Page 126 of Top Scorer
He’s never been more gorgeous than he is right now.
Tristan kisses the tops of their heads, hums some tuneless little song, and is already an amazing father.
CHAPTER 53
TRISTAN
The ruckus annoys me, because it wakes Ligaya from her fitful sleep. Our first night with the babies was rough, not gonna lie. I did what I could to cradle and rock and comfort Olivia and Orlando, although that’s nothing compared to what a mother has to endure.
A C-section is major surgery, which is why we’re staying for another night. On top of learning how to breastfeed and recovering from hours of labor, she has to manage the pain. So when the rise of voices reaches Ligaya’s hospital room, I leap out of my chair to tell everyone in the hallway to shut the fuck up.
When I swing the door open, I find Dexter.
With a hushed voice, he greets me. “Hey, Dad! How you doing?”
We hug and he asks if I’m up to say hi to the guys.
“Who else is here?”
“Everyone.”
I follow him down the hall, already bracing myself. The Mavericks didn’t clinch the Stanley Cup. Although I can’t regret missing the game, I still want to console my captain.
“I’m sorry about missing the game in Seattle. If—” I begin to explain.
Dex shakes his head, cutting me off. “Some things are more important than hockey.”
We round the corner, and the waiting room comes into view. Vinyl chairs line the walls, most taken up by extra-large shoulders and knees sticking out into the aisle. My teammates stand up and hug me one by one, patting my back and asking when they can see the babies.
I pull up the seventy pictures I took yesterday, swiping through them. Heads angle in, shoulders knock together, someone takes it off my hand for a closer look. The screen is smudged with fingerprints as they zoom in on Olivia’s large eyes and Orlando’s button nose.
“Congratulations, Thorne,” Lance says, flashing a grin. “The fun is just starting.”
“Sean came for the cute nurses,” Gordon pipes in.
The noise lingers, everyone talking over each other in a tangle of voices. They should be in their own homes, recovering from the bruises and strain of a tough loss. Instead, they’re cramped in a waiting room, coffee cups in hand and goodwill in abundance, to congratulate us.
“This means a lot to me, guys,” I say by way of thanks. “Ligaya and I are really grateful that you stayed in Seattle longer, just so I could make it back for the birth.”
“Don’t even mention it,” Dex says along with the team’s chorus of “no problem” and “of course.”
“Not every team would have sacrificed their time and comfort for me and my family,” I acknowledge.
It’s true. And that’s when it hits me.
If I don’t get the Columbus extension I’m hoping for, I’ll retire from hockey. This is the team I want to cap my career. There won’t be another band of brothers for me.
I’ll figure something out. There’s no rush to move to the next thing, considering my initial contract was worth millions. Maybe I could be a stay-at-home dad when Ligaya goes back to work. That sounds fucking amazing, actually. If Ligaya wants to raise the kids in Centerstone, then this is where we stay.
Whatever happens, I will never put anything in front of my family. For the first time in my life, hockey isn’t the priority. The Mavericks will be the best and the last NHL team I will ever play for. I’m more than OK with that.
CHAPTER 54
LIGAYA
Morning is a foreign concept when your nights don’t include sleep. I’m up every few hours. Sunlight creeps through the blinds, but my internal clock is wonky. I fed Orlando at one in the morning, Olivia at four, and both again at seven. Tristan tries his best to make me comfortable, but until he grows breasts or I get enough milk to pump, I am the main source of nourishment for my voracious babies.
My sister shows up midmorning, just as Tristan goes to the arena. I won’t see him till after the game. The Mavericks trainer and coaching staff convinced Tristan to stay at the arena for extra recovery and a quiet place to nap between now and the start of game seven. Hockey is never going to be one hundred percent safe, but there’s no need to make it more dangerous by Tristan being zombified with zero rest.
