Page 59 of Shockproof

We’ve put in the same dedication to our respective areas with the main difference being he protects on the ice while I protect off.

His two minutes on the ice flies by in what feels like a blink, yet the entire time he’s out there skating and checking and eventually cross checking – getting himself put in the box – none of us take our eyes off of him out of silent solidarity.

After the announcer does his job of proclaiming the penalty – one that was accurate versus bias – I resume my earlier consternation. “Ma, what do you mean you have a boyfriend?” I turn in my seat so that we’re face to face. “Since when? Who is he? I want his name. DOB. Address. License plate. Previous places of employment. Criminal record-”

“This is probably why she didn’t tell you,” my girlfriend playfully pokes over my shoulder.

“Mijo-”

“Don’tmijome, Ma,” I huff, poorly hiding my outrage. “How the hell could you be datin’ someone and not think your son should know?!”

“Perhaps because I don’t keep track of everycochina, Daisy Duke wearing fast ass girl that walks in and out of his day, so I don’t think it’s any of his business who I allow in mine.” She peers around me to politely declare. “Excluding you in that collection,ángel.”

“Thank you,” Arley giggles damn near having me abandon this conversation to explain my mother’s exaggeration.

And she is.

At least…a bit.

Okay, maybe not that much.

But enough.

“Ma.”

“Slater.” Her firmly stating my name slinks me into my seat. “I am allowed to date.”

“I know that. I jus-”

The finger lifted has me clamping my lips shut once more. “I am allowed to date and who I do or do not invite in my bed is not your business until I invite it to be.”

More slouching.

More unhappy grumbles.

“And I will not be inviting it to be until I feel you can handle the topic of Tom-”

“His name’s Tom!?”

“-without losing your mind.”

“So, what you thinkin’ there, Gabs?” Dad playfully prods. “Like Christmas?”

Her sassy smirking in his direction precedes another nugget of info. “Your father introduced us.”

“You what?!” I explode, attention snapping over to him.

“You had that one coming,” Linda snickers on a tip of her drink.

“Little bit,” he mutters.

“What the fuck, Dad?!”

“They know each other from a work event,” Ma continues keeping the pressure on him.

“Notexactly.I met him at a work event. He’s a fellow contractor’s younger brother-”

“How much fuckin’ younger?!”

---