Page 5 of Right Pucking Daddy (Daddies of the League #7)

“Aiden, is everything okay?”

I turned and nodded, wanting to call Anya mom but unable to make myself do it.

I owed my bio parents nothing. They left a young child completely alone in the world.

By the skin of my teeth, I avoided some serious trauma in the foster care system and later on the streets.

So, why couldn’t I transfer those names to the parents who chose to love me?

“Everything’s fine. That’s Trey Malachek.”

Coach came over to us, looking past me in the direction Trey took off.

“Donnie’s kid?” he asked.

“Yes. He requested me as a roommate to fill the empty spot in his room. He said he thought I’d fit in since you’re my dad.”

“That was sweet of him, wasn’t it, Mikal?”

“Humph. ”

He walked away. I looked at Anya, and she rolled her eyes.

“He and Donnie played together for a season. Two bigger-than-life personalities on the same team? It didn’t go well most of the time. They were one of those times.”

I nodded, following her to the truck. I knew just what she meant.

I hated it when there were two guys like that on a team.

It was either two guys who couldn’t take their position being threatened and the season went rough.

Or… it was one guy who was threatened by the other guy who seemed unaffected until he lost his cool because the first guy kept pushing until the unaffected guy exploded.

Rarely, very, very rarely, did you get two of the guys who were bigger-than-life and pushed each other and the team to be better.

We started carting things into the building.

The room was great. We were in a four-person apartment.

We each had our own bedroom and bathroom, plus the apartment included a washer and dryer, and a full kitchen.

There was even a spot between the kitchen island and the living room for a table, or so the two moms said.

The problem was, there wasn’t any furniture in the apartment that was supposed to be furnished.

When I mentioned it to Anya and Coach while we were in my room getting the bed made and the furniture moved around, Trey stuck his head in the door and said, “The twins and I pieced some living room furniture together over the years. So we always ask for that stuff to be moved out. The furnished living room stuff is god-awful. Imagine hospital waiting room stuff but worse. Isaac and Isaiah will be here with the living room furniture and dining table later today.”

“Sounds good to me. ”

The twins showed up with the furniture before all our parents took off, so the two former pro-hockey players, along with the twins’ dad, jumped in and helped us carry in the furniture before taking off.

Coach and Anya hugged me, then Coach handed me an envelope.

“I don’t want you worrying about money, kiddo, but I also don’t want you to think we’re watching what you’re buying.

You’re a man, what you spend money on is your business.

Use the card in the envelope for all your expenses.

Once you change the password on the account, you’re the only one who’ll see the transactions.

And don’t worry about the payments. They are set up to come out of my account automatically. ”

“Coach… Dad…”

“You don’t have to…”

“I want to, because that’s what you are. It’s just hard because… ”

My actual father was a piece of crap who abandoned me.

But he knew that already. My eyes filled with tears as I struggled to tell him he was so much more than a dad. I could use that word to refer to him and mom for Anya, but to give the names I’d once used for the people who abandoned me, I couldn’t do it.

He pulled me into his arms and whispered, “How about Tata? They mean the same. But I want you to know, I don’t need it. Coach is fine.”

“Tata,” I said, stumbling over the word. He nodded with a smile. Then I asked, “And for Anya? ”

“Mama,” he whispered, then cupped the side of my face as he pulled away, giving my cheek a love pat. “You’re a good boy. Be sure to use the card and have fun.”

“Thanks, Tata, for everything.” I turned to look at Anya and said, “Thank you, Mama.”

She pulled me from Coach’s arms and wrapped me in hers. “I love you, kiddo. And I love Ma if Mama is too much. Take care, and call if you need anything. Do you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I watched them leave, and for a moment I felt lost. Even though I’d turned down their offer to take me to dinner and buy groceries, I wanted to do this on my own.

I needed to. But that didn’t keep me from beating myself up for it taking so long to fully accept them as my parents.

I vowed that from this point forward, I would be their kid fully.

The two who came before and left me on my own, well, they could stay in the past where they belonged.

I trudged back up to the apartment. I currently had the place to myself.

The twins lived nearby and would be back in two days when practice officially started.

Trey’s parents took him to dinner, but he mentioned he’d be back later if I wanted to hang.

I probably should do that so I could get to know my roommate/teammate, but I had other plans.

I refused to start another year of college as a virgin.