Food vendors are set up throughout the space, filling the air with the smell of greasy deliciousness and sugary goodness.
There’s a chill in the air, because the one thing Beckett couldn’t control was the weather. But the crisp temperature only adds to the ambiance. I’m in a black sweater and a pair of dark jeans, but I may have to play a few games and win myself a scarf. The longer I stand with the fake snow falling around me, the colder I get.
“This is sick,” Bobby Dean says, popping up from out of nowhere.
“Yeah, the Langfields don’t skimp on anything.”
JJ wanders over, his daughter Avery riding on his shoulders.
Her curly blond hair is mostly hidden beneath a Bolts toque, but her bright smile is on full display. “Hi, Uncle Cam.”
I’ve been Uncle Cam to almost every kid that’s passed through the halls of Bolts Arena, and while I love every freaking one of them, as I look at Avery, note the way she clutches her dad’s head like he’s a damn horse and she’s leading him, an old ache—a stubborn sensation that won’t go away no matter how hard I try to rid myself of it—returns with a vengeance. There was a time when all I wanted was to find the right person to settle down and start a family with. When I saw myself as a husband. As a dad. When I thought I could have a family of my own.
The universe had other plans, though. First, my ex’s affair destroyed me. Then my sister’s disappearance. And then, when Ithought I’d finally gotten my life back on track, when I finally had my family back, we lost my father and my mother completely broke.
So I’m forever Uncle Cam. I’ve got a good life. A great one, even. I love my job, and I’m surrounded by friends who treat me like family, along with all their kids. It’s hard not to feel selfish when I allow myself to wish I had more.
But maybe I do have more. Because I’ve found Savannah. Just the thought of her has a smile tugging at my lips. Fuck, I really do like her.
Is that why I’m thinking of kids? She’s young. She has a whole life ahead of her. Marriage. Kids. That could be in the cards for her. For me.
Shit, I’m getting ahead of myself. We haven’t even been on a fucking date, and I’m thinking about putting a baby in her. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Cam?” JJ says, reminding me that I’ve yet to greet him or his daughter.
“Sorry, Ave. How’s my favorite little hockey player?”
With a giggle, she shakes her head, the ends of her blond curls bouncing. “That’s Daddy. I’m just a girl.”
Jaw dropping dramatically, I hold out my arms to her, and when she jumps into them, I pull her in for a hug. “Nah, I heard you’re our future winger. Just gotta get you out on the ice for practice, right, JJ?”
He arches a brow, no doubt thinking I’m ridiculous, but when he notices the big smile on his daughter’s face, his expression melts into one of pure adoration, and he nods. “Whatever my girl wants.”
JJ is an incredible dad. Maybe one of the best I know, and that’s saying something, because I was lucky enough to witness both War and Daniel become dads.
But JJ’s done it pretty much on his own. His wife couldn’t care less about motherhood or her child. It’s hard to watch.
“Can we go on the Ferris wheel, Daddy?” Avery asks, her focus turning quickly like any four-year-old’s would.
“Course,” he says, holding his arms out to her.
I give her one more squeeze and hand her back. “Tabs?” I mouth over her head.
He shakes his head, jaw ticking.
My heart sinks for the little girl, but I plaster on a bright smile. “Find me when you’re done, and I’ll win you a stuffed animal.”
Avery lights up and lets out a squeal, kicking her legs.
Despite bearing the brunt of her excitement, JJ holds her close and smiles. “Thanks.”
“Can Uncle Bobby ride the Ferris wheel too?” our star center asks Avery.
That affection is back and only growing. The current team is just as close as the team I was part of. They’re a good group of guys. Maybe a little wild sometimes, but they do okay keeping each other in check, and they’d bend over backward to help one another out. It’s exactly what JJ needs, considering that Avery travels with the team for now. Can’t imagine that won’t change next season, though. She’ll start school, and if Tabitha doesn’t step up and become the mother she needs, I don’t know what JJ will do.
Avery eyes Bobby, then her dad. “I don’t know. What do you think, Daddy? Can Bobby’s ego fit in our cart?”
A roar of laughter bursts out of me. Damn, this kid. This is one of the perks—or maybe it’s a downside—that comes with bringing a four-year-old on the road with a hockey team. She’s got the one-liners down and she doesn’t let the guys get away with anything.
