Page 84 of Cross Check Daddies
He taps his chest.
“And you, big guy, being the oldest, the most intimidating, the leader? You’ve got to talk. To Cam. To Tanner. But especially to her. Imagine how scared she is right now. You running out like that didn’t help.”
I wince.
“And whether or not that baby’s yours…” he adds, voice lower now, “That’s secondary to how you show up for her. For the kid. You want to be a father? Be one. DNA’s not the measure of that.”
That hits. Square in the chest. Because I do want that. And he’s right—I already left once.
Never again.
“I messed up,” I whisper.
“You love her?”
I nod. “More than I want to admit.”
“Then you show her.”
He leans back. “You still want to win this Stanley?”
“Damn right.”
He tosses a tablet onto the table. The opposing team’s roster. “There’s talk they might forfeit.”
I blink. “What?”
“Three of their forwards were caught in a betting scandal. NHL’s investigating. No one’s confirming anything, but the rumors are wild.”
“That’s okay,” I say. “Let them forfeit. We’re taking the Stanley this year. Come rain, come sunshine.”
Leo grins. “There’s the guy I know.”
I nod and grip the bottle tighter.
Yeah. Maybe I just need one more day. Then I’ll face her.
And say the thing I should’ve said weeks ago.
It takes another beer and four hours of pacing the apartment before I finally do it. My phone’s in my hand, thumb hovering over her name. I’ve already typed out two dozen texts and deleted every one of them. None of them sounded right. None of them felt like enough.
So, I press call.
It rings once. Twice.
Then, “Hello?”
“Come up,” I say.
There’s a pause on the other end.
“Okay,” she answers.
I leave the door unlocked. The apartment’s still half-lit from the hallway light, empty beer bottles lined like ghosts across the counter. I clean nothing. I don’t move from where I stand at the sink, gripping the edge like it’s the only thing holding me together.
I hear the door click open. Her footsteps. Then she’s standing across the kitchen, face tired, hair in a messy knot like she hadn’t planned on going anywhere tonight. She’s wearing a long T-shirt and biker shorts, no makeup. Her eyes lock on mine and stay there.
I walk to her. She doesn’t flinch when I reach for her. Doesn’t pull away when my hands curl around her waist.
