Page 85 of Forever Wild
UNINSPIRED
JACK
“You’d think I was the one that took the summer off.” Nick bends over at the waist, hockey stick resting on his thighs, as he catches his breath. “Are you sure they didn’t give you a robotic knee?”
A half smile tugs at one corner of my lips, but the feeling doesn’t shake off the turmoil raging inside me.
I skate off to the side and take a seat on the bench. Nick follows, watching me from the other side. His son, Aidan, is skating and Nick lets his gaze flick in that direction before focusing back on me.
“Everything good?”
Resting my stick against the wall, I run a hand through my hair and then take a long drink of water before answering. “Yeah. The doctor says I should be ready to scrimmage next month at camp and I’m feeling stronger than ever.”
“That’s great,” Nick says. “But I wasn’t talking about hockey.”
I shoot him a warning glare.
“I know you said you don’t want to talk about it, but you’re firing pucks at the net like you’re imagining somebody’s face.”
“I am.” My own.
It’s been two weeks since I saw Everly. She went to Briar Lake for her internship. I only know because Ash mentioned it. He got back into town yesterday. Leo too. The others will all arrive sometime over the next couple of weeks.
Camp is coming and I’ve never been as anxious to throw myself into training.
Nick looks like he’s ready to pry more, so I add, “I’m grateful to be back after the accident. That’s all. I’m not going to take one second for granted. Everything else…it’s not important right now.”
He doesn’t look like he believes me. I’m not sure I do either, but I’m focusing on things I can control. And Iamgrateful to be back. I missed this. All of it. The ice, hockey, my teammates. I live for hockey season. I’m too numb to appreciate it now, but I will once the season starts. I hope so anyway.
“All right, but if you ever want to talk…” He trails off, but the invitation is clear. I’m relieved he doesn’t mention Everly, but there’s no way he hasn’t pieced it together. Between her picking me up in my Lamborghini and the day she showed up at Wild’s when I told her we should end things, it isn’t that complicated to figure out why I’m back to being a grumpy asshole.
I know I did the right thing. I’m sure of it. She had to go. That doesn’t seem to make me feel any better though.
“Thank you.” I clear my throat and tip my head toward his son. “Aidan’s looking sharp out there.”
“Yeah.” Nick’s usual reserved demeanor shifts and a big smilespreads across his face as he looks at son. “He’s been working really hard this summer.”
“It shows.”
Aidan circles around the back of the net in his full gear and skates over to us.
“Did you see my slapshot?” he asks me. His dark hair sticks to his forehead around his helmet.
Nodding, I say, “Yeah. Where’d you learn that?”
“My dad,” he says proudly. I know that feeling, that pride and excitement of learning something from your old man. Dad and I used to go to the rink on weekends and hit the puck around. And occasionally he’d even go out in the backyard with me, and we’d practice shooting into an old net. One time I missed it so badly, I took out a neighbor’s window. But when I managed to impress him, nothing felt better.
I shake the memories from my head.
“Are you sure?” I ask him, then look at Nick skeptically. “This guy? Nah. Can’t be. I think you’ve been watching me.”
Grabbing my stick, I head back out onto the ice. Aidan follows me. I skate to an abandoned puck and pass it back to him. Moving with the puck, he comes to a stop in front of the goal and rockets it into the net.
“Definitely my slapshot,” I tell him, giving him a high five.
Nick’s all smiles as he gives his kid props with a fist bump, then taps the top of Aidan’s helmet gently. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
“Already?” Aidan’s disappointed frown makes a real genuine smile pull at my lips.
