Chapter 32
Lance
Shit. This is going wrong.
Lance had expected an uphill battle, like Ella had warned him, but he hadn't expected Paige to act so coldly towards him. He'd expected to be able to charm his way past her defenses, like he had back in Nashville. But whether it was a warm glance, or a gentle touch on her shoulder, or a story he thought she'd find funny? She shut him down at every turn.
On the drive to the doctor's office—which he really didn't want to do—she barely seemed to listen to him. She stared out her window quietly, only chiming in with an unamused, huh or oh really or no kidding when it was appropriate.
But at least he could still make Irie laugh. All that girl needed was a goofy face in the rear-view mirror, and she'd be rolling on the floor—if she weren't safely strapped into the top-of-the-line, snap-and-go stroller and car seat combo he'd showed up with just for their excursion.
(Heck, he thought Paige would be impressed with that purchase, but she barely gave it a second glance!)
Lance started doubting his plan. At the doctor's office, he snuck off just long enough to fire off a text at his sister.
“We're a little delayed, Honey Badger. She insisted on taking the paternity test after all. P.S. I think this might be going badly.”
“Really? Oh no!”
“What should I do?”
“Have you tried apologizing for being a huge, huge, HUGE idiot for getting on that plane when you should've stayed with her?”
“Groan. Guess I'll try harder. Do you think I should I still bring her by? She might not even want to come.”
“It can't hurt to ask, right?”
***
The paternity test was a breeze. The doctor swabbed everyone's cheeks and said they'd receive the results in 3-5 business days.
“That's it? Easy enough,” Lance said.
Back in the car, Lance stuck the key in the ignition, but hesitated to turn it.
When Paige noticed he wasn't starting the car, she finally looked at him with her brow raised. “Something wrong?”
“Yeah, Paige.”
“Well, what is it?”
“I feel like an idiot. I never should've gotten on that plane and I'm sorry I did. I should've stayed with you.”
She turned away, eyes darting out her window. The little “Hm” she muttered all but said she totally agreed.
“If I could get a redo on that moment, believe me, there's not a chance I'd leave you two again. It's all I could think about the past three days. I can't even tell you how heart breaking it was, watching you and Irie storm off while she cried.”
“So why did you leave?”
“All I could think about was how I'd get in trouble with the team.” He put his hand on her thigh. “That was dumb. That was super dumb, and I know it. I've been trying to keep them happy, but when it comes down to it, you two are all I really have. Yeah, hockey is important to me, but not nearly as important as you two. I care about you two way, way more.”
Paige frowned. “But you barely know anything abou—”
He cut her off. “Don't say that again. It's not true anyway, okay? For two years I've been thinking about you, wondering where you were, wondering if I'd ever see you again. And I know that there was a reason for that, Paige, and that reason is our daughter. I also know you're a great Mom. That you've struggled through a bad situation for two years, all alone.” He smiled. “I know you're even more beautiful than I remember.”
Her stony features softened. “Lance …”
He smiled sneakily. “I know you're still great in the sack, too.”
She stifled a laugh. “Of course you'd say that.”
“I wanna show you where I live, Paige. Come back to my condo.”
“You're not going to try to convince me to move in again, are you?” Paige asked with a sneaking grin. “Because I'm serious, Lance. Honestly, I still like you—I just think we need to seriously pump the brakes and take things a lot slower.”
At least she finally seemed to be warming up to him. But his heart did drop when he heard that. How the hell could he go through with his plan now? What he had in mind was the opposite of pumping the brakes.
“I uh, I was going to try to convince you to move in, actually,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Lance …!” she squealed.
“Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Anyway, my sister's there waiting for us. So I hope you'll come.”
Touched, Paige smiled sweetly. “Your sister? Ella, right?”
“Yep. She really wants to meet you and Irie.”
“Aw. Okay, fine, let's go.”