Page 20 of A Little Puck Luck

I chuckled. As if I wasn’t good enough, he had to ask me about my teammate and whether he went to a therapist as well. “Yes. All the guys on the Legacy go at least a couple of times a year. Some go more, and some go less. Want to try it and see if we can get rid of those scary dreams?”

“Sure,” he said with a shrug.

I practically texted Natalie right then and there. But other than asking for recommendations, I would make the calls myself. I wanted to keep things personal.

Chapter 15

Scuba

Tonightwasafungame. We won easily, and I got the second goal off of a sick pass that just came through both defensive players’ legs from Spencer Suzuki.

Coming out of the locker room, I heard a tired voice call out from the family lounge, “That was awesome, Dad.”

Holy shit, did he just say what I thought he said?

I rushed toward the family lounge, where Eric and Annette were hanging out with Natalie and the other WAGS (wives and girlfriends). Those two weren’t even supposed to be at the game tonight since it was a school night, and she wasn’t feeling well when I left.

Sure enough, there was a very sleepy six-year-old being held up by his mom. “Hey, kiddo, I thought you weren’t coming tonight.”

“Mom changed her mind.”

Eric laid his head on Annette’s shoulder and yawned wide enough that several flies could fly in. He needed to get to sleep quickly. Hopefully, the moment he got into the car, he would pass out. I ruffled his hair. “Well, I’m glad you came and even happier that you called me dad.”

“‘Course, ‘cause you are my dad. We may just be getting to know each other, but you are still my dad.”

Chapter 16

Annette

Itwasclosetothree a.m., and Terry wasn’t home yet. He was kind enough to say he was going out with some teammates, so I wouldn’t worry. But I still wasn’t used to being told things like that, especially since I refused to get my hopes up that our situation wasn’t anything more than convenience.

Tonight, the pain was getting to me. While everything was healing thus far, it still hurt so much if I moved wrong. Instead of opting for another round of Advil and Tylenol, I decided to make chamomile tea.

I put on the lovely magenta bathrobe that hung up in my closet, and before padding down to the kitchen, I peeked into Eric’s bedroom.

The kid was sleeping like one of those cherubs with his hands in the praying position and tucked under his head. He looked so happy in his hockey-inspired bedroom. It was good to see him finally be at peace like this. Quietly closing the door, I went downstairs.

I hissed in pain as I lifted the teapot.

Terry came in and immediately took the teapot from my hand. Instead of his typically smooth motions, his timing seemed off, and then there was the subtle drunken sway. He put the pot on the burner and then got the tea and a cup from the shelf.

As he struggled with turning on the high-tech stove, he said, “You’re sooooo damn pretty.”

I felt anything but pretty with those little light brown splotches all over my body. According to the doctors, I just had to wait a little more, and the bruises would be fully healed, though the ribs and the grief would take much longer.

I refused to look at him since he was clearly wearing drunk goggles. Ever since I moved in two weeks ago, he hadn’t so much as glanced my way.

His hands went to my waist and forced me to look at his eyes. “I’m not that trunk.”

I giggled and instantly regretted it since my ribs hurt. “I might have believed you if you said you were drunk.”

“Fine. I’m trunk.”

God. He was completely trashed, and it was time to get some water into his system and get him to bed. The sad thing was I had no idea how compliant he would be since the Terry I knew wouldn’t ever drink.

He kept staring at me until I couldn’t take it anymore. “What?” I asked.

“I’m thinking what you would look like naked.”

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