Page 22 of Shot to the Hart

I should have left ten minutes ago, but I couldn’t drag myself out of bed. I'm exiting my room, towards the kitchen, to grab my protein shake before heading to practice, when I swear I hear tiny cries coming from Bella’s room. I stop short of Kodi’s room, thinking Bella may just be whining in her sleep, and when they calm down, I go to take a step when Kodi’s door swings open and her smaller frame bounces off of mine. I reach out to steady her and rather than the soft feel of clothes, I’m met with the texture of terry cloth. She definitely is only in a towel, and the image I’m greeted with when I let her go and take her in has my jaw tightening and regretting my decision to wear sweats to the arena. Her dark black hair is dripping water onto the wood floors, her towel exposing her long legs and the swells of her breasts, her green eyes wide as she jumps back with a panicked squeal.

“Holy fuck, you scared the shit out of me. I thought you were gone already,” she gasps, gripping her towel a little tighter to her body.

“I was on my way out when she started whining, so I was waiting to see if I needed to go in and get her calm before I head out.” My eyes refuse to leave hers, seeing her wrapped in a towel was a vision I never thought I was going to get. Ever.

“Ugh, I’m sorry. I heard her whimpering while I was in the shower, clearly. I just wanted to get her calm, hopefully back to sleep, and well, now we’re here.” She gestures to the puddle pooling at her feet. “I’ll uh, get that cleaned up.”

“Yep, if you wouldn’t mind.” I let myself do one more sweep of Kodi standing in my hall, dripping wet, gritting my teeth to avoid surging forward and ripping the towel away from her body just to see what hides beneath. ”I really gotta get going, text or call if anything comes up. I should be home a little earlier today.” Then, swiftly turning around, I decide I’ll just grab a smoothie on my way into work.

14

MAVERICK

FWOPPY HOUSE

Ileave tomorrow for our first official game of the season, leaving Kodi and Arabella for their first full weekend alone, so we decide to spend our Thursday at the aquarium. We've finally got Arabella secured in her stroller, much to her disagreement, and we are walking through the doors of the aquarium. Both of the girls look adorable; they’ve got matching space buns, Arabella insisted on putting on a band T-shirt and her black high-top converse “just like Kodi”, but instead of ripped jeans, she's wearing cotton shorts so she’s comfortable.

We wander through the exhibits, making stops at all of Bella’s favorite animals, spending almost an hour at the “fwoppy house” as Bella calls it. Kodi seems just as intrigued by these creatures as Bella. Kodi is sitting cross-legged next to Arabella while I stand back with the stroller letting them watch the stingrays glide through the water so elegantly alongside an array of colorful fish, sharks and other sea creatures. Against my better judgment, I snap a quick photo of the girls, their dark shadows against the huge enclosure. This is the type of photo Iwould love to make my phone background. For just a moment, I let myself imagine every weekend like this, except Kodi is mine, not just as my friend and caregiver for Bella, but mine to hold and care for, to love.

“Excuse me, Mr. Maverick,” a small voice says from beside me, breaking my derailed train of thought. I find a little boy about eight years old looking up at me and wearing my jersey.

I lean down, “How can I help you little man?”

“Well, uh, my name's Hunter, and I want to be a hockey player like you when I grow up!” He is beaming now, excitement filling his eyes.

“I would love to watch you on the ice one day buddy.” Behind Hunter’s head, I see Kodi and Bella headed back in my direction hand in hand. “Why don’t we take a picture? I think your Mom is waiting for you.”And I’ve got two pretty girls that I owe lunch.

Hunter nods his head enthusiastically while Kodi gets Bella situated in her stroller. We snap a few photos and bother an aquarium team member for a sharpie so I can sign his jersey and start heading towards the exit.

“Are you hungry?” I ask Kodi who is walking next to me, fiddling with that hair tie on her wrist again.

“Yeah, actually, want to go eat by the water?”

“Yes, I know just the place, and we can walk from here.”’

Twenty minutes later, we are seated at a table by the water, Bella knocked out in the stroller parked next to our table. We order water and stuffed mushrooms when the waitress comes by.

“One question,” Kodi states.

“One answer.” My lips quirking up into a grin.

“Do you ever think about where you would be if you weren’t in this moment?”

“Like if I wasn’t a hockey player single-parenting a toddler? Sometimes.”

“What does that moment look like to you?”

“I think I would probably still be in North Carolina, maybe married with a big piece of land. Probably working a corporate desk job.”

“I could definitely see that. I can’t imagine athletes, who seem to be constantly going, able to sit behind a desk all day though.”

“I actually have a degree in business. My dad made sure I picked a degree that I could use if hockey didn’t pan out. What about you?” I can’t help but want to know more about what hides behind those green eyes. I find myself leaning into the table a little more, as if that will help me understand her better.

“Hmmm…” She’s absentmindedly moving her straw in circles in her glass. “I’d probably be married too and unhappy about it.” A disbelieving laugh leaves her lips. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”

“That’s right. Do you have any siblings?” The urge to question her further is right on the tip of my tongue, but I know I shouldn’t push her to share more than she wants to.

“Ha, that’s complicated, but I’d rather not talk about it.”

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