Page 249 of Staying Selfless

Being her dad is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Right next to meeting her mom. Ella lights up our lives, bringing Logan and me more joy and love than we ever imagined possible. I thought I was fulfilled in my life and career, but until I became a dad, I had no idea my heart could be as complete as it is now.

And Logan as a mom? My absolute favorite version of her.

She’s caring but strong. Sweet but assertive, teaching our daughter how to treat others. She’s the best fucking mom in the world. I knew she’d be amazing, but now Logan sees how capable she is too. That part of her heart she was afraid to open up is now bursting at the seams with love for her babies.

And it’s my job to teach Ella how to be treated. My daughter is a feisty little badass, and if a boy ever tries to hurt her, I swear to god, I’ll kick his ass—if she doesn’t do it first.

Not that it matters anytime soon. She’s not dating until she’s thirty.

Logan rubs her pregnant belly again.

I love seeing her this way. She’s stunning, always has been, but now that her body is peppered with stripes and scars, showcasing what it took to bring our human into this world, she’s even more beautiful.

The whistle blows, pulling my attention away from my wife, calling me to the center circle for the captain’s meeting, along with Zanders, who wears the alternate captain’s patch on his chest.

“I love you,” I tell my girl.

“I love you, too. Go kick some ass, thirteen!” She puts her hand on the glass one more time, meeting mine on the other side before she takes off to find our family.

“Nice goal,” Zanders states, as we both put our suits back on, post-game.

“I think you mean nice goals,” I smugly counter.

“Egotistical little fucker,” Zanders laughs, throwing his towel in my direction.

“Nice assist. And yes, you only had one.”

“Asshole.”

“Dick.”

“Don’t forget about our fundraiser in the morning,” Zanders changes the subject. “Do you want to just drive together?”

“Yeah, that works. Unless Logan goes into labor, then you’ll be holding this one down on your own.”

The first Sunday of every month, Zanders and I host a fundraising event to raise awareness for our charity. We’ve teamed up with doctors and therapists around the city who donate their time and services to help underprivileged youth get the mental health services they need but might not have access to.

Sometimes our Sundays are just a workout in the park to bring people together and learn about our organization. And sometimes, Zanders and I will share stories of our own mental health struggles in an effort to take away some of the stigma around it, especially for young men.

We’ve even roped in a few other professional athletes from around the city to help the cause, including some Bears players, Devils players, and even a handful of guys from the Cubs and White Sox. We’ve learned that the more we speak up about it, the more others will too.

Besides my family and the life that Logan and I have built together, this cause is the thing I’m most proud of.

“Don’t forget you two have media day on Monday,” one of our team managers calls out. “Your call time is six in the morning. Zanders, don’t make me come find you.”

“How do you expect this,” he motions to his face, “to be ready for media day at six AM on a Monday morning? You know I love having my picture taken, but your boy still needs his beauty sleep.”

“Maddison, make sure he gets here on time, please.”

“Will do. But if Logan goes into labor, then we’ll need to reschedule.”

Media day is my least favorite day of the entire season. It happens at the beginning of each year, and as the team captain, my face is plastered all around this arena. Zanders’ too, but he loves this shit. He lives for the attention.

Zanders and I have this good guy/bad guy thing going for us. I’m the city’s golden boy, and Zanders is Chicago’s resident bad boy. I score the goals. Zanders starts the fights and sits his ass in the penalty box. He’s the single ladies’ man. I’m the family guy. The fans love it. The media eats it up. It works perfectly for our team dynamic, and we know how to play it up.

In fact, Zanders’ contract is up at the end of this season, and our partnership is one of the big reasons why his new contract will be all that much bigger when re-signing day comes. Our duo puts fans in seats.

“Daddy!” My daughter sprints to me as soon as I exit the locker room, her green eyes rimmed with red because she needs some sleep.

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