Page 75 of Wake Me Up
Freya and the kids stopped by earlier to say their goodbyes and put some flowers here for him, but I couldn’t pack up this man’s wife and kids without coming here myself.
I don’t say another word. I simply turn and walk toward the exit, where my truck is parked. But out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. And when I turn to look, I see a huge-ass buck with the biggest set of horns I’ve ever seen standing by the edge of the woods.
In Maine, it’s not uncommon to see a deer. In fact, once you get out of the city, they are everywhere. But this is the closest I’ve ever been to one before.
I take a step toward him and then another before I stop. He stares at me, unmoving, and even though I know it’s the dumbest thing ever and would make me sound like a fucking nutjob if I admitted this out loud, somehow, in that moment, when his eyes stare into mine … I get the feeling Jamie heard everything I just said.
After a minute or two, he turns away from me and walks into the woods like he’s heading back to his home. And after watching him disappear, I do the same thing.
“Mom, I just caught five frogs in that pond out back!” Aviana squeals, running back inside. “Five! Five frogs! And one was definitely a bullfrog because he was huge!”
I get down from the stool, looking at the picture I hung to make sure it’s straight, instantly knowing it’s crooked as hell, but I force my eyes away because it’s Tripp’s problem now.
“That’s amazing.” I pause, looking at her hands. “Avy … did you wash—”
“No, I didn’t wash my hands!” she cuts me off. “I’m going back out right now!”
Before I can force my child, who’s spent the past hour picking up slimy frogs, to wash her damn hands, she runs back out the door.
We got to the new house yesterday, and it’s gorgeous with a huge yard, a beautiful pool, and—Aviana’s favorite—a frog pond out back. I think I like that it’s in such a secluded area, that it feels like we’re in the country. And yet it takes Tripp twenty-five minutes in the truck, and he’s at the arena, in the city. So, in a way, it’s like we have the best of both worlds.
Though I’ll say, drivers down here are much angrier behind the wheel than Mainers are. And their horns? It’s like their cars are programmed to honk if the person in front of them is a millisecond late on the gas. But I don’t mind. I find it sort of charming.
I move on to the box in the kitchen, pawing through it and finding the plates I ordered. Turning on the sink, I begin to wash them while I reflect on the past twenty-four hours.
Saying goodbye to the house—the one I had bought with Jamie when we were newlyweds and the one we brought our babies home to from the hospital—was harder than I’d anticipated. And as I did a final walk-through, making sure everything was cleared out, I started to cry. It was then that Tripp told me that he was the mystery buyer who had bought my house.Because I was so set on selling it to put the money in the kids’ accounts for college, he told me to keep the money for their college funds. He said he did it because he felt like the house that was their dad’s should one day rightfully be theirs. Whether they sell it for the money or keep it forever, Tripp made it clear that it would be their choice.
I look out the window above the sink, and my heart patters when I see the boys playing basketball together, both laughing and somehow looking younger.
For so many years, Cane had to exist as if he were older than his years because he wanted to make sure I had a man in the house. Now, he’s allowed to be a boy—at least for a little while longer.
Cade finishes up practice, somehow joking with the team while being serious and making sure they know not to fuck off. I have no idea how he manages to do that, but I’m a little envious.
“Be here tomorrow morning, bright and early at six a.m.,” he calls out. “No partying tonight or staying up late. You need to show up ready to work.” He looks at me, cringing. “Because Coach Talmage and I agree that y’all look out of shape as shit.”
Luckily for him, keeping a serious expression on my face has never been a challenge, and I keep my eyes hard and my mouth straight.
Cade holds his fist out in front of him and jerks his chin toward Samuel, the kid he named team captain just a few hours ago. “Call it, Sanders.”
Confidently, Samuel puts his fists out and gazes at his teammates. “Eagles on me, Eagles on three!” he chants. “One, two, three.”
“Eagles,”we all yell, lifting our hands up.
Saying Eagles instead of Bay Sharks feels a bit weird. I don’t feel at home just yet, but I know it’s going to take time to find my place here at NEU. The team seems like a decent group of kids, aside from their huge-ass egos, but I was expecting that.
Once they all file off the ice, Cade smacks my arm. “Good job today, Coach.” He grins. “We’ll get ’em into shape in no time.”
I nod before I let my gaze sweep around the arena. I feel like a stranger here, but I suppose that’s because Portland was my home for so long, and I needed to get out of my comfort zone.
“Do you ever miss it, Huff?”
He knows what I mean; I don’t need to specify. His expression has the smallest hint of sadness on it when he sighs. “Sometimes, I miss the rush of playing, sure. But some things aren’t meant to be. And for me, that’s hockey. I was meant to be a part of it, sure. But not play it forever.”
Before I answer, Cade smacks me on the arm again. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, ol’ boy, I gotta get going. Haley and I have a sitter for the first time in months, and I’m taking my girl out to dinner.”
As he takes off, I call behind him with a grin on my face, “Don’t forget whatyousaid, Coach. Don’t be out too late.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it!” he yells, stepping off the ice and leaving me alone in this arena.
