Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
I don’t even realize I’m staring till Max shoves my shoulder.
“You better keep your eyes on the puck and not on my sister,” he says, and I just look down. When we come back out to skate, I look up at the seat I got for Sarah and Jack and see they aren’t there. I start to panic as I look around when Matthew nudges me and points at one of the boxes.
I look up and see Jack and Michael stand and cheer for us while Denise sits behind them, watching their every move. I look back down and shut it off. I close off everything but the game until the last second of the third period. Only then do I look up and see that Jack is in Denise’s arms, and she’s rocking him. I skate off the ice and head back to the locker room. Taking off my jersey, I wait as the press comes and asks questions. I duck my head and call Sarah as soon as I get some away time.
“Are you still here?” I ask her.
“I am. I’m in Olivier’s office,” she says quietly. “I’m with Denise. Jack fell asleep in her arms, and she didn’t want to wake him.”
“I’ll be right there,” I say, walking out of the locker room shirtless, my skates off and my feet slipped into flip-flops. I walk down the hallway to Olivier’s office, knock once, and then open the door, and for the second time tonight, I’m left speechless as Denise sits in the chair with one foot propped up, her arm wrapped around Jack, and resting on her knee. Her hair twirled around Jack’s finger.
She looks up at me and smiles. “Hey,” she whispers, and then I look around to see where Sarah is, but I don’t find her. “She went to the bathroom.”
“Do you not want to put him down?” I ask her, and she just shakes her head.
“It’s okay.” She smiles at me. “Besides, my hair’s entangled with his fingers, and I don’t want to wake him.”
“I shouldn’t be long, but—” I say and then Sarah comes back into the room.
“Hey,” she says and then points at Jack, “he fell asleep in her arms, and she didn’t want to wake him.”
“That’s okay.” I look at her and then at Denise. “If you really don’t mind waiting till I finish, Sarah, you can go.”
“Are you sure?” Sarah asks, looking from me then to Denise.
“I’m fine. You go ahead,” Denise says as Sarah makes a beeline for the exit. “Take your time,” she tells me, and then I nod at her and turn away.
I don’t take my time. Instead, when I get back into the room, a couple of players are still lingering. Matthew is one of them. “Where did you take off to?” he asks me, unrolling the tape from his socks and throwing the ball into the garbage in the middle of the room.
“Jack fell asleep on Denise,” I tell him, and he starts with the tape on the other leg now. “I just made sure he was okay.”
“There isn’t anyone better to leave your kid with than Denise. I swear she is like the baby whisperer. When Vivi was born, she was fussy, but then after two seconds in Denise’s arms, the kid was fast asleep.”
“Yeah,” I say, “Jack hasn’t always had that much attention on him. I mean, I gave him all the attention in the world and so did my parents, but Chantal just didn’t feel the connection she said.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” he asks me with his eyebrows pinched together.
“According to Chantal, she just didn’t have that motherly bond,” I tell him, and I realize how fucking stupid those words sound right now.
“My father was almost like that,” he says, shaking his head. “Jack’s better off without that in his life. Trust me.”
“I’m starting to see that. Now more than ever.”
“We are having Sunday dinner, and Max is coming over with his kids. Why don’t you and Jack come?”
“It’s family dinner on a Sunday; I would hate to impose,” I tell him, and he just smiles.
“You’re part of the team, so that means you’re family.” He smiles, and I just nod my head.
“I’ll text you the address,” he tells me, turning to go shower.
I take a shower and dress, then walk back to Olivier’s office. Opening the door, I take a second to just watch Denise with her head resting on Jack’s head. Her eyes are closed as she holds my son, protecting him. She must feel me staring at her because her eyes flicker open, and she smiles at me. “You caught me resting.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I tell her, coming into the room. The desire to bend down and kiss her knocks me back. I can’t do this. This can’t happen. There are lines, and I’m sure that is one I can’t cross.