Page 35

Marty

The rage simmering just beneath the surface of my psyche is threatening to boil over. I didn’t lose custody of my kids, but I didn’t win it either. It’s basically a wash, with Brenna the primary caregiver, simply because she doesn’t work. How is that fair?

The weird thing is, Brenna didn’t look particularly thrilled that she won, her face completely devoid of emotion. Philippe wasn’t with her because he had a game back in Nashville, so it was weird to me. I thought sure she would be willing to take some sort of payout, but she didn’t seem interested, and now it’s over. I’m officially divorced, but I’m relegated to seeing my kids a few weeks in the summer and occasional holidays.

I don’t know how the hell I’m going to deal with that.

One option, of course, is getting traded to the team in Tennessee.

That means dealing with Phil every fucking day, and I don’t know that I can keep it civil. Even for my kids.

But then if he gets traded again, I have to follow him or lose proximity to my kids anyway. There are no guarantees in pro sports, and at this stage of my career, I don’t know how much bargaining power I have. I’m still a decent player, but I’m turning thirty-three soon, so my hockey days could be numbered.

I’ve just pulled up to the house after practice and see an unfamiliar car in the driveway.

My heart sinks.

I know it’s Brenna.

She said she would bring the kids by to say hello after practice today but I thought she’d call first. Now I have to put on a happy face so the kids don’t see how pissed off I am at the world.

“Daddy!” Martin is out of the car and running to me the minute I get out of my SUV.

“Hey, buddy.” I scoop him up and hug him tightly, breathing in his scent, letting the warmth of his body envelop me.

“Mommy said we’re having lunch here!”

“Yup.” I nod stiffly.

Brenna gets out of her rental with Bradley in her arms and he immediately starts leaning away from her, reaching for me.

Fuck, this is hard.

I put Martin down and take the baby from Brenna without looking at her. “Hey, baby boy. Did you miss me?”

“Burble okey-okay.”

“I know.” I nod like I have even an inkling of understanding.

“Daddy!” Emma comes running to me next, wrapping her arms around my leg.

“You were supposed to call,” I mutter to Brenna.

“I know.” She looks genuinely apologetic. “But I didn’t realize you’d changed the locks.”

“It was time.”

We go into the house and I put Bradley down, trying to figure out what I’m going to feed them. The food currently in the house is geared toward my nutritional needs and not for three kids. I’d been planning to place an order if I won yesterday. Since I didn’t, there seemed to be no point.

“I can make them grilled cheese if you have bread,” Brenna offers.

“Fine.” I don’t have it in me to argue with her.

She goes to work like she still lives here, pulling out a frying pan, bread, cheese, and butter.

“You want one?” she asks me.

“No thanks.”

Martin disappears and I hear his footsteps on the stairs, most likely heading for his room.

I put Bradley in his highchair and find some Cheerios for him to munch on while Brenna makes lunch. Then I sink into a chair with Emma on my lap, trying to keep my temper in check. I want to rage at Brenna, scream and yell and tell her what a selfish bitch she is. I can’t do it in front of the kids, but I really want to.

“Do you think we could talk, Marty?” Brenna asks quietly.

“About what?” I manage not to scowl.

“Us.”

“Us?” I want to laugh, though it isn’t at all humorous. “There’s no such thing, Brenna. In case you forgot, you left me.”

“I know but…” She flips the grilled cheese sandwiches in the pan and then turns to me, the look on her face contrite. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s best for the kids.”

I arch a brow. “ Now you’re worried about what’s best for them?”

“Don’t do that. I’m trying to be serious.”

“So am I. You weren’t thinking about the kids when you hooked up with Phil,” I say as patiently as I can. “You weren’t thinking about them when you moved them to Tennessee. And you sure as hell weren’t thinking about them when you asked for a TRO against Stevie.”

She looks away for a moment and then fixes her gaze on me. “But I was! Marty, you have to know how problematic she is…how difficult it would be for her to be around the kids with the negativity that follows her.”

“Stevie has a bigger—and better—heart than ninety-nine percent of the people I know,” I reply. “Including you.”

Her cheeks turn red, and she whirls back to the frying pan, her back stiff.

“We could try again,” she says. “For the kids.”

This time, I can’t help myself and burst out laughing.

That’s rich, coming from her.

She fucks another guy who happens to be my teammate, takes my kids away from me, ruins my relationship with a beautiful, loving woman, and now she wants me back?

Hell will freeze over first.

“What’s the matter?” I ask sarcastically. “Phil not thrilled with the results of the custody hearing?”

She doesn’t respond, telling me all I need to know, but that’s her problem.

“You made your bed, Bren. I don’t know what to tell you other than I don’t love you anymore. I don’t even like you most of the time, so trying again is completely out of the question.” I stand up and put Emma in her booster seat. “I’m going to go check on Martin.”

She really has nerve.

* * *

We play the team from Alaska the following night and there’s a buzz of activity when I get to the arena.

“Did you hear the news?” Ivan asks as I approach the locker room.

“What news?”

“Harper has gone into labor.”

“Oh.” I smile. “Gabe must be excited.”

“I guess they went to the hospital early this morning, so we’re waiting for updates.”

“So Chandler’s between the pipes tonight.” I nod.

“Yeah.” He looks at me carefully. “You okay? You look…weird.”

“No.” I shrug. “But nothing I can do about it. Funny story, though—guess who asked if we could try again?”

His mouth falls open.

“Seriously?” He looks dumbfounded.

“Yup.”

“Please tell me you told her to go fuck herself?”

I chuckle. “Yeah. Just without using those words because Emma and Bradley were in the room.”

“Good.” He shakes his head. “She’s something, eh?”

“Something evil,” I grumble.

“Trouble with her and Phil?”

“Probably. She seemed resigned when I laughed in her face.”

“This might be the time to hit her up with an offer.”

“She wasn’t amenable to it before.”

“She hadn’t won custody before and presumably pissed off Phil.”

“I guess.”

Madeline and I talked about this ad nauseum but her concern in coming right out and offering her money in exchange for the kids was that Brenna would tell the judge—and that wouldn’t look good for me. In retrospect, nothing I did or didn’t do mattered.

“Mr. Nadeau?” One of the assistants from the marketing department comes over to me. “Uh, your family is here.”

“My family?” I blink in confusion.

“Uh, your wife and kids.” He looks confused too.

Unless there’s a special event or some kind of emergency, our families don’t just show up at the arena a couple of hours before a game.

“My…” I look at Ivan and he arches his brows. “I guess I better see what’s going on. Come with me?” I ask Ivan, who nods.

I follow the marketing guy to the family lounge, and I can already hear Martin’s laughter and Bradley’s nonsensical chatter.

What the hell is Brenna thinking?

“Brenna.” I give her a look of annoyance. “What’s going on?”

“Like you don’t know.” She rolls her eyes. “I guess you’re getting your way.”

“My way?” I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“You don’t have to be a jerk, okay? I signed the papers. So here they are. You wanted custody so badly—now you have it.”

I glance at Ivan, who looks as confused as I feel.

“Brenna, quit screwing around. You know I have a game in a couple of hours.”

She shrugs. “That’s not my problem anymore. You now have sole physical custody. And I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“Dammit, Brenna, what are you talking about?” I demand in irritation.

She pauses. “I left all their things on the back porch of the house. Bradley’s diaper bag is in the stroller, and I fed them a late lunch. I don’t know what you’re going to do during the game, but they should be good until they get hungry. I’d like to see them at Christmas, if that’s okay? You’ll be traveling anyway, so I thought maybe my mother could come pick them up. Would that be all right?”

I’m staring at her like she’s grown a second head. “Brenna, I honestly?—”

I’m cut off as Madeline comes barreling around the corner. “There you are! I was just coming to make sure everything is okay.”

“The kids are here and I’m heading back to Tennessee. Take care of yourself, Marty.” Brenna bends to hug and kiss each of the kids, and then turns and walks out of the room, leaving me staring after her in confusion.

“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

“Anonymous donor wrote Brenna a check. Their attorney reached out to me, and I drew up the papers. It all happened within the last two hours, and you didn’t pick up when I called you.”

“Anonymous donor? What the fuck does that mean?”

Ivan rolls his eyes. “You’re not really this much of a dumbass, right? I mean, you have to know who did this.”

I turn and we stare at each other for a beat.

Stevie .

Oh my fucking God.

“Is that true?” I ask Madeline. “Was it Stevie?”

Her eyes twinkle. “I can’t really say. The attorney was cagey.”

“But—”

“Daddy, I have to go potty!” Martin tugs on my leg.

“I’ll take him,” Ivan says, scooping him up. “Come on, big guy. You and Uncle Ivan will find a bathroom.”

“Tell me,” I say to Madeline. “Was it Stevie?”

“She asked to stay anonymous.”

“I don’t understand.”

She makes a weird face, scrunching up her nose. “You’re too old to be this obtuse.”

“What does that mean?” I ask in frustration.

“She loves you.”

“But…” I feel like I have whiplash.

Brenna.

The kids.

Stevie .

Why would she do this if she didn’t want to be with me?

Because she does, dumbass.

I don’t know what to do about any of this, but I have a game in a very short time and I need to find someone to watch the kids immediately.

“How do you feel about kids?” I ask Madeline.

One eyebrow shoots up. “There isn’t enough money in the world.”

I laugh. “You may not have a choice. I’m going to call some friends but it’ll take at least thirty minutes for anyone to get here.”

She narrows her eyes. “Thirty minutes, Marty. Not a second more or I start charging my regular legal fee.”

“I’m on it.” I pull out my phone and text Saylor. If she and Ally are coming to the game, I’m golden. If not, I’ve just hired the world’s most expensive babysitter.

It doesn’t matter, though.

I have to find Stevie.

Talk to her.

Figure out what’s going on with her.

With us.

I don’t know why she did this for me, but I intend to find out.