At the same time, I wished she would turn that smile on me just once, but after that conversation we’d had last night, I knew I would have to earn it. I joined the stampede to the breakfast buffet with that thought in mind, deciding to keep my distance from Maisie and Brody.
Leaving them, I made my way past parents juggling coffee cups and bagels and went to stand with Gage instead. He was in the middle of trying to wrangle a headcount, looking like a general prepping for battle as he muttered to himself under his breath.
Once he was done, he glanced at me, one eyebrow arching. “You look like a man who didn’t get much sleep.”
I smirked, though I wasn’t really feeling it. “It’s the big game today. Nobody slept. Are you starving? I’m starving.”
He snorted. “Uh-huh. Sure. That’s all it is. Let’s get some food, but when we get to our table, you can tell me what really happened last night.” After a brief pause, he added, “Or if you’d prefer, we can talk about what clearly didn’t happen.”
I scoffed. “How would you know? Besides, shouldn’t we spend this time mapping out the day? I thought you were a hockey coach, not a relationship coach.”
Gage chuckled, head shaking as he followed me to the long buffet tables laden with food. “Our day is already mapped out, but okay. We’ll do that and then, after, you can tell me what was going on between you and Maisie in the lounge last night. You looked pretty darn cozy to me.”
I didn’t reply, glancing at them where they sat at a table with a few of Brody’s teammates and their parents. Maisie was talking animatedly to one of the other moms while Brody watched her with just a touch of pride on his features.
I wonder if he’ll ever look at me that way.
Dismissing the thought when I got to the front of the line, I dished up some fruit, pancakes, bacon, toast, and eggs and then dropped into the chair opposite Gage at a small table. He looked at me, then glanced at Maisie and Brody.
“Are you ready to tell me yet?”
I shrugged. “My past reputation came back to bite me, is all. Everything was fine in the lounge, but as soon as we got to our room, it went sideways.”
He grimaced, thinking it over before he responded. “You’re here now, Callum. He sees you. She sees you. That’s not nothing. Give it time.”
Exhaling heavily, I lowered my eyes to my food and dug in, trying to ignore the weight in my chest and the heat that flared through my veins every time I thought about last fucking night. I should’ve expected that to be her answer, but I really hadn’t.
By the time the puck finally hit the ice, Gage still seemed to be waiting for me to elaborate, but both of us finally shifted our attention to the game. Everything else fell away as I stood next to him near the boards with my arms crossed, watching the kids race past in a blur of helmets, sticks, and skates.
While Gage shouted instructions and encouragement to the team as a whole, I kept finding myself staring at Brody. The kid really was a flash of determination as he cut across the ice, somehow managing to be in the right spot at the right time every time. He saw openings before anyone else and handled the puck like it was an extension of himself.
God, he’s good. Not just good, but natural. My almost-stepson played like he’d been born with a hockey stick in his hands. He scored once. Twice. Three times for the hat trick.
Every time he found the net, he turned, his eyes scanning until they found me, and a wide grin split his face when I threw my fists in the air and hollered his name over the roar of the crowd. Something twisted deep inside me as I watched him beam, his chest puffing out as he got back to the game after seeing me cheer him on.
It took me a second to recognize that twist as pride. Fierce, unexpected, and almost overwhelming pride. I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
When the final buzzer sounded, I looked up to realize our boys had won. They swarmed the ice in victory, their helmets banging together and their sticks clattering. Just like that, they were in the running for the championship.
If Brody kept playing like he had today, they might even be unstoppable. I screamed right along with everyone else, not stopping until my voice was hoarse and my throat was dry. In the rush of cheers and applause, parents started making their way down from the stands. From the corner of my eye, I saw Maisie weaving through the crowd.
Her hair was slipping from its tie, her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes bright and excited. When she reached me, I realized that she was a little breathless, but she didn’t hesitate to come right up to my side, close enough that I felt the brush of her shoulder against my arm.
She started cheering with the others again, but for me, just for a moment, the noise of the rink dulled. Brody stood almost right in front of us, just a few feet away, celebrating with his teammates and Maisie was right beside me.
This was what it could be like, the three of us as a family. It’d felt like such a wild, improbable thing before, but right now, it didn’t feel so impossible at all. In fact, the only thing I felt in this moment was that somehow, as strange as the situation was, this was right.
She stuck close to my side for the remainder of the congratulations, and when the boys finally came off the ice, Brody barreled over to both of us. He threw one arm around each of our shoulders, his grin looking like it was permanently etched onto his features at this point.
“Well done, baby,” Maisie gushed as she squeezed him. “You were amazing. I’m so proud of you. All that practice sure has paid off.”
Those vibrant green eyes of his were sparkling with laughter, but when they darted toward me, I realized that there was a definite tension in them, too. Apprehension, perhaps, like he was afraid of hearing what I’d thought about the game.
I bent over instantly, putting myself at his line of sight before I grinned and squeezed his shoulder. “You were incredible, kiddo. The best out there by a mile. If you keep this up, they’ll be recruiting you to the pros before you even become a teenager.”
For a second, he just kept staring at me like he wasn’t sure I was being honest, but then he started laughing, thatdoubt evaporating from his eyes. “That’s impossible. They’re not allowed to recruitkidsinto thepros.”
I widened my eyes. “Are you sure? They should make an exception for you. Absolutely. The NHL needs you, man.”
