“Mom? Is everything okay?”
With a shaky smile, for our son’s sake, I nod and zip him up. I know Jerrod won’t hurt him, and I hope to hell he doesn’t kidnap him, but no, he wouldn’t go that far. Jerrod’s a nuisance, not a bad man. I just don’t know what to do right now.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Your father wants to take you out for… a dinner or something. Wasn’t there a movie you’ve been wanting to see?”
“Yeah. Absolutely,” Jerrod chimes in, that charm on display again. “Let’s go get burgers and fries and milkshakes and find something to do in this town.”
“Okay. Mom hardly ever lets me get a shake.”
“While I’m here, you can have anything you want.” Jerrod’s eyes defy me.
Aiden glances up at me, uncertain.
“Enjoy your time with your father.” I force a smile.
Jerrod points his keys out the window, unlocking his car doors. “Aiden, be a good boy and go out to the car. I’ll be out in a minute after I have a talk with your mom.”
He turns on me once Aiden is out of earshot. “I know you’re seeing Eli. My son can hardly look at me today. That’s on you for making him like someone better than his father. You break up with Eli, or I’ll call my lawyer and say you’re alienating me. I’ll file for emergency custody,” he threatens. “I’ll be damned if I let you replace me in Aiden’s life.”
My eyes sharpen. “You should have thought of that before you cheated. That’s right. You replacedmefirst,didn’t you? And Aiden too when you married a woman with children. You haven’t kept up your end of the agreement with visitations. He’s hardly seen you all year, and I’ve kept records of your every excuse. If Aiden doesn’t respond to you today, that’s why.Youmoved on. That’s all we’re trying to do, too.”
“But with Eli? Why him? You got rid of him in college, why go backward?”
I put distance between us, my hands shaking as I gather discarded bricks into a bin. “You don’t deserve to know why, and I don’t have to tell you. Go ahead. Fight me in court. I’ll find the best lawyer and battle you no matter how long it takes because he’s my son and I won’t let you erase me from his life.”
“He’s my son, too. This custody arrangement isn’t working. Damn right, I’m calling my lawyer in the morning.”
“You want more visitation or is it because you can’t afford to pay me what you owe me for child support? Your new wife and children take priority with what little you make?”
“Watch what you say, Stella,” he seethes, and marches out to his car.
I put on a brave face and stand there at the window and wave at Aiden as Jerrod peels out into the road. Then I sink onto one of the shop stools and openly cry, praying it’s not the last time I see my little boy.
Mom rushes in and demands to know what’s going on. I tell her through my tears as she scurries around cleaning up half-built Lego worlds and frosting-smudged plates.
“I don’t know, Mom. Eli coming back into my life was such a good thing. I thinkbothAiden and I fell for him. But now Jerrod’s threatened by him and wants to take me back to court. What do I do?”
She finishes and pulls me into a hug—the first one I’ve had from her in a long time. “I know all hope may seem lost. I’ve been there. We both have. But there’s one person in our lives now who I think you should grab onto and never let go.”
“Eli?” I whisper.
“Yeah,” she says softly. “He’s a good man. Don’t lose him. Let him in. Tell him how you feel, Stella. You two are stronger together than apart. You can face anything with him.”
I wipe my face and straighten my shoulders. “You’re right. Jerrod doesn’t get to decide who I love. I made that mistake in the past.”
Walking away from Eli would mean walking away from something real—and I won’t do that again. I’ll show Aiden what real love looks like, and all together we’ll win.
CHAPTER 19
THE ONE WHO STAYED
ELI
The Zamboni chokesand starts with a hope and a prayer; the thing is probably as old as this rink. I text Renae and ask her to price a new one for me to replace it. While it warms up, I fill Zammie’s dish with water. The pup is about half-way up my calves now, slurping away and making a mess.
I look around and a dozen other improvement projects get added to my running list, but I like it. This rink has proven to be a passion project of mine, taking up my time outside of playing hockey. Over the past few months, my identity has shifted, no longer “just” a player, but someone who can make a difference with the local kids. More importantly, if something happens and I can no longer play hockey, I have this to fall back on.
The last skaters leave, and so do Mason and Tyler, driving off with Sean to the local hotel. They’ll stay here in Boulder overnight and be back in the morning for final preparations forthe big party. We made a ton of progress today; I gaze up at thousands of twinkling lights above. Magical. I can’t wait for the children to see everything.
