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Seventeen
The next fewweeks pass so quickly, it feels like I blinked, and Olive is this bright-eyed, babbling girl who has me completely and utterly wrapped around her finger. She’s growing so fast that I’m afraid to look away, even for a second, in fear that I’ll miss something.
For so long, hockey has been my life. It’s been the center of my universe. I lived and breathed the ice. Everything I did was with my career in mind. Now, Olive is my life. Plain and simple, she’s the reason my heart beats. My entire world.
“Jesus Christ, why is this so complicated,” I mutter, trying to button the bottom, or hell, maybe it’s the side, who even knows at this point, of Olive’s outfit. There should not be this many buttons on an outfit for ababy.
“Shit.”
Damnit. I can’t curse in front of Olive. Even if she can’t understand yet.
I pick her up gently, then cuddle her against my chest and murmur, “I’m sorry, baby girl, Daddy’s so sorry. Don’t say that word, okay? I don’t want your mom to think I’m a bad influence.”
She babbles happily, offering me the cutest baby grin ever, even if I am biased, and I glance back down at her outfit.
“There has to be an easier way to get this thing on.Hasto be.”
I’m still grumbling to myself when Maddison walks in the room and laughs out loud when she sees me struggling. Her cheeks are flushed red, her face free of any makeup, and her hair is curled down her back. She looks so beautiful, it takes my breath away, every single time I see her. I’ve spent more nights on her springy couch in the last six weeks than I have in my own bed, seeing her still makes me ache to have her in my arms again.
True to our agreement, we’ve both kept our distance, and things have been strictly platonic between us.
Even though we’ve never crossed back over the line into what we were before, it doesn’t mean my feelings have disappeared.
If anything, they’re stronger than ever. I’m fucking crazy about her.
She’s the most amazing mother. Attentive, patient and selfless with Olive. Motherhood has made her even more beautiful in my eyes, and sometimes I have to walk out of the room just to stop from taking her into my arms and kissing her breathless. Aside from motherhood, I’ve learned how kind and incredibly selfless she is with everyone. She’s strong, resilient, and, somehow, this woman’s smile is the cure to any bad day there is.
“Having trouble?” She smirks. Even though she’s barely over five feet, she bumps me out of the way teasingly and bends down, talking to Olive in her mama voice as I like to call it.
“Did Daddy put this on wrong, my Olive girl?” She giggles and unsnaps the contraption. “He’s so silly huh? Daddy is so silly.”
She tickles Olive’s belly, trying to get a laugh out of her. It’s both of our life goals to see how many laughs we can get from her, and right now, we’re tied.
“Hey, I can’t help if they make that thing like a Rubik's Cube for babies,” I lower my voice into a whisper, “Damn thing is complicated.”
Maddison laughs. “Briggs, it’s a onesie with a tutu. Look, these two snap together.” She brings the opposite end of what I was trying to fit together, and with a quick snap, she has the entire outfit on her. Correctly.
I groan, dropping onto the bed next to Olive, taking her little hand into mine. “Daddy loves you Olive drop. Just don’t leave me in charge of your pretty outfits, and everything will be fine.”
Her mama watches our exchange with her lip pulled between her teeth and a small smirk on her heart-shaped mouth that makes me want to kiss her senseless. The things I want to do to that mouth...I’m not even going to think about when Olive’s in the room.
Maddison’s headed to her six-week checkup with her doctor today and that means that Olive and I are going to hang out with Uncle Graham, Uncle Asher and Uncle Hudson today.
“Are you sure it’s okay if they come by?” I ask her for the millionth time. I want more than anything to bring up the topic of them coming to stay at my house, but I know Maddison, and the last thing I want to do is offend her or seem like I’m trying to bulldoze into their lives.
Maddison rolls her eyes while she slips her small, hooped earrings into her ears. Our gaze connects through the mirror in front of her bed. “Yes, it’s really no big deal. I just hate that my apartment is so… small. It feels like a shoebox when all of you are here.”
I can see the hesitation in her eyes. Before I talk myself out of it, I bring it up. “I was thinking… what if we, I don’t know, went to my house for a while?”
Her eyes dart back up to meet mine, and there’s hesitation. “Briggs…”
I hold my hands up in surrender. “It’s just an idea. Your maintenance man still hasn’t made it by, and it’s been weeks. I fixed the handle on the sink and fixed the seal on the window, just last week. I’m just saying, Mads, my house is huge, way more than I could ever hope to fill, and I don’t know, I think I’d like to have you both there.”
Maddison turns to face me, “That would complicate things, and we agreed to not do that, remember?”
I nod. “I do, but I also know that I want to do whatever I can to take care of Olive… and you. And I mean, I stay here, so we could all stay at my place just like we do here.”
Her eyes widen slightly, and her throat bobs as she swallows, then glances down at the watch on her wrist. “Can we talk about this when I get back? I have to go or I’m going to be late.”
