Rick: No, I mean like some kind of hairdo for the recital.

Lucy: What recital?

Rick: The one Saturday morning.

Lucy: You told me it was two weeks from now.

Rick: Did I?

Lucy: Yes. Whatever. Where do I get tickets?

Rick: They're sold out.

Rick: I thought you had already gotten them.

Lucy: Wow. Okay, so you didn't get me one, obviously. Whatever, Rick, I'll figure it out.

Rick: Yeah, okay, so I'll pick her up from school?

Lucy: No, you won't. You can get her at 7 at Walmart like we planned.

Rick: Are you serious?

Lucy: Yeah, I am.

Rick: You're so damn childish.

But Lucy ignored him.

She knew he did that on purpose, and she was done talking to him. She was so over him it wasn't even funny, and like always, he had ruined her whole night. Thankfully, she was able to call Jude's wife, Claire, who was one of the directors of the dance studio, and she took care of them. Even got tickets for her mom, River, Jayden, and Baylor. It was fucking avoidable, but then with Rick Hart, nothing was avoidable. He was an asshole, but she'd be damned if she was not going to be there for her baby at her fall recital. Angie didn't even like dance, but whatever.

If Rick wanted his reign as King of the Dicks to continue, that was cool, she'd deal.

As long as Angie was happy, that was all she cared about. The moment Angie wasn't, though, crazy Lucy was coming out.

"Don't you think Benji is, like, superawesome, Mom?"

Looking in the mirror, Lucy smiled. Benji probably thought she was thirty shades of crazy. She shouldn't have been so snarky with him, but she couldn't help it. Her life was one bad day after another lately, and dealing with Rick really fucked with her. It wasn't Benji's fault, though, and she'd apologize.

When she got around to it.

"He was nice."

"Right? So funny. Did you see him almost die when he got on the ice?"

Lucy snorted. "I did, I laughed."

"Me too! I laughed so hard and told him it was ice, that it's slippery. He gave me that look you do."

That's my smartass, Lucy thought with a grin as she turned onto the interstate. "I would have said the same thing."

"Right? I knew you would!"

Smiling, Lucy went into the other lane as silence fell on the car while she drove. As the car went from dark to darker from the street lights, Lucy realized she was dog tired and ready to hit the hay. It had been a long day, and she was still so angry with Jayden. She also didn't like how she felt about Benji. He was too nice, but then, he didn't give off that creeper vibe. Just a nice guy, which was odd. She didn't even think those guys existed. And the ones who did were married.

She almost thought Angie was asleep until she said, "Hey, Mom, I have to go to Dad's this weekend, don't I?"

Clearing her throat, Lucy nodded. "Yeah, baby."

"Ugh, I don't like going over there."

Her heart broke a bit as she met her baby's eyes. "I know, baby, but Dad wants to see you too."

Angie shrugged. "All he cares about are Heidi and Nina."

"Why would you say that?"

"'Cause he doesn't ever want to go to anything I like. It's only what they want."

"I'll talk to him," Lucy announced, because that was not fucking okay.

"No, don't. Y'all will just fight and I don't want that," Angie said sadly. "I just miss Grandma-and River."

Of course she did. They had been living with her mom since she left Rick. "We can go see them when I pick you up on Sunday, okay?"

Angie nodded, looking out the window. "What about Jude and Claire, and Jace and Avery and Ashlyn? I miss them too."

Another problem with having such a close-knit family, they all missed each other so much. "Well, we are going to Florida after Christmas and staying with Jace and Avery and baby Ashlyn. And Jude and Claire are coming for Christmas and I think at the end of January, if Jude doesn't get invited to the All-Star Game."

"Which he probably will. He's, like, the best."

Lucy laughed. "Please don't tell him that."

Angie giggled. "Mom! You know it's true."

"Yeah, yeah," Lucy agreed with a smile and Angie grinned back at her just as her phone started ringing.

Jayden's ringtone.

"Ooooooh, he's in so much trouble," Angie sang as Lucy nodded in agreement, hitting answer on her steering wheel.

"Jayden Mitchell."

"Should I duck when I see you next?" he asked wryly.

"I would."

"Okay, listen, I'm sorry. I'm a coward, but I thought you wouldn't take her if I wasn't gonna be there."

She made a face. "Whatever. I'd take her no matter what. You don't need to apologize to me, you need to apologize to her. She was nervous. You know how she can get."

He made a sound of defeat and cleared his throat. "Angie, baby, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Jay," she giggled. "Mommy was soooo mad!"

He chuckled. "I know. I'm a jerk. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course!"

"Lucy?"

"I am thinking of a long list of bad words that I could include with no, but Angie's in the car."

"Thank God," he breathed and Lucy smiled. "But really, I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"I love youuuuu," he sang and Lucy smiled.

"I love you too, but I'm still mad."

"I know, I'm sorry. But please tell me you didn't hit my boy, BP?"

"BP?" Lucy asked confused.

"Benji Paxton? He showed, right?"

"Oh yeah! He was soooooooooooo awesome, Jayden! He's coming Wednesday too," Angie cheered and Jayden laughed.

"Cool dude, huh?"

"I don't know. Who volunteers to coach a bunch of girls? Seems a little unusual to me."

"He's a really great guy. I seriously only had to call, and he didn't even question me. Just said he'd be there," Jayden said, which didn't change Lucy's mind. She didn't like him. Or maybe, she didn't like that she thought he was hot. Or nice.

Man, she was fucked in the head.

"Can't he just be nice, Mom?" Angie asked and Lucy shrugged. She wouldn't allow herself to tell her daughter that no man was like that unless they were disgusting perverts.

"Or a child molester," she said under her breath, and Jayden sucked in a breath.

"Seriously, Luce?"

"What?" she asked innocently and Angie made a face. "It was a joke."

"What'd she say?" Angie asked.

"Nothing," they said at the same time.

"But a really, really cool dude. Supernice, and that's awesome that he wants to keep helping. He's kind of a hermit."

"A hermit?"

"Yeah, he doesn't get out much. He's quiet."

"No, he's not. He was superfunny," Angie complained and Jayden chuckled.

"Weirdoooo," Lucy sang and Angie glared.

"Mom!"

"Sorry," she said, rolling her eyes. Apparently everyone was a fan of Benji, but she was not and she needed a topic change. "So how's Baylor?"

Sucking in a breath, Jayden let it out slowly. "Not good. They are pretty sure she'll need another surgery, and even then, they aren't sure if she'll be fixed. She cried the whole way home. Coach is trying to convince her to retire from the NHL. That he can get her a job at Bellevue as a girls' coach or even a guys' coach."

Lucy shook her head, her heart dropping for her sister-in-law. Baylor's dad, who was marrying their mom, was the coach at Bellevue University. He had been saying he'd get her a job for the last year. No one wanted to see Baylor get hurt anymore. It was getting really scary. "Yeah, what are you thinking?"

He didn't answer right away, but when he did, the emotion was thick in his throat. "I don't know how many more times I can take watching my wife get hurt on the ice. I'm so worried about her that it's affecting my game."

Exactly, she thought as she cleared her throat. "You tell her that?"

"Not yet. She's sleeping right now. I'll talk to her in the morning."

"Okay, tell her that, though, Jay. Promise me."

He paused and she knew he didn't want to. Baylor was proud and didn't take well to not being the best, but it had gone too far. She was getting hurt more than she was playing. As awesome as it was that she was in the NHL, it just wasn't worth it. She was in constant pain and it was taking a toll on their relationship. They both knew that. "Yeah, I promise."

"Thanks," Lucy said softly.

"I'll text you if she doesn't kill me."

"I was gonna request that," Lucy laughed and he chuckled. He sounded so tired and that worried her. He was a fix-it kind of guy. Always worried about everyone else and not himself. He'd run himself into the ground before he would let anyone down. He was just a really all-around great guy like that. She did well helping raise him.

Clearing his throat, he said, "So, this weekend is the recital? Eleven?"

Her worry for her brother disappeared as white-hot anger came back. Stupid Rick. "Yup. Rick just decided to tell me today. Thankfully, our sister-in-law helps run that place."

"What are you talking about?" Angie asked.

"Your dance recital."

Meeting her gaze, Angie made a face. "I thought that was in two weeks."

Fucking douche.

Jayden muttered something along the same lines as Lucy shook her head. "Nope, this weekend."

"Hm. Okay," she said simply and Lucy rolled her eyes.