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“I saw a good one the other day,” he said, smirking. “Smoking Cracks.”
“You saw the title or actually watched the movie?”
He shrugged. “It was no Sperminator. Didn’t merit a full viewing.”
Nash collected funny porno titles like other people collected stamps. Pulp Friction. Throbin Hood. Sorest Rump. We’d heard them all, more than once.
“Seriously, what’s up with the ankle?” he said.
“It’s fine. I tweaked it at the trampoline park last night, but once it’s taped, it won’t be a problem.”
He looked confused, but then awareness dawned on his face. “You took Joey there.”
“Yep.”
“And?”
And I’d achieved Rock Star Uncle status.
“He fucking loved it. We closed the place down. It took me about fifty tries, but I can still do a backflip.”
Nash looked over the top of the seat in front of us and then behind us. “Dude, don’t say that here. If Coach finds out, your ass will be in a sling.”
I nodded because he was right. We were paid too much to be doing backflips on trampolines during the season. The risk of injury was too high. I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell the trainers why I needed my ankle taped.
This job was a dream, but it wasn’t always the walk in the park people on the outside thought it was. We weren’t allowed to have off days. We couldn’t go rock climbing or parasailing like normal people. Every player on the team was seen as an investment; we could have the shit beaten out of us every night on the ice, but off of it, we had to be careful. The irony.
“Hey,” Wes said as he walked past us. “Joey was doing good when I left. He was playing Candyland with Annalise.”
I turned so I could see him as he settled into the unoccupied seat behind us. “Good.”
Wes shrugged. “Good for Annalise. She cheats at Candyland like you wouldn’t believe.”
“I’m sure Joey’s just glad to have another kid to play with.”
“Hadley sent our housekeeper to pick up orange soda for him,” Wes said. “Anything else he really likes?”
I shook my head. “Tell her not to get him all sugared up.”
“That’s all we feed our kids,” Wes said in a level tone. “It’s just bowls of sugar for every meal.”
“I want Joey to still have teeth when he hits puberty,” I said.
Wes grinned. “I hear you, boss. But the kid’s been through a lot in the past few days. We figured if some orange soda would make him happy, we’ll get him some orange soda.”
He was right. Why hadn’t I thought about it that way?
“I owe you guys,” I said. “Well, just Hadley, really. You aren’t doing shit. Tell her I’ll take the kids so she can go to a spa for the weekend sometime.”
“Shit,” Wes said, laughing. “You wouldn’t survive it. Benny rides down the stairs naked in a laundry basket. Kid’s a daredevil. He was sliding down the banister in the buff, but the chafing wised him up real quick.”
“And you guys are having another one,” Nash said, cringing. “You’d better get snipped after this one.”
“Nah, we want more,” Wes said. “It’s chaos, but it’s our chaos.”
Wes and Hadley getting custody of our former team captain Ben and Lauren’s kids when they passed away had changed him. He was more laid back now, more self-assured, and happier than I’d ever seen him. He’d given Hadley a diamond pendant necklace, in the shape of a star, for Christmas and told her it was because she was his North Star, always helping him find his direction.
I wanted what they had. Not all the kids—at least, not yet—but an all-in love that erased all doubts. Wes called Hadley from the road all the time because she was the person that he wanted to talk to. He never made big decisions without talking to her first. They were a team, and they were crazy about each other. I’d thought I found the one last year, but when I proposed, she shot me down.
“Let’s get this show on the road, boys,” Wes said, putting on his noise-canceling headphones as he settled into his seat.
I did the same, so I wouldn’t have to listen to Nash yapping about porn titles the whole way to the airport. Within five minutes, I felt myself falling asleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jolie
“Well, who’s this?” Grandma G smiled at Joey as I helped her into the passenger seat of my Jeep.
“Grandma, this is Joey. Joey, this is my grandmother, Mrs. Gizzard.”
Grandma gave me a look before turning to Joey. “You can just call me Grandma,” she told him.
“Hi, Grandma!” He grinned, waving at her with his elephant.
“Lunch is probably going to be a little louder than you’re used to,” I said, getting behind the wheel. “But I wanted to find a place where he could run around a little while we talk and eat.”
