Page 25 of Make Your Shot
She pauses, looking back at me. “Yeah?”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Drive safe.”
Her eyes linger once more as she gives me another nod before disappearing down the hallway. I let out a breath, my lungs deflating as I turn back toward the stove, my eyes traveling over the counter. Tella sits down on the floor, rubbing her eyes as she yawns. The sound of Mia’s footsteps are quiet as she comes back down the stairs and I close my eyes as I hear the front door open and close.
A part of me regrets the way I just iced her out, but it’s for her own good.
She’ll thank me one day.
I reach for the knife block on the counter when I see a bag of flour she forgot to put away. Instinctively, I pick it up, carrying it over to the pantry, when I realize it isn’t a bag of flour from my house. My eyebrows pull together and I read the front—certified gluten free version. I pull open the pantry door, my eyes scanningthe snacks that I told her to help herself to and it doesn’t look like she’s touched any.
My eyebrows pull together and I find a spot on the shelf for the almond flour before heading back to the stove. I grab a knife, cutting the brownie to hand a piece to Tella. “How does it taste?”
“Good,” Tella says, nodding as she chews and swallows a piece. “Mia said they’re different from regular brownies because she can’t eat gruben but she promised they wouldn’t taste bad.”
“Gruben?” I question her, chuckling softly. “You mean gluten.”
Tella nods again. “Yeah, that’s what she said.”
I grab one of the brownies, popping it into my mouth as I glance back at the pantry, making a mental note. Whether it’s an allergy or not, it’s clear she can’t eat it and I need to make sure she has options here for when she stays.
Mia might not be my responsibility, but while she’s here taking care of my daughter, the least I can do is make sure she’s taken care of too.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIA
Tella stares at me, eyebrows lowering in judgement as she scrunches her nose. “Aren’t you going to wear a jersey too?”
I stare back at her, my eyebrows mimicking hers. I grab the bottom hem of my crewneck sweatshirt, pulling it away from my body to double check that I did in fact grab an Aston Archers one. “I didn’t bring any of my jerseys with me.”
Tella clicks her tongue at me, shaking her head as her eyes scan my sweatshirt. She glances down at her kid’s sized jersey with her last name and her father’s number on her back. “You should have brought one.”
“I’ll grab one next time I go home, how about that?”
She chews on her tongue, giving me a satisfied nod. “Can we get ice cream on the way?”
“No,” I tell her, cocking a perfectly arched brow. I push open the front door, holding it for Tella as she walks through the doorway. “But you can after you eat dinner at the game.”
Tella lets out a long, exasperated and exaggerated sigh before heading down the front steps off the porch. I pull the door shut behind me, making sure to lock it before meeting Tella in the driveway beside my car. I open the backdoor for her and she climbs onto her booster seat, pulling her seatbelt across her body.
I double check, making sure she’s strapped in securely before heading to the front of the car and sliding in behind the steering wheel. “All right, let’s hit the road, Tells.”
She smiles at me through the rearview mirror, giving her feet a little kick and claps her hands together. I smile back at her as I turn on the car and slowly back out of the driveway. I ease my car onto the street, glancing back at Caleb’s house as I move the gear shifter into drive.
The two white rocking chairs on the front porch catch my eye and I pause, focusing in on the one to the left. It rocks slightly, almost as if someone just got up from it. I stare at it for a moment, screwing my lips to the side. I don’t remember touching it as I walked past and I didn’t see Tella either. It must just be from the wind.
I blink twice, my eyes adjusting once more and now it’s still. I clear my throat, shaking my head as I look back into the rearview mirror at Tella. She’s staring out the window, not paying attention to me and she giggles softly as she waves goodbye to the house.
I look back at it once more, an unexplainable warmth washing over me before I press on the gas, easing the car away from their house. Tella starts tohum along to the song that plays quietly through the speakers, so I turn it up, letting the sound of the music and her little voice signing along carry us to the arena.
“Come on, Mia!” Tella says, tugging on my hand as we make our way down to the area where the players' families can gather to watch warmups. Nova, Riley, Hadley, and Andi are already standing along the glass, all of their kids watching the guys as they come out onto the ice.
I pick up the pace, letting Tella pull me off to the left, where there’s an open spot along the glass. She releases my hand, glancing around as she looks for something. “What are you looking for?”
“I can’t see,” she explains. Her little fingers grip the edge of the boards as she presses up on her tip toes in an attempt to look out at the ice. Her head barely reaches over.
“Come here,” I say, reaching for her as she spins back around to face me. She instinctively lifts her arms and I scoop her up, holding her on my hip as she wraps her legs around my waist. She turns her body in my arms, pointing out at the ice as Caleb steps on.
