Page 13 of War

Krista lasted three weeks.

I was in Denver for an away game when Maria called to tell me that Krista had gone out to the grocery store and hadn’t come home.

She reappeared a week later.

For a week, she didn’t check in on her kids. She didn’t call to let us know she was okay. No, she chose to spend that week high or drunk or god knows what.

The next day, I had Madi draw up an offer I didn’t think she’d refuse.

I was right.

For fifty grand, Krista signed over her rights to Scarlett.

The process of adopting Josie is much more complicated. Kristahadn’t regained her parental rights to Josie before she took off, so we’re back to square one with her.

For now, I’m fostering with the hope of adopting, but because I travel so much, it’s an uphill battle.

“Yes, judges typically want to keep siblings together, but Josie and Scarlett have just met, and Brayden isn’t their biological sibling. He’s not even yours. You’re his guardian and nothing more.”

A mixture of pain and relief washes through me at that last statement. I made Trisha the same offer I made Krista, but Trisha chose rehab over signing over her rights to Brayden. As much as I want to be Bray’s dad, I’m impressed that she’s willing to do the work to be a better mother. I’ll gladly pay for the most expensive rehab facility if it means Brayden has a shot at a sober mother.

In the meantime, I’m the closest thing he has to a parent, and he and Josie have bonded over the last year. We’re a family of strays, sure, but we’re still a family, and I’d do anything to stay together.

“Is there anything I can do to sway the judge?”

Madi’s eyes bulge, and she takes a step back. “Like bribing him?”

“Fuck no,” I huff, my leg bouncing again. “Something legal.”

Her shoulders sag instantly. “Oh. Well, providing more stability at home would go a long way. Another parental figure would be ideal, but since you’re single, a long-term nanny could work.” She hums, lips pursed. “Though I think it’s a bit too late for that.”

Irritation oozes through me like poison seeping into my bloodstream. “How could it be too late? I’ve barely had a minute to wrap my head around becoming a dad, let alone get shit set up.” I’m trying hard to do the right thing, but jumping through the hoops the courts create is a fucking full-time job. One would think they’d be on board with the idea of giving Josie a home so she doesn’t have to remain in the hospital. That they’d happily allow a person she knows and trusts to adopt her rather than placing her with strangers.

Even if I had to hire a nanny, Josie would still have her sister, Brayden, and Maria. And I’d be there as often as I could. It’s so un-fucking-fair. I’m trying to do the right thing, and still, it isn’t enough.

I shouldn’t be surprised, though. That is literally the story of my life.

“You’ve got months until the hearing, and even then, as long as you can show the judge that Josie has a stable home life and is fed and taken care of, you will remain her foster parent while the process of adoption continues.”

She clears her throat and straightens further, clearly gearing up for a come to Jesus moment. She gives me these kinds of lectures often. I appreciate them as much as I despise them. Because they always give me the push I need. So I sit silently and wait.

“But,” she finally begins, the single word terse, “no fights. No bars. No random women. Stay out of the press, Tyler.”

I grind my teeth, biting back the urge to sayI’ve been doing that for months. More than months. Since I met Brayden, I’ve worked to set a good example for him. Going so far as to give up my apartment in the city and buy the house in the suburbs so the kids could attend better schools and have privacy and a place to call their own.

I don’t go out. I don’t fuck random women. I’ve settled down.I’m boring. I’m practically an old married man. Just don’t have a wife.

With the exception of Daniel Hall—who’s still a baby at only twenty-four and just beginning his hockey career—my friends have settled down too.

In a surprising twist of events, Coach named me captain this season. I can’t imagine he would have done that if he couldn’t see all the ways I’d made changes. It feels good, knowing that one person believes I’m worth it.

Now I have to get the court to agree.

“Got it. No bars. No booze. No fights. Now,” I say, my tone turning sardonic, “if I can find a woman willing to be a mother to the kids, I’ll be golden.”

Shrugging, Madi says, “A wife would be ideal, but yeah, you get the point.”

I laugh at the absurdity of her statement. A wife? Where the hell would I find one of those?

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