Page 113 of Fair Play
“Paris?” Billie’s eyes widen. “Oh my God! Really?” She turns to me. “Can we go?”
I laugh. “It’s the off-season for me, babe. I’m not the one who has to work right now.”
“Today is one of the best days ever!” she says, her eyes twinkling.
It’s a pretty great day, but not as good as the one where she forgave me and told me she loved me.
As far as I’m concerned, that will always bemybest day ever.
Billie
What doesone pack for a black-tie wedding in Paris? I’ve never been anywhere but Arizona and California, so we had to scramble to get me an expedited passport and prepare for the trip of a lifetime. I went shopping with Saylor and Ally, so at least I have something appropriate to wear for the wedding and rehearsal, but we’re going to be there for a week. There will be a lot of other activities, both as a group and individually, and I’m feeling frustrated with my wardrobe.
I’ve never cared about designer brands or anything like that, but now that I’m with Rome I feel like I have to up my game a tiny bit. My clothes don’t have to be expensive but I do needto look well put together if I’m going to hang out with the other wives and girlfriends.
The good news is that we’re still living with Bodi and saving money, so I could afford to splurge a little. And Rome insisted on buying me the floor-length gown I found for the wedding. I’ve never spent five hundred dollars on a dress, not even for prom, but he didn’t bat an eyelash.
I wander down the hall to Bodi’s room, looking for a pair of sandals that might have fallen in his closet.
“Bodi, have you seen…” I stop talking as I take in the look on his face. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, forearms resting on his thighs, obviously a million miles away. “What’s wrong?” I ask automatically.
He doesn’t look at me. “I’m, uh, I’m going to Atlanta.”
“For what?”
“The Thunder reached out to my agent. They’re taking me in the expansion draft.”
“I…” I’m momentarily confused. “Does that mean you’ve been traded?”
“Essentially.”
“To another NHL team, right?”
“Yeah. The new team in Atlanta.”
“But Bodi, that’s good, isn’t it? That means they wanted you more than almost anyone else on the Phantoms.” It’s a given that Canyon and a few others were on the team’s protected list.
“Yeah, I know.” He finally meets my gaze. “I’m going to Atlanta, Billie.Without you.”
Then it dawns on me.
We’ve never lived apart.
Since our parents died, it’s been the two of us. We muddled through a lifetime of good and bad times, including grief, my injury and subsequent surgeries, lean financial times, and everything in between.
And for the first time, we’re taking separate paths.
“Are you…scared?” I ask softly, sitting next to him on the bed.
“Not scared so much as…nervous.”
“You’re going to do great. You found your groove during the playoffs. And let’s be honest, you’ll probably do better without me to distract you.”
“You’ve never been a distraction, Billie.” He reaches out and puts an arm around my shoulders. “You’re my sister. My family. And I want you to know—you were never a burden.”
“Not even when I was the most hormonal sixteen-year-old on the planet?”
He chuckles. “Not even then.”
