If that fucker was on American soil, much less Californian, and still lying about being in Nepal, I’d make sure he paid for his lies.
Sydney made me sick in the ways she didn’t want to deal with our kids. Bryce was worse because he fully bailed. At least Sydney took partial custody.
Bryce used to play hockey? I’d remind him how it feels when someone dishes out a solid punishment.
I was shocked by how quickly my blood boiled and rage built in me. Since JP’s accident and my retaliation on that kid, I’d learned to hone my anger into more useful settings, like my sport. Was I getting too close to the deep rage that made me almost kill somebody? Was I too dangerous? Should I have told Mara so I could get a less emotional decision?
With a deep breath, I decided I needed to mind my business and focus on the present. No reason to ruin a perfectly good day with a guy who wasn’t even important anymore.
I had a family to cook for.Myfamily. Not his.
FORTY
MARA
DECEMBER
We stoodat the skate rental counter in a cold-as-shit baseball stadium in Denver. It was a family skate day before the New Year’s Day Winter Classic game, where two rival teams get to play outside.
“You’re sure you don’t need your cane,” Jack said, eyeing me skeptically.
“I am entirely the person in charge of my own health, sir.”
“Yeah, but sometimes you push through the pain,” he argued.
“Yes because sometimes that’s what I need to do to get better. Every day’s a little different. You know this.”
He huffed, looking out over my head. “What about your blackouts? Will you hold a hockey stick or something to lean on?”
I chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll help, buddy. Worry about you and the kids. I won’t be out there to help you.”
He twisted his lips, eyes scanning over me. “And you’re not going to feel left out?”
“No. I’ll be perfectly content watching you guys be cute. I’ll take pictures. Maybe I can con Gabi into hanging out with me.She hates skating anyway. Look, there she is. Let’s get their skates on so I can corner her.”
Jack pouted. “I’ll get their skates on. Go be the social butterfly.”
Click.
I held the fancy camera Jack had gotten for me, blushing when I thought back to the pictures he had on another memory card.
“You’ve got it bad for him,” Gabi teased.
“Shut up or I’ll make you go skate,” I threatened, holding the camera up to my eye to hopefully cover my tomato of a face.
“Don’t you dare. I don’t ice.”
Nikita shot Gabi the dimpliest smile after fake-blocking one of his teammates’ kids’ shots.
“He wants you to so bad, Gab. Look at him. All he wants is for you to like that thing he likes.”
“I do plenty of liking what he likes,” she said, checking her nails. “I’ll get out there when he agrees to do some of the stuff I ask for.”
Gabi and Nikita were still an item, and she pretended to hate how sweet he was. Really, she wasn’t used to guys who treated her nicely and didn’t just shoot her a dick pic with a “pic?” request back.
I could understand that. It can be hard to trust a good thing when everybody just wants something from you. I tried not to butt in and just let it all play out. I also didn’t want to make it a “we should date boys from the same team!!!!!” situation. She didn’t need any extra pressure.
Especially when I was married to a boy from the same team.
