A noise stole her attention to the door. Luc stood there with her mom, her mom’s makeup smudged like she might’ve been crying. “Mom? Is everything okay?”
Luc wrapped an arm around her and gently escorted her to Bailey’s father. Were her mom’s tears because she’d overheard that exchange?
Bailey glanced up at Luc, and he reached to clasp her hand. “She’ll be fine. Give her a minute,” he murmured. “You’re looking better.”
She sighed. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus.”
“Sometimes speaking the truth can be like that.”
So he had heard her.
Luc’s strength wrapped around her as he leaned down and gently hugged her. “I’m really proud of you, Bails.”
She closed her eyes, clutched him tighter, savoring his nearness. “Don’t let me fall back into fakeness.”
“I’ll keep you honest,” he murmured.
“And you?” She drew back, glanced up at him. “How did your meeting go? Are you okay?”
His smile was crooked. “Never better.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “The club is fine, the police have officially cleared me. It’s all good, truly.” His gaze was deep. “You can always trust me, Bails. I’ll never lie to you.”
She nodded, knowing this was true. Luc Blanchard might be tough and know how to use his fists, but she could trust him. Her protector, her best friend, her courage-giver, her number one cheerleader. The one whose presence cheered her heart most of all.
Luc glanced at the woman standing next to him, gnawing her nails. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Admit that as soon as he’d heard Bailey’s words to her father in the hospital room and seen the tears trickle down her mother’s cheeks that he’d felt a solid yes in his spirit about what he could do? That he’d been so proud of her he’d determined then and there to make her deepest wish come true? “Because it’s Bailey’s birthday, and you’ll be the best present.” He shrugged. “And if it means she thinks I’m the best because I got her the best present, then I’m okay with that, too.”
She laughed, the sound tinkling like Bailey’s. “You’re weird.”
“Yes I am.” He nudged her. “But you’re weirder, doing this with some random guy you’ve never met before.”
The amusement faded from her face. “Haven’t you heard? That’s what I do. I’ve always been the weird one.”
“I think we can all be weird in our various ways. Which is just as well, right? Imagine if we were all plain vanilla.”
The elevator stopped, and he led the way to his apartment.
“You’re wrong, you know,” she said. “About being random. I recognized your name. I watched you both on that dancing show. You and she were…”
He glanced at her, recognized the blinking back of tears. “That bad, huh?”
She laughed again, pushed his shoulder. “No, I was gonna say amazing, and that it was everything Gran and I hoped for, but now I won’t.”
“Fair enough.”
She snickered. “I understand why she likes you.”
“I’ve been told I can be very charming.” He held out his arm. “And that I look great in a pink suit.”
She grasped his arm, glancing up with nervous eyes that looked so much like Bailey’s.
“It’s okay. You’ve got this. And so does God,” he added for good measure.
Her chin dipped, and nerves stole over him. It was one thing to plan this with Mrs. Donovan, quite another to enact this and hope all went as he’d prayed. Secret-keeping might have its issues but he hoped this one would count as a good surprise.
He opened the door, leaving her at the foyer and walked through various groups of chattering people and scores of pink helium balloons.
“What took you?” Bailey asked, from her chair—the leather chair that matched his that he’d bought so she could always feel at home here. “Let me guess, you got bailed up by fans wanting pics with you in that pink suit.”
Yeah, there’d been a moment or two like that while he’d waited downstairs for the taxi to arrive. Zac’s dare of a pink suit had seen Luc wear it on more than a few occasions. And because he was so secure in his masculinity, he’d even themed tonight’s party around that very color. The room was filled with floral bouquets of that color, from everyone from his teammates to Ryan and Sylvie, Chris and Diana, and Dan and Sarah. “Apparently the captain is supposed to be nice to fans. Who knew?”
“They like you a lot around here.”
So they should. That’s what a five-game winning streak should earn a man. He slapped his chest. “Hey, there’s a lot to like about a sharp-dressed man.”
“Didn’t you get any ice cream?”
“Ice cream? Oh man. I forgot.” He studied her, loving how comfortable and easy she looked sitting there, among her family and friends, like last month’s attack was a distant memory. “But I did get you something better.” He stepped to the foyer, and gestured his special guest forward.
Bailey’s jaw dropped, then she squealed, and in a leap worthy of a ten she wrapped her arms around her sister, a hug which was soon joined by her mom, her brother, and her father, and plenty of tears. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
