Page 66 of Sticking Out

One of the boys I coach walks into the change room and holds his hand up. “Great practice, Coach,” he says to me with a big smile.

“You did good, Liam. Keep that up and we’ll be playing in the NHL together.” He gives me a big toothy grin, and I open my locker and grab my bag. The weather is warm when I walk outside, and my phone pings. I pull it from my pocket and read the message from Dani.

Dani: How was camp?

Me: Great. Just finishing up.

Dani: Want to pop by and say hello to the dogs?

I’m about to tell her I’ll be right there when a message from Summer lights up my phone. Holy shit. My heart races a bit quicker.

Me: Sorry, I have some things to do.

Dani: No worries. See you for dinner tonight. It’s a nice night for a barbecue.

Me: Sounds good.

I stare at my phone for another minute. Three dots appear and disappear. Fuck, I hate not telling her the truth, but how can I? If this turns out to be nothing, then nothing ever needs to be said, right? I don’t know if that’s logical or not. I only know my main goal is to protect Dani until I have all the facts. I open the message from Summer.

Summer: Come by my place. I’m still in the apartment on Granville Road.

I shove my phone into my pocket and with my heart climbing into my throat, I hurry to my vehicle, a new purpose in my step. I have no idea what faces me when I reach her place. I only know if I have a child, I should have been told. Honest to fuck, anyone who would keep that information a secret, depriving a father the right to know his child, is lower than low in my book.

I pull into traffic and head towards Summer’s place. As I drive through the busy downtown core, something niggles in the back of my mind. I pinch the bridge of my nose when I come to a red light, my mind going back to that chaotic day when we lost Alec.

I was a hot mess in the hospital. After calling my brother, demanding he get home from New York, or he’d be dead to me, I called my parents, and Dani’s. The light turns green and I start driving. Alec never reached the hospital. In fact, he wasn’t that far away when he was sideswiped, hitting a streetlight head on.

How was it possible that he’d driven from New York to Boston in less than two hours? Unless he wasn’t in New York. Jesus Christ. If he was in the city, does that mean he waited, letting a couple hours tick by before driving to the hospital after I called. I had assumed Summer had gone to New York with him. As my mind goes over a million different scenarios, none of them good, I step on the gas, needing answers, and needing them now.

Twenty minutes later, I reach Granville Road and stare at the apartment building. Summer lived here while she was in college. I figured she’d have moved on from it at this point. I park my car, slam the door and hurry across the busy street.

I buzz her apartment, and she lets me in. Anxious, I take the stairs instead of the elevator and when I approach her apartment, she’s opening the door.

“Hey,” she murmurs quietly, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen her so worried in my entire life, which gives me an even bigger knot in my stomach.

“Hey.”

She shifts from one foot to the other and I glance over her shoulder to see the young boy from the nursing home pick up a toy airplane and run through the living room. He comes down the hall to the front door as Summer remains perfectly still. He stops and stares at me.

“Hi again,” I say, and Summer’s eyes go wide.

“You…what. How do you know Tyler?” She picks him up and holds him tight to her chest.

“At the nursing home.”

“What were you doing at the nursing home?”

I grip the doorframe. “Can I come in?”

She hesitates for a moment, and holds Tyler tighter, like she’s worried I’m going to take him from her or something. Does that mean he is mine?

She nods, and moves to the side. I push past her and she shuts and locks her door. I step into the small living room. Not much has changed in her place in two years, except, of course she has a child and the place is filled with toys.

I turn back to her and find her watching me with suspicious eyes. “Dani takes the therapy dogs there on Wednesday. What were you doing there?”

“My grandmother. She was recently admitted.”

I nod, standing on shaky legs as I take in Tyler’s big blue eyes. “I heard your laugh. It reminded me of a time, long ago.” I look back at her, and narrow my eyes. Does she know what I’m talking about?

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