Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“’Cause you suck,” I call to him, and Owen nods.
“Yeah. You’re slow.”
He scoffs, knowing we’re just messing with him as he sits beside us. “Also, Ms. Dent is pretty impressive, while that pelican with the nose brace is a dumbass. He kept trying to talk over her, and she finally looked at him and told him to let her do her job.”
“That’s my girl,” I say proudly, wanting to re-break that fucker’s nose.
“Yeah, she’s pretty badass. Let me know if you decide to move on,” Sawyer says, and Owen lets his head drop. “I’ll jump on her in a second.”
“Bro, come on. Don’t piss him off.”
Sawyer flashes me a teasing grin, and I flip him the bird with my glove, which is a feat. “No way. She’s it for me.”
“I figured. When are we going ring shopping?” Sawyer continues to tease, and Owen snorts.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already got the ring picked out.”
“I don’t. Thank you, jackasses,” I say to them, but then we’re called onto the ice for more torture that I love. As I do the drills and dig in, I can’t help but wonder what kind of ring I want to get her. It’ll probably have to be orange if I want her to say yes.
Even through the torture, I’m grinning.
Like a love-sick fool.
But my grin is gone when I get back to the locker room after my shower and see the multiple missed calls from Sabine and my mom. I exhale heavily as I quickly get dressed, and I head out of the locker room, even when all the guys are trying to talk to me. I walk into the lounge, and when I see there are people around to hear me, I go toward the side door, the crisp fall air hitting me in the face. I wish I had grabbed a hoodie, but the urgency of getting ahold of my sister is more important.
I dial Sabine’s number, but she isn’t the one who answers; it’s my mom.
“You think you’re slick?” she accuses, her voice harsh. “You think I didn’t look up this lawyer and see she is the wife of your teammate?”
“It doesn’t matter who she is married to. She handles a lot of child custody cases, and she is my lawyer.”
“Well, you need a new lawyer if she’s feeding you the idea she can get your sister for you. You have no claim to her.”
“You aren’t caring for her,” I explain, trying to keep my cool like Jaylin and Tennessee advised me to. “I have all my bank statements, all my texts from you asking for money for Sabine. I have been financially supporting both of you for the last two years. If I look at Grandpa’s stuff, I bet I’ll see where he was doing it before me.”
“She is my daughter.”
“Mom, I’m not disputing that, but you can’t care for her.”
“And you can?” she throws back at me. “You play half the year and are on road trips constantly. How are you a better option?”
“Because even with my traveling, I know she’ll be safe and taken care of. She won’t be with a nanny twenty-four seven. She’ll be cared for by me or my girlfriend.”
She laughs maliciously at that. “Dart, are you nuts? This girlfriend of yours wants you, not some eight-year-old getting in the way.”
“That’s not true. We’ve discussed it. She wants what I want, and that’s for Sabine to be loved and cared for.”
“How many times have you hit your head? No girl wants to be tied down to a kid who’s not even hers. She wants your time and your dick, two things she won’t get when your sister is there in the damn way.” Her words drip with venom.
“Tennessee is with me because she loves me, all of me, and since Sabine is an extension of me, she loves her.”
“First, Tennessee? What the fuck?” she laughs. “Is her middle name Muffin? Jesus, you know how to pick them. And second, listen to yourself. This is the same girl who ghosted you. She doesn’t want to take care of your sister for you. She’ll get overwhelmed and ghost you again.”
Anger boils in my chest. “Talk about me all you want, but don’t talk about her, okay?” I warn, clenching my fist at my thigh. “You don’t know shit about her—or even me, for that matter. Hell, I bet you don’t even really know Sabine. Just do what’s right. Let me take custody, because she won’t ever be in the way for us like she is for you.”
“Us?” she laughs. “You sound ridiculous.”
“Says the person who has said her daughter, a person she made, is always in her way.”
“I should hang up on you,” she warns, and I press my lips together, wishing I had kept my cool. “But I need to know if you are going to take me to court, because I don’t have the money for a lawyer.”