Page 148 of Icing It

Rubbing my beard, I interject. “I just said that’s great.” I feel like I might break a tooth if I grind my molars down any harder. “Drop it, Cam.”

Cam ignores me. Of course.

“You take care of her. You make her feel steady and safe. She needs that, too. But she’s not going to get that in the same way, with the confidence and solidness, from me and Alexsei. We’re all pieces of the whole for her. She feels like something’s missing without you.

“If you do love her, then think about this, and think about how Alexsei and I fit in. How much happier she can be with all of us.”

I don’t even know what to say.

Is he right?

I have no fucking clue.

All I know is I’m miserable.

“Don’t replace me,” is what I say.

“Then get your fucking head in the game,” Cam says. “Now I have to go and feed your garbage disposal of a kid. He eats non-stop.”

That pulls a half-laugh from me. “Tell me about it. Thanks. Again. For…”

“Just think about it.”

Then Cam hangs up on me.

The guy can be a real asshole. But I’m actually fond of him.

Rowdy shouts come from the restaurant.

And all I can think is that I feel lonely as hell.

CHAPTER 32

Owen

Usually I like a few days off after a series, especially a hard-fought one.

I should be on cloud nine. We’re going to the championship series. I haven't done that. Not as a coach and not as a player.

This is the best team I've ever been a part of.

The trophy should be ours.

But instead of thinking about any of that and enjoying basking in the afterglow of the victory, I am sitting on my couch, in my sweatpants, eating my third bowl of Cap'n Crunch, and flipping through the channels.

My teenage son comes practically galloping down the stairs. But he draws up short when he sees me.

"Are you sick?"

I shake my head. "No. I’m fine."

"Seriously, did somebody die?"

Just my heart. "No, no one died. Everything's fine."

I really try not to lie to my son as much as possible, but this is necessary.

"Seriously, why do you look like—" His phone pings with a text, and of course, that immediately pulls his attention off of me.

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