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Every waking second for the past few days has been filled with images of what Reed went through. How he defended his mom. How he defended me twice. It all makes sense now. Five or six months ago, when I met him at a bar, and he threw one of my classmates on the ground for touching me, and then again when Erik was here.
All of my thoughts have been centered on his defense of his mom and me. Do I want a man who will keep me safe at all costs?
The first thing I do when I wake up is message my dad. He’s coaching practice right now, but hopefully, his schedule is clear after he finishes. We haven’t talked since the day he confronted Reed and me about our relationship, other than when he picked up and dropped off Caleb a few days ago.
I’m ready to talk. I get off at two today.
By the time I’ve dropped Caleb off at daycare, he still hasn’t answered.
Hours pass, and a text comes in from Reed.
Reed:Coach granted permission for me to go out of town. I have some things to take care of.
Me:But you will be back?
The bouncing dots quit bouncing, and I slump against the table I’m wiping off. I don’t deserve answers from him until I’ve given him my answer or thoughts.
If you asked me a week ago, I would have said Reed and I are tighter than we’ve ever been. There’s something about roleplaying that’s freeing, acting like you’re someone else, but there’s a little bit of you in every action. Who you wish you were. But being with Reed, I no longer feel like someone else. I’m becoming the person I want to be. More confident. More social. Prouder of being a kickass single mom.
A vibration in my pocket has me pulling out my phone with hopes it’s Reed, but it’s my dad.
Dad:Dinner? I’ll rent the new dinosaur movie so you can give me a tongue lashing.
Dad always knows how to make me smile. Yeah, I’m giving him a piece of my mind.
Me:We’ll be there.
I assume Dad knows where Reed is going, but I’ll wait to ask until dinner.
In the short time I’ve known Reed, we’ve been through more than most couples go through in a year. So many obstacles have been placed in our way. But what I’m recognizing is they weren’t obstacles at all. Caleb isn’t an obstacle. My dad isn’t an obstacle. They’re part of me. And my dad, to some degree, is a part of Reed.
Do I care how they feel? Yes. Will I listen to Dad’s advice? Yes. But do either of them get to decide who I date? No. If Reed wasn’t good with Caleb, that would be different, but Reed plays with him when I’m not around. Caleb never stops talking about him.Weedput the covers over the boxes. Weed lets me wear his hat. Weed asked me if you like SpaghettiOs.
I admit, I’m worried. Not just about our relationship but Reed himself. Once he said, “I have more baggage than Delta Airlines.” He’s gone somewhere without any support, and he probably assumes I think he’s a terrible person for what he did. I don’t.
Bonnie snaps her fingers. “Brooke, table 5.”
Straightening, I see it’s a group of Reed’s teammates and walk to them.
“I’ll be your waitress. What can I get started for you?”
“I’m Flynn. This is Dawes, Janik, and Wynward. We’re?—”
“I know who you are.” This is my chance to dig for some information about Reed. “How was practice?”
“Good. Except Coach and your boyfriend had a private conversation in his office, and Reed left without even lacing up.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m his girlfriend… or was. I guess we’re in limbo. He trusted me with his heart and his pain, and I made it about me and Caleb.
I feel tears welling up in my eyes. Dawes grabs my hand. “You’ve changed him. You know that. He’s gone soft.”
“That’s not true.”
Wynward says, “It would mean a lot to him if you were at our next home game. The rest of us have someone in the stands. A girlfriend, a parent, a sibling, or a friend?—"
Flynn interrupts him, “A puck bunny.”
They all smack Flynn, and these gorgeous, fit men cackle like a gaggle of geese.
