Page 98 of Scoring Grey

Lying awake at night and going over all the things I’d say to my father the next time I saw him, I asked myself, would my childhood have looked different if I had found an ally in Keely? Knowing someone else is struggling the same sucks, but there’s strength in discovering you’re not alone. I’ve found that the answers to the questions are moot. They don’t change anything, but they have given me a different perspective. Of course I want to be the one to make my father pay for the hell he cost me, but whose hell was worse, mine or hers? Who gets to land the final blow? I wanted to be his executioner, but if he suffers even if not by my hand, is it not enough?

Eloise’s hand mindlessly lifts mine, and she drops her eyes to our fingers, which tells me she’s not sold on her brother’s theory. “And what do you think?”

She purses her lips. “I think it’s a possibility, but Dash is missing too.”

Dash adds another layer to all of this no one saw coming. He was a close friend to Eloise before she ever found out they shared any blood. I know she’s dying to talk to him now, and because she can’t, she’s spiraling.

“Blondie, Dash left after he overheard what your mother told us. He left on his own, and we both know he’s good at getting lost. We won’t hear from him until he’s ready to be found.”

“What if that’s never?”

“I don’t think that will be the case. He just had a lot of information thrown into his lap. The last thing he was expecting to find when he accepted that job with The Wild was his birth parents. You said when you were stuck in that cabin, he told you he knew he was adopted. During that conversation, did he happen to mention if he ever tried to look for his birth family?”

She shakes her head.

“Dash told you he had a good life. Not everyone who is adopted is searching for a past that didn’t want them. They accept the cards they were dealt and make peace with what is. He just needs time. We, of all people, know that space and time, while not always ideal, help us find our way.”

I know she hears what I’m saying, but it doesn’t mean it makes any of this easier.

“Iverson thinks your father is staying close to the airport so that on your birthday when the funds would be fully accessible to you, he can transfer them to an offshore account and leave.”

I guess we’re changing the subject. I get it, though; like me, she doesn’t want to discuss something she can’t change. Dash doesn’t want to be found, and there’s nothing she can do about it.

“Iverson was able to pull some strings with a friend of a friend and get a small team on standby for forty-eight hours. They will rent rooms in the same hotel the day before your birthday and follow your father if he leaves the hotel.”

“And your mother is still on board?”

“Yes, she’s already tipped off the shareholders and reached out to the owner personally, who will be sitting in wait, watching the account’s activity from the bank live with her.”

“Wow.” My eyes widen. “That seems like a big ask. I guess your mom is out for blood, too.” Makes sense. My father ruined her marriage, and he threatened her daughter. I’d stop at nothing to ensure he paid if the roles were reversed.

She pauses and squeezes my hand. “I know you’ve mentioned you never cared about the money, but, Cal, your mother had a lot of money, and that money has been sitting there your entire life, making money. The investors of that bank aren’t in a hurry to see it leave. Your trust fund rivals the one I had.”

Eloise is right. I’ve never cared about my inheritance. A lot of that had to do with my father. He held money over my head my whole life. I didn’t want anything that gave him power over me. But this news brings me back to the thoughts I’ve stifled for years. I started playing hockey for my mom, knowing it would have brought her joy, made me happy. Then it became a way to stay away from home until finally it became my only way to survive. Playing hockey was my meal ticket when I told my dad to go to hell. It’s what I needed to do to provide for my family and be worthy of standing next to Eloise. So where does that leave me now?

The answer to that question won’t be found tonight. First, I need to get out of this hospital. I need to hold my son. I need to be with my family. At the moment, every choice feels like a sacrifice, and I know when it’s right, when it’s what was always meant to be, it won’t.

28

CALLUM

TWO MONTHS LATER

“Is this thing on?” I tap the microphone, and everyone laughs. I knew it was on, but giving this speech has me all in my feels. “In my wildest dreams, I’m not sure I saw this day coming. Did I want this? Hell yeah, I did. We all want this. It’s what we train for every day. It’s what we eat, drink, and breathe in hopes of getting here to this fucking moment. But how many boys actually chase this dream and get here? Tonight, the twenty of us get to be those kids who dreamed big. The excitement and the high we’ve been riding for the past few weeks is like nothing I’ve ever known. They say you can’t capture lightning in a bottle. It’s impossible because it’s a natural phenomenon that never strikes in the same place twice, but we didn’t need it to strike twice. We only needed it once, and then we put the lid on it.” I pause as the team drums on the tables, making the silverware rattle while they make a show and holler. I smile and nod, letting the moment sink in before they quiet.

“You see, itdidn’t just come when we faced off against the Diamonds in game seven. It was there when we clinched our seat as the wild card. It came again when we defeated the Ice Sharks and then the Stars. We went out there and played our fucking hearts out even when we weren’t at our best in the locker room. We put our differences aside for the team because that’s what we do. Our love for the game transcends.”

I grip the stand and look around at my teammates. This season was a roller coaster, and these guys have been my second family for years. I could keep playing, and there would be no team I’d be prouder to have at my back than these guys right here, even with Austin on the team. We may not have seen eye to eye most of the season, but we understand each other, and in life, that goes a long way. We don’t have to agree on everything. We don’t have to be best friends. We just need to respect each other, and we’re finally in a place where we have that. However, this is no longer my season. Thischapter of my life is closing.

“Every one of you has a story off the ice. Alot of you have got to watch mine play out in the media for the last few weeks.”

I pause for boos and murmurs. They’re not booing me but rather the fucked-up reality I’ve lived off the screen. They read the headlines about Eloise’s accident, they watched my season end too soon on the ice, and a few days later, they watched as my father was hauled off by the Feds for embezzlement and second-degree murder charges for the death of my mother. Yep, that happened. Our plan actually fucking worked. It’s why I can stand here today with my head held high. I questioned my ability to lead and be the guy worthy of a title, but it was in my trials and tribulations that I discovered that it was why they chose me. I’m still standing.

“Tonight, I’m supposed to accept my position on the team next year. I am beyond honored that this organization believes in my ability even when I’ve doubted it myself, but I will not be returning to the Kings next season.”

There are audible gasps around the room, and I considered not sharing this news at tonight’s event so as not to cast a sullen cloud over what is supposed to be a joyous event, but that brings me back to why they chose me for this role to begin with… to lead.

“Before the rumors start, I’m not going to another team. My time on the ice has come to an end. This is the end of my time, but that means it’s the beginning for someone else’s. But back to those stories we’re all destined to write, this platform has given me a voice, one that can echo far beyond the game, and forthatI’m truly humbled and grateful. As I sat with this offer and thought about what I’d be leaving behind, it was all I had to give that made up my mind.”

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