Lucky Bounce: Game On, Part 2 by Jennifer Lazaris

21

"Shit," Holly muttered, staring at the endless options of pregnancy tests on the pharmacy shelf. Why did there have to be so many choices?

Deciding to make it easy on herself, she grabbed a box that gave a digital reading of Pregnant or Not Pregnant directly on the test.

The last thing she needed to do was try to figure out whether there was a second line. She'd been through that before in college, and after three inconclusive tests and a massive headache, she'd given up and gone to the campus health center to get answers.

As she rounded the corner on her way to the cash register, she came nose-to-nose with Lyla.

Fuck.

Lyla slid her designer sunglasses on top of her head, and glanced down at the box in Holly's hand.

"Well, what do you know? If this doesn't confirm my suspicions that you and Eli Donnelley are more than friends, nothing will. How long have you been fucking him, Holly?"

Don't make a scene. Don't make a scene.

Though she'd really love to grab Lyla by the hair and pop her right in the nose. She totally deserved it.

"You're jumping to conclusions," Holly said, doing her best to remain calm. "I have a social life outside of the Kingsnakes, you know. An active one."

"It's true that you used to," Lyla agreed. "But you need to remember who you're dealing with, honey. Despite the damning evidence in your hand, I don't need it to confirm you're messing around with him. I've got my own spies in place. You've been staying with him since your apartment burned down. Hanging out with him. Going to dinner with him at Regal."

Son of a bitch. She knew.

She knew everything.

Holly opened her mouth to reply, and Lyla held up a hand.

"I know the score, so don't try to deny it. I've just been trying to figure out the best way to put my knowledge to good use."

"You've been spying on me?" Holly shot her a withering look. "That's so pathetic."

"No, it's smart." Lyla replied. "Knowledge is power. And I like power."

"Wow, I never would have guessed."

"I should have been the one to get that feature. That assignment should have been mine. Eli should be with me, not you, Holly."

Oh, this bitch.

"I mean, look at you," Lyla sputtered, waving a hand. "What the hell does he see in someone like you? Your ridiculous hair for starters. And a nose piercing? Really? It's so tacky. Not to mention you dress like a fashion victim from the early 2000s. Why he chose you when he could have someone like me, I'll never know."

Holly rolled her eyes. "I feel like I'm back in seventh grade. Are you really taking things down to basement level? Is that where we are? Fine. Then you should know that Eli doesn't even like you, Lyla. He thinks you're ridiculous. You're not even remotely on his radar as someone to bang, let alone someone to date."

Lyla's face turned purple with rage, and then she glanced down at the box, all traces of anger vanishing.

"He doesn't even know about this." Lyla gestured to the pregnancy test. "He has no idea you might be knocked up, does he?"

Despite doing her best not to react, her long-perfected poker face failed her. The smirk on Lyla's face said it all.

"I'll just text him and ask," Lyla said, pulling out her phone. "Then we can clear everything up."

"Just stop," Holly snapped, pushing Lyla's phone away from her face. "If you want this feature for your precious blog, you'll keep your fucking mouth shut."

"You're in no position to threaten me, bitch," Lyla narrowed her gaze and brushed a lock of blonde hair away from her face. "Not one bit. You best remember that."

"He doesn't need this right now. He's trying to win a Cup, and the whole team is dealing with Fally's injury. If you give a shit about him or the Kingsnakes, you'll back off. Besides, there's a reason it's called a test. I don't know if I'm pregnant."

Lyla flicked her sunglasses back down, peering at her over the rims. "I won't say anything to him—for now—but you owe me one. And believe me when I say that I will collect. I just have to figure out what I want from you in return."

She turned on her heel and walked out of the store, leaving Holly staring after her.

Holly sank down in the chair of the blood pressure test machine, her heart pounding wildly. Fuck, like she needed this bullshit with Lyla on top of everything else she was dealing with.

As much as she hated the woman, she knew Lyla would keep her big trap shut while she decided what it was that she wanted.

And whatever that was, it definitely wouldn't be good.

* * *

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Penn asked.

Holly tossed her carry-on bag into the backseat of Penn's car. "Curly Cue, it's seven in the morning. As long as you stopped to get coffee, that's all I need."

Penn snorted as Holly climbed into the front seat. "Your coffee is in the holder. The pet sitter is with Miss right now?"

"Yep. She got here twenty minutes ago." She took a sip of her coffee. "Why the hell did we book a flight at the break of dawn?"

"This is hardly the break of dawn," Penn said dryly. "We needed to leave early just in case there were delays. We don't want to miss the game."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, closing her eyes. Maybe coffee was a bad idea. She'd had some killer indigestion lately, and her stomach was already bugging her. Plus, was caffeine okay if you were pregnant?

Ugh. She didn't want to think about it.

"Drive on, bestie. I'm going to rest my eyes. I'm wiped."

Penn patted her leg. "Relax for now. It's going to be a long day."

* * *

After a five-hour plane ride with a toddler kicking her seat for half the flight—and screaming at the top of his lungs for the other half—they finally arrived in Tampa.

"I need a nap," Holly groaned, collapsing on one of the double beds. "That kid kept me awake the entire flight."

"You and everyone else," Penn told her, wheeling her suitcase into the room. "Jeez, what a set of lungs on that boy. I felt so bad for the mom. She tried everything to get him to listen."

"I felt bad for her too, but everyone else wasn't getting kicked in the back like me. I'm going to have bruises."

"Exaggerate much?" Penn teased, glancing down at her phone. "I'm going to meet West for a few minutes in the lobby of his hotel. It's right across the street. Do you want to come?"

"No. I want to sleep," she grumbled. "Without someone kicking me in the kidneys for five hours."

Penn laughed. "Okay, see you later."

After Penn left, she took a glorious three-hour nap, then ordered room service and unpacked her carry-on bag.

She stared down at the pregnancy test box she'd brought along. Yesterday, she'd lost her nerve, but she couldn't put it off much longer.

Tonight, she'd take the test after Penn went to sleep. As much as she wanted to talk to her best friend about what was going on, she didn't think she could handle it right now. She needed to stay strong, and one sympathetic look from Penn would make her fall apart.

For now, she was going to keep the results, negative or positive, to herself.

* * *

"Babe, it's almost time to leave for the game," Penn told her, applying a coat of mascara to her lashes. "You need to get dressed."

"I don't think I can," she admitted, curling up on the bed. "I feel like garbage."

"What? No! You have to go! What if they win tonight?"

"I know. But my MG is kicking my ass, Curly Cue. I don't know why, but I am really weak. And I've got a case of indigestion from hell."

"Oh, no," Penn murmured. "Babe, I'm so sorry. I hate that you won't be there."

"I'll keep an eye on the score. If it looks like they're going to win, I'll try to grab an Uber and get over there."

"They might not let you in if it's late in the game," Penn warned.

"Well, I'll have to try. But I really don't want to push it if I don't have to. Not feeling like this."

The doctor was still working with her on trying to find the perfect dose of medication, but they weren't there yet. Every once in a while, her weakness got the better of her.

Though she had to admit, stress could be playing a huge role in her condition. With Lyla threatening her and a possible pregnancy thrown into the mix, she just couldn't catch a break.

"I'll text you throughout the game," Holly promised.

"Okay. I'm really sorry you can't go."

"Me, too, but I don't want to get there and not be able to walk up the stairs."

Penn hugged her. "I don't want that either. Take care. We'll text. I'll give the girls your love. They'll understand."

After Penn left the room, Holly ordered ginger ale and chicken soup from room service, then settled in to watch the game.

The first period remained scoreless, but halfway through the second period, Tampa Bay scored three goals in quick succession.

"Fuck," Holly muttered aloud. "This isn't looking good for the Kingsnakes."

Her phone buzzed with a text, and she grabbed it off the nightstand.

Penn: This is a whole mess. They look so dejected.

Holly: They can still come back from it.

Unfortunately, they didn't rally back. Tampa Bay scored two more goals in the third, and the Kingsnakes got shut out, 5–0.

She winced when Eli slammed his stick against the boards at the end of the game. The entire team looked tired and frustrated as they headed into the tunnel.

Penn: Well, at least you didn't miss anything. See you back at the hotel.

Holly: Sorry, babe. Maybe it's good they got a loss like this out of the way? They'll be ready for game 6, I'm sure of it.

Penn: Let's hope so!

She fired off a quick text to Eli, telling him how sorry she was about the loss, then glanced over at the bag that held the pregnancy test.

Fucking hell.

She'd been anxious all night thinking about peeing on that stick. But waiting wasn't going to make her any less pregnant if she already was.

* * *

She spent time chatting with Penn after the game, then took a long, hot shower and waited for her friend to fall asleep.

At 2:00 am, she finally crawled out of bed and grabbed the bag, then headed into the bathroom.

Holly tore open the box and pulled out the stick, staring at it for a few minutes before covering her face with her hands.

All she had to do was pee on it. No big deal. It was easy enough.

Yet possibly life changing.

Gathering her courage, she yanked off the cap and got to it. When she was through, she put the stick on the counter and set her phone timer for two minutes.

It was the longest two minutes of her life.

She had so many worries, so many questions, and they all seemed jumbled together in her mind as she waited for the timer to go off.

Except for one: Eli didn't want kids.

If the test was positive, that was a huge problem if she decided to keep the baby.

"Ugh, just stop it," she murmured, dragging her hands down over her face. "Stop thinking."

Right now, all she had to do was focus on the first task: finding out if she was pregnant.

Her phone buzzed, making her jump. Jabbing the button on the screen, she shut off the timer and took a deep breath.

"Just pick it up, and read it," she said aloud. "Just get it over with. Pick it up."

She grabbed the test and squeezed her eyes shut.

Okay, on three. She'd open them on three and read the result.

"You can do this, Holly. Just do it. One, two, three, and then read."

One.

Two.

Three.

She opened her eyes and peered down at the stick.

Pregnant.

Well, fuck.