Page 62 of One Good Puck
“Have you said that to Xander and Sophie?” Abby asks.
“Yeah, I apologized to them both. It’s all good now. It’s just when I think about it, I still feel bad.”
Abby lets a small smile break free. “But the important thing is that you made it right. That’s all that matters. You’re a great dad, Gavin.”
Comfort settles in my chest at hearing her say that. Thiswoman who is loving and kind and the most amazing parent, thinks I’m a good parent too.
“Look at us single parents hyping each other up,” she says. I chuckle.
When we finish our lap around the rink, we go over to Emma, Dakota, and Sam, who are sitting on a bench and watching the skaters.
“Mom, I saved you some popcorn,” Emma says, handing the half-full bag to Abby.
She kisses the top of her head and sits next to her on the bench. “Thanks, honey. That’s so sweet of you.”
Sophie and Xander walk over and join us. “Check out this cotton candy I just got from the concession stand. It’s massive!” Xander holds up a giant bag of hot pink cotton candy.
“You want some, Emma?” he asks.
She nods excitedly. He opens the bag and hands her a huge chunk. She stuffs a handful of it into her mouth, and we all laugh.
Emma’s eyes go wide as she gazes out at the ice. “Wow…”
We all look over and see Camden spinning like a figure skater in the middle of the rink.
“He’s spinning so fast,” Emma says.
“He used to be a figure skater before he played hockey,” Dakota says to her.
Camden finishes spinning, and half the people on the ice clap for him. He blows them kisses and skates off, winking at a young twenty-something woman who’s smiling at him. He walks over to her, and the two start talking. A minute later, she hands him her phone, and he taps at the screen. Saving his number in her phone, I’m guessing.
Camden skates off the ice with Ryker followingbehind him, shaking his head. They both head over to us. Emma asks to use the bathroom, so Abby takes her.
“Aww, you jealous that I’ve gotten more numbers than you so far today, Georgie?” Camden jokes, flashing a smug smile.
Ryker’s stern expression doesn’t budge. “This is a family skating event. Not a nightclub, Connors. You shouldn’t be trying to pick up anyone.”
“You’re lucky Ryker’s not picking up anyone,” Dakota says to Camden, her smile teasing. “Ladies love him, and they’d be all over him instead of you if he turned on the charm.”
The corner of Ryker’s mouth quirks up in a reluctant smile when he looks at Dakota. Camden’s smile drops. He looks mildly offended.
“I bet I have more dating app DMs than you,” Camden says to Ryker.
Ryker sits down on the bench, his posture relaxed and his expression unbothered. “I’m sure you do, since I’m not on any dating apps.”
“But if he were on a dating app, his DMs would give you a run for your money, Camden,” Dakota teases.
Everyone chuckles when Camden makes a huffy sound like he’s pissed. I shake my head. The ego on some of these young players is fragile as fuck, and it’s amusing as hell to watch sometimes.
Abby and Emma join us again.
“Let’s shelve the dating app talk, okay? There are kids around.” I nod at Emma.
A second later, she hops up and waves to someone. “Mom, Evie and Charlie from school are here. Can I go say hi?”
“Yeah, of course, honey.”
Emma runs off, and Abby takes a seat at the bench.
