Page 141 of She Wolf

Having Jason on the team has already made one hell of a difference. Sure, he’s a rookie but what he’s brought to this team.

As I join the huddle Jack smiles. “You ready?”

“I am, but are you?” I waggle my eyebrows like Coach is going to work him as hard as us.

“I want to talk to you, all of you.”

We all look amongst ourselves and then look down at him. “We’ve got five minutes. Is everything okay?” Casey asks.

“Yeah, I just want to tell you something.” He dips his head, his helmet and cage doing nothing to help us gauge what this is all about. Jack looks down at his tiny skates and stick.

“Oh God, are you quitting hockey?” Knox panics. “I mean it’s, ugh, it’s okay, other things are…fine?” he grimaces his eyes pleading for our help.

Jack’s head snaps up. “Are you crazy? Hockey is life!” He’s going to be so excited when he finds out that during the family skate, we’re going to have a fun pickup game—kids versus players before the general skating begins and the smaller ones come out onto the ice.

We all burst out laughing except for him. “Dudes, this serious.”

Jason quirks a brow at him. “Okay, we’re listening.”

He takes a breath. “I’ve been thinking I want to change my name. Really want to. Simpson is...” He screws up his face—a Madden trait for sure. “I know I’m only eight, but it doesn’t feel right to me…erm, like, it doesn’t belong to me. I’m not that name,” he shakes his head.

“Okay,” Casey tells him, so he knows we understand.

“So, I want to be a Madden because I am one, just like you.” He points to Knox who has his arm around Jason and Casey stands beside them. “But then,” his eyes well up and I wonder where the hell he’s going with this.

“I…” he clears his throat, lifts his cage, and stares straight at me.

“Dad, when you ask Mom to marry you one day, can I then be a Madden and a Grey?” He bows his head like this was the hardest thing he’s ever asked.

Fuck does this kid slay me. I swear I float out of my body for a second. He just called me Dad.

His dad.

In front of the most important people in his life, he told them he was mine. Declared it even.

I finally breathe out. “Jack, son, you take both of those names, and your uncles and I will be the proudest men on the face of this earth.”

“He’s right,” Jase tells him.

Casey places his hand on his shoulder. “You’re a Madden through and through, and I think there might be a whole lot of Grey in there too.”

We bundle together for a giant group hug just as the others start to filter out onto the ice.

“Okay, okay,” Jack squeals. “That’s enough mush.”

His face turns completely focused and stern and with a ceremonious bang of his stick, he yells.

“LET’S HOCKEY!”’

THE END

Each couple has their own theme song. Gunner and Coralie’s is ‘Starlight’

by

Westlife

Thank you for reading.

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