Page 86 of Coast to Coast

Tom looked at me, incredulous. “Did you just say you loved me?”

And in that moment, I hated that woman who left him when he learned he was a dad for making him feel that he wasn’t worth it, but I also thanked her. Because of her, he was right here waiting for me at a time when I was ready for him.

I nodded. “Yup, I do. That was also a realization I had on the flight here. I had planned to keep it to myself a little longer, though,” I shrugged unapologetically.

“Look at me, Calliope,” he demanded. And when our eyes met, I could see it; I didn’t need to hear it because I could see it reflecting back at me and how he held me.

“I love you too.”

EPILOGUE 1

CALLIOPE

The hockey season had been an absolute whirlwind, and rumors swirled ahead of the trade deadline. As the early March trade deadline approached, it seemed increasingly likely that Tom would not be a Blizzard much longer. The playoffs were likely out of reach for the Blizzards, and it seemed as though team management was ready to cut their losses and rebuild fresh.

I had fallen in love with Colorado and enjoyed some of the best skiing of my adult life. I had to find something to do while the team was away. Yes, I traveled to see him whenever possible, but going to every road game wasn’t feasible.

Me: Any word?

Tom’s agent had been doing his best to take control of the situation, and everyone knew his son lived in Boston. This made it even less likely that we’d end up there. Nashville seemed more likely, and while I knew it wasn’t the best option for Tom, he’d been excited about what living in Nashville could do for my songwriting career.

Tom: YouTube link

I opened the YouTube link he provided to see the Dropkick Murphys, a Boston-based band, performing their song “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.”

I dropped the phone. My heart lurched at the thought of him getting exactly what he deserved.

Fuck it, I called him. He answered in one ring.

“Babe, please tell me I’m making the correct assumption here. Are we moving to Boston?”

“We are,” he said, emotion thick in his voice. “The thing is, I leave tonight. I won’t be able to go home first.”

We had discussed this possibility. Trades were disruptive, and he might only have an hour or two before he left.

“I can handle everything here, don’t worry about this place, ok?”

“They traded Alex too. It’ll come out shortly, but he waived his no-trade when he found out they would only take both of us.”

“What? Wait, I don’t understand. Alex and Mariana had planned to finish out his career here. He had a no-movement clause in his contract.”

“Yeah. He did. And he waived it. For me.”

Oh. My. God. “Babe, this is amazing for you and us. But I have to see Mariana. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“Please do that. I’ll send you my flight information as soon as I have it. Monica has already arranged for me to stay in Kelsey and Sam’s place in the city until we find something more permanent.”

Kelsey and Sam had finished remodeling their home in Concord shortly before their second little boy was born, and it was currently vacant. Neither of them wanted to part with it, but they graciously allowed us to stay anytime we were in Boston.

“Ok. I love you. And I’ll be out there as soon as I can.”

I immediately went to Mariana, where my friend collapsed in my arms.

“I should be used to this,” she said. “I got comfortable here. He had a no-trade clause in his contract, and I thought we’d finish here and then move back home when he retired.”

“Do the kids know yet?”

“No, they’ll be home from school soon. But this means I need to tell them myself and then go through the process of moving cross country, finding them new schools, all by myself.”

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