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The woman is infuriatingly hard to read, especially when she's trying to keep up this whole "keeping distance" thing.
We're supposed to be in a fake engagement, but she's treating me like I'm some sort of infectious disease. We sit silently through take-off, turbulence, and snacks—thankfully, she's too busy munching on her crackers to notice my constant attention.
When we finally land in New York, the cold winds hit us like a slap. Checking into the hotel, I’m already mentally preparing myself for a shared room with a king bed—but nope, Gabi insisted on separate rooms. Fine by me, I tell myself, as if I wanted to cuddle up next to a woman who avoids me like I have the plague. But then something happens that catches me off guard.
As soon as I drop her bags in her room, she turns to me with that steely glare I've come to both admire and fear.
"Jacob," she turns to me, green eyes bright. Already, I know I'm in trouble.
"Uh oh. What did I do this time?" I shove my hands into my jeans pockets, feeling a bead of sweat work its way down my back under my white tee.
"Why do you always assume I think you've done something wrong?"
"Comes with the territory of, I don't know, you believing I'm a total idiot?"
She grins. "Well, I do think you're a idiot. But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. I was thinking, how about we spend some time together after practice? Just...to go over some PR stuff," she adds quickly, as if needing to justify the request.
"Oh, I see. PR stuff, huh? Like discussing how many hair products I need to keep this impeccable flowing mane of mine tamed? I know it's your secret obsession."
"Yes, Jacob, exactly. And maybe, just maybe, figuring out how to keep you from tripping over your own ego.” Gabi shakes her head, but I can see a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Actually, our talk would look more like going over some interview questions and how we want to present our 'relationship' to the public." She creates air quotes with her fingers as she says the word “relationship” and my heart sinks a little.
"Right. The fake engagement thing."
"I mean, we're already getting requests for interviews as a couple. My poor intern is already fending off the wolves. And the more playoff games you guys win, the more of a frenzy there will be. We need to be prepared."
I sigh, knowing she's right. But part of me wishes this whole PR stunt wasn't necessary. That we could just be Gabi and Jacob, two friends working together for a common goal.
"That sounds...fun."
"Hey, don't worry." She notices my change in demeanor and puts a hand on my arm. "We'll make it convincing, I promise."
That's the last thing I'm worried about. I don't mention the other more important things I'm worried about. Like what the hell Gabi is going to do when this baby arrives.
I nod, my skin feeling warm where her hand still rests on it. "After practice it is. I may have to blow your knucklehead brother off, though. Every time we're in New York, Gio is intent on finding the fastest way for us to get into a fight with New York fans."
Gabi laughs, shaking her head. "I'll make sure he stays in line."
"Good luck with that." I joke, knowing how wild Gio can get when it comes to hockey and defending our team.
Gabi smiles, shoving me gently out the door, and I head out to practice, trying to focus on hockey and not let my mind wander to all the other complications in my life. But as soon as I start skating, all those thoughts come rushing back.
I am so screwed.
My mind is a tangled mess the second I hit the rink.
The buzz of the rink usually brings me instant focus, but today it’s like trying to skate through molasses. I’m barely fulfilling the duties of my position as right winger. My head is a jumbled mess of thoughts about Gabi.
Gabi's face keeps flashing in my mind. I think about how smart she is and how she always knows the right thing to say. She's pretty damn funny too, which doesn't help.
She has this way of making even the most stress-inducing situations seem like a walk in the park. I find myself chuckling at our conversations long after they're over.
Not to mention there's the other thing.
That burning anger thing.
The absolute disbelief that whatever jerk she slept with isn’t stepping up as the father of her baby.
He abandoned Gabriella De Luca.
