AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I no longer have time to myself or to spend with Lily.
It’s becoming a ridiculous problem.
Yesterday was a prime example of that and, while I did make it home from our delayed flight from Calgary, it was much later than I expected. And as usual, Lily was already fast asleep when I let myself into the house. And early morning training today meant I was up and out the door before she was even awake.
She looked so beautiful and peaceful, and tiny, lying in our gigantic bed; one she spends too many nights alone in.
I’m all too aware that something must change.
We both know it.
Our stressful jobs seem to have taken over, and like a perennial weed, I don’t know how to excavate it from our lives or get it under control.
Tonight is the first evening we’ve spent together in over two, or is it three weeks? Fuck knows. But, however long it’s been, it’s too long.
I give Lily’s thigh a squeeze under the dining table. “You’re quiet tonight, everything alright?” She was silent in the car driving here, too and she’s hardly eaten a thing.
Pulling her mouth into a tight line, elbow bent, her chin resting on her hand, she twists her neck and I know she’s hiding something when she says, “I’m fine.” The usual sparkle in her eyes is missing. She looks sad, making my guts twist like a snake recoiling in my stomach.
Following a strategic rewatch of last night’s game with the entire team this afternoon, which made me late again, I only had minutes to spare to grab a shower and get changed for tonight. When I arrived back at the house, Lily was already waiting for me with a glass of wine in hand. Lost in deep thought, the house was eerily quiet as she stood, frozen to the spot, staring out of the bay window. I asked her the same question then too and her answer was the same; I’m fine.
“You know you can tell me anything?” I whisper so no one else can hear.
Nodding, she assures me. “We need to talk—” She starts to say but is interrupted by my phone ringing. “And there it is.” She sighs, staring at the lit-up screen on the table with a withheld number. “That phone never stops.” Grabbing her glass of red wine, she downs the last of it and pushes her seat back. “Excuse me.”
I can’t deny it; she’s right. The role of being a hockey coach continues off the ice more often than I realized. The weight or expectation of winning games, upholding the Eagles’ reputation, media interviews, and managing the often-unruly team on and off the ice means that I’m never not working.
My phone continues to scream at me and I reluctantly pick it off the table and excuse myself. Following in Lily’s footsteps out of the dining room and into the entryway, I catch her disappearing behind the bathroom door.
Hitting the accept button on my screen, I lift my phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Is this Ash Johansson?” An authoritative sounding male voice hits my eardrum.
This better not be a press call or I will lose my shit. No one has access to my private number. “Speaking. Who is this?” I reply, defensively.
“Sir, this is Sergeant Martin from Edmonton Police Service. We have a Wade Collins in custody.”
I dip my head as the feeling of yet another headache threatens to throb through my temples. I rub the tight space between my brows. “What did he do this time?” I sigh.
“Brawling in Finch’s Bar.”
Fucking hell.
“Was there any press around?”
“Luckily for you, no.” I can almost hear the humor in his voice.
Wade comes from a broken home and an equally unstable background and didn’t exactly have the best start in life, which he seems to be unable to shake off. Lily thinks he’s perfectly balanced; he has a chip on each shoulder. She’s not wrong, and this isn’t the first call I’ve had from the Edmonton Police Service. Wade is turning out to be a real fucking pain in my ass. “I’ll come get him.” My voice is defeated, reluctance thick in my throat.
“Much appreciated. See you soon, Mr. Johansson.”
I hang up, shove my phone in my pocket, and walk over to the bathroom, lightly tapping on the door. “Lily, can you open up, please?”
“Give me a minute.” Her sweet voice echoes from behind the door as the sound of the toilet flushes. A few clicks and she’s unlocked it and let me in as she makes her way back to the washbasin.
I close the door behind me, lock us in, and move to stand behind her.
“What’s up?” Lily runs her now soapy hands under the flowing water, then looks up at me in the mirror.
