Paige bit her lip. “Aw! Lance! That's so sweet.”
Lance fetched the ball and set it at Irie's feet. “Great job, Irie, let's do it again.”
Paige handed Lance a second stick. “Here. There's two sticks. Why don't you play with her? She's warming up to you. I'm going to go talk to my parents.”
Paige started to walk off, but Lance couldn't bear to let her go—not after learning she was the mother of his child! He jumped to his feet and wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her right back in, his mouth going to hers. Their mouths joined and they kissed deeply, passionately, kissing for the first time asparentsof that beautiful baby girl.
Who was silently watching with her big ol' green eyes once again.
“Lance!” Paige giggled, sneaking a peek down the hallway to make sure her parents hadn't seen. “What's gotten into you?”
“I think you know,” he said.
Her cheeks blushed, turning the loveliest color of rose. In that moment, Paige was more beautiful than Lance had ever seen her. She glowed, and he wanted her badly, more than he'd ever wanted anybody.
“You can't kiss me like that here! They might see us …”
“So? Who cares?”
“Theywould care. They're religious and pretty conservative.”
“Oh.” Lance went quiet. He could only imagine how they'd felt about Paige being a single mother. He felt a tinge of guilt for the time he'd missed.
“And that's why I have to go talk to them,” Paige said. She loosened his fingers one by one, prying his grip from her waist—even though he could tell she wanted his hands all over her just as badly as he did. “I have to try to explain to them why I brought a professionalhockey playerto their home.”
“What will you tell them?”
“I'm not sure yet.”
“Why not tell them the truth?”
Paige swallowed. “Soon. Not just yet.”
At last, she'd broken his hold. Begrudgingly, Lance let her go, but he watched her leave until she was truly out of sight.
And then he turned to his daughter.
“Okay, Irie! You ready? Let's try that some more!”
Chapter 17
Paige
Look natural, look natural,Paige reminded herself as she lurked just outside the kitchen.
Mom and Dad were sitting at the dining table. Paige knew she was still beaming, and her parents wouldsurelyknow something was up if she couldn't wipe that smile from her face. But she couldn't help it. The past twenty-four hours had been such a whirlwind, and she'd had every last emotion wrung from her body … and yet she'd just witnessed one of the most moving scenes of her life.
Father and daughter finally met, face to face, for the first time.
And, thank God, Lance got it. On the drive over, Paige had started to wonder if Lance would ever figure it out—but no. Heknewit. Right away. Paige had studied his face carefully, and the second he saw Irie, something clicked. His eyes softened for Irie with a father's gentle, loving reverence. The big, strong, hockey hunk turned into a pile of mush for his baby daughter.
And when he turned his eyes on Paige?
Yow.The way he looked atherhad changed, too. Yeah, he still wanted her; actually, he wanted her more than he had last night. But the desire in his eyes was likenothingshe'd ever seen before. She wasn't just some great lay, some piece of ass he met at the bar anymore—she was the mother of his child. The woman whose life he would always be inseparably bound, thanks to Irie.
Then, without warning, his hands were wrapped jealously, possessively around her waist. He kissed her wildly, urgently, like some primal caveman, as if he couldn't wait to drag her back to his cave and fill her withmorebabies. Her insides clenched and throbbed under the electric touch of his fingertips.
She couldn't help but notice Irie staring at them as they kissed. It was the first time she'd seen her Mommy kiss anyone that wasn'tGrammaorGrampa. Did she know what she was witnessing? Could she understand?
