“I didn’t come up with it! It’s fitting though, right? Look at the coach! There’s even some eye candy for you too.” She waggles her eyebrows. They both giggle as they plop down into the seat next to me.
“Grammy!” Matty shouts from beside me and launches himself towards her.
“Matty! Sweetheart!” She exclaims, equally as surprised to see him. She looks up, probably to see who brought him to the game. When her bouncing eyes land on me, her smile grows. “And who might you be?”
I open my mouth to answer but am cut off.
“This is Allison! She’s our neighbour. And over there— Hey, Huddy!” He waves Hudson over. “This is my best friend Hudson. We’ve already decided to be brothers though.”
“Is that right?” She nods along, eyes full of amusement. “Well, Hudson. In that case you better call me Grammy.”
“Yes ma’am.” Hudson says enthusiastically.
“Oh no, we don’t say ma’am to her. She says it makes her feel old.” Matty says, patting Hudson’s shoulder.
“It’s nice to meet you, Allison.” His mother says settling into her seat beside mine. “I’m Rachel Bridges. This is Presley.”
“Nice to meet you both.” I smile politely. My racing heart and fingers fiddling with my necklace probably give away my nerves. Presley's eyes flick down to it. They widen a fraction. Then she’s smirking like she knows something.
“Cute necklace.”
“Oh, um, thanks.” I exhale, my eyes flicking back to the ice, back to Tate. I hadn’t even noticed the puck drop. The game is in full swing now. Tate battles for the puck, swiping it out from the Hawks and passing it to Ripley.
They move it down the ice towards the goal. They put pressure on Ripley. Fitz is having a hard time getting open, the Hawks team leaving little room for him to manoeuvre. Liam’s season has been one to watch. I’ve scheduled him formore interviews and press conferences than any other player in the team this year.
I’m sure the hawks have watched tape and noticed too. They’ve been trying to shut him out all game.
Ripley passes to Tate who snags another goal for the team.
The Bruisers jump up from the bench cheering for him. He doesn’t celebrate with them though. A grin lights up his face.
He turns his head and instantly finds us in the crowd. Tate taps his helmet and points to Matty. Presley lets out a cheer from one side of me, while Matty and Hudson go wild on the other side. It’s all background noise, as I’m a slave to his gaze. Unable to look away until he does first.
Then it all comes rushing in. I realize the boys are shaking my arm with excitement.
“Did you see? Did you see?” They gush on and on about his goal. “He scored for you, Matty!”
“So…” Rachel says with a knowing smile. I give a nervous smile, and a breathy chuckle escapes me. I brush a strand of hair away from my face, even though it wasn’t out of place. “Tate's dad used to go on and on about the butterfly effect. Have you heard of it?”
“Oh. Um, yes. I know the general idea.” I nod.
“Owen, Tate’s dad, and I had a rather bizarre meet. I had both my boys in the car with me when we had broken down after a wrong turn down an unfamiliar highway. We were on a trip to visit their biological father’s family in Minnesota. He brought us up to his cabin to wait out the storm. We got snowed in with Owen for a week. We lived in Texas at the time.” She goes on with her story, using her hands often as she speaks. “Anyways, he always talked about how different things would be if either of us had made a single different decision that day. Then we never would’ve met.”
“Like going back in the house for your keys or taking an extra minute on your hair can lead to a series of different paths.” I say, nodding along to her story.
“Right. So anyways, Owen used to say I was a butterfly that flapped her wings in Texas and changed his life up in Minnesota.” She gives me a warm smile and wipes a tear from her eye at the memory.
“I’m sorry for your loss. Tate mentioned this was your first year without him.” I place a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She gives me a warm smile.
“Tate took it hard, even if he tries not to show it. Presley… was his princess.” She shakes her head as if to shake away the emotion seeming to bubble up in her voice. She hooks a thumb over her shoulder. “That’s why I decided to surprise these two with a visit. Little did I know I’d be in for such a treat, meeting you two.”
The moment is broken up by a loud cheer going up in the crowd. Another goal. My eyes move of their own accord and find Tate on the ice.
This time, he points the stick at Hudson. The boys absolutely lose their minds, again. They’re cheering like little warriors with a battle cry. I can’t help the pure joy that bubbles up and takes form as a laugh.
“Mom… He dedicated a goal to me too! Can you believe it?” Hudson’s eyes are comically wide and twinkling. His mouth is open slightly as his eyes stay on Tate the rest of the game. Like he’s recording every move of his new hero.
