Page 67 of Wake Me Up
He puts his arm around me, and we walk to the door when he stops.
“And next time you have an insecurity about how I’m feeling or where I stand, talk to me, okay?”
“I will,” I whisper. “I’m sorry.”
He gives my ass a swat and grins. “Good. I promise, you’re not getting rid of me that easy, darlin’. I’m hooked.”
We walk into the house, and I’m hit with the reality that Tripp Talmage doesn’t just love me … he loves my kids. And the best part? My kids love him back too.
The Jonas Brothers sing “I Dare You” with special guests Rascal Flatts, and my face hurts so freaking bad from grinning because I’ve never seen Aviana look so happy in my life. She screams every word, just like she has all of the other songs, and leave it to Tripp to sing along with her because he learned all of their popular songs the past few weeks once he gave her the tickets.
The boys opted to stay back in Maine with my parents because I’m pretty sure they think they are too cool for this boy band.
I crimped Avy’s hair, and she’s in the cutest Jonas Brothers T-shirt with a bright pink tennis skirt and Vans on her feet, making her the coolest kid ever. The past month has been grueling for her, and now that she’s feeling like herself again—minus the random seizures—she deserved this tonight. She really, really did.
I dance along to the music, but I keep my eyes on Tripp and Aviana because how could I look away? I feel a tiny twang of pain in my heart, knowing Jamie would have given anything to be here for this, but I know my late husband enough to know he’d have been so happy that my kids have a man in their life who loves them the way that Tripp does.
I don’t think I ever imagined we’d all be this happy again, but it feels so good to wake up and smile instead of constantly feeling that ache in my chest. The pain of losing Jamie is still there for all of us, and I guess that’s something we will carry our whole life. Losing him changed us, just like Tripp losing his dad altered him.
The song ends, and Tripp looks at me, grinning as the sweat beads down his face. Aviana fans herself with her hand, but bounces up and down.
“This is the best day of my life!” she squeals before throwing her arms around Tripp. “Thank you, Tripp! Thank you for making this happen!”
Despite Aviana being seven years old, she’s tiny. So, like many timesbefore, Tripp lifts her up and puts her on his shoulders before standing behind me as the band starts to sing “Leave Before You Love Me.”
I spin toward Aviana and Tripp and smile, and he kisses the top of my head.
“Thanks for sharing your kids with me, darlin’,” he murmurs.
“Thanks for wanting me to,” I say, pushing past the lump in my throat.
I glance up at my daughter, who’s singing every word, swaying around on Tripp’s shoulders, and my heart squeezes inside my chest.
Sometimes, life really sucks. That’s true.
But gosh … sometimes … it’s really, really freaking beautiful. And seeing your child smile a true, genuine smile? There’s nothing more beautiful than that.
Walking up to the hostess, who greets me a little too friendly, I nod politely. “Hi there. I’m meeting someone.” I pause, remembering the friend I’m meeting told me he was going to give the restaurant a different name, and when I look at the name in the text message, I roll my eyes. “Wolf Zero Four.”
She looks a bit confused but skims over her list and smiles. “Oh, yes. He’s right over here.” Stepping around the hostess stand, she gives me another smile. “Right this way, Mr. Talmage.”
I follow her through the exclusive restaurant as we make our way toward an old friend of mine I haven’t seen in a long time.
“Here we are,” she says, stopping next to a table before turning on her heel and walking back toward where we came from.
A set of familiar eyes and a signature grin flash at me before he stands up, holding his hand out and throwing his arm around me.
“Tripp motherfucking Talmage. How the hell did I get lucky enough to convince you to come out and have dinner with me, you handsome fucker, you?” Cade Huff says, and instantly, I’m grinning as he smacks my back.
I’ve met a lot of people in the hockey world, but this dude right here is one of my favorites. He’s one of a kind and one of those people who just stays with you.
“Cade motherfucking Huff,” I drawl, still smiling as he releases me and plops back down in the chair. “It’s good to see you, man.” I slide into my own seat, looking him over. “You look real good.”
Cade and I go way back. I’m older than he is by a few years, but when we were in high school, we attended a few of the same hockey camps. That was before his best friend was murdered in front of him and Cade took a turn for the worse, depending on drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. But the dude has a wife and kid now and has been on the coaching staff at Brooks University for a while now—hence the name at the hostess stand,Wolf. When he called me a few days ago and asked if I had time to meet for dinner, I instantly said yes because I couldn’t turn down seeing him.
“Thanks, brother,” he says, clasping his hands together in front of him. “Hey, thanks for agreeing to meet me. I know you’re a busy dude with the season being in full swing.”
“You know I wouldn’t miss a chance to see you when you’re in Maine,” I tell him. “So, tell me, what the hell brings you to New England anyway?”
