Chapter Text
It was unfortunate that Lucy Chen could not wear her engagement ring from the man she loves, but he asked that they keep their relationship a secret, and she understood. As an internationally known pop star, cameras, fans, and attention always followed her, and it made her fiancée, Emmett Lang, uncomfortable. She saw the ring where it was stowed in her jewelry box and closed the lid to pay attention to her best friend and publicist, Tamara Collins.
“Before this tour starts, we have to time out the announcement of your engagement,” Tamara began.
“No, we’re not telling anyone we’re engaged. Lucy and I agreed we’ll get married secretly, and then we can release a statement. I want to wait until the last possible second to be in the limelight,” Emmett insisted. “I thought that’s what we agreed to. Right, Lu?”
“Yeah, of course. I get it, and I already told Tamara we’ll tease that I’m getting married and when but not to whom, and then we’ll announce that we got married after it happens when I’m performing in New York City,” Lucy recalled the plan she had been over a hundred times and was frustrated that Tamara was showing her lack of support.
“Okay, good. If this is done, my shift starts soon. I’ve got lives to save. Have fun on your tour,” Emmett said and kissed Lucy’s cheek.
“Aren’t you coming by after work to say goodbye? I leave tonight, and we won’t see each other for at least a month with my tour date schedule.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, I promised some friends we’d go out tonight.”
“You’d rather go out and drink with your friends then see me off before I go on tour?”
“Come on, Lu, I’ll see you in like six weeks. It’s fine. I really can’t get into this right now. I gotta go,” Emmett gave Tamara a curt nod and offered a last little smile to Lucy before he left her house.
“Okay, why are you marrying him?” Tamara asked once Emmett had left.
“I love him, and he loves me,” Lucy answered as if it was simple.
“You love him, and he tolerates you.”
“No, I’m just…hard to love. My career is difficult for people to handle, which is why Emmett has wanted everything between us to be a secret, but he’s only willing to put up with all the sneaking around because he loves me.”
“And, because he likes going out with celebrities. He doesn’t want to be famous, but he loves rubbing elbows with them and telling his buddies all the stories afterwards.”
“Fame isn’t easy, Tamara. He’s been so patient with me. So many before him haven’t stayed this long or wanted to marry me. My career seems to have too many strings.”
“Or, you just haven’t found someone that’s just as cool about being in the public eye as you are.”
“No one’s disapproval is going to stop me. I’ve dreamed of getting married ever since I can remember, and it’s finally happening. It may not be a fairy tale, but I never needed that, you know. I just want to be happy.”
“I hope Emmett makes you happy, but there’s still time to back out of the wedding. Hell, I’ll even be the getaway driver if you don’t want to make it down the aisle.”
Lucy rolled her eyes and poured herself some more tea. “I know you’re looking out for me, so I’m just going to say I appreciate that you’re like a sister to me. Okay, we should probably do some last minute packing before we leave tonight.”
“This international tour is gonna be AWESOME!” Tamara grinned.
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ⚭ ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
Every night of the first month of the tour had been electrifying for Lucy as she performed in sold out arenas filled with her beloved fans. She was exhausted between shows, but she still had to go on a morning talk show and tease her upcoming nuptials to a mystery man. It was the most Lucy could share with her fans, and she wanted to tell them that after years of heartbreak and the media’s obsession with her dating life, she had finally found someone to settle down with. Hopefully, it would mean she could stop being painted as “flaky”, or “promiscuous”, or “non committal”, and all the other colorful words the media used when describing her based on her romantic history. It was nice that those comments would be coming to an end.
Tamara scrolled through her phone only minutes after Lucy’s interview and was amused by the social media response. “Your fans are really happy for you, and they’ve got all sorts of guesses who your fiancée is. Some of these guys are HOT. I kinda wish you were marrying Chris Evans like this person on Twitter said.” She waved her phone in Lucy’s face.
“My fiancée is plenty hot. He’s a firefighter,” Lucy responded.
“Whatever you say. Rest up. Tonight you’ve got that benefit gala.”
“I wish Emmett was coming with me. Since I’m going alone, I’ll probably be seated at the singles table. It doesn’t matter, though. I’ll be supporting a good cause, and I don’t really know how long I can stay anyways. This tour is zapping all my energy.”
“Good news is you get to spend the night in your house in your actual bed.”
“Yeah, I’ve missed L.A.”
“Are you going to see Emmett while you’re in town for the next 24 hours?”
“I wish, but he’s got a double shift. He finishes work right when I have to jet off to Colorado.”
“Oh, darn,” Tamara replied sarcastically.
Lucy flashed a face of unamusement at her best friend. “Let’s go nap at my house.” Tamara nodded and followed her to their car. The second Lucy reached her bedroom, she fell right into bed to get some much needed rest and only woke up when her stylist arrived to start getting her ready for the gala. She did not even remember agreeing to wear the beautiful, long, green dress that was brought up to her room to wear, but Lucy admired herself in the mirror once she put it on. She snapped a photo to send to Emmett, since she wanted her fiancée to see how nice she looked. He did not reply to her text, but she just assumed he was busy at work.
After walking the red carpet alone, Lucy went inside the ballroom to find her seat. She read the place card at the setting next to her and did not recognize the name, so at least she had the potential to make a new friend.
So many approached her to share their congratulatory wishes for her engagement, and Lucy only wished that Emmett was there to share in the joy, but that was happening a lot in recent months- missing Emmett and who they were together at one point in their relationship. When she returned to her seat at the end of cocktail hour, Lucy turned to the man that was about to sit in the chair beside her. She did not recognize him, but at first glance, he was attractive in a black tuxedo with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. “Hi, I’m Lucy.”
“I’m Tim,” he introduced himself and shook her hand as his eyes betrayed him and scanned her body’s generous curves in a green dress that looked striking. “I can’t go anywhere without listening to your music.”
“Not sure about that, but that’s kind of you to say,” she responded and took her seat.
He pushed her chair in before lowering himself into his own. “I didn’t say that as a compliment. Some people like to listen to music with actual substance, but apparently, that’s not the popular opinion, and I’m stuck hearing your ear worms instead.”
She had gotten those kinds of comments before; it hurt a little each time, but everyone is a critic and not all can be satisfied. “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Of course, I think my lyrics are substantive and tell stories. Maybe you’re hearing my songs, but you’re not actually listening, or maybe we just have different taste.”
“Different taste it seems,” he replied, his lips a thin line.
There was an awkward silence, so purely for the sake of salvaging her evening that she was stuck being seated next to him, she said, “I’m sorry, I’m at a bit of an disadvantage. I don’t know who you are Tim…” Lucy glanced at his place card again and read, “Bradford.”
He snickered, “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you don’t watch hockey, but I’m the center for the L.A. Kings. Have been for the last ten years.”
“Oh, hockey? You have the audacity to give me grief about my music when your whole life is hitting a disk with a stick?”
“It’s called a puck, and there’s a bit more to the sport than that.”
“Are you saying I’m misjudging something I don’t fully understand?”
Tim opened his mouth but stopped himself. She seemed smarter than the media made her out to be. He decided to surrender, “Fair.” Her self-satisfied smile that took over her face was positively effervescent.
“Can’t say I’ve actually watched a hockey game, but maybe I should check one out, since apparently there’s more to hockey than hitting a puck.”
He appreciated that she corrected herself and did not call a hockey puck a “disk” again. Tim replied, “Maybe you should.”
“And, maybe you should listen to my music, and I mean really listen.”
“I just might.”
She leaned in just a little closer as she turned to face him better. “I’ve got a busy year ahead of me. I’m traveling a lot to perform, but I promise I’ll make time to watch a hockey game when the season starts.”
To match her, Tim angled himself to turn his back to the person on his right while inching towards Lucy. He could not explain why, and he barely noticed that he was bridging the gap between them, but there was something equal parts maddening and captivating about her. “Listen, if you ever want to come watch a game live, I can give you my number and get you in a box. Give you the real hockey experience, so you can really appreciate it.”
She was sure it was supposed to be a challenge given the heat in his gaze, but there was a lilt to his voice that Lucy mistook for flirtation. There is quite a fine line between challenging and flirting, and Tim seemed to cross it in a way that made her blush. “I’m flattered, but I have a fiancée.” It was pretty amazing that Lucy was actually able to say that truth since she had said so during an interview that morning. Keeping the secret of her engagement from her friends and fans had truly weighed on her.
His eyes widened, and he began to stammer, “W-w…I-I was just inviting you to be my guest at one of my games. I promise I wasn’t hitting on you or anything…not that you’re not gorgeous, I-I…it’s just that I don’t really have time to date.”
Lucy wanted to comment on the fact he called her “gorgeous”, but there was something else curious about what he said. “What do you mean you don’t have time to date? You’re a famous hockey player. I bet there are plenty of women that throw themselves at you.”
“A lot of people want to get close to me, because I’m an athlete and not because of who I am aside from that. Not that I blame anyone. It comes with the territory, but…it’s just easier to focus on my career instead of wasting my time with women who want something from me instead of want me. Besides, I’m getting older. It takes more to stay in shape, so that doesn’t leave me with space in my life for anything or anyone else.”
“Sounds like it can get a little lonely.”
“I’ll admit it does, but this is what I always wanted- to play hockey professionally.”
“And, that’s all you want? No marriage or kids or anything like that?”
Deep in his heart, he had wanted a wife and kids to cheer him on at his games. After all, it was a bit disheartening at times when his teammates could look up to a box and wave at their loved ones while Tim had no one to look out into the crowd for, but hockey required making certain sacrifices including not having anyone to share his life with offseason. “It’s not in the cards. I was engaged once. Thought it would happen, but we ended things a few weeks before we were supposed to get married.”
“Oh, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. I’m sure that won’t happen with you and your fiancée.”
“I hope not. Actually, I think he would like to go to a hockey game. Could he tag along if I took you up on your offer to sit in a box?”
“Absolutely,” Tim smiled.
Lucy handed over her phone to him to exchange numbers. “If you end up actually liking my music, you can come to one of my tour dates.”
“Tour dates? You said you were traveling to perform. I didn’t know you were going on tour.”
“I’ve been on tour for a few weeks now. It’s this long international tour to spend time with my fans for the next year, so there might be something that fits with your busy hockey schedule. Of course, I’ll be performing a lot of those ear worms you don’t like.”
“The ear worms might just grow on me.” Was it the ear worms or Lucy that was growing on him? Perhaps he had misjudged her.
“High praise coming from a tough critic.”
“I didn’t mean to sound like one. I know I hate people judging me saying I should retire when I’ve got a few more seasons in me.”
“Comes with the limelight, I guess. People judging you when they don’t really know you.”
“It frustrates me sometimes, and I did that to you when we sat down. I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright. I did the same thing. I clearly don’t even know actual hockey terminology and have to do some studying before coming to one of your games.”
“Do you know that hockey is played on skates at least?” Lucy laughed, a light, sweet laugh that made his heart thump.
“I’m not THAT bad. I know that much.”
“Just checking,” he responded with a grin. When their entrees were served, he realized that at some point, his knee moved to rest against hers or hers had been the one to touch his; it was unclear. All Tim knew was that he just noticed how their legs were touching under the table, and he refused to pull away.
Lucy completely ignored the rest of the table in favor of talking to a most unlikely dinner companion. There was something calming about Tim that made her comfortable, and though her exhaustion kept her from dancing along with the other guests, she enjoyed staying seated right next to him where they spoke nonstop for the whole evening.
He watched her yawn for the third time and said, “I hope I’m not boring you.”
She covered his hand and assured, “No, you’re great. Really. I’m just traveling a lot right now and feel exhausted pretty much every second of every day lately.”
“Right. Your tour. Well, I won’t keep you any more tonight. I should probably head home, too. I’ve got an early practice.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Lucy withdrew her hand from him and signaled for her security to escort them to the service entrance where they waited for her car to arrive. “You don’t have to stay out here and wait.”
“Just want to make sure you get home safely.”
“I have security and a driver looking after me.”
“Of course. Sorry,” he apologized and felt a bit embarrassed.
She found his little blush to be adorable and stood up tall to give him a kiss on the cheek. “It was really nice to meet you, Tim. I hope our paths cross again.”
“Me, too, Lucy,” he breathed as a smile pinched his cheeks.
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ⚭ ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
After practice, Tim stopped his coach outside of the locker room. “Hey, Grey, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure, son,” Wade Grey said, then he noticed the trepidation on the other man’s face. “You want to talk about your contract, don’t you?”
“I haven’t gotten it renewed yet. How is that even possible? I’ve had the most goals in the league three years in a row. I’ve been on this team for a decade. How can I still be waiting on my contract?”
“Actually, I don’t think you’ll have to wait too much longer after that news came out. How could you keep such a big secret from us?”
“What secret?” Tim wondered.
“Don’t be coy. I saw the news this morning about you and your fiancée. Congratulations.”
“Fiancée? What are you talking about?”
“You’re the mystery guy engaged to Lucy Chen. It’s all over the tabloids, and of course, the owners have seen the news. This is exactly what management has been looking for from you. Being married and showing you’re in a stable relationship promotes the wholesome values of this team and gives you an edge over some of the younger players the team is considering signing and renewing contracts with. Hopefully, you should be hearing about your renewal soon.”
“But, coach, actually Lucy and I…”
“I have to go to a meeting, but congratulations again.”
Tim wanted to correct Grey that he was definitely not Lucy’s fiancée; he had only met her one time the night before; he needed to set the record straight with his coach and the media. First, he felt obligated to call Lucy.
“Hey, Tim,” she answered the phone as her heart skipped a beat.
“I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Of course not. I’m just getting off the plane.”
“Where are you?”
“Denver. My performance is next Friday, but I’m spending the week here resting among the mountains and beautiful national parks. I find being outside to be very restorative.”
“That’s great.”
Lucy felt the pause and asked, “Tim? Are you calling about those rumors?”
He was grateful that she broached the subject first. “Yeah, I haven’t seen anything, but my coach said he read something about how I’m your fiancée. I didn’t say that to the media. I don’t know where anyone got that theory from.”
“It happens a lot. There’s always speculation about my dating life as if that matters. Look, it’ll blow over in a news cycle or two. Do us both a favor and don’t speak to the press about this. Giving them quotes only draws more attention.”
“Noted. I guess I should thank you for the rumor. My team’s management has been begging me to settle down as if that makes me a better hockey player or something, and since the media said I’m your fiancée, my coach said they might renew my contract.”
“I’m glad something good is coming out of this then.”
“I do feel bad. I don’t want this to hurt you or bother your actual fiancée. I’m sorry about that.”
“Wow, most people don’t care about how the rumors effect me. But, don’t worry about it. Seriously. This happens a lot. I’ve learned not to let it get to me. Congrats on your new contract. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds positive.”
“You really are very kind, you know.” Tim smiled.
Lucy felt butterflies flap around in her stomach. “You’re sweet.”
“I’d like to repay you for this somehow.”
“That’s not necessary. It’s not like it’s such a bad rumor for me to be engaged to a handsome hockey player.”
“You think I’m handsome?” Tim felt heat spread through his cheeks.
How did Lucy let that slip out of her mouth? She was clearly more tired than she thought and needed to end the call before she embarrassed herself further. “I gotta go. Bye, Tim.”
“Bye,” he responded with a grin clear in his voice and hung up. As he walked over to his car, he groaned when he caught sight of who was leaning against his truck. “Before you start giving me grief, Ang…”
Angela Lopez Evers cut him off with a wave of her hand. “So, you’re supposed to be my best friend in the world, and you didn’t bother to tell me you’re engaged to one of the most famous and talented singers of our generation?”
“It’s a dumb rumor fabricated by tabloids to sell magazines. I just met her last night at this charity thing,” Tim tried to explain.
“You two look really chummy in the photos. There’s one of her holding your hand and another where she’s kissing your cheek.”
“That was all innocent. She’s got a fiancée, but it’s not me! Honest.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “For a second there, it almost sounded like you were jealous.”
“I’m not jealous. I really don’t even know that much about Lucy. We sat next to each other at dinner, and sure we talked for most of the night, but I’m sure she was just being nice. Lucy says this engagement theory stuff will stop in a couple of days, so I’m planning on laying low and following her lead on this.”
“Wait, you talked to her about what everyone’s saying? Did she call you?”
“I called her to straighten it all out and swear to her I didn’t make a comment to the media or anything.”
“Since when do you have her number?”
“I asked her for it last night when I offered for her to come to a game.”
“You invited THE Lucy Chen to a hockey game?”
Tim nodded. “Yeah.”
“Wow, for a guy who doesn’t date, you sure are flirting.”
“I wasn’t flirting with her. She said she doesn’t know much about hockey, so I thought I would offer her to come. I was just being friendly.”
“Since when are you Mr. Friendly?” Tim only rolled his eyes, so Angela continued to tease, “I shouldn’t be surprised you finally decided to be friendly to someone who’s so pretty.”
“Who’s pretty?” Wesley Evers, a fellow L.A. Kings team member, asked when he joined his friends next to Tim’s truck.
“Lucy Chen. Tim’s fiancée,” Angela answered and gave her husband, Wes, a quick kiss.
“She’s NOT my fiancée,” Tim corrected emphatically.
“Our favorite perpetual bachelor has finally decided to settle down. I’m thrilled,” Wes smirked.
“Cut it out. You know all of this is just fake news,” Tim put his hands on his hips.
“I wish it wasn’t. She’s talented and beautiful, and I bet she’s cool, too. Besides, it would be nice to see you with SOMEONE. There’s still time before the season starts. Not much, but if you can get a fiancée in a night, you could have a wife with a baby on the way by the season opener,” Angela snickered.
“You’re not funny,” Tim crossed his arms, and then he saw the flashing of cameras with paparazzi clamoring next to the gates to snap a photo of him. Sure, he had gotten his picture taken a few times but never had he experienced so many cameras in his direction after practice. “I think that’s my cue to go.” He waved to the eager photographers and climbed up into his truck to drive away.
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ⚭ ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
As someone who diligently checked social media, Tamara was quite entertained with all the commentary swirling around regarding Lucy and Tim. “You two would make a hot couple. He’s a zaddy,” she said where she was lounged on one of the couches in Lucy’s suite.
Of course Lucy had noticed how attractive Tim is. She stared at him for an entire night, but she did not want to entertain Tamara’s commentary. “He’s just a nice guy who got caught in my media storm. I can’t believe he apologized to me about it.”
“That was nice of him.”
“He’s a good guy. Very sweet. At first, he was a little rude, but Tim warmed up to me.”
“I can tell by that smile on your face.”
“I’m not smiling,” Lucy bit her lip to stop her mouth from curling upwards in what seemed to be a subconscious reaction to him. Her phone buzzed. “It’s Emmett,” she announced the caller before answering, “Hey, sweetie.”
“What the hell, Lu?” Emmett snapped.
“I take it you saw the news.”
“Apparently you’re engaged to Tim Bradford now. How do you even know him?”
“He was seated next to me at the gala you refused to go to with me.”
“You know I don’t want to walk red carpets and get my picture taken. You said it was fine.”
“It was fine that you weren’t there.”
“This is why I hate the media. You sit next to a guy one time, and everyone starts saying you’re together. This isn’t the first time these rumors have spread since we started dating.”
“I know, and that’s something I warned you about. Staying out of the public eye comes with its own problems.”
“Sometimes I hate it.”
“Only sometimes? It seems to bother you all the time. I can’t help how much media attention I get. I can’t stop people from posting whatever they want to about me or travel under cloaks to avoid getting my picture taken. You know what comes with the territory. I warned you when we started going out.”
“Doesn’t seem like this circus is worth it anymore.”
Lucy’s lungs faltered.
Emmett had not stopped himself from making such a harsh confession, so he knew he had to apologize for being too brutal in his honesty. “I didn’t mean that, Lu, I’m sorry.”
It crossed her mind how Tim felt bad for her and Emmett felt bad for himself, but it was not fair to compare the two men. “You know, I think I need a nap. Give it a few days, and this mess with Tim will be done.”
“Good. I don’t like that people are starting to give you a couple name.”
“A couple name already? That’s fast!”
“Don’t sound so happy about it unless you want to be with him, then I guess I shouldn’t get in the way of ‘Tucy’.”
“Come on, Emmett. You know it’s not like that. I love you. Besides, ‘Tucy’ isn’t a cute couple name.”
“Whatever. I gotta hit the gym.”
“Okay, b-,” Lucy did not even get a chance to finish the word before he hung up.
“That didn’t sound good,” Tamara said, since she was shamelessly eavesdropping.
“He’s a little annoyed, but I’m sure he’ll get over it.”
“If he doesn’t, you can go always go out with this hockey player. Tim holds a lot of records apparently.” Tamara’s cursory Google search indicated quite a lot of statistics that seemed to be impressive.
“Really?” Lucy found herself typing his name into the search bar at lightning speed to read up on Tim Bradford. Through the duration of their conversation the night before, he had not brought up how well he played and only that he loves hockey. His humility was unique.
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ⚭ ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
As the days passed, less and less photographers were standing outside of the practice facility to take a picture of Tim, which proved Lucy was right just as she was about how her music was deeper than his initial impression. Behind some of her poppiest beats were descriptive sad lyrics that made him realize just how much he had misjudged Lucy. He even added one of her songs to his workout playlist and followed some of the news about her tour as it continued through the summer.
Even though he was done with his morning run, he let Lucy’s song finish playing before Tim paused his workout playlist and called his coach.
“Hi, Tim. No, I haven’t heard anything about your contract officially,” Grey answered the phone saying, since he knew the purpose of the call.
“Okay, what have you heard unofficially?”
“The owners are drawing it out and waiting until the last possible second to renew contracts. They could drag this out until the trade deadline.”
“FEBRUARY? It’s the beginning of fall. That’s almost five months that I have to wait to hear if I’m getting signed again? How can they do this to me?” Tim felt disrespected by the team he had played on for his whole professional career.
“I know it’s not fair to you. The only movement I saw towards your renewal was when the news broke about your engagement to Lucy Chen. Any chance you two could tie the knot sooner rather than later? I know the owner would love to see that you have a wife. It could be enough to get this contract finalized before February.”
Tim was instructed not to say anything, so he had not even corrected his coach about the false rumor. “I’m a solid player. I’ve been loyal to the Kings when other teams have tried to poach me. How come it matters if I’m married or not?”
“I don’t make the rules. Our owner likes seeing his players show commitment off the ice. I don’t want to rush you down the aisle if you two aren’t ready yet, but think about it, or you might have to be okay with getting traded.”
“Traded? At my age? I won’t be given the kind of offers I used to get. What if no other team wants me? I don’t want to be forced to retire. I swear I got a few more good years in me. Can’t you do anything?”
Grey was sympathetic; he knew how dedicated Tim was. “Aside from officiating your wedding, there’s nothing else I can do. I’m really sorry.”
“Me, too,” he sighed before ending the call and driving over to the Lopez Evers house.
Angela answered the door and assessed her friend in an instant. “What’s got you so stressed out?”
“It’s nothing,” Tim lied and shouldered past her to enter her home.
“Nothing, huh?” She did not believe him for a second.
“Hey, Tim. Let me grab my bag, and we can head over to practice,” Wes said when he descended the staircase.
“Oh, Tim isn’t leaving until he tells me what’s wrong. Is it the season opener this weekend?”
“No, I’m excited about that. It’s my contract.”
“Still no news? Mine was renewed months ago,” Wes replied.
“Yeah, well apparently since I’m unmarried, the team might not want to re-sign me.”
“That’s a little weird,” Angela said.
“I know, but Grey said the last time there was any discussion about renewing my contract was when the tabloids said I was engaged to Lucy.”
“Really?” Angela smiled.
“Don’t look so happy. You know there’s nothing going on between us.”
“Nothing? I’ve seen her name pop up on your phone a few times,” Angela pointed out.
“Okay, focus that detective energy into your actual cases and stop looking at my phone,” Tim insisted. “And, we’ve just texted a couple times. She’s really busy. She mostly just sends me pictures of the cities she’s in or asks me questions about hockey, and I tell her about some songs of hers that I actually like.”
“Look at you becoming friends with someone who isn’t an athlete or married to one,” Wes grinned.
“Hey, I was friends with Angela before you even met. She’s the one that found who robbed my house years ago, and you only met her and made her a hockey wife because of me, so Angela doesn’t count,” Tim responded.
“Maybe Lucy Chen could be the next hockey wife if you play your cards right,” Angela suggested.
“She’s got a fiancée. We’re really JUST friends, and barely friends for that matter. I haven’t seen her since the night we met.”
“But, you’d want to see her again,” Angela deduced based on the fact Tim stayed in contact with Lucy despite their competing packed schedules.
“Lucy is in Boston right now. With her tour dates and my game dates, I don’t know when we’ll be in the same city again let alone when she would have the energy to see me.”
“That wasn’t a ‘no’,” Wes noted with a smirk. His wife’s detective skills were rubbing off on him, and he picked up on certain things.
“Maybe you SHOULD try to see her again. Get more gossip spread about you two. It could be enough to get your contract finalized,” Angela suggested.
“I won’t use her like that. No way. She’s a good person, and I’m sure that would get her and her fiancée upset. I wouldn’t want to do that.”
“Even if it meant getting to play hockey for another season or two?”
“Even then,” Tim assured.
“If you play well at the season opener, the team might think about renewing your contract,” Wes offered as an alternative solution.
“Let’s hope.”
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ⚭ ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
After firing off a “good luck” text to Tim for his first official game of the season, Lucy got ready for her concert and was pleasantly surprised when she received a reply from him.
Tim: Thanks. Good luck on your performance
Lucy: Usually people say break a leg
Tim: That doesn’t make any sense.
She rolled her eyes yet was still grinning.
Lucy: You still have a lot to learn
Tim: So do you. Right wing is a real position
Lucy: Hockey sounds made up. I think I need to see a game to prove it’s a real sport. Any chance I can take you up on your offer? My fiancée would love to come see you play too.
Tim: Maybe later in the season when your tour dates aren’t so hectic. I got to hit the ice
As much as he wanted to see Lucy again and have her in the stands at one of his games, he kept thinking about what Angela said. Tim refused to make headlines with Lucy again. It would not be fair to her even if it meant he could play the sport he loves for another year.
Lucy locked her phone with a frown. She thought they had become friends, but he seemed to rescind his previous invitation to have her attend one of his games. It was weird, but she could not ponder what happened for too long. Her fans were waiting for her to go out onto the stage.
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ⚭ ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
As it was Emmett’s favorite city in the world, Lucy was more than happy to have a small intimate wedding ceremony in New York City to appease him. She arrived a few days early to prepare for their nuptials that were scheduled to take place on Friday morning before her three sold out performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night in the city. Emmett said he would arrive late on Thursday night, so she had some time to herself to walk around and explore New York.
It just so happened that when she looked up activities to do in the concrete jungle, a hockey game appeared on the list.
Even without a formal invitation from Tim, surely Lucy could still attend the New York Rangers and L.A. Kings matchup on Thursday night. “Hey, Tamara, can we go to a hockey game?”
“Why would you want to do that? Oh wait, is that Tim guy playing?” Tamara wondered.
“Yeah, the game’s tonight, and since Emmett won’t get here until super late, I’ve got some time to myself.”
“Or time to run away and leave him at the altar.” Lucy’s pursed lips made Tamara sigh. “Fine, I’ll get us tickets to the game. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see Tim after?”
“Not sure if he’ll want to see me. Last time I suggested I watch him play, Tim seemed a little…I don’t know. It was weird, but that was a few weeks ago.”
“Do you have something cute to wear to the game? Maybe grey or black? Those are the L.A. Kings colors.”
“Yeah, I’ve got something.”
“Perfect. Guess we’re going to a hockey game.”
For some reason, Lucy was nervous as she finished getting ready to go to the game. She hoped her presence at Tim’s game would not be unwelcome. Even though she barely knew him, she appreciated their growing friendship and did not want it to end. They reached the box where Tamara had purchased tickets just as the team was warming up on the ice.
“There’s Tim,” Tamara pointed out.
Lucy smiled reflexively when she read “BRADFORD” on the back of his jersey. She carefully watched him skate around, and when the warm up ended and Tim looked up at the stands, Lucy started waving like a fool, even though she was certain he did not notice her all the way up in her box.
Tim always scanned the crowd as if expecting to have a loved one in the audience even though he knew he never had someone come to the game for him…aside from his fans. But, he could sense a pair of eyes on him almost burning through his helmet into the back of his skull, so when he did his normal check of the stands and saw Lucy Chen amongst the crowd, his jaw dropped. In a black top and grey jeans with her hair down and wavy, she looked pretty even from so far away like everything else was out of focus except her. As the captain, he wanted to make sure he gave his team an extra special pep talk before the game so that they played well enough to impress Lucy.
She had seen the postgame highlight reels as she did her best to follow the Kings ever since Lucy had become somewhat of a hockey fan, but watching an entire game was a different, more captivating experience.
Tamara noticed how loudly Lucy cheered and her thunderous applause when Tim scored a goal.
Then, he scored another.
Then, he scored a third, and the whole crowd erupted.
Lucy knew she had to preserve her voice for her upcoming concerts, but she was still screaming loudly along with the other fans.
“Your guy is good,” Tamara commented.
“He’s not MY guy. We’re friends.”
Tim found Lucy’s eyes where he was on the ice still being applauded for his third goal of the game, and they exchanged huge smiles and held eye contact.
Tamara gave Lucy a sideways glance, because friends don’t look at friends like THAT.
Since she had been so wrapped up in the excitement of the game, Lucy only checked her phone once Tim left the ice to go to the locker room after the Kings secured their win. Among her notifications was a message from Emmett.
Emmett: This isn’t working. I can’t do this anymore. I’m not coming to New York tonight.
Lucy was supposed to be married in less than twelve hours as she promised her fans only to be broken up by text. What was she supposed to do?
