“Pfft. You know I’m only in this for the pro hockey fame.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “You bitch. I was trying to have a nice moment, and you ruined it.”
“Sorry, wait—I’ll do better. Try it again.”
I toss a piece of bread at her. “Too late. The moment has passed.”
“Damnit.”
The sound of pounding feet has our heads jerking up to the ceiling.
“Why does it always have to sound like this when the kids play together?” Dominique scrunches her nose. “I swear, one of them is going to come through the ceiling one day.”
“They better fucking not.” I take a sip of wine. “I’ll kill them if I have to spackle one more hole in the wall. Did I tell you that Alyssa put a hole in the fence outside the other day?”
Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. “The vinyl fence?”
“The vinyl fence that costs two-hundred-dollars per slat to fix? Yep. That one.”
“How the hell did she manage that?”
“She shot the field hockey ball right into it.” I let out a humorless laugh. “I didn’t realize how strong that little shit is.”
“She really is a beast.” Dominique grins. “I love her.”
Affection warms my chest. “Me too.”
“Avery seems different lately. I love that he has positive male role models to look up to.”
I nod. “His confidence has really grown since Chance took him under his wing. He’s smiling more too. He’s growing up right in front of my eyes.”
“Any luck on getting Sturges to show you the surveillance footage of Avery knocking out that shithead Austin?”
I laugh. “He said it’s against school policy.”
She scoffs. “Did you slip him a twenty like I told you?”
“I’m not bribing the kid’s principal, Dom.”
“You have not one but two hockey players in your back pocket. You should be using that to your advantage more often.”
I shake my head. “You’re crazy.”
My phone vibrates on the table, Chance’s name lighting up the screen. I grab it and dart to the stairs. “Avery, he’s calling!”
Avery bounds down the stairs and rips the phone out of my hand. “Hi, Chance. How was your game tonight?”
I strain to listen as he takes my phone into the kitchen, wanting to give him space but also dying to hear Chance’s reaction. I love the way he is around Avery. It’s a softer side of him I don’t get to see often.
Dominique clutches her chest. “He’s so excited to talk to him.”
Emotion clogs my throat. “I know. I love it. I just wish the kids at school weren’t such assholes. I know it’s not common for a woman to be in a relationship with two men, but they don’t have to be so cruel. I hate that I’m bringing this added stress to Avery’s life. He has enough issues with them; he didn’t need this on top of it.”
“Look, kids are going to be assholes no matter what. But it’s making him a stronger person. A little adversity is okay.”
I shoot her a dubious look. “He has a dead mother, he doesn’t know who his father is, and he likes art instead of sports. I think he had enough adversity before I added polyamory to his plate.”
Dominique squeezes my shoulder. “You’re showing him what a healthy, loving relationship looks like. Don’t focus on the negativity. Look at all the good that’s happening here.”
