Page 8 of Pucking Fate

“Oh.” I cringe and facepalm myself for the brain-dead response. Then it occurs to me that he’s in the same city as my brother now, playing on the same brutal hockey team, which could be why he’s calling. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, everything is fine here,” Christian says in a rush. “I was calling to see if I can come up to visit.”

“Come up to visit?” I repeat slowly.

“I talked to Preston earlier today.”

“Oh?” Again, I sound like a certified genius.

“And he said I should tell you that I’m not going to, like, try to take Finley from you or whatever.”

“Or whatever?” I huff as my lungs decide to join in with my stopped heart.

“Yeah, I would never go to court and fight over custody of Finley or anything like that. I just want to see him as much as you’ll let me.”

“Okay. You want to come here for a visit? Here as in Bethesda, Maryland?” I ask, repeating his earlier question.

“Bethesda is near D.C., where your house is, right? I’ve been there once before...”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then I’ll drive up today or tomorrow if that’s okay?”

“T-today or tomorrow? That’s…really soon.”

“Yeah, well, I only have a few weeks before training starts back up.”

Rubbing my forehead, I try to process this unexpected conversation. “Right. Okay. I guess…I guess you could come visit tomorrow if you really want to drive all the way up here…”

“I do.”

“As just a friend, right?” I ask for clarification.

“For now, but I hope we can talk more about that while I’m in town.”

Part of me wants to shut down even the idea of telling Finley that Christian is his father, even though I know that’s not fair to my son.

And the surprise visit will also be good for Finley, hopefully lifting his spirits since Preston’s been gone.

“Okay,” I agree and pray I don’t regret it.

“Great, so should I, like, call you again tomorrow, you know, before I show up?”

“A call or text a few minutes before would be appreciated,” I tell him since I’m already up and in panic cleaning mode, as if he’s right outside the door.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks, Maya,” Christian says before ending the call. Well, I think he stays on the line for a few silent moments, as if he wants to say more, before ending it.

I start to go tell Finley to clean his room for a visitor tomorrow, but I stop myself. Part of me wonders if Christian will actually show up here or not, despite the assurance in his voice.

It’s going to take some time before I’m able to trust a word the man says.

Ugh, I wish there was a way to prevent my little boy from getting caught up in all of this…drama. But Finley remains the bond between me and Christian, one I can’t ever shake, no matter how much I may want to.

Since I’m a little pissed at my brother for giving Christian my number and not telling me, I decide to call him to let out some frustration.

“Hey, sis. I bet I know why you’re calling,” Preston says when he answers. Chuckling, he adds, “Christian doesn’t waste any time, does he?”

“Why didn’t you ask me first, or at least send me a text to warn me that he would be calling about setting up a visit?”

---