“Ex-wife.” I shrugged. “She didn’t spend much time in the kitchen.”
He scraped the chopped onion into a bowl and picked up a carrot. “You deserved better.”
I didn’t answer right away. He said it so plainly, like it was obvious.
He placed a hand over mine and squeezed. “Now you’ve got me.”
“Yeah,” I said, softer than I intended. “I do.”
He set the knife down and kissed me before getting back to work. “Want to open some wine?” he asked.
I found a Chardonnay we liked and poured two glasses.Two.I handed one to him, and we locked eyes while we took our first sips.
We hadn’t talked about next season yet. Training camp would start before we knew it, and then the season after it. Flights, road trips, and different cities.
I took another sip and watched him pour olive oil into a pan. Nine months apart wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to find a way to make sure it didn’t happen.
46/
packy
I hitthe water wrong and knew it right away. One moment I was up, knees bent, the rope vibrating in my hands as the lake rushed by in a clear blue blur. Then my edge caught, and I lost my balance. The rope slipped out of my grip. I spun twice before crashing into the lake hard enough to knock the wind out of me. Cold water rushed over my head.
A moment later, I surfaced. The boat slowed down somewhere ahead, its wake gently rocking me.
Nix’s laughter carried across the water. “Holy shit, Pack. That was textbook. Did you want to ski, or were you trying out for a blooper reel?”
From the dock, Dog cupped his hands around his mouth. “Eight out of ten! Would’ve been a ten if you’d screamed on the way down!”
I rolled onto my back, letting the water hold me while I grinned at the summer sky. The boys kept yelling from the dock, but I flipped them off. Nix was still laughing like I’d done the funniest thing ever.
I’d fallen harder than that before. At least this time, I knew exactly what I was swimming back to.
Later, when the sun was going down, we had a burger feast in Holky and Dog’s backyard. As hot as July had been, early August was pleasant, and we relaxed under strands of overhead lights.
Dog’s grandmother was there, keeping us all in line. “Nana” to the entire team, she was an example who made us all better.
“Nico, Packy?” She smiled when everyone looked our way. “You are as made for each other as any two people I’ve ever known,” she said. “Will we hear Packo wedding bells soon?”
A quiet murmur spread around the long table, and a few guys whistled. Nana definitely didn’t beat around the bush.
Nix put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Give us some time, Nana. Pack’s the man for me, but we need to settle into this.”
“Absolutely right,” I said. “We’re not going anywhere, and I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
She nodded. “Take all the time you need. We’ll enjoy the heat every time you look at each other.”
This time, the boys hooted. “Damn right,” a few said.
I pulled away from Nix so I could see his eyes. In a couple of seconds, I was totally lost in them.
“That’s what we mean,” Riley called out, making everyone laugh. “Get a room, guys.”
Dog pointed at the house. “The guest room’s available. Feel free.”
“You’re welcome to it,” Holky said. “As long as we all get to watch.”
Nix laughed. “Fuck off.”
