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Anna is waiting for me when I walk through the front door, and I desperately want to kiss her the moment I see her gorgeous face and bright smile. I’ve missed her almost as much as I’ve missed Penny.
“Welcome home, Stranger. I bet it’s good to be back!”
I drop my bag by the front door and kick off my shoes. “You have no idea. It’s rare to be gone for five days in a row, and it’s been exhausting. Right now, what I need are a hot shower and some shut-eye.”
Roger excuses himself to go sit with Jerry and Jessie while the rest of the Shaw Squad say their goodbyes and head home, promising to return first thing in the morning.
“Do you have time for a quick conversation first?” she asks.
I sit down, preparing myself for some bad news. My parents have been keeping me updated regarding the custody suit and have assured me that it looks very promising for me, so I don’t think whatever she has to tell me has to do with that. Roger has kept me in the loop regarding the FBI and the case they’re building against the O’Sullivans. Apparently, the O’Sullivans have been on the FBI’s radar for some time. The evidence I provided is only helping them to build their case.
“Fire away,” I tell her.
She glances at each of her teammates, who get the hint and scatter. Once it’s just the two of us, she tells me what Penny said and how my daughter is planning on calling her “Mom.”
“Aiden, Penny has her hopes up that I’m going to be her mother and she doesn’t understand that this is a fake engagement. She’s going to be heartbroken when she learns the truth. The longer you keep it from Penny, the harder it’s going to be on her.”
“I know, and I’ll be the one dealing with the fallout when it happens. But she’s six. She might be smart as a whip, but keeping secrets isn’t her forte. For now, I think it’s best to continue the charade. It was my big mouth that got us into this. I’ll be the one to take the heat when the truth is finally revealed to her. Do you trust me?” I know my daughter better than anyone, and I know she’s quick to forgive.
“It’s your call. I just wanted to prepare you.”
I pull out my phone and show her the text from Gretchen. “Speaking of preparing, you should know that your mother had to cancel tomorrow’s visit because she and her husband, Max, had to suddenly leave town.”
Anna hands me back the phone and stands up, gesturing for me to stand, too. “Thank you for letting me know. I suppose we’ll try again next week. You should go on and get some rest. You have a big week coming up, and we’re all tired. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”
Sunday came and went without incident, and there were no “Amy” sightings this time around. I had been shown the video of her across the street from my home, and I didn’t know what to make of it or of Anna’s assessment of the situation. Anna had suggested approaching Amy the next time we encountered her, but I put a nix on that idea for the time being.
“There is nothing to stop you or me from approaching Amy and getting answers,” Anna said.
“I understand, but I don’t see the point in shaking the hornet’s nest when I’m barely holding it together. The custody hearing is in five days, and I don’t need the situation with Amy muddying the waters in court. The fact that I have a stalker is but one ‘cause of action’ that Patricia listed in her ‘child endangerment’ claim against me. Inviting a confrontation doesn’t seem wise.”
Anna eventually relented, but not without getting in the last word. “I just want to go on record and say that I think it’s a bad idea to wait.”
I had to give Anna credit. She valued my opinion, and although she didn’t agree, she didn’t push to get her way. When I told her as much, she laughed in my face. I got the distinct feeling that if she really wanted to get her way, she would have.
The rest of the week was equally uneventful. I had practices on Monday and Wednesday, with home games on Tuesday and Thursday. Penny stayed at home with the Penny Patrol and my parents, while Anna attended the two home games alone. Well, she wasn’t really alone since the Shaw Squad was within 100 feet of her at all times. They had split up and sat interspersed among the crowd, wearing Rockets jerseys with other players’ names to prevent any unwanted attention. Anna planned to try to draw out the O’Sullivans by providing an easy target, much like what happened at the grocery store.
It didn’t work. If Sean and Conor had been at the arena, they hadn’t made their presence known to either of us. Patricia and Amy weren’t there either, but for good reason. Patricia most likely didn’t show since her hope of reconciliation had been thoroughly dashed, and the hearing was scheduled for the next day. Amy wasn’t around because she’d been banned from the premises per the restraining order.
Despite our tense circumstances, Anna cheered me on like any fiancée would. I blew her a kiss every time I came off the ice, and the crowd went wild. After the article, I had anticipated that Anna wouldn’t receive the warmest reception, but I was wrong. She has become a media darling, and my fans have rallied around us, rooting us on.
Tonight’s game against the league’s number-one team, the Wichita Wolverines, ended in a tie, with a final score of 4-4. The Rockets played their hearts out, skating flawlessly, but it wasn’t enough to bring home the win. However, it was enough to leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling that the team would be more than alright without me as long as they continued to play like they did tonight and in the last four games. I prayed that we’d win our last postseason game this Saturday so we could start the playoffs with positive momentum.
In the locker room, Deacon finally asked the question I had been waiting for now that I had confirmed that Anna really is Savannah Jones. “Why did Savannah hide her identity, and why do you still call her Anna?”
“The second question is easier to answer than the first. I call her Anna because it’s a shortened version of her name, and it’s how we were introduced. Penny prefers to call her Anna because it’s less confusing. Any time someone calls her Savannah, Penny thinks someone is talking about our city,” I explain.
Swank leaned against his locker with a towel wrapped around his waist, crossing his arms casually. “Why the subterfuge? Deacon recognized her from fifty feet away before ever meeting her. It’s hard to hide in plain sight when a person has the face of an angel.”
I tried to come up with an honest answer that didn’t reveal too much; otherwise, the guys would keep pestering me. “Not everyone in Anna’s past was a nice person. She hoped to avoid drawing attention to herself or my family.”
“And now? What changed?” Swank asks.
“She ran into the person she had wanted to avoid, and they reconciled. Poof! No more problem!” I tell him.
“And who was Anna trying to avoid?”
“It doesn’t matter, Swank, since it’s no longer an issue.” I finished getting dressed so I could meet Anna in the waiting area. She wore her favorite shirt tonight, one that’s come to mean as much to me as it has her now that I know the story behind it.
