I nod. “Absolutely.”
“Thank you again. This was such a thrill,” she says. “We’re going to go now.” Her eyes meet mine. “You’re really good at your job. You’re so passionate about it.”
“I have a pretty amazing boss.”
Kaz clears his throat.
Timmy stares up. “Will you be my boss when I grows up, Kaz?”
He lowers to his haunches. “I thought you wanted to be the best hockey player in the world.”
Timmy scratches the side of his head. “Oh, yeah.”
“It’s okay. You can grow up to be anything you want. You can become the greatest hockey player in the world, and then, if you want to come and work for me, we can talk about it, but I suspect once you hang up your skates, you might be ready to betheboss instead of working for a boss.” He ruffles Timmy’s hair.
The boy nods. “I’m gonna be like you.”
Kaz stands up, removes his charity jersey that matches mine, and hands it to the kid. “A little something to help you with your goal of becoming the greatest hockey player ever.”
Timmy’s eyes are so wide, they take over his face. He stares up at his mom. “Can I have it?”
His mom nods and caresses his forehead, brushing away the dark brown strands. “Kaz is giving you a gift. And what do we say when nice people give us gifts?”
The little boy’s head whips around. “Thanks, Kaz. You’re thebestest. I’m never gonna take this off.”
With that, the woman and her little boy saunter off, waving one last time at his hero.
Kaz winks.
My ovaries.
The brooding giant is great with kids.
Despite the lousy example he has as a father, I’m certain he’ll be a great dad. He’s attentive. Caring. Kind. Overprotective. A grizzly bear with a soft heart. What’s there not to love?
Don’t be stupid. Don’t go catching feelings for a man you can’t have.
If I wasn’t damaged goods, I might’ve been the kind of woman he’d want as the mother of his kids.
Why would he want criminals as in-laws?
“I’m sorry, Kaz,” a woman says, interrupting my spiraling thoughts.
We turn around.
Our interaction drew a crowd, and a procession of people line up for autographs and selfies.
Half an hour later, the last happy fan disperses, leaving behind them an electrifying buzz in the air.
Number 22 for life.
Kaz’s fans adore and admire him. It must be quite an amazing feeling to have people look up to you like that. The elation on both the kids’ and their parents’ faces at being in the presence of a hero is transcendental. So many of these people were aware of the Born to Wear Blue charity. What Kaz is doing is commendable, and I get to be part of it. He has so much influence, clout, and respect.
I’m part of something meaningful.
Satisfaction buzzes through me like an electric current.
Through my new position, I’m doing something that will have a positive impact on the lives of so many New Yorkers. Men and women in blue protect us from the bad guys—people like my family who will never lose sleep over screwing people out of their hard-earned money.
