Kind grey eyes and birds flying high in blue skies flashed in my brain.
“I’d never trap you.”
I cried harder.
My fingers itched to call JP. I knew he’d pick up, too, but that would just cause an even bigger mess.
I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t riskhim. I knew what it was like to watch a dream float out of your grasp. JP was so close to making the NHL. But if he came here, Mark would ruin everything for him. I knew Mark. He wouldn’t stop until JP had nothing left. Just like me. This was my fault. My mistake. I had to live with it…
36. JP - CENTRE ICE
“Well, we have two options,” Johnny said on Saturday morning. He unbuttoned his expensive peacoat and draped it over one of my dad’s wooden kitchen chairs. Instead of talking on the phone or over zoom, he decided to stop by my dad’s since he was also in Michigan visiting his family for the holidays. “First option, I can reach out to Mark and ask for a signature for the divorce.”
Ali tensed in her chair next to me. I hated how nervous she looked with her shoulders hiked up to her ears. My hand snaked down to the bottom of her chair and pulled it closer to mine. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and she gave me a small grateful smile.
“I know you did that before, but that was years ago,” Johnny continued. “Maybe he won’t care as much anymore, maybe he forgot.”
Ali held her forehead, looking uneasy.
Johnny’s eyes bounced to mine. “I can see you guys don’t like that option, but I think it’d be the easiest and quickest way.”
“What’s option two?” I asked.
“We file without him.” Johnny shrugged. “Because there are no kids or assets tangled up, it wouldn’t be too difficult. The court would probably give us a timeline at that point. If we pass the allottedtime without him contesting, you will be legally divorced.”
“I like that option,” Ali said quietly. Her eyes went to mine, almost like she was seeking reassurance.
“How about we try door number one, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll go for door number two,” Johnny suggested.
“And what if neither of those doors work?” Ali asked.
“Don’t worry,” Johnny said confidently. “We’ll get this figured out. Whether he’s agreeable or not, it just changes how much work I have to do.”
Ali let out a shaky sigh.
“Let me be frank, this asshole could make it easy, or he could make it annoying and pricey,” Johnny continued. “Either way, I’ll get you that divorce, Ali.”
“Thank you,” she breathed out. For the first time since Johnny walked in the door, Ali’s shoulders seemed to relax.
“Thanks, Johnny,” I echoed her.
“No need to thank me, I’ll be billing ya, big guy,” he said to me with a wink.
Ali tensed again, but I just let out a laugh. “Of course you will.”
“You can do one thing to help me out though,” Johnny said.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Wanna stop by the Richard Kappers Memorial Rink and—”
“Nope. Rinks are not allowed to change names, it’s Centre Ice,” I said dryly, making Ali grin.
Johnny smirked over his mug of coffee. “Of course Kappy would go and name the rink after himself.”
Ali nudged my shoulder. “You guys are mean, it’s for his dad.”
“Ha, and himself,” Johnny said with a chuckle. “He just wanted his name up on a building. I respect it. Anyway, you remember my little brother?”
