Page 114 of In The Game

I lead him toward the front of the plane, praying we don’t attract any attention. The pilots are more than happy to oblige Arthur. They let him push a button that lights up all the switches.

“Holy fart feathers,” he mumbles under his breath. His eyes are gleaming. “Do you know what all of the buttons do?”

“We sure do,” one pilot answers. “And these are the thrust pedals here… This is the control yoke, we pull up to go up and push down to go down.”

“Cool!”

“Do you want to welcome the passengers on the PA system?” He hands Arthur a small telephone. “Just push this button here. Maybe your dad can help you. Say‘Welcome aboard Flight 1127.’”

I hold my breath for a second, waiting for Arthur to correct him and say I’m not his dad, but he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care with all the excitement. I’m thankful for it, because if anyone ever asked me point blank if Arthur was my son, I wouldn’t have the strength to deny it. I’m his father, and I can’t wait for the day when I can tell him.

Before we head back to our seats, they ask for a selfie, and I’m happy to return the favor after how accommodating they were. Arthur runs back to his seat to join Raleigh. He holds out the small pin with wings on it.

“Look what I got! Did you hear me on the speaker?”

“I heard! You did great! What was it like?”

“There were buttons everywhere! It looked like a Christmas tree!”

“That’s so awesome!” She cocks her head to the side and mouths,thank you. I smile.

“He was a hit,” I answer.

I keep replaying the pilot’s words, referring to me asdad.

FORTY-TWO

“Thisis where we’re staying?”

Barrett clears his throat. “Do you like it?”

When we pull up to the rental house, I almost don’t believe my eyes. I laugh in response. “Arthur, what do you think of it?” There’s no answer, and when I turn around, he’s crashed out in his booster seat. Not surprising, he slept less than an hour from Minneapolis to LAX. But after we transferred to the second plane, he was wide awake and chatty for the whole flight to Maui.

Mostly with Barrett, who kept up with the conversation like a pro. They discussed cereal, koalas, pre-k drama, and the books and cartoons he enjoys. It was impressive, considering it’s no easy feat. He even came prepared with his own koala trivia game for Arthur—none involving koala chlamydia—thank Christ.

When Arthur played on his tablet and got stuck in a game, he asked forBarrett’shelp, not mine. It made my heart flip. His, well, parenting, allowed me to get a little sleep myself. I’m able to relax so much more when Barrett is with him, it’s really nice. And after seeing how great they are together, I trust him with my son.Ourson.

Stepping out of the car, even the warm, breezy, midseventies air smells sweet. My cheeks are puckered from smiling so much. Scanning over the gorgeous stone exterior of the beach house, I already know this place must have cost a fortune to rent. And we’re here for three weeks! He didn’t need to get such a luxurious house. A bungalow or budget hotel would more than suffice.

Barrett keys in the code on the door and carries in a sleepy Arthur ahead of me. When I step inside, my jaw drops to my feet, along with my bag.

“Holy shit.”

Kicking off my sandals, I wander through the gorgeous interior while Barrett rests Arthur down on the huge white wraparound sofa. The whole back wall of the space is windows, highlighting blue waters and the lush, tropical mountains in the distance.Wow.The kitchen off to the side features stunning koa wood cabinets, matching the rich trim that carries throughout the rest of the house.

I step inside a bathroom to freshen up and pull out my phone, plugging in the address. I tap the screen on the rental property and when I see the price, my phone clatters to the floor. It’s almost two thousand dollars a night! I’m reminded of how different our lives are. Barrett is so down to earth that sometimes I forget he’s a celebrity. He’s not like the other hockey players I’ve met. He has a good heart. He’s selfless and kind. He’s giving.Loving.

When I return to the main living space, Barrett flips a latch in the center of the windows, and when he hits a nearby light switch, the massive windowed wall starts moving. It separates from the middle, and each side accordions flat, flush along opposite walls. Outside, the open-air patio butts up against an infinity pool that overlooks the aquamarine cove below.Is this real?

Now that the wall is gone, it’s hard to tell where the indoor ends and the outdoor begins. I wander outside in a trance and admire the scenic panorama while Barrett leaves to put away our luggage. He already knows his way around.

Minutes later, he comes up from behind and wraps his arms around me.

“You didn’t answer me before. Do you like it?”

I puff out a breath of air. “I didn’t answer because I’m speechless. I didn’t even know places like this existed… You know we would have been fine with a run-down hotel room, right? I don’t want you to think you had to spend all this money on us. I’m happy to be here with you, so is Arthur.”

His arm wraps around me while the other hand pulls my spaghetti strap down, then his lips press to my shoulder.

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