"A little. I guess. But now she just wants to spend time with friends."
Tyler laughed. "Ah. She's ditching you. That's the problem." He walked over and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hate to tell you this, bud, but that's not being girly. That's just growing up."
Boyd laughed. "When you have kids, bud, then you can come chirp at him about what’s growing up and what isn't. Until then, grab a sippy cup, and leave the parenting-talk to the ones wrangling the ankle-biters."
Ryan saluted him, and Tyler flipped him the bird. Tyler and Boyd left the locker room, and Ryan was quick to follow. He was adjusting the board for passing drills when he saw a familiar face bouncing up and down behind the glass. He grinned and skated over to the entrance to the rink, noting the smirk on Country's face as he pointed his head directly at Aelin and then back at him. Subtle.
"You made it." Ryan held out his arms, and Amaya flew into them. "How was your day?"
She grinned up at him. "Amazing. We made a fairy garden."
Ryan looked up at Aelin. She looked better. Her hair was swept back in a braid and her eyes didn't look swollen. "Fairy garden?"
Aelin shrugged. "I had some craft supplies in the closet. The girls got creative."
"One of the houses has lights!" Amaya's eyes gleamed, and for a moment, Ryan could barely breathe. He would never have thought to do something like that with her. He'd spent an embarrassing amount of time on Pinterest searching up ideas for what to do with little girls over the past three years, but he usually opted for things that didn't require walking into a store with cinnamon brooms at the entrance.
"Go get dressed, okay?" He straightened as Amaya scurried back to the piles of equipment along the back wall.
"That's all for the camp?"
Ryan nodded. "One of the main reasons kids don't participate in hockey is the cost of equipment. My teammates and I ran a donation and swap centre last winter. We have enough for fifteen kids, so hopefully the twelve in the camp will be able to find something that fits."
"And they'll use it for the whole week?" She wrinkled her nose.
Ryan laughed. "You've never played hockey?"
"I played roller hockey back home."
"Which is?"
"California."
The whole conversation happened so fast, he'd forgotten he wasn't supposed to be doing this.Doing what, exactly?He could be having this conversation with any random stranger. He was in a public place. His friends were right there on the ice.
"We lived at the end of a cul-de-sac. Our neighbours had four boys."
"Chaos."
Aelin grinned, and her eyes glittered in the overhead lights. "Absolutely."
"Dad!" Amaya came running back over, dragging the gear she'd found. "Can Bailey stay for the camp?"
Aelin's smile faded. "Oh, no, Bails. I didn't sign you up."
"That's alright. If she wants to stay?—"
"I don't think?—"
"Yes!" Bailey nodded her head emphatically. "I know how to skate, Mom."
Aelin opened her mouth, then closed it. He could see the wheels turning in her head. "I didn't bring your skates."
"You could just go home and get them." Bailey stood with her hands clasped behind her back, and Ryan turned his face so she wouldn't see him grinning.
"You think this is funny?"
Ryan turned to find Aelin staring right at him. "Only because it's not happening to me right now."
