Page 28 of Blue Lines and Lullabies

“Uh, sure?”

“Listen. My ex-girlfriend called a couple days ago and left me a message that sounded concerning. Something is up with her, but obviously, I can’t do shit while I’m here. Can you check on her for me? I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.”

“Sure,” I say innocently. “What’s her name?”

“Teagan.”

“Send me her info. How long did you guys date?”

“About a year.”

“Seriously? And you never once mentioned her to me?” I say with mock shock.

He shrugs. “You know I keep things close to my chest.”

“Why’d you break up?”

Grant sighs. “I really don’t know. One second, we were talking about moving in together, and then the next, we were breaking up. I honestly don’t know what happened.”

“Sounds like you miss her,” I comment.

Grant looks off in the distance, waving at someone. “I don’t know. Maybe. Gotta go, Cass. We’re boarding the bus to head to the arena. I’ll text you her contact, and let me know when you speak to her. Just be … gentle. She’s the sweetest person I know.”

As he ends the call, Teagan takes a gaping and quivering breath as tears roll down her face. “He doesn’t remember why we broke up.”

“Do you know why?” I ask.

She nods. “I told him I didn’t want to get married, that I didn’t believe in marriage. And that I wasn’t sure if I wanted kids.”

“Oh, wow,” I breathe. My brother might keep things close to his heart, but he’s always wanted to have a family of his own. So I bet that hurt him immensely. “I was right, though.”

“About what?”

“He may not have called you his girlfriend in front of you, but in all the ways that mattered to him, you were.”

“That’s true. Listen,” Teagan says, jumping up and wiping her tears away, “I’ll figure out something. Tell him you couldn’t reach me. Tell him I hung up on you when you said your last name. Anything. Just don’t tell him why I called him. Okay? Please, Cassie. Promise me.”

“I’ll try,” I murmur as Teagan gives me one last smile before she bolts out the front door. Looking down at Mackenzie, I lift my hands up in exasperation. “These hockey boys are doing my head in Kenz!”

And that’s when I get my first gummy grin from my favorite newborn.

Gabe

The remainder of the road trip passed by in a blur. I continued to text with Cassie, including daily videos. Still, we had yet to further discuss what happened between us, or what could happen in the future. We returned home with five wins and two losses, an excellent record for such a long stretch away from home.

Our final game was a rarity — an afternoon game — allowing us to catch a late evening flight and get home in the early morning. Ideal? No. But it meant I got home to my girls a day earlier.

Catching myself grinning as I look in the rearview mirror, I nod affirmatively. Yes. Plural. Mine. Cassie is mine. Ten days away made me realize how much I missed her. Part of it was based on the help she gave me. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have her at home to care for Mackenzie. But the absence made me realize everything I took for granted with Cassie, and some tidbits that make her so inherently breathtaking. Her messy bun when she slinks in to get Mackenzie in the middle of the night. The smile she gives my daughter when she thinks I'm not watching. Sorry, Cass: I'm pretty much always watching. I love seeing her array of eclectic coffee cups sitting in the sink beside my monotone ones. Her super sugary cereal on the shelf beside my healthier options. The growing stack of recipes she's been printing off for months down the road when Mackenzie can have solid foods. I knew I could fall for Cassie the night we met. But watching her fall for my daughter has been an exquisite experience I didn't realize I desperately needed in my life.

It's half past one in the morning when I finally pull into my garage, and I don't even bother removing my bags. After quietly closing the door behind me, I take the stairs two at a time, rushing toward Cassie's room. I carefully open the door, expecting to see the crib, but find the room curiously quiet. When I hear a coo and a gurgle, I chuckle as I walk back toward my room. Did Cassie lie about moving Kenzie's crib? Or did she move it back already?

As I push open my bedroom door, I find Cassie rocking slowly in the chair, quietly singing a lullaby to Mackenzie. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful and picturesque scene. My heart breaks wide open for them, and I realize in such a short period, I've irrevocably fallen in love with Cassie.

"Hey, you," I hear her whisper, and I find her watching me with a soft smile covering her face. I carefully place my phone and wallet on the nightstand, and shrug out of my suit jacket before walking over to her and crouching. "I just got her back to sleep. I think she knew you were coming home because she's been waking every hour."

I find my hand reaching for Cassie's face, my forefinger tracing an errant piece of hair down her cheek before moving it behind her ear. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course you can. She's your daughter," Cassie teases as she places Mackenzie in my arms. I look down at her cherubic face, so peaceful and serene, and I'm overcome with emotion. My eyes fill with tears before I realize what's happening.

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