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)
“Tally has been hanging out with my daughter and the other Terror women for the past two years. She was a high school senior last year, and my daughter, who will be twenty-two soon, spent loads of time with her. Very willingly. They’d happily welcome you, if that’s where you feel the most comfortable. Rix, Peggy, and Tally understand your situation, and it makes sense that you want to spend time with people who get you just as you are.”
“That’s all I want. Just for people to get me.” Fee turns to me. “I love you, and I’m super grateful that you let me and Callie come live with you, but things are so different. You’re not just my sister anymore. And then we moved, and I wanted it to be a fresh start, but sometimes I don’t know what to do with myself. I know you’re already stressed out because of this new job, and I didn’t want to add to it by dumping my problems on you.”
“Talking to me when you’re having a hard time isn’t dumping your problems on me. I’m here for you, both of you,” I assure her. “And I know our relationship has changed a lot, but I will always be here to help and listen. And Roman is right, the Terror girls are great, and if you want to spend more time with them, we can make that happen.”
“I think you and Peggy probably have more in common than you realize,” Roman says.
“Really? How?” Fee asks.
Roman tells her about how Peggy came to live with him when she was six, and she was basically raised by him and the team. He ended up hanging out with a lot of the older players who had families, because it made more sense after he had full custody of Peggy. Every word he speaks, every story he shares, every moment of connection he forms with my sisters winds him tighter around my heart.
“Did Peggy ever get in trouble?” Fee asks.
“Everyone gets in trouble. It’s about learning from your mistakes,” Roman replies.
“Did you ground her?” Callie asks, eyes wide.
“Depended on the circumstances. Sometimes I asked her what her punishment should be.”
The girls look to me. “Do you think we should try that?” I ask.
They glance at each other.
“It’s worth a shot,” Roman offers.
In the end, they’re harder on themselves than I ever would have been. Eventually I send them to their rooms because it’s getting late. Callie needs to go to bed, and Fee has homework. Callie is wiped from all the emotion, so it only takes one story for her to fall asleep.
“Why are you made of magic?” I ask Roman when I return to the kitchen and find the leftovers already put away and the dishes done.
“I have experience raising a girl in this environment. And I fully admit, I leveraged my power with them, which makes it easier. But you did great. You’re not failing, Lexi. Your instincts are spot on, and you love them so much. That’s what matters most.” He leans his hip against the counter. “I have a question, though, and it’s personal.”
“Okay.”
“Have the girls gone to therapy at all?”
“They did some grief counseling, but neither of them stuck with it,” I admit. It was tough that first year. I was pulled in so many different directions, and neither of them really connected to the grief counselor.
“I have a name of a great therapist. Peggy’s been seeing her for years, and she’s wonderful with kids. You have good coverage. It might be helpful for them to have a sounding board that isn’t their friends or you.”
I sigh. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’ll suggest it.” It’s been on my mind a lot lately—not just for them, but for me, too. I saw someone back in Niagara, but not since I moved to Toronto.
“They know you love them,” he says. “And they adore you.” He runs his hands up and down my arms.
“Thank you. This is so hard. I sound like a broken record.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Shit. I have a strategy plan I need to finish for Vander Zee, and it’s already after eight. I was supposed to have it done before I left, and then all this happened.”
“I can help you.”
“You’ve already done more than enough tonight.”
He gazes down at me and the intensity makes my knees weak. “I’m already here, and I have twenty years of on ice experience. It’s okay to take advantage of me in this situation.” He smirks and winks.
I laugh and lift a hand to block out his face. “You have to behave yourself and not look at me like that.”
His fingers wrap around mine and he presses my palm to my chest. “Take me to your office, Coach.”
“Yes, Goalie.”
He makes a sound in the back of his throat and leans down until his lips are at my ear. “You know I’m keeping track of all your bad behavior so I can dole out your punishments one at a time when the season is finally over.”