Page 7 of A Little Crush
“It’s hard enough raising a kid when you’re not together,” my dad continues. “Add in the way Iris handles everything, and I don’t get it. Why she keeps giving you such a hard time. Eleanor was…easy.”
I chuckle dryly. “Yeah, if only Iris would move to another country, right?”
“Eleanor was easy before she married Phillip and moved to England when you were older,” my dad clarifies. “She accepted Ash with open arms, shared the title of mom, and let us know we were a team. All of us. Considering everything Iris did to bring you two to this point, her behavior is…” He grits his teeth and takes a deep breath.
I don’t bother defending Iris or her decisions that led us here. She fucked up, but I wasn’t happy, either. Not really. Doesn’t justify stepping out on me, but it is what it is. With a sigh, I grasp the lip of the pool, lift myself out of it, and rest my sorry ass on the concrete edge still warm from the afternoon sun. I appreciate my dad’s restraint. His desire to not bad-mouth my ex no matter how big of a target she likes to paint on herself.
“Any chance she approved the latest list of nannies?” Uncle Henry interjects.
It’s another sore subject, and my head rolls forward as I bite back my groan. “Not yet. It isn’t easy finding someone Poppy doesn’t hate, who’s also willing to travel with the team for away games, then be left twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do anytime Poppy’s with her mom.”
“You gonna figure something out before training?” he prods.
Uncle Henry is the owner of the NHL Lions and my boss after offering me the position of head coach. It’s funny. How excited Iris was when I received the offer. Now, I can’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with all the extra travel I was signing up for and the free nights she knew she’d have to sneak around behind my back. The thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
“The head coach needs to be at training,” Uncle Henry reminds me.
I bite my lip to keep from saying,Yeah, no shit, and mutter, “You know I’ll figure something out.”
My dad scoffs. “I’m still not sure why she has any say in who you hire in the first place, but that’s just me.”
With a groan, I rest my elbows on my knees, giving my dad a pointed look. “If the roles were reversed, I’d want a say in who my baby’s around.”
“Then why is Chris living with her?” he demands.
It’s a good question. One I’ve refused to analyze. “Chris isn’t a bad guy.”Just an asshole who likes fucking married women,I silently add before voicing aloud, “Not to Poppy.”
“I still don’t trust him,” my dad grunts.
Slapping his shoulder, Uncle Henry interjects, “Cut your son some slack. He’s figuring it out.”
Says the man who felt the need to remind me that the head coach should probably be at training camp. To be clear, I love these guys, and I’m grateful for everything they do. But sometimes they make me feel like I’m still a kid instead of a full-grown adult with my own child to worry about.
Sensing how close I am to losing my shit, my dad caves. “I’ll drop it. Just remember we’re here for you, all right? Your mom even offered to fly with you for the first game if it’ll convince Iris to let Poppy travel. All you gotta do is ask.”
It would help if Iris liked my mom. It’d help if she liked anyone. After the divorce, she decided everyone related to me is of the devil and has no issue reminding me of her stance any time I pick up or drop off our daughter at her place.
“You know the staff will do their best to accommodate whatever you need,” Uncle Henry adds.
If only the Lions’ staff was the issue. If I’m being honest, Iris’s desire for control and compulsive need to fuck with me is more than half the battle when it comes to this upcoming season. Keeping my concerns to myself, I reply, “I appreciate it. For now, I’ll take it a day at a time. Enjoy the wedding. Keep searching for a nanny. One Poppy and Iris don't hate, but one I can trust, and if I have to ask Iris to switch weeks or…something during training, then we’ll be good to go.”
“Yeah.” My dad nearly chokes on his snort. Placing his hands on the edge of the pool, he pushes himself onto the still-warm concrete surrounding the water and plops down beside me. “Sounds like a walk in the park.”
I chuckle. “Exactly.” Turning to Uncle Henry, I add, “Thanks again for today. This was great.”
“Don’t thank me,” he deflects. “Thank Mia for putting this on and Finley for suggesting a pool party so the kids would be entertained instead of a dinner to celebrate the engagement.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” I return. “Anything else I need to know for this upcoming week?”
“I think we’re gonna watch some childhood videos tomorrow night so we can choose which ones to play during the reception,” Uncle Henry tells me. “I’m sure Mav would love to have you here.”
“Yeah,” I decide. “I’ll be here.”
4
RORY
“Hey!” Tatum’s voice echoes through the Bluetooth speaker as I pull onto the main road. “So, how’d it go?”
