months along and I am noticing similarities between the two of you here and there. Hell, today you looked just like her going out to eat right now.” Walter said softly as her eyes widened and her face paled. “Are you pregnant?”
“Oh my God. It’s that obvious?” Holly said before she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Not to everyone, I’m sure.” Walter assured her, his eyes seeking hers. “Does he know?”
I…no. It’s complicated. I’m on my own.” Holly admitted, watching him frown as Lisa’s words filled her mind. “I can do this.”
“I’m not saying that you can’t, but I’d want to know if it was me. I think we’re friends enough for me to say that.” Walter told her firmly, making her shake her head.
“Well, I think we both know it isn’t.” She told him, looking up and down the street. “I’ll be okay.”
“I will be here for anything that you need, Holly. Appointments, meals…anything.” Walter told her, watching a tear slide down her cheek as she wished that it was Aaron telling her this and pulling her into his arms. “I don’t want you to be alone.”
She nodded as she gave him a hug, willing to take what he was offering. It wasn’t the right person and not who she wanted, but Walter was a good support system and a good man. She was much more scared than she wanted to admit and Holly whispered her thanks to him as she pulled away. She started to wander down the street slowly, staring at the windows absently as she thought about everything. Her phone chimed and she slipped it out of her purse to see that Aaron was calling. She swallowed the lump in her throat and answered it in a soft voice, hating what she was about to do.
Holly let the tears fall as she hung up after giving him every excuse in the book about why she didn’t want to see him anymore.
It was wrong.
They could get in trouble.
She didn’t want to be with him anymore.
The rest blurred in her mind as she heard him arguing back, telling her that he didn’t want this. Holly could swear that she heard tears in his voice as he spoke, graceful when he ended the call so she could cry.
Finding a small park with a bench, Holly sank down and cried harder as she realized that Aaron was gone. She’d done it. She was pregnant and on her own in New York, looking up and seeing that nobody was looking at her as they walked by or jogged.
It just made her feel more alone.
She ended up in some baby stores, looking towards her future as she eyed baby blankets and cribs. Their apartment was small but they had a small den where she could set up the baby’s room. Holly wasn’t sure if the fancy changing tables were necessary as she looked at them, deciding that a thick blanket and any safe surface might do the trick. The strollers were pricey and seemed impossible for her to own, despite her job and she knew that she didn’t have twenty girlfriends to have a big baby shower with.
She was home and showered by the time practice started, wearing her comfortable yoga pants and a loose tee shirt, feeling like her stomach was showing her predicament. Lisa walked back into her therapy room, cleaning it up before she took a seat to watch them and see how everyone was doing. Holly knew that her skin was pale and that her eyes showed traces of red from all of the tears she’d cried, though everyone was focused on the players on the ice. Walter glanced up at her, smiling as she nodded back at him with a forced smile.
Aaron sat on his couch staring forward, knowing that he could be at the practice but not wanting to see Holly right now. It was harder for him to think about going in when they were over more than it was when they were together. At least then he could talk to her. Now she acted like she never wanted to see her again. He didn’t believe that she was really done despite the phone call, feeling angry and lost as he sat in his house alone.
Aaron was not the kind of guy to pursue a woman who had made it clear that she didn’t want to be with him and he’d always been that way, usually moving on with something casual easily. He didn’t want to harass Holly, but he didn’t believe her. Aaron leaned back and decided to give himself the day to wallow and be a human the next day, though tonight wouldn’t include whiskey.
They were both needed at the arena the following night for a home game and she cried all the way up until she took a shower, since Lisa was at her graphic design job for the day. She washed her face under hot water as she felt dried up, wiping it off with a soft towel as she stood naked in front of the mirror. Holly was still slim and she ran her hands over her stomach slowly. She wasn’t showing yet but she knew that there was a life in there. What would she do when she was clearly pregnant? What would Aaron say?
Holly felt like she should create something to go with her pregnancy, have a relationship to fall back on. She couldn’t even imagine that.
She was in her room and dressed for the game before it started, her hair in a long French braid down her back. Holly heard the team coming down the walkway and she added some red lip tint to her dry lips to give herself some color to her pale face. Holly saw Tanner walk inside and she smiled his way as she walked forward to pretend to be an interested sports therapist that wasn’t broken inside.
The game was touch and go with her boys winning by a goal at the end of the game, celebrating on the ice together as she let out a long sigh. They all seemed healthy and that was a good thing. Her eyes drifted to the bench to take a quick look at Aaron, seeing the way his jaw was set and the circles under his eyes. He didn’t look good and she glanced away quickly as she saw him start to return her look. They’d played this game the entire game and she wanted to take back everything and drag him to his office and make him scratch her itch desperately. That had gotten her in trouble before but what could it do now? She was horny.