Page 51 of Coast to Coast

“Sure,” I said. I had played this song more times than I could count. Usually, no matter who the crowd was, they would sing along with me by the end. By the time the song had finished, thecrowd had grown with other residents from the complex, and people were calling out requests for the next song.

I played for another hour before I needed a break to drink some water.

“You good?” Tom asked, sneaking in from behind, snaking his arm around my waist, and pulling me flush against him. I immediately relaxed into him, getting more and more comfortable with his touch as we continued to perform for the rest of his teammates.

“Yeah, just thirsty.”

“Want me to call it for the night? You don’t need to be the source of everyone’s entertainment.”

He’d somehow picked up my exhaustion and gave me an out if I wanted it. “Yeah, you’re up and out early tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day.” It was great having Tom around the last few days, but his practices would be ramping up next week, and he’d likely be out the door before Crew and I woke up.

Tom took my guitar, apologized to everyone while he packed it up, and brought it back to his townhouse. He took his seat by the fire and patted his lap for me to join him. The other couples had all curled up together and shared stories of the last season. It’s not that I was bored, but the second my head relaxed against Tom’s chest, I nodded off to sleep. I don’t know how long I was asleep before Tom gently shook me awake.

“Hey, sleepy girl. Let’s go back home.”

I rubbed my eyes, feeling chilled now that the fire had died down. Standing up, I stumbled a bit while I got my bearings. It always took me a while to wake up, and I did my best to function. “Crew?”

“Yeah, I’ll walk you back and then head back out to get him.”

I nodded, and Tom took my hand as we walked back to our place. When we got inside, he cupped my chin in his hand, oureyes locked. I thought for the briefest moment that he might kiss me, and then he broke the connection.

“Goodnight, Calliope. Thank you for a really great day.”

Once he was gone, the chill that I had started to feel outside completely set in as I turned down the air conditioning. I pulled out long pajama pants and a sweatshirt, brushed my teeth, and curled up in bed. I was out before I heard Tom and Crew return for the night.

TOM

After a grueling week of practice, during which I barely saw my son, I was ready for a day off. Sadly, that meant I had only one full day before Callie and Crew went back to Boston, leaving me for a full two weeks. As busy as it was during the day, I wasn’t looking forward to being alone at night. I had grown accustomed to having both of them in the house.

Callie read her books while I handled Crew’s bedtime routine, joining us for at least one song at night. And we’d both done our best to cool things down. Yes, the sexual innuendoes continued in full force, but without witnesses, there wasn’t a reason for us to touch. And while I still wanted her fiercely, I didn’t want whatever happened to be based only on lust. Kelsey, Callie, and I all needed this situation to work out more than I needed to get laid.

Our team this year looked good, and several rookies looked promising with potential call-ups from the AHL. Way too early to think about playoffs before we were out of training camp, but we had chemistry in our lines. That said, it’s a long season, and shit could happen, injuries, trades, and off-the-ice drama. But I was starting the season optimistic.

While we didn’t have practice, we had a family skate event planned on Saturday. Callie was meeting me at the rink with Crew, and it would be his first time in skates. I had only been a little older than him when I skated for the first time. My grandfather had brought me, my mom had to work, and my uncle had decided that I needed to learn how to play hockey.

I think back to where I would be if neither of them had committed to getting me on the ice or had been able to help my mother get me to lessons. Yes, during middle school and high school, most of my memories with her were of the car rides and shitty hotels we stayed in for all the travel team games, but those first skating lessons were crucial.

Callie: Um, Houston, we might have a problem.

Callie’s text gave my stomach a bit of a lurch. My mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario. Had something happened to Crew?

Me: ????

Callie: Crew does not want to wear socks. He’s taken them out of the backpack six times. I’ve hidden a pair in my purse, but he’s adamant.

Me: Ugh. I’ll talk to him when he gets here.

The transition to cooler weather hadn’t been easy for Crew. It wasn’t cold yet, but the weather in Denver could be unpredictable, and while the sun was intense and the afternoons were warm, he needed to get used to long pants, socks, and sneakers. So far, he’d been very vocal about his resistance to being covered.

When Crew got there, he threw more than a minor tantrum as I tried to get him in his skates. I ended up bribing him withM&Ms and ice cream. It reminded me of stories my mother told me from when I was a toddler and she had to go grocery shopping. We always went to the marshmallow aisle first; I would pick out a bag of mini marshmallows that would be mine if I behaved. If I acted up, she promised to put them back. I was fine with bribing him; skating changed my life, and I hoped it would be just as important in his future.

Callie had said she could skate, but that was a stretch. Watching her on skates reminded me of a baby giraffe getting its legs underneath them for the first time.

“I thought you said you could skate,” I asked as I skated behind Crew, him pushing a milk crate.

“Fine, I can move around on the ice with skates on my feet,” she said, her face more than a bit pink. “I clearly remember saying I wasn’t good at it, though.”

Callie had great balance, probably something she learned from skiing, but she was timid on the ice. “I guess you both need lessons.”

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