Page 129 of Our Broken Pieces
Jax comes to my other side, dish towel in hand, to grab the wet bowl from my hands. “Well, if Millie is turning eight, then Adam is turning seven in a few months, and I’m having a hard time with him not needing me so much anymore.”
Linc nods. “Good, good. I’m sappy about the fact that Gary is going to be turning three soon and Asher is moving up from mini mite hockey next season. Shit, Millie is going to be in middle school in a couple years. I won’t have any more babies in my life. I have to wait to be a grandparent to experience that newness again.”
“You two are crazy.” I pass Jax another serving dish.
“We’re not crazy, we’re just getting old.” Jax scoffs.
“Speak for yourself,” I quip back.
“Okay, silver fox,” Linc says as he flicks the hair by my ear.
I shove him away. “Worry about your own gray hair, old man.”
I drain the water from the sink and take the towel from Jax, drying my hands. “When I was younger, I just never thought I could be this happy, that I would have these moments in life, and now, we’re surrounded by them almost every day. It’s like when those women and kids came into our lives, they fixed all our broken pieces.”
Linc wipes a paper towel across his eyes. “I love it when you speak about stuff like this.”
Jax squeezes my shoulder. “I get it. And you’re right. Cheese and salsa be damned. We’re lucky to have times like this.”
Gigi walks into the kitchen with an empty candy dish, grabbing the bag to refill it. She notices Linc’s current state. “Melonie, come get your husband!”
Melonie enters the room with a confused look, Audrey right behind her. “What’s wrong now, pretty boy?”
Jax stands behind Audrey, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “We were talking about sappy stuff, and well…”
Melonie curls into Linc’s side. “It’s been a full day for you, huh?”
Linc nods. “They were talking about cheese and salsa and birthdays. It was a lot.”
“Understandable.” Melonie taps his chest.
“I love it when you get sappy, big guy,” Gigi says as she presses a kiss to my cheek.
“You’re all ridiculous. Let’s go see what the kids are doing.” I rub the skin of her neck as she stands beside me. The others leave the room and I hold Gigi’s wrist to get her to stay behind with me. Once they’re all gone, I pull her to me, placing my hands on her cheeks, and kiss her hard. She inhales sharply and sinks into it, lacing her hands through my hair. That small thing that she does that drives me insane.
I calm the pace and pull my lips from hers. Her eyes slowly open, her lips still caught in the mold of the kiss. “What was that for?”
“Thank you for this life. Thank you for loving me, for being an amazing mom.”
She smiles sweetly. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll put Wren to bed tonight. While you wait, you can put your Cinderella dress on for me.”
Her brows shoot up. “Okay, Prince Charming.”
I spin her and smack her ass. “Let’s go get everyone ready for cake.”
She squeals and starts moving. “Yes, Charming!”
Epilogue Two
Asher
Fourteen years later
Ifinish lacing up my skates, tug on my practice jersey, grab my stick, and head toward the ice. The cold air of Beacon Hill University’s arena hits me, sharp and familiar, as I breathe it in. This is where I belong. It’s the start of my sophomore year, and I have a good feeling I’ll be slotted on the third line. But all that really matters right now is that I’m back on the ice with my boys.
Pushing off my left blade, I ease into warming up, loosening my knees. A few students are trickling into the stands. The first practice of the year is always open to get people excited for the season. I spot Brooks, and we start passing the puck between us, weaving around the other guys. Last year, when I came in as afreshman, he took me under his wing, making it his mission to help me rein in my temper on the ice. We trained all summer together. Whether his efforts pay off this season? That’s still up in the air.
