Page 35 of Off the Stick
I expect him to walk with me across the street toward the arena, but he stops at the corner and turns to me instead.
The next thing I know, I’m enveloped in his warm embrace.I want to bury my nose in his chest and never come up for air.He smells like man and pine tree and something spicy yet sweet.Like brown sugar and bourbon.It’s an intoxicating combination, and I can’t help but return the hug.
With his mouth close to my ear, he whispers so softly that the words are nearly drowned out by the traffic and street noise.
“I’ll be here for you and Lenni when you’re ready.”He kisses the top of my head and the world tilts underneath my feet.“I promise you.”
18
Dane
“It’s your call, dickhead.”
I snap my gaze up from the five cards I have fanned in my hand and look through the haze of stogie smoke for the source of the interruption.It was Rossco, who sits to my right at the poker table and who is guffawing over my lack of attention.
“Jesus Christ, Ax.I don’t know where your head is tonight—probably up your ass—but keep it up, bruh, and I’m going home a rich man.”
The guys all laugh and snicker at his typical nonsensical comment.I scoff with a severe roll of my eyes.
“You already are a rich fucker, Rossy.”I retort, flipping him off and then mean-mugging the four other guys at the table.“So are all of you, motherfuckers.”Because every one of us at this game table are multimillion-dollar players.Well, except Case and Shaw, the rookies.They’re both still at league minimum, having been just called up from the minors.
Tonight’s our monthly poker game at Case Lyons’s and Shaw Bennings’s shared condo.
It’s become something of a rite of passage for each season’s rookies to host the regular parties at their place.It’s our way of getting them to step up and be part of the team off the ice.It’s also fun to have them wait on us hand and foot.Although, Costa makes all of us chip in to cover the tab for the food and drinks so it’s not on the rookies’ dime.
But tonight is not my night for much of anything.I’ve already lost three hands in a row, and my chips are dwindling fast.
With a sigh of annoyed defeat, I lay my cards face down on the poker table with a curse.“Fuck, I’m out.I fold.”
Through hoots and hollers, and even a “Fuck yeah” from Brewer, I slink back in my chair and run a hand through my mussed-up hair.I’m not even sure I combed it after we finished our workouts earlier.
For being the most obtuse on the team, Rossco’s not wrong about me.I do have my head in the clouds.That’s not to say I haven’t been killing it on the ice, even scoring goals in each of our three last games, but outside of that, all I can do is wait impatiently for Halle’s answer.
I’ve been called a lot of things in my life but patient is not one of them.It’s been over two weeks now since our lunch, and it’s been complete radio silence.I’m not sure how much longer I can hack it without hearing from her.
The night after we had lunch, I took the paternity test and sent it directly to the lab.Within a week it was confirmed that Lenni is indeed my daughter.Without a shred of doubt.
Honestly, I knew it subconsciously the first time I met Lennon and then once Halle confirmed it, even before I’d even received the results.And I didn’t waste time letting Halle know either.
Me: I just got the results back.99.9% positive.
Me: So, have you given it more thought?Can we talk?
It took her a good hour to finally respond to me that night, and all I got back from her was a valid excuse to delay.
Cherry: Not now.Lenni has been running a temp and feeling sick.
Having never been around a sick kid, I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but I wanted her to know I was available if she needed me.
Me: Call me if I can help out.Hope she gets better soon.
Cherry: Thanks.
That was the last I heard from her, and that was five days ago.Shouldn’t a kid be better by now?I googled it and then started to worry profusely when I saw the list of all the terrible things that can make a child sick.
Part of me wants to call Halle and demand she tell me what was going on with our daughter.I’m ready to fucking go.I want to be there for both Halle and Lennon.
But I also want to respect Halle’s boundaries.She’s been a parent for over four years while I’ve known for less than a week that I’ve fathered a child.I have zero experience to draw on, so I’ve kept a tight rein on my demands and expectations.I told her I would wait for her and I will, even though it’s making me a grump to be around tonight.
