Do they know each other?
Of course they know each other.
Duh.
A lot of these guys go back to high school or the Juniors or whatever.
Oh my God, what if they’re friends? Except, West isn’t behaving like they’re friends. And Tony is being a dick. No surprise there.
“Let’s go, West,” I say softly, reaching for his hand. He returns the pressure but doesn’t move.
“You and I are going to have a conversation,” Tony says to me. “About my son.”
“Not here,” I say firmly. “Not today.”
“You’ll be hearing from me.” He turns and skates away and tears immediately flood my eyes.
A wave of dizziness washes over me that’s so strong my knees start to buckle, but West is right there, holding me up with his free arm.
“Babe? Angel, breathe.” His voice is warm and steady, like always, no hint of the grittiness during his conversation with Tony.
“I didn’t know…he’d be…here,” I gasp, trying not to burst into tears.
“Shh, it’s okay.” He holds me close, whispering into my hair until I feel like I can stand on my own again.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I had no idea…I’m so damn stupid! I should have looked… I never thought… Dammit.” I close my eyes and two tears leak out.
“Uh uh, don’t you dare give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry.” He takes my hand and tugs me off the ice.
We sink into two chairs with Joey on his lap, and he stares at me intently.
“Is he Joey’s dad?”
I nod miserably.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You said you didn’t want to know! And I swear to you—I don’t follow hockey at all. I mean, a little bit the last week or two because of you, but I didn’t want to know where he was or what he was doing. Do you two know each other? Are you friends?”
He snorts. “Not hardly. He’s… Jesus, Serena, he’s one of the most hated guys in hockey. I literally have it in my contract that I wouldn’t sign with the Thunder if DeMarco was traded there.”
“Oh, God.” I bury my head in my hands. “I’m sorry. I had no idea. You made it sound like it didn’t matter, and I’ve done everything possible to forget him. He didn’t want Joey, or me. So, I walked away and never looked back.”
“He told you to get rid of it.”
“Yes. And he said if I didn’t, if I ever went after him for child support, he’d sue for full custody and take him away from me. So, I did everything in my power to stay out of his orbit.” I swallow. “Now do you understand a big reason I don’t date hockey players?”
He’s still staring at me. “Yeah, I do. I just wish I’d known so we could have avoided this. I know I told you I didn’t want to know but I guess I thought…I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t want to believe it was someone I might know. Maybe a guy who plays in the minors or something.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Not your fault. I told you not to tell me. I was dumb too. Kind of putting my head in the sand.”
“Because you thought we were going to stay casual. And now I’ve ruined it.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.” He drops his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, it’s okay. Fuck him.”
“No thanks. One weekend was more than enough.”