Page 118 of Man Advantage

“Well,”the person had apparently said,“tell him we wish him the best of luck, and our door is always open if he comes back to Portland.”

Cam was relieved to hear that, but he didn’t seem interested in going back to the West Coast any time soon. Not just because we were together, either—the job had been a perfect fit for him. He was now training several of my teammates, plus numerous prospects and youth hockey players, and literallyhalfof my teammates’ spouses and partners. He was thriving, all his clients loved him—even if they did complain sometimes that he worked them hard—and he was making money hand over fist.

It worked out well for childcare, too. His schedule was mostly during the boys’ school hours, and his evening and weekend clients were usually when I was home or Bryan had custody.

And speaking of Bryan, things had evened out with him, too. Ever since we’d had our come-to-Jesus conversation, the dynamic between us had shifted alot. He’d mellowed considerably, especially the more he’d realized how much Chatswas adding to our antagonistic relationship. It didn’t hurt that the two of them had broken up shortly after that, either. Without Chats in the picture to add to the tension, we were finding some much more comfortable footing than we’d had before. Bryan still hadn’t confirmed or denied if his relationship with Chats had overlapped with ours, but given the change in his attitude after they’d split up, I was pretty sure I had my answer. I left it alone, though; we were making progress, and that felt like a wound that didn’t need reopening.

We weren’t best friends or anything, but we were cordial, and he’d also worked out a fairly comfortable dynamic with Cam. The family counselor he’d suggested had been seriously helpful, and we’d gone both together and separately. The boys joined us for some sessions. So did Cam. Bryan’s new boyfriend, Rick, had also started coming once it became clear that he was sticking around and Bryan wanted him to meet the boys.

Our family had spent a lot of hours in that office (and I’d spent a lot of hours doing televisits when I was on the road), and it had paid off in spades. During custody swaps, we’d sometimes even linger to talk beyond coordinating things with the twins.

It helped a lot that Bryan had also started going to a therapist on his own. I wasn’t privy to what they’d talked about, but I could see the shift in Bryan over time. Some of that was probably from being away from Chats. Some of it, though, seemed more introspective. More like he was making a genuine effort to work on himself. That was especially apparent when he’d pulled me aside one night for a long heart-to-heart. He’d apologized for the things he’d done that had been the catalyst for our divorce. I had too—though I hadn’t been the one to cheat, I’d learned through our counseling that I’d neglected other issues in our relationship. Bryan openly accepted the blame for cheating, but we both owned our parts in our marriage unraveling.

After that, I’d confided in Cam that maybe it was time for me to get a therapist too. My first appointment was a couple of weeks later, and it had helped a lot. My sessions with him made a huge difference with my relationship with Bryan, my confidence as a father, and even my otherwise rock-solid relationship with Cam. Why the hell didn’t I start going to him sooner?

Bryan had also apologized to Cam for the obnoxious things he’d said, and they were getting along better than I’d ever imagined they would. They could communicate about the kids’ schedules, homework, sports, and any issues without the slightest tension. When they’d had a disagreement a few months ago over who should handle driving to and from a doctor’s appointment scheduled for our custody swap time, they’d sorted it out before I’d ever known there was a problem. Bryan had even gone to a cake-decorating class with Cam and the boys one night when I’d had to cancel due to a media obligation; by all accounts, everyone had had a good time.

I think that was better for the boys, too. Though we’d all endeavored to keep the animosity out of their sight, even while Chats had still been in the picture, they weren’t stupid. They could pick up on the uncomfortable vibe whenever we were in the same room.

Now that that vibe was gone, and we could all act like adults around each other, the boys were more relaxed too.

I felt guilty about that. I hated that we hadn’t been able to put our differences aside for so long, and that they’d felt it. But I was glad things were looking up now. Hopefully over time, we could all make it up to them.

Just before last season’s training camp, Bryan admitted he missed going to games, so I’d hooked him and Rick up with season tickets. A few games in, Cam had invited them up to the partners’ and spouses’ box so they could be with the kids and Bryan’s friends. Cam had, of course, consulted with the others tomake sure that was all right. Bryan and Rick didn’t join them for every game, but once in a while they did, and everyone got along fine. The kids loved it, too.

I had no desire to return to being with Bryan. I was blissfully happy with Cam, and Bryan was finding his own joy with Rick. But now we could share things like Christmas morning, the twin’s birthday, and school events. Neither of us had to miss out on important moments in our sons’ lives. Well, no more than hockey demanded, anyway. I think that was what I was most grateful for through all of this—that I’d found enough peace with my ex-husband to reclaim what precious moments I wasn’t already missing because of my job.

And now, a year and a half after we’d found our way back to each other, Cam and I were doing this. We were tying the knot.

Nothing left to do but get my ass out there and say my vows.

I held my own gaze in the mirror, took a deep breath, and let it out. This was it. We were doing this. Zach and Zane were excited to take part in our ceremony, and they were undoubtedly already seated with Bryan. All our friends and family were here, along with teammates past and present (minus Chats). Nothing left to do now but go join the man I loved so we could walk up to the altar together.

The butterflies were as calm as they’d ever be, so I stepped out of the room.

When I came down the stairs to the foyer outside the banquet hall where the ceremony would be held, there was only one person standing outside the closed doors.

And I halted.

And I stared.

Seeing Cam in that tux took me back to both our winter formal dance and that home opener after he’d first come to Pittsburgh. Back to those moments when I’d fallen in love with him all over again. We wore white tuxes this time, not black,but the look was still the same. His short, sandy blond hair was perfectly styled, and he had a rose boutonnière that matched mine.

Back then, when I’d seen him standing on his parents’ front porch in that tux, we’d both been confused about who we were. Today, I knew exactly who I was, and I knew exactly who I loved, and seeing him like this almost had me breaking down in tears before our wedding even started.

Cam grinned up at me. “You ready for this?”

I laughed and tried to be as subtle as possible about wiping my eyes as I closed the last bit of distance between us. “I think I’ve been ready for this since before we could drink.”

His laugh was a little damp around the edges, too, and when I stopped in front of him, he had tears in his eyes.

I chuckled and made a more conspicuous gesture of wiping at mine. “So it’s not just me?”

“No.” He sniffed. “No, it’s not just you.”

Our eyes met, and we both laughed. Then I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in tight.

“I’m so glad we got here,” I whispered.

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