Page 11 of The Love Comeback
My brother’s phone vibrates again, and this time he picks it up. “Got you a date.”
My head jerks up. “Wait, what?”
“One of Mallory’s friends. She’s really excited to go out. See?” He raises his brow. “No more Ella.”
Yeah, we’ll see about that.
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
My phone rattles insistently against the coffee table, the vibration echoing through my living room. I pause the television and scoop it up, glancing at the caller ID before answering.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet, my voice light despite the knot that forms in my stomach. “How’s your cruise going?”
“Oh, it’s going wonderfully, as always,” she chirps. In the background, I catch the low hum of chatter, punctuated by a piano playing jazz music. “We’ve made friends with a couple from Australia! Did you know that kangaroos can bedangerous? This whole time, I assumed they were cuddly creatures.”
My lips curl into a smile at the mental image of my mom trying to snuggle up to a kangaroo. “Yeah, they can be feisty.”
“Your father says hello,” she continues. “Here, let me put you on speaker.”
“Hey, son,” my dad chimes.
“Hey, Dad. Are you having fun?”
“Yes! The weather’s been great. And your mom’s been making friends everywhere we go, as always.”
She giggles. “We’re having a blast. And we’ve really gotten used to the five-star service and dinners. Not sure how we’ll cope when we get back home.” She laughs, the sound a comforting and familiar chuckle. “Which is why we already booked our next one! Did you know they give discounts if you book another cruise while onboard?”
That explains why they’ve been on four cruises in the past year.
“We’re going to Tahiti in a couple months!” she squeals.
“That’s great. I’m so happy for you guys.” I mean it. My parents worked really hard when I was a kid and made a ton of sacrifices to ensure Nate and I had opportunities they didn’t. It’s exactly why I paid off their house and retired them early so they could travel and live the dream.
“Anyway, we were able to stream the game last night. That was atoughloss…” Mom says.
“Yeah, it was,” I admit, feeling the weight of the defeat settle on my shoulders. It’s not like I need reminding—as the goalie, Ican’t help but feel like it’s my fault whenever my team loses. But I’ve learned over the years to compartmentalize those feelings and focus on improving for the next game.
Though something tells me this call is only going to make me feel worse…
“You looked a bit … off,” Dad adds. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Can’t win them all. The defense fell apart in the third…”
“We’re not trying to pile on. We just worry.” Mom sighs. “This isn’t the first shaky game you’ve had in the past couple weeks. And it just seems like you’ve lost … focus.”
There it is. The pressure I knew was coming. I know my parents mean well, but it’s exhausting to feel like I’m constantly under the microscope.
“Iamfocused,” I assure her, but the words feel flimsy, even to me.
“Nate said Ella’s in town?” Dad asks. “And that you’ve been giving her nephew skating lessons twice a week…”
Freaking Nate … always throwing me under the bus with his big mouth.
“His name’s Colton. And yeah, I’ve been helping him out.”
“We know it’s your personal life, but don’t let it interfere with your game. This is your prime, and you’ve worked too hard to get here,” Dad says.
It’s true—ithastaken a lot to get here. And to my parents’ credit, their high expectations are probably part of the reason Igot to where I am in the NHL, but it still grates on my nerves sometimes.
