Page 85 of Dirty Puck

Sunlight poured in through the slats of the blinds, casting stripes across the foot of the bed where the throw blanket was half-kicked off. Bree’s side was empty. Warm, but empty.

Then I heard Benny’s truck wheels rolling across the floor in the hallway—soft, joyful sounds that didn’t need words to make the meaning clear. He was happy. That kid could light up a room with a smile.

With the gate locked, he couldn’t get downstairs. I rolled out of bed and padded down the hall, past Benny’s room, where I caught a glimpse of his dinosaur blanket twisted into a nest on the floor. He must’ve dragged it down with him again. One of these days, he was going to figure out how to carry all his things at once like a little kangaroo.

He stopped his truck, looking up and reaching for me instead. “Morning, bud. Ready to go down for breakfast?”

His eyes spoke volumes. With Benny in my arms, I headed downstairs and paused before the last step.

There she was.

Bree, barefoot, hair in a messy braid, wearing one of my old hockey tees and holding a mug in both hands as she leaned against the kitchen counter, eyes soft as she gazed out the window of the breakfast nook.

My mom had said yesterday was the best Thanksgiving she’d ever had. That it felt like life had come full circle for her somehow. Bree had made that happen.

Not me. Not the guys.

Her.

We were blessed to have friends like Jaycee and Lexi who stepped right in to help with the cooking, but without Bree arranging it all, they’d never been overtohelp.

I set Benny down, coming up behind Bree to slide my arms around her waist, pulling her back against my chest. She leaned into me like she’d been waiting on it.

“Morning,” I murmured into her neck.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Everyone’s still kind of sleepy.”

“Yeah, me too. You snuck out before I could talk you into round two.”

She snorted. “Sorry, I couldn’t stand knowing I still had dishes in the sink.”

“There’re locks on the doors. We could remedy that now.”

“Lord, help me.”

I kissed the spot behind her ear that always made her shiver.

“You pulled off something incredible yesterday,” I said. “Ma was beaming all night. Haven’t seen her smile that much in weeks.”

“She loved it,” Bree said, her voice dipping softer. “She really, really loved it.”

“Because you made it special.”

She was quiet for a second, then said, “Do you think she’ll be okay through the holidays?”

I didn’t answer right away.

I didn’t know.

“She’s got us,” I said. “That’s all we can give her. The rest…” I exhaled through my nose. “We just keep showing up.”

Bree turned in my arms, setting her coffee down so she could wrap her arms around my middle.

“We keep showing up,” she echoed.

Outside, waves rolled in slow and steady. Claudia walked into the kitchen and when she saw us, she opened the back door, offering her hand to Benny out for a little beach reset before breakfast.

“Morning, Claudia,” I said.

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