“Is that—” He drops his gloves on the floor. “Is that my old hockey T-shirt?”
Fi glances down. “Oh, yeah, I suppose it is.”
“You kept it?”
“I…”
“Why did you keep it, Fi?”
She swallows. “I couldn’t throw it out. It was all I had left of you. Of us.”
Michaels steps around me, rushing Fi, and pulling her mouth to his, kissing her fervently. When they pull apart, he’s crying again, his eyes squeezed closed, and he bows his face against Fi’s neck.
Fi looks at me. “Tell me what happened, Seb.”
“He was skating on the ice and fell and…”
Michaels pulls away from Fi and shoots me a look, so I don’t finish my sentence. Then he wipes his eyes and trudges to the couch, falling heavily onto it. Fi snuggles up beside him. “It was my first time on skates since the accident.” My eyes widen, and I kneel in front of him, my hands on his knees. “I never took them out of my truck, so I thought…with the pond being frozen…”
“That’s a big deal, Michaels,” I say.
He nods and gives me a sad look. “It was…frustrating. Trying to get used to my limitations hurts sometimes.”
“I didn’t realize that you have an inhaler,” I say quietly.
“What?” Fi asks. “You do?”
Michaels nods reluctantly. “It’s just part of my life now. My injury limits my lung capacity, so sometimes I just have to use it when I push myself.” His fingers graze his neck, and he gives me a meaningful look. “But I’m tired of feeling weak, and I still want a future in hockey, even if it’s not the NHL dream I thought I’d have.” Michaels’s hazel eyes are hopeful as they bounce between us. “I was texting with my sponsor last night, and he suggested that I coach kids. I could still be on the ice playing, but making a difference, you know?”
Fi smiles. “I love that idea, B.”
I nod in agreement. “Yeah, you’re pretty much a child, so I think that’d be a good fit.”
“He’s got jokes now.” Michaels smirks. “Say what you will, Bastian, but you seemed to like my Daddy dom vibes last night.”
I glare at him, but it’s all for show. Michaels has always been capable, he just lost his way. It’s fucking amazing to see that spark in his eyes again.
He rubs the back of his head. “I’m sorry you saw that outside. I’m kind of an emotional guy.”
“You don’t say,” I mutter.
Micheals nudges my shoulder. “And despite how hard it’s going to be, I’m done being a failure. I’ll figure out how to manage it all, even if it almost kills me.”
Fi’s eyes soften. “You were never a failure, B.”
I smile when he looks at me. “She’s right. Despite what you did in the past, it’s what you do now that matters. Sometimes it takes a little tough love to see that—I gave you that.”
“Love?” Michaels says playfully.
I clear my throat. “You know what I mean, Stitch.” I shoot to my feet before this conversation veers wildly off the rails, and walk to the kitchen. “Who wants breakfast?”
Fi glances at her soggy cereal.
“Realbreakfast,” I clarify with a sigh.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
FIONA
