“Are you insane?” Lauren’s fury now matches my own. “You can’t just take her out without telling Cale. He’s probably frantic right now looking for her.”
I chuff. “Yeah. So he called you? He’s worried about her? He’s awake? I fucking doubt it. And for the record, I didn’t approve him as a caregiver. We both need to approve her caregivers.”
“He’s not a caregiver, he’s my boyfriend. He’s part of the family now, whether you like it or not,” Lauren barks back. She pauses and puts on a fake smile as Charlie yells at us to watch her go down the slide.
“Good job, kiddo!” I call out, and she gives me a fist pump. God, I love this kid. I turn to Lauren, trying to remember Charlie wouldn’t exist without her. “I don’t care who you date, but I care who you leave alone with my daughter. I don’t want it to be Cale. Not right now. All I know about him is he thinks it’s appropriate to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon while he’s tending to a six-year-old. And that doesn’t work for me.”
“Well, switching our schedule whenever you want doesn’t work for me,” she snaps back. “Which is why I’m getting sole custody.”
“You aren’t,” I reply. “And you knew, the judge knew, everyone knew that my job would have some challenges. But we also both know your alimony is as high as it is because of this job, so you’re either flexible with me or I get a job that doesn’t require travel, that pays less. I’ll do it, Lauren. If it means you stop trying to take Charlie away. I will fucking do it.”
She frowns and turns away, focusing on Charlie as she swings from one monkey bar to the next like a champ. Lauren reaches up and runs a hand through her hair before adjusting her Gucci sunglasses. I know what she’s going to say next…because she loves Charlie but she also loves money. “Just go on your hockey trip, and you can see her when you get back. Even though this totally messes with my plans for the week.”
“You can have Hunter and Mia take her for a night or two. They’d love it and she’d love it and they’re approved caretakers,” I tell her calmly. I glance at my watch. Fuck, I have to go or I will miss the team plane.
“Charlie! I’ve got to fly!” I call out, and she starts to run over.
“I’m going to make a note of this to chat about at the hearing,” Lauren whispers, not willing to back the fuck down.
“You do that.” I nod. “Don’t forget to wake Cale up when you get home. He’s a sound sleeper.”
She tries to obliterate me with the glare. I bend down and hug my daughter. “Be good, Charlie, and call me whenever you want. I love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.” She hugs me back as fiercely as she does everything. I swear to God this girl is worth all the drama with her mom and so much more.
“No raisins,” I whisper, and she giggles as I squeeze her nose.
“What was that?” Lauren asks.
“Nothing,” I mutter and turn and walk away.
I call Hunter on the way to the airport. He’s in court so I call his wife, Mia, and update her on the situation. Mia is just as furious as I am that Lauren left Charlie alone with Cale, which makes me feel good. She also reassures me that Lauren pursuing this will do nothing but piss off the judge. Mia is a landscape architect, but I still value her opinion, and she calms me down.
At the airport I check my watch again. The flight doesn’t leave for forty minutes, and since we’re flying private, we don’t have a long security line. I get to the gate and find Jude and Eli instantly. I sigh in relief, because I know that if they’re both here, Sadie’s dad’s surgery went fine. I have been trying not to badger her with texts, but I’ve been thinking about her nonstop since she left me last night.
I decide now is the time to reach out again, since her dad must be out of surgery. I send her a quick text telling her I’m leaving on the road trip with the team and asking her how she’s holding up. By the time we have to board the plane, I haven’t gotten a response, and now I have to turn off my phone so I’m worried.
As I settle in my seat, Eli walks down the aisle, talking with his brother and team captain, Levi. I stand up, pretending I have to get something from my bag in the overhead bin. Levi squeezes by me, but as Eli passes I stop him. “Hey, do you have a minute?”
He nods. “Sure, Coach.”
I motion for him to sit beside me. I start by talking about the teams we’re facing on the road trip. It’s not that I don’t care about that—I do, and we need a good strategy—but I can talk about that later at practice. I’m only talking about it now so I can segue to something else. “How are you feeling?”
He nods. “One hundred percent.”
“No headaches?”
“None,” Eli says, and I stare at him, trying to read his face. I think he isn’t lying. He’s got that scar on his neck to remind him how serious injuries can be. “I’m good, Sully. I swear.”
“Speaking of recovery…” I clear my throat, which sounds as awkward as it feels. “How’s Dixie’s dad doing?”
He looks perplexed. “Mr. Braddock?”
I nod. “I heard he had a fall.”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
I shrug, trying to be nonchalant but not quite pulling it off. He looks even more puzzled. “I don’t remember. I might have overheard the coach talking about it or Jude or something. Anyway, I was just wondering how he’s doing.”
