Page 65 of Axe-identally Married
Then he guided them through kill penalty drills. He drew out diagrams, then moved each girl into position like they were chess pieces.
This side of Cole was unfamiliar. This man was having fun. He was smiling as he scribbled on his little board and chatting with the kids as he walked through the plays.
It was adorable. Like ovary-squeezing, heart-meltingly adorable. He wasn’t stern or authoritarian. He was supportive and encouraging. Especially to the poor girl playing goalie, who could barely stand with all those pads on.
When practice had wrapped, the girls skated off the ice, wiping off their skate blades and putting their guards on as they went.
The instant their guards were on, two girls headed straight for me. When they took their helmets off, I recognized their sweaty faces—Goldie Gagnon and Kali Farrell.
Goldie, a firecracker with freckles and mischievous blue eyes, walked right up to me and tipped her head back. “So you’re Coach’s wife?”
“No,” Kali corrected. “She’s the doctor. You gave me a flu shot a while ago. And a lollipop.”
I nodded, unable to hold back a smile as they sized me up. When had eight-year-old girls become terrifying? With my white coat and stethoscope, I had some authority, but here? I was clearly positioned low in the hierarchy.
“Be nice to him,” Goldie said coolly, her blue eyes going icy.
“Yeah,” Kali said. “He’s really cool. And awesome at hockey.”
“Yup. And he talks about you a lot.” Goldie twirled the ends of her blond ponytail and tipped her head from one side to the other exaggeratedly as she said, “Blah, blah, doctor. Blah, blah, smart.”
My chest warmed as her words registered. He was talking to his players about me? I was strangely flattered.
“We only push him around because it’s funny and he’s kind of afraid of us. Really, we love him. So be a good wife,” Kali warned.
“Girls.” Henri Gagnon appeared and grasped them both by their shoulders and spun them so they faced the locker room. “We’ve got to get home. You both have homework.”
They groaned, but without another word, they took off.
“Sorry.” He gave me an awkward smile. “Goldie is…” He scratched at his beard. “Sassy.”
“I can tell.” I chuckled. Goldie and her brother had been through a lot in their short lives, but the Gagnons had been incredible with them. “You’re doing a great job.”
I wasn’t a parent, but one thing I’d learned in family medicine was how often they needed to be told they were doing okay.
And it worked, because Henri’s stern face brightened instantly. “She loves hockey,” he explained. “Tucker’s in high school. He won a debate tournament last week.”
His love for his children was palpable. I wanted to hug this man. People like Henri Gagnon made life as a small-town doctor more than meaningful. He was also a model patient. His blood work had improved dramatically since I mentioned to his wife, Alice, that he should watch his cholesterol.
“Congrats on the wedding too,” he said, flagging another parent to get their attention.
After he stepped away to round up his daughter, I waited for Cole, saying hello to the other parents as they trickled out. I knew most of them. Matt Brown our mailman, Meg Garcia, who ran the preschool, and of course Becca, my hair stylist and single mom to Kali.
I was in the lobby, wondering why my husband hadn’t made his way out yet, when I caught sight of him through the frosted swinging doors.
The man was perched in the seat of the Zamboni, gliding across the ice.
Curious, I walked back into the rink and watched him.
He wore a smile as he drove the big-ass machine, with his hat backward and his head high. He’d traded his skates for work boots and was expertly carving ovals on the ice.
Turning the massive steering wheel with ease, one-handed, effortlessly gliding around.
My body temperature rose, despite the frigid air in the arena. Damn. This was hot.
Strangely hot.
He was full of surprises. At no point in my life had I even considered adding “can drive a Zamboni” to the list of attributes my future husband must have. But at this moment, it hadn’t only made the list, but it landed pretty close to the top.
