Page 36 of Sin Bin (BU Hockey Season 2, #1)

Fallon

I feel Ollie’s lip press against my temple before I even open my eyes. He taps my shoulder, and Iinstantly realize it’s time to wake up so that we can have breakfast with his parents.

I know there’s no possible way we can skip, but I don’t want to leave this bed—or my husband.

Don’t look at me like that, or we’ll never make it to breakfast . Ollie signs.

I sigh and stretch, determined to crawl out of bed, hop in the shower, and start getting ready. I am meeting my in-laws, after all.

Grabbing some clothes from my dresser, I head for the bathroom and turn on the water.

It doesn’t take long for me to wash up, and I’m halfway through my low-maintenance makeup routine when my phone lights up with a text.

It’s six in the morning on the West Coast, but Emersyn is awake and ready to chat.

Em: So…how’s married life? Is marital sex better than premarital sex? I’ve never had either, so I’d like to know.

Fallon: I’m not answering that. But marriage agrees with me.

Em: So marital sex is better. Or is Ollie just a vast improvement over the knuckleheads you’ve been with before?

Fallon: Where’s Mom? Shouldn't someone be parenting you?

Em: She just left for her sunrise yoga class. How freaking cute is that? She goes three times a week and wears coordinating workout clothes. It’s adorable.

Fallon: That is adorable. And I’d love to hear more, but I have breakfast plans.

Em: Are you going to Gran and Grandad’s? Will they try to marry you off to a stranger while your husband is sitting right there? How awkward.

Fallon: No, I haven’t seen them since I got back from Vegas…

Em: Believe me, I know. Gran told me all about it. She’s quite worried for the state of your soul, tbh. I tried to tell her you don’t have one, but that didn’t seem to help.

Fallon: OMG. And I’m the one they worry about. Unbelievable.

Em: That’s because I’m a lost cause and everyone knows it. So, what are your breakfast plans? Wait, is “breakfast plans” a euphemism for blowjob?

Fallon: NO. STOP. EWWWWWW.

Fallon: remind me never to let you meet my husband. You two have way too much in common. You’d be a lethal combination. And for your information, Ollie’s parents are in town and we’re meeting them for breakfast.

Em: Have fun! Oooh, maybe you can order sausage for breakfast. Hmmm…if his parents are there, you should probably save that for dessert.

I don’t even bother replying. I just shake my head, finish applying lip balm, and start getting dressed.

It doesn’t take long for us to walk to the diner downtown, and I spot Ollie’s parents as soon as we step inside.

It helps that he’s shown me some family photos, but even without those visual aids, it would be easy to tell who they are.

His dad’s blond hair is threaded with streaks of gray, but he’s got the same broad shoulders, cleft chin, and confident air.

His mom’s blonde hair is probably courtesy of a very expensive stylist, but her dark blue eyes are the same as her son’s.

Ollie takes a deep breath and squeezes my hand before leading me to the back of the restaurant.

His parents are all smiles as we slide into the booth.

Ollie’s sitting next to his mom and I’m beside his dad.

I have my hearing aids in, of course, but there’s usually a lot of background noise in places like this, so I’m glad Ollie can interpret for me if I need him to.

And I know he’ll do it without me even asking.

One thing I’ve learned about my husband is that he’s attentive to my needs, often before I even voice them.

He always makes sure I have coffee in the morning and he’s started making me lunch every afternoon.

I know he’s a little tense about this breakfast, and I hope that I can be there for him the way he’s constantly showing up for me.

Ollie kisses his mom’s cheek and shakes his dad’s hand. I notice his mom smiling at me as she touches the tips of her fingers to her chin and begins to sign Good Morning .

The gesture is sweet and when she glances up at Ollie to see how she did and he offers her a genuine smile, my heart melts a little.

I know he told them that I’m Deaf, but also that I used hearing aids and read lips, so we’ll be able to have a conversation without fully having to rely on Ollie as a go-between.

But it still means a lot that she’s making an effort to communicate in the way that’s most comfortable for me.

“ Good Morning ,” I sign back before turning to his dad to say hello, but Mrs. Jablonski isn’t the only one who’s been learning ASL signs. Mr. Jablonski clasps his hands together while saying, “ Congratulations .”

I’m not fully convinced that this man is as charming as his son, but we’re off to a better start than I thought we’d be.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jablonski, it’s so nice to meet you,” I say.

“Please, call me Kelly,” his mom says.

“And I’m Louis. After all, you’re family now, right?” His dad’s tone is jovial and there’s a smile on his face, but something just doesn’t sit right with me. His words feel a little bit like a dig.

“I know we didn’t exactly follow a traditional timeline,” Ollie says, clearly detecting the same undercurrent I did, “but I’m really glad you guys are here and that I can introduce you to Fallon, my wife. She’s…amazing. I know you’re going to love her. ”

My eyes hang on Ollie’s lips, watching as each word falls out of his mouth and marches right past my defenses.

Maybe he’s just selling our marriage so his parents believe it, or maybe he doesn’t want me to be the villain when all of this ends.

We haven’t talked about an end date, not since the plane ride, but everything ends eventually, right?

The way he’s looking at me right now has me questioning a lot of things, but when his folks crack open their menus, Ollie and I do the same. I smile to myself, thinking that Booker’s right. I always order the same breakfast at diners, and today won’t be any different.

When our server arrives with coffee, Ollie orders a breakfast that’s so large it will fill two platters, I ask for a waffle with strawberries and a side of bacon, and his parents order matching egg white omelets.

After our server hustles back to the kitchen, Ollie’s parents turn their attention to me.

“So, Fallon, what’s your major?” Kelly asks.

“Graphic design,” I answer.

“Good. That’s a job you can do from home, right?” his dad says, pouring creamer into his coffee. “Because you’ll have your hands full with this guy. Keeping him under control is a full-time job, believe me.”

Kelly laughs and Ollie smiles weakly. I know they’re just teasing, and that any of Ollie’s teammates would have said the same thing.

And then Ollie would have made a joke about being way more than a handful.

But this exchange isn’t playful. It’s not hostile, exactly, but there’s more going on here.

Maybe I’m extra sensitive to it because I study people’s faces all the time.

It’s a side effect of lipreading. I’m pretty good at figuring people out, and I know from things Ollie has shared that his dad wants him to be more responsible and to take charge.

I just wonder if his parents know about all the strides he’s made .

“I’m actually doing design work for a charity fundraiser the university is holding this winter. Ollie’s the chair of the committee. The carnival was his idea, actually.” I volunteer.

His dad barks out a laugh. “You got a good one here, Oliver. Hang on to a woman who’s ready to sing your praises everywhere she goes.

” He takes a sip of coffee before turning directly to me.

“Yes, sweetheart, I know all about Ollie’s charitable endeavors.

A good friend of mine who’s also in real estate development was proud to tell me Ollie is a chip off the old block.

Now, let’s just see if he keeps it up, huh?

That’s the trick, Oliver. Anyone can have a good day, a good sale. True success comes from consistency.”

“I know, Dad,” Ollie answers with a smile. “But I’m going to prove to you that I’ve got what it takes.”

His dad nods. “Well, your team elected you Captain after the second vote, so that’s definitely something to be proud of.”

I look across the table to see if that barbed-wire compliment registered with anyone else, but Kelly is on her phone and Ollie’s taking a sip of his coffee. I’m tempted to reach past Louis for the sugar and accidentally drop the heavy glass jar right in his lap, but I refrain. For now, anyway.

Our food arrives and we continue chatting.

Kelly wants to hear all about my family while Louis is more interested in talking about his meeting yesterday and the property he’s planning to acquire.

It’s not an unpleasant meal, and they’ve both been nice to me, but it feels more like we’re catching up with old acquaintances than sharing a meal with his parents.

They don’t mention plans to visit again and they don’t make noise about wanting a tour of the new hockey house.

I know they have a flight to catch, but still.

I expected them to drum up a little more excitement for their only child.

Ollie’s mom is content to share random stories about people he went to high school with, while his dad is a master at making cutting remarks disguised as good-natured humor.

I make a metal note to give my grandparents an extra hug the next time I see them.

They might come on strong, but I’d rather have Jim and Carol’s smothering affection than the roasting Ollie is getting from his dad.

When the meal is over, we walk out to the parking lot where the Jablonski’s rental car is parked. Kelly offers me a hug while Ollie’s dad shakes his hand. When Louis turns to me, he wraps me in a one-armed embrace.