~ Two Days Later ~
I stand in my room after having just finished packing my suitcase for a series of away games, making sure I have everything I need. I’ll be gone for five days.Five days without seeing my daughter.I’ve been lucky up to now with only being away for a maximum of two or three days. But five? That will be the longest, and it’s giving me anxiety.
“Are you nervous?” Emma asks from where she stands, leaning against the frame of my open bedroom door.
I let out a breath and drop down onto my bed, rubbing my face with my hands. “Yeah… I’ve never left her for this long. And I know it won’t be the last time, which makes me feel even worse. I feel like a shitty dad for putting her in this situation. She’s already lost her mom, and now she’s stuck with a father who’s gone more than half the year.”
“Hey, you can’t think that way. All you’re doing is providing for her and making sure she has a beautiful future ahead of her.” She walks into my room uninvited.
This is the second time she’s stepped inside even though she knows my room is off-limits. But again, I don’t stop her as she sits down next to me and places her hand on my thigh, that bolt of lightning zinging through me once more.
“You’re an amazing father, Greyson. It’s normal for you to feel this way, everything is still so new. But you’re doing a great job. Yes, you’re right, you are away often. But whenever you’re home, your focus is entirely on your little girl. And that’s a lot more than my parents ever were. Trust me, she’s lucky to call you Daddy.”
I look up into Emma’s piercing green eyes that are filled with so much tenderness yet hold a slight hint of sorrow in them. I don’t know her parents, but I’m guessing that expression has something to do with them.
“Thanks, Bunny. I really needed to hear that,” I tell her with a tiny lift of my lip.
Her eyes narrow instantly. “Did you really just refer to me as a puck bunny after I delivered that heartfelt speech?” she says with held-back anger lacing her voice.
I straighten as my eyes widen. “What? No! It’s just a little nickname, like how you call Gracie ‘Tulip’.” I rub the back of my neck. “You’re always overflowing with energy and full of lifewhen you let yourself go. You’re like the Energizer Bunny. Hence the name, Bunny.” It’s a nickname I had given her in my head a long time ago. I didn’t mean to say it out loud; it just slipped out.Oh, well. Can’t take it back now.
“Oh! Well, then I like it!” She giggles, then looks back at me and sighs. “I promise we’ll be okay. You can call whenever you want, no matter the time. And I’ll take constant pictures and videos and send them to you. Like that, it will be as if you’re right here with us,” she says softly as her thumb rubs over my fitted dress pants.
She looks down at it for a moment, then pulls her hand away as if she just realized it was there. A hint of a blush forms on her cheeks as she clears her throat and averts her eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her blush before, so this is new and strange.
Emma then stands from my bed and gives me her hand. “Come on, Little Tulip's about to wake up from her nap. Why don’t you spend your last few minutes with her before you need to leave?”
I place my hand in hers and let her try to pull me up, but I secretly put all my weight in my back so that she can’t succeed. She huffs and puffs, placing all her strength in her efforts. “What the hell! How much do you weigh?! Jesus, it’s like trying to lift an elephant!”
I press my lips together, desperately wanting to laugh. I don’t know why I hold them back around her. I’ve never had a problem laughing or smiling in front of others. Yes, they’re rare. But when the urge rises, I don’t suppress it. But with Emma, it’s different, as if letting her see me might change things.
And I don’t know how I feel about that.
Emma suddenly yanks hard on my arm, her hand slipping out of mine as she stumbles backward. I quickly reach forward and grab her by the waist, steadying her against me. Her eyes widenmomentarily before she pushes against my chest with both hands, stretching out her arms but leaving her hands in place.
My arm loosens its hold, slipping to the side slightly, but I don’t remove it entirely. She stands between my spread legs and looks down at our position before refocusing her gaze on mine and clears her throat.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she says with a knowing smirk.
I shrug. “No clue what you mean.”
I’m gifted an exaggerated eye roll before she reaches up with a hand and ruffles my hair, then giggles when I swat her hand away.
“Come on. Let’s go! We’re wasting precious time!” she declares, spinning around and skipping out of my room. I chuckle once she’s gone and far enough away to not hear me.
Freaking Bunny.
~ Four Days Later ~
It’s day four out of five, and I’m annoyed and feeling homesick.I miss my daughter so much. Hell, I even miss Emma’s constant giddiness.I find myself scrolling through my photos and videos just to get a glimpse of them at night when I should be sleeping. I don’t know how Silas does it, but I’m losing my mind.
I hate it.
We’re in the locker room, gearing up to get on the ice for our last game before we go home tomorrow. I’m already all dressed and waiting for the green light to head out when my phone rings. I look at the time, noticing we still have five minutes before we need to head out. I swipe at my screen, accepting the video call from Emma, who’s now named ‘Bunny’ in my phone.
Her lively face and vibrant red mane fills the frame. “Oh good! I caught you right on time! I know you’re about to head onto the ice, but I really wanted you to see this before you did.”
She turns the camera toward Gracie, who’s sitting up on the floor. On her own. There’s a support pillow an inch behind her in case she falls back, but she’s doing it.My baby is sitting by herself.
