Page 61 of One Good Puck
She shakes her head. “I just can’t understand how anyone could not care about their own kid. There’s nothing in the world that would make me leave Emma.”
A sick feeling lands in my gut. “I don’t get it either. I feel the same way about Sophie.”
She looks down at her skates. “Sometimes I feel so bad for Emma. That I wasn’t able to give her the family she deserves.”
“What do you mean? Abby, you’re an amazing mother.”
She flashes a hesitant smile, like she doesn’t believe me. “Sometimes I don’t feel like enough. Sometimes I feel like I’m burning the candle at every end, and I’m still falling short. I feel bad that half the time when I’m with her, I’m tired from work, or I’m thinking about the endless list of things I have to do. I’m not always fully present. It would be easier if I had a partner to share all that stress with. Not that I wish I were still with Levi. I don’t. I just think that it would be better if she had two parents who are always there for her instead of one.”
A restless feeling zooms through me. I take her hand and pull her off to the side so we’re not in the way of the other skaters. I look her in the eye. “You are enough, Abby. More than enough. I see the way your daughter looks at you. With complete trust and love. She adores you. She’s one of the most joyful, sharp, and well-adjusted kids I’ve ever seen. And that’s because of you. That’s because you’ve made her feel safe and happy and secure.Youdid that. No one else. I promise you, you are everything your daughter could ever want or need.”
She blinks up at me, her hazel-green eyes wide. Intensity flickers in her gaze. “You really think that?”
“Without a doubt.”
Her eyes are misty as she smiles at me. “Thank you, Gavin. That was…the most wonderful thing anyone’s said to me.”
“It’s true, Abby. Don’t ever doubt yourself as a mom. You’re incredible.”
Chapter 25
Gavin
We continue skating. When we’ve made our way around the rink once more, she looks over at me.
“Thank you for the pep talk,” she says. “I really needed that.”
I wink at her. “Always here to build you up when you need it.”
We skate past Dakota, Sam, and Emma, who are sitting on a bench, drinking cocoa and eating popcorn. We wave at each other.
“Dakota and Sophie gave me a pep talk about what a good mom I am the other night. It was so sweet, but I think I still doubted myself because they’re not parents.”
“It’s different when another parent tells you that you’re doing a good job. They know what it’s like. The good and the bad, the stress, the self-doubt, feeling like you’re never doing enough. I’ve felt it all. Especially when Sophie’s mom died. I was so lost.”
I think back to that awful time. How it felt like I wasliving in a grief fog, how hard it was to even get out of bed every single day and function. But I had to. For Sophie.
Abby touches my arm. The warmth of her hand on mine is an instant comfort.
“I’m so sorry for how you lost her,” she says softly.
“Thank you.”
We’re quiet for a moment before Abby speaks again.
“I really admire your relationship with Sophie. I can tell just how much she loves you and how close you two are. You have the perfect father-daughter relationship.”
I laugh. “Far from perfect. Especially when she and Xander first started dating.”
Guilt throttles me when I think about how upset I was. How I lashed out at Xander and how strained things were between Sophie and me at the beginning of their relationship.
“Sophie mentioned that you were pretty overprotective of her.”
I exhale sharply. “I definitely was. I’m not proud of the things I said and did when I found out about their relationship.”
“What did you do?” she asks.
“I was upset Sophie was dating a guy who had a reputation of being a manwhore, and I made that very clear to both of them. I was awful, and I regret it. I’d take it back if I could.”
