I’ve made sure to wrap that shit up tight to protect everyone involved.
My dad had drilled it into me during the sex talk when I was thirteen and again before I went off to juniors when he said that sex was fun and a part of life, but there should always be safety first.And I was to always, without fail, be attentive to the needs of my partner and treat her with respect.I took those words to heart.
I’ve second-guessed myself a thousand times today, wondering if I’m seeing things that aren’t there.Sure, Lennon has similar features to me, but that could just be a coincidence.And I did the math.Even if the last time Halle and I slept together was five years ago and Lenni happened after that, it’s reasonable to assume Halle may have hooked up with some guy in college her first semester and, BAM, Lennon happened.
It doesn’t mean she’s my kid.
But what if she is?
My stomach clenches with something akin to fear.Not because I might find out she is my daughter, but the possibility that Lennonisn’tmine.Something unfurls from deep within me that wants it to be true.
The thought baffles me, though, because I’ve never had any interest in being a dad.And once Halle left my life, I wasn’t interested in having a committed relationship with anyone else, for that matter.None of it has been on my radar.My entire life and focus have always been on hockey and enjoying the privileges that come along with the lifestyle of being a player.
I’m brought back to the present by Costa’s hand flapping in front of my face for my attention.
“Yo, Earth to Ax.Did you hear me?”
I blink up and he’s looking back at me like I’ve grown two heads.“Yeah, yeah.I’m good.You want a spot?”
I stand up and use my towel to wipe off the sweat left behind, then gesture toward the bench.
He takes the seat but doesn’t immediately lie down.Instead, he runs a hand through his tousled brown hair.
“Sommer’s going to be here this week.”
Now I’m just confused.
“Summer?It’s fall, dude.”
Costa pushes his palm against my hip.“Fucking hell, you really are out of it.Sommer is mywife, bruh.”
Oh, yeah, his wife.The one he married in Vegas.That makes sense.But not really.
I scoff and push him back.“You never even mentioned her name before.Or if you did, I didn’t remember.Sorry, I’ve got a lot going on lately.It’s not like you’ve mentioned anything since that crazy night.”
The whole married in Vegas thing still boggles my mind.I still don’t understand how Costa would marry a woman he doesn’t know.It’s just so out of character for him.
Cale tilts his head on an exasperated sigh and rolls his eyes at me.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve said Sommer’s name multiple times.But whatever.”He waves a hand, dropping that small point of contention.“She’ll be here before the game Thursday and stay through the weekend.Then she has to get back for her treatment.”
The last word tumbles through my head.What treatment is he talking about?
“Huh?”Not the most eloquent response, but hey, the confusion is valid.
Cale swipes his towel over his forehead and shrugs his shoulders.
“Sommer has MS,” he explains nonchalantly.At my look of puzzlement, he continues.“Multiple Sclerosis.It’s an autoimmune condition that affects the central nervous system.She was just recently diagnosed and is starting some infusion treatment.”
“Whoa.That’s heavy, bruh.Wha—I mean, why?—”
Costa swings a leg back over the bench and leans forward, placing his elbows on top of his thighs.Then he runs his hand through his hair, sweeping it away from his face so the scar over his eyebrow is visible.He got it in a game two years ago when I first joined the team.It was a nasty slash of another guy’s stick and sent him to the hospital for stitches.
With a lengthy sigh, he drops his chin in one hand and ends up looking like that thinking man statue.
“That night in Vegas, the night I met Sommer, our conversation got deep right away.Like, we instantly connected, you know?And she immediately told me about her diagnosis and how she couldn’t afford the monthly treatments.”Cale pauses, tightening his jaw through closed eyelids.When he opens his eyes again, they show me exactly what he probably felt that night.“My grandmother… she was poor and my family couldn’t do much to help her out besides have her live with us.She died of complications from MS.I know the havoc it wreaks on a body.”
I take a seat on the bench across from him, oblivious to all the clanging and noise from the gym around us.I lean forward and mimic Costa’s posture.
