Page 37 of Roads Behind Us
“Nothin’,” I said. “I have no clue who that is. My problem is that you think hockey is better than football.”
He laughed. “Oh really? So then, if I say hockey players are infinitely more skilled and athletic than football players, you would disagree?”
“Violently,” I replied, deadpan and steadfast in my conviction.
“It’s true,” he argued. “Have you ever watched hockey? Those guys are like wizards on their feet. The speed and the way they turn and pivot and slap the puck to the net at a hundred miles an hour? It’s the definition of athleticism.”
Bax gasped when I admitted I’d never watched a hockey game. “That’s a damn shame,” he said. But now, hearing him defend the sport like I did football, I was a little curious.
“Football players are beasts on the field. They’re much stronger than hockey players.”
“Oh yeah?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I used to play football. You’re lookin’ at the former Wisper High quarterback. How you like me now?”
Slapping my hand to my chest, the soup in the bowl slopped around a bit, and I swooned. “Oh, Bax, the things you say to a girl.”
He chuckled. “But hockey’s still better.”
Dropping my hand, I rolled my eyes.
“This is a fundamental difference between the two of us then, huh? Insurmountable?”
“Yes, although I do condone your love of a Chicago team. Chicago football is my favorite.”
“Oh, the ‘Superbowl Shuffle,’” he said. “Is that your theme song?”
“Yes! That’s what I grew up on. It was before my time, of course, but my dad used to sing it and dance around the house.”
“Did you live in Chicago? I thought you said you grew up in North Carolina.”
“No,” I said, trying not to let memories of my dad overwhelm me. I tried not to think about him at all if I could help it. “I’ve never lived there, but my dad’s family came from Chicago. He lived there as a boy, so Chicago was his team too.”
“That’s why I love hockey. My dad loved it. My best childhood memories are with us all around the TV, watchin’ a game. That was before the farm started failin’ and before he and Abey had a fallin’ out.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. He basically disowned her when he found out she was gay.”
“That’s awful,” I said as I fed him another spoonful. “How did she handle that?”
“Mm.” He swallowed, and just like the first night we’d met up in Sheridan, I found myself fixating on his Adam’s apple as it bobbed. He needed a shave, but my body heated and I blushed when I realized it, because the stubble covering his upper lip, chin, and cheeks had helped to give me the best orgasm I’d had in a long time. “She might not agree, but I think she handled it with grace. She worked her ass off in school and then at her job as a deputy. The whole town of Wisper loves her, and they’re proud of her. I hope she knows that. I hope it gives her back some of the love our dad took away.
“Every mornin’ when I wake up, I make a conscious decision to be a better man than he was.”
I smiled at that. I knew a little something about bad family legacies. It was the reason I never touched alcohol or medication.
“What about your mom?”
“Ah. Mervella Lee.” He tsked his tongue. “She was brought up to obey and defend her husband no matter what. I don’t think she wanted to cut Abey out of her life, but while my dad was still alive, things between them were… difficult. After he died, our mama tried everything she could to avoid the subject, but Abey finally forced her to face it last year.”
“Brand mentioned that.”
He scoffed. “Does my brother spill all our family secrets? What a gossip.”
“No, he doesn’t. It’s just that when he found out Abey stood up to your mom, he was really proud of her. I think he just needed to tell someone.”
“Well anyway, Abey and Devo got together and fell in love, and everything changed for Abey then.” He looked at me. “You know? She couldn’t accept the status quo anymore because Devo deserved better, and Abey finally decided she did too. Merv put up her usual fight, but I guess she decided learnin’ to live with Abey’s sexuality was a better option than losin’ her only daughter forever.”
“Wait. You call your mama Merv?”
