“Then he’ll contact you to work out the legal paperwork and details. I’m sure he’ll demand an official DNA test also, but I’ve seen enough. I know they’re mine.”
“Paperwork? Is that necessary?”
“Hell yeah. I don’t want you disappearing when you feel like it. No fucking way. I’m their father, and I’m fucking going to be their father.” My hold on my temper was slipping, and I fought to control my irritation.
“No, I won’t disappear on you. I promise.”
“Right, like you haven’t the last two times we met?” I rolled my eyes contemptuously, annoyed I was behaving like a spoiled child but doing it anyway. “When can I meet them?”
“I…uh…I don’t know. I’d prefer we not go there right now.”
“Are you fucking nuts? They’re my children, and I have rights.”
“Do your rights override what’s best for the children?”
I sobered slightly, considering her words. “Isn’t knowing their father best for them?”
“They had a father. A good one. They don’t need another, especially one who drinks until he passes out and sleeps with random women.”
Her words stung, but I couldn’t deny I’d done my fair share of being a bad boy since I’d made the pros. “I want to know them.”
“In time. You have to prove to me you’re serious about being in their lives, not just when it’s convenient, but especially when it isn’t. I don’t trust you or your ability to put others before yourself.”
She had a point, but I hated to concede that fact.
“They’re still grieving over the loss of their father. Maybe it’d be better if they got to know you as a friend first. They’ve had a tough time of it.”
“You want me to deceive them?”
“Not exactly. I need to be sure you’re going to stick around. That you won’t get tired of them like you got tired of me.”
“I won’t.” I bristled, ready to chew her ass, but some still-remorseful part of me recognized the truth of her words. She didn’t know me. All she knew as how much I’d been partying lately. She had no idea what kind of person I was or how my presence might affect her children. I’d be cautious if I were in her position; any caring parent would. That didn’t mean I wasn’t pissed as hell at the situation. I was.
“I need to see your commitment to them before I let you in their life as their father. Throwing money at them when you have a lot to throw around is easy. Being a real father is the hard part.”
I clenched my fists and counted to ten. I had to maintain a level of civility with her. Having parents at each other’s throats wouldn’t do anyone any good. “Okay, you want to see commitment? I’m moving you to Seattle. I’ll have the arrangements made. I leave for a road trip in a few days. By the time we get back, it’ll all be settled. I’ll get my people to manage the details.”
“I am not moving to Seattle.”
“Like fuck you aren’t. What’s keeping you wherever you are?” My jaw hardened, and she drew back at the restrained fury on my face. I looked away for several seconds. When I turned back, my face was a careful mask of indifference.
She stared out the windshield as if thinking long and hard. When she turned back to me, her defiance had turned to defeat. “We’ll move here. They have a right to know you, same as you have a right to know them. You can be an old family friend, and we’ve reconnected. I require I be there whenever you’re with them.”
“Have it your way.”
“Thank you.”
Caro scratched out her personal deets such as snail mail on a piece of paper and handed it to me. She reached for the door handle, ready to bolt at any moment. “Is that all?”
I guessed it was for now. I had a game to play tonight, and playing hockey was currently the furthest thing from my mind.
“Yeah, I’ll be in contact. I have a game tonight but have tomorrow off. I’ll call you to set up something. You’ll also be hearing from my attorney.”
She frowned, opened the door, and beat a hasty retreat to her car. I watched her get in and drive away. Only then did I wonder what I’d gotten myself into, not with the kids but with her.
The Sockeyes’ home arena was electric as we marched as a team in a line through the tunnel and out the arena gate onto the ice for our pregame warm-ups. I put one foot on the slick surface, ready to skate energetically around the boards. Instead, my skate stuck to the ice as if it’d been covered in glue. My ass hit the ice first with my legs and arms flapping.
The good-sized crowd in attendance to see warm-ups cheered at my misfortune. Playing the good sport, I scrambled to my feet, pulled off the skate guards I’d forgotten about, and did a low bow to the fans. They loved it, but their appreciation of my good humor did nothing to assuage the burning embarrassment. Of course, the jerk in the media booth chose to replay the scene on the large center screens.
Face flaming, I skated to middle ice, where some teammates were doing drills.
“Nice one, rookie.” Cedric slapped me on the back so hard I almost went down again, which brought guffaws from the team veterans and my now former friends.
I tried to concentrate on my drills and my skating, but my brain would not engage. Not only was I obsessing over my fall, but I was obsessing over being a father and, even worse, over Caro. By the time I got back from tomorrow’s road trip in a week, she’d be moved to Seattle.
I’d solved Caro’s living situation earlier that afternoon. The team’s goalie coach had been living in a condo courtesy of the team owner until he’d bought a house and moved into it about a month ago. It was dumb luck that the place had come available at the same time I’d asked Mina, Ethan Parker’s scary-assed assistant, if she knew of any openings in the Parker Union Condo Building.
I’d wanted to pay the rent. Ethan insisted on not taking any rent. He said I’d be doing him a favor as he’d write off the loss of income from the unit.
I didn’t believe a write-off was that big of a favor, but I graciously accepted. NHL rookies made a good salary, but lots of rookies spent way above their means in a short amount of time. I didn’t want to be one of them. Kaden was already heading that way, despite lectures from Steele and me about the virtues of saving for a rainy day. By and large, most hockey careers were short-lived, allowing us a small portion of our lives to earn the big bucks. A guy never knew when he’d suffer a game-ending injury or when the league no longer wanted his services.
Now that I had kids to think about, being careful with my money and investing wisely were more crucial than ever.
I was a father.
I’d been repeating those four words over and over all day, still not used to the sound of them. I vowed to be the best dad a guy could be. I hadn’t told anyone but my roommates yet, and they’d surprisingly kept their mouths shut. I’d eventually tell the entire team and my family, but right now I wanted time to adjust without others’ well-meaning interference.
My night went from bad to worse. I wasn’t doing anything right, as my skates had a mind of their own, my stick missed every pass, and my head wasn’t in the game.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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