Limelight Love Story

29. The Trophy

Camera flashes blinded his periphery while Tim stared out at the mass of reporters in the media room clamoring to speak to him after his game. One of them asked a particularly difficult question: "A source claims that you and Lucy Chen aren't actually married, and you've been faking it this whole time. Care to comment?"

He did not "care to comment" about a secret he and Lucy had done a wonderful job of keeping. Panicked, he looked over at her for help, and all she could offer him was pleading eyes, since she had lost her voice at the most inopportune time. Tim could read every little aspect of her expression and knew she felt sorry, and guilty, and worried, and nothing but love for him all at once. And he only knew how to interpret her expressions so well, because he knew her well. For days, Lucy did not have a voice at all, and yet, they had no difficulty communicating; he could tell when she was thirsty, happy, tired, proud, annoyed, and in need of a shower. She was very clear about needing a shower as she pulled him into their roomy one without words, and he was quite familiar with that wordless request, since that was one he received even when she did have a voice.

As Tim held her gaze, he was reminded of the vows they lived by, the connection they had, and the effort they had invested into their relationship. It was a marriage. Both of them knew that. He inclined his head to her slightly before turning back to the awaiting reporters and saying, "I love my wife, and she is my wife. You can't believe all of the rumors out there. I mean, there are rumors going around that we're pregnant." He looked to Lucy and asked playfully, "Wait, are we pregnant, baby?"

Without being able to speak, all she could do was shake her head "no".

"There you have it. We're not pregnant yet, but we are married. Now, we're in the postseason. This is the most intense part of the hockey season. Are we going to talk about the game we played tonight, our strategy for the rest of the postseason, or something else hockey related? Because if you want to keep asking me questions about my wife, then I would rather spend time with her than talking about her. Your choice." He crossed his arms and gave the room of reporters his coldest stare. Tim noticed Lucy's face change out of the corner of his eye and glanced over at her to see how she was swooning. She had a question on her lips, so he nodded, and then as expected, she walked over to the table covered in microphones where he was seated and lowered herself into his lap. He smiled into her hair as she settled. The room was silent aside from the sound of camera shutters. "Looks like none of these people have any hockey questions for me tonight, so I guess we get to go home early." He reached around making show of preparing to hold her in his arms to stand with her when the reporters began firing game-related inquiries at him.

She sat up tall across his lap to focus on him as he discussed hockey while playing with some of the short hairs on the back of his neck to show that she was present, and supportive, and oh so grateful for how he handled the press. Without warning, Lucy felt him gather her up and stand to signal that he was done answering questions, and she chuckled dryly in his ear. They returned to the locker room so Tim could get his gym bag with one hand while the other still held her in place. Just when she thought the worst of the night was over, she heard a quiet but firm voice behind them.

"Everyone go home except for Mr. and Mrs. Bradford," Grey ordered. It took a minute for the straggling teammates to leave the locker room, and then he waited for Tim to twist around while carrying Lucy. He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, because he had no idea how to find the most delicate words. He resorted to asking, "You're not married are you?"

"Of course we are," Tim said.

Lucy, opened her mouth and tried to make sounds come out, but everything was a hoarse incoherent jumble.

He set Lucy down and stood in front of her as if to block her from Grey's stare. "We're married," Tim assured him.

"You've never played better," Grey pointed out. "I've known you since you were a rookie, and I've never seen you handle the puck like you have for the majority of this season. You've delegated captain responsibilities to Wes to spend time with your family but only for the past few months. I've begged you to do that for years, and you wouldn't, but suddenly, you don't spend all of your free time watching game footage. You've missed practices to be with Lucy lately when you used to come to practice early and leave the ice after everyone else. And don't get me started on your music, young lady. My daughter loves your songs and plays them all the time. Your last album was different. To top it all off, I watch every single postgame interview for the entire league, and I remember them all pretty well, and not once has Tim ever hesitated when asked a question, but he hesitated tonight when he was asked about you two faking your marriage. So, you're not married."