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Instead of having people asking for pictures and autographs, I have people cursing me. “Hey, Connoly, what was that?” a tall, skinny dude shouts, unafraid.
I turn to him, ready to punch him, but Emily holds me back. “Not worth it, Andrew,” she says in a low voice, and even though my anger burns bright white, I thank her mentally for putting me back in my place.
We get on the bus. Silence prevails, no one is in the mood for chatter, and I get us a seat close to the back.
“I was talking with the other girls,” Emily mentions as we sit side by side. “This lifestyle is quite tough, huh?”
“Tell me about it,” I snuggle up against her. “I’m glad I have you.”
Emily turns silent. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t silence, so I turn my gaze to her and ask, “I do have you, right?”
She sighs, stays silent for a few more seconds, and finally says “I know we’ve talked about it before, but can you really imagine being both a present family man with Alissa and me and being an NHL player?”
My hand searches for hers, and once again, I lean my head on her shoulder. “That’s a valid question. I’d choose you and Ali without skipping a beat,” I assure her. “The NHL gave me nearly everything, but it did not give me what I want the most.”
“And what is that?” she asks, her eyes tearing up.
“A family of my own,” I confess. “I barely talk to my brother, my mom passed away, and I don’t know how long I will have my father. I want to have a family and children of my own—”
“You already do,” she interjects playfully, brightening up my mood.
I smile warmly. “But you know what I mean, right?” I plead with her, and she nods, leaving me more confident in myself.
She speaks softly, “I want someone to take care of Ali with me. Together. My parents are a huge help, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m robbing them of the peace they deserve in their golden years.”
“I’m going to talk to my agent,” I kiss Emily on the temple and squeeze her tight. “I want to retire after this season.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
EMILY
Ever since Andrew told me he wants to retire, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
The last thing I want is for him to give up his NHL dream and retire out of obligation, but he keeps reassuring me that this is his choice and that he wants to be a family with Alissa and me more than anything else.
I’ve cried more times than I can count, all happy tears. It still feels surreal.
It’s Friday afternoon and Andrew and I are both sipping cherry sodas at the hotel lobby in Tampa, eagerly waiting for mom to arrive with Alissa.
Andrew still has shoulder pain, and he has to continue to wear the sling. He is not happy about it, but I know that when Ali gets here, everything will be better.
“You’ll make the Raptors game next week!” I do my best to cheer him up.
“I doubt it,” he’s more sad than angry, which makes my heart wrench. “I just expected to go out with glory if I had to retire, not injured on the sidelines.”
“I have a feeling you’ll retire raising the Cup,” I say, gently tapping his nose, still trying to lift his mood.
“I hope so. Did you know that Banks is taking Brooks’ place as starting center?” he says, changing the subject.
“I heard. Emma is pretty upset about it.” I sip my soda. “Everyone is gravitating toward Tamara now.”
I look to the hotel’s doors, waiting for Alissa to appear.
“I miss Ali…” I sigh, now focusing on the cherry at the bottom of my drink.
“But she’s right here!” Andrew exclaims a moment later, standing up to go greet Alissa, who just walked through the door and runs toward him at full speed.
“Ouch!” Andrew yelps, and gently pushes Alissa away from him to feel his arm. “Careful, I have any injury.”
