Page 76 of In The Game

My bag has enough snacks to feed an army, and a couple toys to keep him busy, if it comes to that.The Boy Scouts ain’t got nothin’ on me.

After a quick bathroom check and finding his shoes, I load Arthur into the car and head out for a casual day at the park. The weather is perfect for May, sunny with a cool breeze.

“Do you think he’s sad about his hockey game?” Arthur asks, from the back seat.

“Yeah, he’s probably a little sad. But I know he’s excited to see you.”

“I hope he likes my picture. I used all the Lakes colors.”

“He’ll love it. You are very artistic, kiddo.”

When we pull up, he’s already pacing the sidewalk. I run my tongue along my teeth to make sure none of my lipstick accidentally rubbed off. Arthur unbuckles himself, and I get out of the car to open his door. I have to jump out and grab it before he slams it into the car parked next to mine. He’s already bounding out and running up to Barrett, waving around his hand-drawn picture like a flag.

Barrett scoops him up, it looks so natural, and takes the paper from his hand.

“What’s this?”

“It’s to cheer you up. Because you didn’t win the trophy.”

His eyes rove over the drawing of Barrett and Arthur on hockey skates. His eyes become glassy, it might not be noticeable to most, but I see it. The first time I got one of Arthur’s drawings of the two of us as a family, I felt the same way.

Barrett clears his throat. “Wow, buddy, this is the best drawing I’ve ever seen. Can I keep it?”

“Yeah, I made it for you! Does it make you not sad?”

I stealthily pull my phone from my pocket and snap a photo of them.

“It definitely makes me not sad!” He laughs a little. “It makes me very happy! Thank you, bud. This is the coolest.”

He sets Arthur down and holds out his hand in a fist bump. Observing him interact with another man is fascinating, their relationship is different from ours. It’s a side of Arthur I don’t get to see. It’s funny and a little heart wrenching to see him imitate Barrett.

His gaze reaches mine and then wanders to my feet. I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, feeling extra exposed under his scrutiny. He made it clear he’s still attracted to me when he came to dinner almost two weeks ago, but it’s still a struggle to not be self-conscious now that we have all this added sexual tension between us. Those giant arms envelop me in a hug, and I inhale his scent. It’s clean and woodsy.

“Hey, beautiful,” he whispers. His words bring me back to that night, but I hold my composure.

“Hi, Barrett.” I hoist my tote bag on my shoulder.

My brain is short-circuiting, unable to stop thinking about everythingelsehe said in front of that mirror. The more I try to come up with something, the more my mind recalls the image of him putting me in a headlock and finger-fucking me into oblivion. I can feel the blush rising to my cheeks.

Arthur runs ahead and finds a stick, tapping it on the sidewalk as we make our way toward the playground. When it comes into view, he takes off in a dead sprint for the swings.

“That send-off for Sully was a tearjerker,” I say. If we don’t start talking about something soon, I will need a new pair of underwear.

“Oof, yeah. You should have seen the locker room, we bawled like babies.”

I look up at Barrett, I’m not short, but our height difference is still startling sometimes. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s good, trying to figure out what to do with his time. He golfs, but I’ve been telling him he needs some new hobbies. Or a girl.”

“I always assumed he was married.”

He’s such a quiet guy, never seemed into the parties, though I remember seeing him around. Sully’s old enough to have settled down, but I suppose Barrett is too.

“No, he and I are the old bachelors on the team. Makes me feel old. I mean, look at Kucera, he was practically Arthur’s age when I started my NHL career and he’s already engaged to Micky.”

I smile at the mention of my new friend. “I really like her, we’re going out for drinks this weekend.”

“Who?” He shakes his head. “Wait, you know Micky?”

---