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7

KENNETH

A week later…

Yawning, Kenneth was running drills with several other players while they were still waiting for part of the team to arrive. The roster was a secret, and it was like unveiling a gift each time a new player arrived. You never knew who it was going to be, but so far, he had yet to be disappointed.

And his new bride was a force of nature.

They went to the zoo with Zachary. Stopped at a food stand and ate French fries with meat piled on top while sitting at a picnic bench like it was nothing. Toured the shops in the old city, went to pull taffy, fed the birds near the river, and took photos of Zachary sitting atop a cannon at the fort that overlooked the river just like a bunch of tourists.

Today, Jamie was taking Zachary to a farm to pick blueberries and see some baby rabbits. Apparently, she was searching the internet for things to do nearby and hitting the jackpot. The woman seemed to thrive off lists and was always ‘go, go, go’… so hockey practice today felt like a freakin’ vacation – but he couldn’t say no.

All of that – in between hunting for a place to live.

Kenneth finally had to put his foot down yesterday evening. He insisted on stopping at a dealership to buy two vehicles. If they were going to run around like this as a family, it would be better to have their own instead of calling a cab or requesting an Uber. He wanted to park in his own garage, relax in his own home, and make things cozy. The realtor had been amazingly understanding about things, and today, he signed on a house, offering cash, with the condition to close this week.

Jamie hadn’t seen the house yet, but the moment he walked in – he knew this was the one. After the dealership incident, he knew she would be fine with his decision. She was an angel with Zachary, and his son adored her.

And she was grateful .

Heaven help him, Jamie was grateful for everything. She always looked surprised at the littlest things that seemed commonplace to him. They needed a vehicle, so they went to get one, and she lingered at the back of the showroom looking uncomfortable, holding Zachary’s hand. He picked out a large truck for himself with blacked-out windows and a full cab – something different. He didn’t want another sleek muscle car. Things had changed, and so had his tastes – and he waved Jamie over.

“What do you want?” he’d asked, and she nearly tripped over herself, stammering in shock. “Pick one, and let’s go.”

And that’s when he knew things were so different. It wasn’t just how she asserted herself at the oddest times or how she tried to take control of a situation by making sure it was best for Zachary, but these moments that set her apart from anyone else. Her eyes had been so bewildered, stunned, and full of regret when she whispered to him.

“I can’t,” Jamie mumbled and looked uncomfortable. “Look, my credit is crap, and things were bad before we got married…” she was wringing her hands nervously – and he grabbed them, holding them in his. It always caught him by surprise how delicate she felt because she seemed larger than life to him sometimes.

“Jamie,” he began softly, feeling something melt inside of him. “Pick one, and let me handle it.”

“Kenneth…”

“Don’t make me guess,” he chuckled softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Lime green?”

“Ew, no…” she retorted and hesitated, meeting his eyes.

“What?”

“Hug,” she blurted out – and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly almost like she needed someone or something to ground her to make any of this believable. She was insecure when it came to her, but if it was him or Zachary? The woman was invincible and would conquer worlds without hesitation.

“I just need something cheap to get around,” she whispered shyly.

“My wife isn’t going to drive a jalopy,” he breathed softly, smoothing her hair. “I can let Zachary choose or…” and he felt her stiffen. “Do you want a truck like mine? You mentioned you liked trucks instead of Hot Wheels. Do you want something like that?”

He pulled back, looking at her nervous expression, and smiled.

“What color?” he whispered knowingly.

“Whatever your team colors are…”

“You take care of me… and I will take care of you,” he promised once again before kissing her on the cheek. An hour later, they left the dealership with two big, fully-loaded pickup trucks – his and hers GMC Denali 3500s. Jamie’s was a deep blue with tan interior. When he handed her the keys, complete with a flashy yet girly keychain, she was near tears again.

It rocked his very foundation to see how different she was from Candi, and maybe she was right about things. She had told him to ‘wipe his mental slate’ because this was new, and he was doing just that.

He was trusting her, giving her every bit of faith within him, and putting himself out there once again, but this time it was different. Instead of worrying that something was going to go wrong, he found himself looking forward to what was going to happen next because it would be something that went right.

Everything was going right and frankly, it was about time.

“Guys, we’ve got another teammate who just arrived…” and Kenneth looked up – and took off toward the other side of the rink, laughing and smiling as he dropped his stick.

“Boucher!”

“Hey man…” Keith Boucher said in shock – a smile splitting his face. “They told me you’d signed.”

“Heck yeah, I did,” Kenneth grinned, hugging the man. “How are you?”

“Same,” Keith said warily – and Kenneth nodded, letting it drop. Keith and Kenneth were both on the same team when they entered the NHL but they had lost track of each other years ago. They had been friends; he’d seen him a few times on the ice, but that wasn’t the same, but now – now they were on the same team again.

“Dang, I’m so glad to have you here,” Kenneth grinned, clasping his hand. “Maybe you can tune out Acton’s snotty voice…”

“I heard that,” Acton called out.

“Never said you were deaf,” Kenneth tossed over his shoulder, making the skinny man before him laugh. “C’mon and suit up. You are gonna love this. When’d you get married?”

“This morning – and you?”

“A week or so ago,” Kenneth admitted; several men nearby burst out laughing knowingly. They weren’t alone in this desperate ploy, and word was spreading fast about the new team – and how particular they were about who they signed. He already knew of one person who’d taken to social media angry, bashing them because their agent was shot down immediately from even presenting a contract.

No troublemakers…

That made Kenneth look at his friend, Boucher, again. The man had a reputation, a smear on his name, which meant that he either played well enough to overlook it, took less money, or they had already started fishing around to see if things were actually as they had been presented online.

In fact, he was surprising Jamie with the keys to the house and they were moving in this weekend. Their things had arrived, and he’d had them put into storage – which frustrated Jamie. He was handling everything, coordinating everything, and honestly – it was a little funny to find out that his little bride who put her cold feet on him was a control freak.

She needed a hobby and something to fill her time… and then heard those magical words. The coach was talking to someone in a suit who just arrived in the building to watch them practice.

“Get someone to set up social media accounts,” the man in the suit instructed. “Get someone aggressive, happy, outgoing, and tech-savvy. I want the internet flooded with pictures, videos, and posts of…”

“My wife can do it,” Kenneth interrupted loudly from the ice nearly fifteen feet away. “My wife would be perfect for what you are looking for – and she’d be committed to making sure it was great because it’s personal and close to home.”

“Done,” the man in the suit said bluntly. “Have her show up here tomorrow and meet with the coach and legal, and let’s get this moving quickly.”

He’d done it again.

He’d taken over.

First, the storage, then he was going to spring the house on her, and now he just got her a job because she needed a distraction. Dead man walking… he thought as he swallowed the taste of bile in his throat as he met the other guys surprised expressions.

He might have crossed a line.

Maybe volunteering his wife’s time should have been discussed with her first. Maybe he should have told her about the house. And maybe he should have mentioned a lot more before blurting out the words, ‘Marry me’ to a perfect stranger.

Jamie was going to blow her lid.