“You have no idea.”
“Actually, I do. Get this, he told West he wants him to be the team captain, except what he really wants is?—”
“A spy.” I cut in knowingly. “Not my first rodeo. That’s always been my dad’s thing. He likes knowing what his players are up to so he can hold it over their heads.”
“You can’t treat NHL players the way you do college guys. Maybe not me, but some of the guys on the team are veterans who’ve been around a long time. Have ironclad contracts. A guy like West isn’t going to get jerked around.”
“What did he say?”
“That he’d think about it.”
I grimace. “Dad hates that.”
“He’s going to say yes because he feels like if Dad makes someoneelsecaptain, he won’t be able to protect us. This way, he’ll have at least a little control over any situation that arises.”
“That’s kind of sweet.”
“A combination of sweet and self-preservation.”
“Bodi, if you’ve changed your mind about our?—”
“No.” His voice is firm, eyes intense. “Not even a little. I’m just letting you know what’s going on. I do think we’re going to have to be extra careful in the beginning.”
“That’s okay since we may not be able to spend a lot of time together because of our schedules.”
“Will you be at the games?”
“Absolutely. I love hockey.”
“Do you?”
How have we not discussed this before?
“Oh, yeah. My mom did too. We used to love going to Dad’s games. Lourdes, on the other hand, hates it.”
“Lourdes sounds like a gold-digging bitch,” he mutters.
“That’s the weird thing—Dad wasn’t that wealthy when they met. Don’t get me wrong, we were very comfortable, but he wasn’t making pro athlete money. I don’t understand why she would dump a guy who was, for a guy twice her age who couldn’t give her what Rome could give her.”
“Doesn’t make much sense,” he agrees thoughtfully. “You think there’s any chance she actually loves him?”
“Anything is possible but she doesn’t act like it. They’re always fighting about money or Lindy.”
“They fight about Lindy?”
“Oh, yeah. Dad didn’t want another kid. I don’t know for sure but I think Lourdes got pregnant on purpose even though he said he didn’t want it. Once there was a baby, though, what could he say?”
“Did you wind up being a caregiver?”
“Yes and no. It wasn’t required, but she was this tiny, innocent little thing—even my hormonal teenage heart fell in love with her. I certainly got up with her on weekends and changed more than my fair share of diapers.”
“That just means you’ll be well-prepared when you have kids of your own.” He pauses. “Do you want kids…someday?”
“Yes.” I nod. “Not any time soon, but maybe in five or six years. I’ve spent the last five years completely focused on school. I need a little adult time outside of school before I’m ready to be a mom.”
“I’ve spent my entire adult life up until this last year being a parent, so I’m looking for a break before I do it for real. Obviously, it’s different taking over with a teenager than a newborn, but you know what I mean.”
“We’re on the same page,” I say, chuckling.
