Page 6

TOM

T his summer, I had a long-term rental in Boston, only a few blocks from Kelsey and Sam.

The more time I spent in the city, the more difficult it was to leave.

Boston had quickly come to feel like home.

I hated the thought of Crew traveling with me all winter without consistency.

While he’d traveled last year, he’d been with his mom.

I didn’t even know I was a father at this point last year.

The shock of finding out wore off the moment I saw my son.

If Kelsey and Sam had not been committed to me being in Crew’s life, the last year could have been hell.

I worried about what life held once the new baby came along, especially since Kelsey was panicking about having Crew across the country from her when she couldn’t travel.

Damon: I heard you found a nanny. Is she hot?

Damon Amari, my teammate and one of my best friends, texted.

We’d both signed with Colorado last season, and he’d been with me through the craziness of learning to parent, find my way in the NHL, and not lose my mind.

At the beginning of the season, he’d been dating his high-school sweetheart, but they’d broken up.

She hadn’t been able to handle the travel and had major trust issues.

Going through major life changes and adjusting to the NHL rigors had bonded us.

Me: Are you ready to move on from Kayleigh?

Damon: What, not going to warn me off of the nanny?

Me: Nah, I’m more interested in knowing if anything happened while you were home. Did you run into her?

Damon: I plead the fifth.

Me: Fuck, man, I hope you know what you’re getting into with her.

Damon: I think it’s going to be different this time. How’s Crew?

Me: It’s always going to be different. Crew is awesome. He’s starting to talk a bunch more, so there will be no more swearing in front of him.

I wasn’t the only player on the team with a toddler, but I was the only one with shared custody who planned to be a single parent half the time. With Calliope on board, I should be able to find some balance, if it’s even possible in season.

Damon: Enjoy the rest of your summer. I’ll catch up with you before training camp.

Me: Be careful, brother.

Damon: Yeah, I’ll be fine. Always am.

I planned to meet with the group at Kelsey and Sam’s place, and we’d all head to the stadium together.

After having stayed there last summer, I had gotten spoiled.

Baseball money and hockey money were so far off that his yearly salary was what I hoped to make in my career.

Forget about endorsements. We weren’t even in the same league financially.

Kelsey came from a family of modest means and was generally uncomfortable with displays of wealth; she’s never thrown it in my face and would do her best not to let money ever be a factor in my relationship with Crew.

When I got to their house, Calliope had already arrived, and Crew had decided to show her his car and dinosaur collection. He’d been obsessed with dinosaurs lately and was practicing his adorable little roar, charming his new nanny.

“Dada!” Crew shouted and barreled over to me, throwing himself into my arms. I squeezed him tight, loving the bond we’d formed over the past few months.

Playing professional hockey has been my dream since I tried on my first skates.

My life had always revolved around the sport, but I’d never dreamed of having something I love more than the game.

“You ready to go to the baseball game, buddy?”

“Pops?” Crew’s wide eyes looked right into my soul.

“Yeah, we’re gonna watch your Pops pitch tonight.”

Crew clapped excitedly. He loved going to the ballpark; he’d been doing it routinely since he was three months old.

Kelsey and Sam met when Sam at a point where he thought his career might be over; something had happened that night that made Sam think Kelsey was his good luck charm.

He invited her to his game, and he pitched a perfect game, one of the rarest achievements in baseball.

Since he’s superstitious as fuck, he asked Kelsey to every single game he pitched.

It wasn’t long before she and Crew followed him to almost every stadium in the Northern Hemisphere.

Had Kelsey never met Sam, she may never have had the resources to find me.

We’d met in Cancun as a one-night stand and never exchanged last names.

Sam had hired a private investigator, though I think he initially thought I’d willingly sign Crew over to them once he found me.

After being raised by a single mother when my father walked out on us, I would never be able to live with myself knowing I had a child out there being raised by someone else.

“Pops win!”

“I hope he does, buddy.”

“See Pee?” He asked, pointing at Calliope.

“Ca-Lie-O-Pee,” I pronounced slowly, trying not to make him self-conscious as he tried new words. “She’s coming with us.”

Fuck, me. What the hell was she wearing?

I hadn’t realized when she was sitting down playing that her baseball jersey looked like a dress.

Her legs were tan, muscular, and absolute perfection.

It would be a pain in the balls keeping the guys away from her.

Knowing Sam's feelings about her dating teammates, I hoped that warning would be enough.