“Hey, baby girl. I didn’t know you were awake.” I walk back into my bedroom and slide into the bed next to her.
Sophia nuzzles her head under my arm as I wrap it around her and pull her close. “Daddy, you said a bad word. That’s a dollar for the swear jar.”
I can’t help but laugh at the innocence of my four-year-old. I’m over here afraid her mom is ruining her life by being gone, and she’s worried about getting paid for my damn potty mouth.
“Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Sophia giggles into my chest. “Yes it will, Daddy. The jar is about to explode with all the dollars we collected this week!Andall the Bobcats will be here later today to eat turkey! I’m gonna need another jar, I think.”
She makes a good point. Hockey players tend to cuss every other sentence. She’ll probably have enough money in that jar to buy a car after today.
“You’re right. We should go look for one in the garage before they all get here.”
Sophia looks up at me, questions in her eyes, but doesn’t say a word.
Pushing her messy blonde hair out of her face, I stroke her cheek with my thumb. “What is it,Rakas?”
I can see her biting the inside of her cheek before she looks up at me and speaks. “Is Mommy gonna be here for turkey too?”
Damn it. The look on her face tells me she already knows the answer. But, like me, she holds onto some semblance of hope that her mom might show up when she needs her to.
Pulling her up onto my lap so I can cradle her like I used to when she was a baby, I squeeze her tight before speaking. “I don’t think so, Soph. I know she’s usually here with us on holidays, but she had to go somewhere this year.”
She buries her head into my chest and I hear her sniffle. My heart breaks a little at the sound, and I do my best to explain it to her in terms a four-year-old might understand.
“You know how Mummo and Pappa love you to the moon and back but sometimes miss holidays to fly home to Finland to see the rest of our family?” Sophia doesn’t lift her head to look at me, but I feel it nod the slightest bit, signaling she understands. “Well, your mom had somewhere very important to be so she’ll have to miss Thanksgiving this year.”
I know for a fact that, wherever Claire is, and whatever she’s doing, it isn’t as nearly as important as being here with her daughter. But I say it anyway because I’ll never speak bad about her in front of Sophia. No matter how much I may want to.
Sophia finally looks up at me, one last tear drop falling down her cheek before she brushes it away with her arm. “Did Mommy have to go visit family in Finland too?”
The earnest look on her face is almost too much to handle. I wish Claire had an excuse like that. Unfortunately for me, I have no fucking idea where she even took off to this time. Not wanting to lie to my kid more than I have to, I choose to be vague. “Something like that, Soph. But I know she misses you so much.”
Sophia falls back into my chest and wraps her tiny little arm around my ribcage. Squeezing me tight, as if she can squeeze away the hurt from both of us. Just as I drop my chin to the top of her head, I hear her whisper, “I miss her more.”
It’s a little after twelve when the doorbell rings again, signaling someone else from the team is here to celebrate Thanksgiving.
I offered to host the team and their families today since we only have one day off for the holiday. My house is more than big enough to host everyone. Honestly, it gets a little lonely here with just me, Sophia, and a handful of staff I hired to help around the house. It’s the reason I try to host weekly team dinners throughout the season too. The chaos that’s about to ensue is more than welcome.
Opening the front door, I see my head coach, Lincoln Scott, my assistant coach, Ellie Montgomery, and a petite brunette I’ve never seen before, all standing there with curious looks on their faces.
“Come in, come in.” I move aside and let the three of them into my foyer.
Ellie does a slow circle, taking in the high ceilings and winding staircase just behind us. “Wow, Niko. This place is amazing. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Taking their coats and hanging them in the closet, I gesture toward the living room. “Thank you. I’d like to say I designed it myself, but this was all my mom. She even cleansed the space with sage.”
The tiny brunette perks up at the mention of sage and elbows Ellie in the ribs as she makes her way in front of me.
The three of them follow me around as I give them a small tour of the main floor. The mystery brunette stays hot on my heels, nodding vigorously in between her “oohs” and “ahhs” as I explain the design of the space. If my mind wasn’t so consumed with Sophia’s mom and worried about where she is at the moment, I probably would find her completely endearing. Too bad I can barely concentrate on anything today.
Remembering just how sad Sophia was this morning is a reminder I don’t have the time, energy, or mental capacity to even notice a woman these days. Speaking of Sophia, she comes barreling down the hallway just as we step out of the kitchen, running full steam into my legs.
Pretending to stumble backward as if she hit me with the force of a Mack truck, I grab her under the arms and hoist her up onto my hip. “Can you say hi, Soph?”
My daughter is not shy by any means, but sometimes when meeting new people, it takes her a minute to warm up to them. She buries her head into the crook of my neck and gives a small wave. I can’t help but smile at the gesture.
Just as I’m about to excuse myself and Sophia, she perks her head right up. “Daddy, who are your pretty friends?”
