Page 27 of Body Shot

“He said he would talk to her,” I say, “but if he doesn’t, I’ll say something.”

“We’re guessing he has a girlfriend.”

I sigh. At this point, the cat is pretty much out of the bag. “He has a…woman he met not that long ago. But she’s in Canada. It’s not serious. Yet.”

“Hana isn’t stupid. She figured it was something like that.”

“The life we lead, as professional athletes, makes relationships complicated sometimes. We travel and spend eight months of the year completely immersed in hockey. It’s more than just games and travel, you know? Working out, studying video, meetings, practices, visits to trainers and chiropractors and massage therapists to stay in top shape…it’s a lot.”

“Are you trying to talk me out of going out with you?” she jokes.

I laugh. “No, but there’s a reason so many guys wind up divorced. The number of guys who cheat is embarrassingly high. It’s not an easy life, so I think some guys manage the best that they can. Remember, a lot of us aren’t American. We’re far from home, from our families, support systems. Don’t judge Felix too harshly. He didn’t plan to meet someone he liked here after meeting someone he liked back home in the off-season. I don’t think you can plan that kind of attraction.”

“Right, but if he likes and is attracted to the woman in Canada, why is he attracted to Hana? I mean, I can see two handsome men on the street and think they are equally hotor whatever. But once we talk, if there’s a connection, I can’t imagine I’m going to turn around a day later and have that same connection with someone else.”

“That’s just it, I don’t think it’s thesameconnection. Whatever it was that he was attracted to with the woman in Canada, he’s getting something different from Hana.”

“I suppose there’s that. And I’m probably the last person who should ever give relationship advice since I’ve had exactly one.”

“I’ve had more than my share,” I say quietly, “and it’s still tricky to navigate when you meet multiple people you like. But Felix has been very footloose and fancy free until now. In fact, he’s been anti-relationship, so I’m wondering what changed to get him thinking about it.”

“Growing up?”

I shrug. “Eh, those two things aren’t necessarily related. I feel like I’m pretty grown up, but I’m not in a hurry. I want to meet the right woman, not just deciding the time is right and marrying the first woman I meet.”

“How come you don’t have a girl back in Sweden?”

My hands momentarily tighten on the wheel.

I really don’t want to talk about Martika today.

But I’d promised her one of my own stories.

Maybe it’s best to get it over with.

“I did,” I say after a moment. “She was busy with her career as a teacher. We met two summers ago, and spent most of the summer together, but we kept it casual because she has to be in Sweden and I have to be here. We opted to keep dating other people and see what happened going forward. She was going to come for a visit during her winter break, but her father fell and broke his hip, so she was needed at home. When I went back last summer, we seemed to pick up where we left off. It was nice. Comfortable. My gut was telling me she wasn’t the right one, but I couldn’t figure out why. She’s beautiful, Swedish, lives in myhometown. She has a good job, we seemed to share the same values, all of it. But…”

How do I explain the rest?

“Something didn’t feel right,” Claudia says softly.

“Right. She was pushing for a commitment, hinting she wanted me to move her to Florida, but every time I thought about it, I felt uncomfortable. Then…in early August, a couple of weeks before I was supposed to come back, she told me she was pregnant.”

“Uh oh.”

“Everything about it bothered me because I’m extremely careful about condoms, and she was supposedly on the pill. There were no accidents, no broken condoms, no bouts of passion where we forgot ourselves in the heat of the moment. She was so excited, making plans to move to the US, telling everyone we were getting married…it was a whirlwind. And because she’s from my hometown, because we have so many mutual friends, because it was so convenient to date someone like her, it was impossible to back pedal.”

“But you’re not together.”

“Oh, no.” I really hate this next part. “I have a small house in Sweden, where I stay when I’m home. Anyway, she kept some of her things there, and obviously, I have condoms there. On a whim, I went into the box and started inspecting them. I used the flashlight on my phone and a magnifying glass. And guess what I found?”

“She poked holes in them?” She sounds affronted.

“Yup.”

“Did you confront her?”

“I did. We had a huge fight. She tried to deny it at first, but then she broke down and said she loved me so much, she just wanted me to give her a chance to show me how good we would be together. She would be the perfect hockey wife. She wouldn’tcomplain about moving when I get traded, we’d go home in the summer to our shared hometown, and we’d have beautiful babies.”

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