The deck hums back to life.Someone turns the music up.A girl I don’t remember meeting asks if I’m coming to the after-after party in the city, something about a party Brielle will be at.Because I want to be anywhere near that witch.Colby complains about his arm like he lost it in a tragic training accident.Jamie hovers near the steps, phone in hand, catching the light on the lake.
I go inside, take a shower that smells like cedar and spice, put on a clean white tee that doesn’t advertise anything, and slip on worn jeans I haven’t worn since before I learned how to posture for cameras.
In the mirror, I look like a man who could walk down a shut-down Main Street and remember how to smile with his heart.
I text Kenzie.“Save us a table.”
Outside, the party yawns wider to cover the space my family left.People laugh like they’re getting paid per decibel.The lake blushes toward evening.I give a fifteen-minute warning to anyone coming with me.I swear you'd think I had a crew of teenage girls and not a bunch of grown ass men who play hockey professionally, as they all push into the house to get ready.
Maybe I don’t know what I’m going to say.
Maybe it’s enough that I’m finally going where the words might find me.
Maybe surrounding myself with my past will help me figure out who I will be in the future.
Chapter 11 - Nate
Walking down Main Street feels like stepping into an old photograph that someone’s been adding colour to while I wasn’t looking.
The bones are the same, the brick fronts, the hanging flags, the sound of laughter spilling out of every doorway, but everything’s brighter, fuller, more alive than I remember.New shops have popped up where the old hardware store and post office used to be.The air smells like barbecue and maple sugar, like nostalgia wrapped in smoke.
Canada Day in Hawthorne Ridge used to be simple: a few picnic tables at the park, fireworks, and music from someone’s truck bed.
Now it’s a full Hallmark production.Every small business has spilled out into the street.Kids dart between booths with painted cheeks, sparklers flashing.People wave, some shout my name, and a few just stare.I used to be the hometown hero.Now I’m the guy they read about in headlines, the one with the messy breakup, the temper, the bad press.
And maybe it’s not just me they’re looking at.Maybe it’s the crew that came with me, teammates and a handful of girls who look like they took a wrong turn from a downtown rooftop party.Sequins, stilettos, perfume so thick it sticks in your throat.They stand out like neon in this kind of night.
McKenna’s bouncing ahead, narrating everything like a tourist.“They actually shut down the whole street?This is sick.”
Anders sighs.“I’m buying property here.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Jensen says.“Looks like people actually talk to each other here.”
He’s not wrong.
We weave through the crowd, laughter and live music mixing with the smell of grilled meat and beer, until I spot the sign for Harvest & Heart.Adam’s pub.The deck is packed, tables overflowing with people, half of them familiar faces from a life that feels like it belongs to someone else.
I see Eli first.He’s leaning back in his chair, laughing at something Kenzie says.Tessa sits beside them, surrounded by people I used to know, people who used to know me.
Mason James stands, a little boy on his hip, Clara following behind with a baby seat looped over her arm.Cassidy rises slowly, her hand resting on her belly, and Brody is right there, steadying her.The look he gives her makes something twist in my chest.
They were all part of my world once: pond hockey, a childhood spent in a river behind a barn, Friday night bonfires, school dances and sports.And now they’re living whole lives without me.
How the hell did I drift this far away?
We reach the deck.Chase sits on the other side of Tessa, his arm lazily draped over the back of her chair like he’s done it a thousand times.
My teammates pile in, chairs scraping, voices loud.The girls hover, half-interested, mostly scrolling on their phones.
Brody gives me a quick half-hug, one hand steadying Cassidy’s back.“Shit, Nate.Haven’t seen you in forever.Wish you’d been here earlier, man.”
Cassidy smiles, soft but tired.
Brody squeezes her shoulder.“C’mon, babe.Let’s get you home.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue.“You could stay a bit longer.”
He shakes his head, grinning.“Nope.I want to be where you are.”
