Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“The early bird gets the worm.” I try to joke with her when Jack comes in.
“Hi,” Sarah says, squatting down in front of him. “I was so excited to meet you. I couldn’t wait.” She smiles at me as Jack hides half his face behind my leg.
She comes in, and we sit in the living room to go over things. She involves Jack in the discussion, which brings him out of his shell, and by the time I leave to go to the rink, he’s already discussing with her how to build a tower with his Legos.
I take an Uber to the rink, thinking about how I need to get a car soon. I walk in the side entrance as per the email, then scan my assigned key and the door clicks as I walk in. A couple of people nod at me as I make my way to the end of the hall and into the locker room.
“Holy shit,” Mark, the goalie says, “I can’t fucking believe it.” He gets up from his seat and comes over to me. Putting his hand out, he says, “Good to have you on the team.” I nod at him; even though we’ve never played with each other, once you’re in the NHL, everyone pretty much knows everyone.
“Look at this.” I turn my head and see Matthew Grant come in. Captain of the team, this guy was drafted first overall when he was seventeen and then fell on his face only to come back two years later better and stronger. It does help that his stepfather is Cooper Stone, the man every hockey player wants to be. He slaps my shoulder with one hand and smiles at me. “Did you just get here?” he asks, and I nod while everyone else just goes about their day.
“Just walked in,” I tell him. “Landed about two hours ago. Had to get Jack settled.”
He nods his head at me and then jerks his head to the side, gesturing for me to follow as he turns and walks outside. He leads us to a small room with a desk and a couple of chairs. He sits in one, and I sit in the other. “Is this the welcome to the team or if you fuck up you’re gone talk?”
He throws his head back and laughs. “No. This is a man to man, how are you feeling talk,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “We heard rumors, and no one is going to come right out and ask you. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
My thumb beats on my leg, and I’m about to answer him when I see Max Horton walk down the hallway and peek inside. He walks past the door and then comes back. “If it isn’t the best defenseman in the NHL,” he says, laughing as he approaches and shakes my hand. “Good to see you.”
Max Horton is what defensemen like me groan about. He is just that good, getting in under our skin, out dekeing the shit out of us and making us look bad. “Sorry, did I interrupt?” he asks, looking at Matthew.
I look at them, thinking about how far they made it. Max didn’t take Matthew coming onto his team lightly, and it was known around the league that they hated each other. It was also a shock that Max married his sister—eloped actually. Word through the grapevine is they buried the hatchet, which makes their hockey playing that much more lethal. “No.” Matthew shakes his head. “I was just touching base with him.”
Max nods his head. “Is it true?” he asks me, not beating around the bush.
“Is what true? That my captain and best friend is fucking my wife?” I laugh, thinking of the irony of it all. “Yup, that much is true.”
“I’m sorry, man,” Max says. “I can’t even imagine.”
“That’s gross,” Matthew says. “She’s my sister.”
Max rolls his eyes. “I mean, finding Allison with anyone else.” He shakes his head. “I think I’d kill him.”
“Yeah,” Matthew agrees. “It’s safe to say I’d be behind bars.”
“Well, the only thing I care about is my kid,” I tell them both. “In the end, he’s my number one priority.”
Matthew and Max both look at me. “We’ve kept it very hush-hush, but you should know. My son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia”—the gasps fill the room, but I continue—“last year. We just finished his third round of chemo, and nothing is working.” I look down and then back up. “That is why I chose New York.”
I don’t have to say it because Max sees it right away. “Denise.”
I nod my head. “Even the medical team in Arizona said she is the one for the job. Her hospital is certified to participate in some new treatments, and I need to get in to see her.” It comes out more like a plea than a statement.