Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“I talked to my agent about the Hockey Academy satellite campus opening here and I reached out to Alex Waters.” I won’t move away from my only daughter. And I have no plans to leave Toronto when Lexi is here.
Peggy reaches across the table to touch my arm. “It would be so good if you stayed close. Both of you would be great coaches.”
“I would never leave you. You’re my baby.” It doesn’t matter that she’s self-sufficient, she’ll always be a top priority. “They have a summer program for university students that they hope to start in May.” I’m testing the waters.
“It’s too bad we’ll be in playoffs then.” Hollis sips his coffee.
“Unless I take early retirement.”
Peggy laughs. “As if.”
Rainbow, our regular waitress, stops by to freshen our coffees. “Is everything okay with the hash today?” she asks Hollis.
“Oh, yeah. It’s great as usual,” he assures her. “Just overdid it on the snacks before I got here.”
Peggy gets a message, distracting her from the Hockey Academy conversation. “Looks like you can finish my sausage after all. I need to head over to Rix’s.” She shoves her phone in her banana duck bag.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Mostly. Nate is moving in with Flip next week so they need to get his stuff out of storage and Rix is stressing about the wedding. Summer is basically tomorrow in her head. It’ll all be fine, but she needs some girl time.” She kisses Hollis on the cheek. “Love you.”
Hollis arches a brow. “I love you too, Princess.”
“I know. It’s written all over your gorgeous face every day.” She squeezes his arm. She slides out of her seat and comes around to hug me from behind and kiss my cheek too. “Love you, Dado.”
“Are Rix and Tristan okay?” I ask once she’s out the door. Tristan, who is known for being a notoriously surly fucker is the happiest I’ve ever seen him. But I know they’ve had some ups and downs, especially with all the damage Tristan’s mother left behind.
“They’re good.” Hollis stabs Peggy’s sausage and transfers it to his plate. “Rix is a bit overwhelmed about planning a wedding and being full time in university and trying to work part-time, though.”
“Why is she still working part-time with all that going on?” She also preps meals for a bunch of us on top of everything else she does.
“I guess Tristan has been topping up her account, but instead of using it, she’s invested it, which sounds like a Rix thing to do. But also, she’s running herself a little ragged. She’s terrible at accepting help, always wanting to be self-sufficient. Aurora is trying to be a sounding board. She knows what it’s like to be surrounded by big earners and be in a job that doesn’t have the same kind of potential.” He drags the sausage bite through Peggy’s pool of maple syrup.
“Is Peggy struggling?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No. I mean, she thinks it’s pretty comical when we compare bank statements, but she’s used to it because she’s grown up in it. Rix is still trying to catch up.”
Rainbow stops by, and Hollis asks for a takeout box. We settle the tab and leave the Pancake House, crossing the street and pushing through the doors of our building.
“You busy, or uh…you got a little time to hang out?” Hollis asks as we step into the elevator.
I swipe my fob and hit the button for the penthouse floor. “I can hang out.”
“Great. Cool.” He leans against the rail and runs a hand through his hair. Then shoves his hand in his pocket.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. Good. Great.” He nods a bunch of times.
He’s cagey as fuck. The elevator stops, and a couple joins us—from the gym based on their workout clothes and slightly sweaty appearance. They get off a few floors before us. Again, Hollis waits until I get off before he does. He follows me into my penthouse, sets his takeout bag on the entry table and wipes his hands on his jeans.
Hollis and I have been friends for a long time. I can read him pretty easily, and while I missed a lot of signs when he and my daughter were sneaking around last season, it’s pretty obvious he’s nervous about something. “Okay, man, what’s going on?”
“We need to talk.”
His tone makes my heart beat double time. “Not a good sentence to start with. I swear to fucking God, Hollis, if you’ve gotten my twenty-one-year-old daughter pregnant—”
“No! She’s not pregnant. She’s on the pill. We’re super careful. We use extra protec—”
I hold up a hand. “I don’t need more information about that.”
“Fair. Right. Yes. I’m sorry.” He exhales a long breath. “We’ve been together for a year.”
“Openly for a little better than six months,” I point out.
“It’s more like nine,” he argues. “She’s it for me, Roman. I love her more than life. More than hockey. I know this has been hard to get used to, and that you’ve got a lot going on already, but I can’t see a future without her. There’s a good chance I’ll retire at the end of this season with you. I just want to be prepared, you know?”