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It warms me to my bones that Travis is finding joy in the same sport his dad played. He might have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start but with a few extra practices with Camden and—
Stop it.
Stop thinking about Camden.
I force myself to concentrate on my kid, looking adorable at this stage of his young career. Sometimes he looks in command and other times he looks wobbly. It’s all part of growing strong, learning the sport and pulling on that DNA I know he has from Mitch. I can’t wait to watch every second of it.
The coach blows the whistle and gathers the boys in. I don’t know what he’s saying but he pats a few of the kids on the helmets. Travis hasn’t mentioned any further negativity going on, so maybe Camden’s talk with—
Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.
The kids skate off the ice for the locker room and I grab my purse, sidestepping down the bleachers. It will take Travis a few minutes to get changed and I walk slowly to the front of the complex, chatting with a few other parents.
Someone taps me on the shoulder and when I look back over it, I see one of the dads there. He points toward the front lobby area. “Aren’t you friends with Camden Poe?”
My heart gives a wild, painful thump of confusion as I turn that way. Sure enough, Camden’s standing there with the sunlight from the double glass doors painting him into a silhouette. I can’t quite see the expression on his face, but he’s definitely staring at me.
Or rather the group of people I’m walking with.
As we get closer, I confirm that his gaze is leveled with mine and within his eyes I see a request to come talk to him. I say goodbye to the parents and turn toward him, trying to quell the gallop of my heart, blinking against the prick of tears.
I didn’t realize how bad it would hurt to see him.
I’m nervous as I come to stand a few feet away, my hands clutching at my purse straps over my left shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
He stands casually, hands in his pockets. “Came to see Travis’s scrimmage.”
“Oh.” The disappointment that he’s here to see my son and not me is almost crushing.
“He tried to ping me a few times this week to play online with him, but honestly… I didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what you’d told him about us, if anything, so I told him I was too busy on the road trips.”
“He hasn’t asked,” I admit.
Camden’s head drops as he nods. When he lifts his gaze, I’m stunned by the worry I see there. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”
“No,” I say truthfully. “But I will be. One day.”
He nods again. “I’m not okay either.”
It’s difficult not to throw myself at him, but I’m very confused as to why he’s here. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he replies, and for the first time, the curve of a smile appears. “I’ve already taken steps to rectify the situation.”
His tone hedges on playful and a tiny kernel of hope blooms within me. “Oh yeah? What did you do?”
“Stood up in front of the entire team after the Phantoms game and told them that I had been seeing you.”
My eyes flare and my mouth hangs open. “You did?”
One side of his mouth lifts higher than the other, popping a dimple. “Yeah… in hindsight, it’s quite embarrassing, but the feedback was beyond positive.”
“And what exactly was the feedback?”
Camden steps closer. “One hundred percent well wishes with one unknown voice from the back threatening to kick my ass if I hurt you.”
I drop my gaze so he can’t see my responding smile because I’m not sure I’m ready to buy into his charm yet. However, I’m forced to look up when I feel his fingers on my chin. “I’d already hurt you, though, so the warning was a little late.”
I shake my head. “You did what was best for you.”
