Page 16

CHAPTER 16

Matt

I rub my eyes as I try to wake myself up this morning. Jayden has been unusually fussy the last two nights and hasn’t been sleeping, which in turn means I haven’t been sleeping. It’s Saturday and we have plans at my parents for a family brunch, which I’ve never been so grateful for. As much as I love my son, doing this solo is not the easiest thing, and being able to pass him off to Mom or Gianna for an hour will be amazing. I make sure to pack extra clothes as he’s been drooling over everything. I’ve lost count of how many times a day I’m wiping his hands off because he keeps sticking them in his mouth.

He fusses in the car and nothing seems to make him feel better, but there isn’t much I can do when he’s in the back and I’m driving. As I’m pulling up outside my parents’ place, my phone dings with a notification. It’s one of the sports reporting apps I have, and I go to close it out when Josh’s name appears in the brief summary on my screen. Shocked, I open the article.

NHL Commissioner and Board of Governors approve the sale of the Vancouver Cyclone.

In today’s NHL news, the sale of the Vancouver Cyclone to Joshua Lincoln of Lincoln Enterprises has been approved by the NHL Commissioner and the Board of Governors. The sale of the team for the amount of $1.5 billion marks the change of an era in the Vancouver hockey market.

I sit and stare at my phone, not able to read any more. My best friend bought our favourite hockey team and never said anything to me about it. My sister never said anything about it. I go through the motions of gathering Jayden and our things and making our way into the house. The door is unlocked, so we walk straight in. Gianna spots us and has Jayden out of my arms before I can even say hi.

I move into the living room. Josh and Liv are already here, and Mom is holding Cate. I kiss Mom on the cheek and shake Dad’s hand before turning to my sister and best friend.

“Any news you’d like to share?” I ask.

Josh grabs the back of his neck as he mutters, “Shit.”

Mom looks between the two of us, confusion written all over her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, just that my best friend and sister are keeping secrets from me.”

Liv holds up her hand. “Wait a second. We couldn’t say anything. Not until the contract was signed and it was all official.”

“So, I had to read about it in a news article on my phone?”

“We were hoping we could beat the news and tell you guys today. We’re sorry you found out this way,” Liv says.

I sit across from them, still dumbstruck. “One point five billion,” I say.

“Yeah,” Josh says.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

“One point five billion for what?” Mom asks.

“Josh just bought the Vancouver Cyclone for that much,” I say.

You could hear a pin drop in the room it’s so quiet.

“You’re shitting me,” Dad says.

I pass him my phone with the article pulled up.

“Holy shit.”

“I was hoping to be the one to tell you guys. It’s all been pretty hush-hush. I found out from a buddy the Baldwin family was looking to sell the team, and I put in an offer. We went back and forth for a little bit before we finally settled on a number. I was hoping they’d wait until Monday to do the announcement, but I guess not.”

“I can’t believe you’re the owner of our favourite team,” I say.

“Trust me, I couldn’t believe it either,” Liv says. “I also can’t wrap my head around that much money.”

I laugh. “You married into that much money.”

She shrugs. “It’s never really come up. I married Josh for Josh, not his money.”

“I know you didn’t. I’m still in shock, that’s so much money.”

“Congrats, son,” Dad says and shakes Josh’s hand.

“Thanks. And once everything goes through, I’d love for us to all go to a game together.”

“Oh, that would be so much fun,” Mom says.

We all hug and shake hands before following Mom into the kitchen, where we all settle at the table for brunch. I do my best to try to keep Jayden’s fussing to a minimum, but he doesn’t seem to stop. I have Jayden on my chest as I rub his back and Liv comes up behind me, sticking her finger in his mouth. She walks to the freezer and comes back with a blue rubber ring and hands it to Jayden over my shoulder.

“Your boy is teething,” she says before taking her seat again.

Jayden calms down a little as he sticks the ring in his mouth and sucks on it. The tension slowly leaves me as I watch him relax bit by bit.

“Thank you,” I say.

“Of course. Cate was a big fusser when she was teething. She’ll be getting her upper teeth soon, and I just hope this round isn’t as bad as the last one.”

“I thought I had another month or two before he started. I was wondering why he hasn’t been sleeping well the last few nights and just thought it was a phase.”

Liv shrugs as she takes a bite of bacon. “All babies go through it at different times. Jayden’s in the right age range at five months, a little on the early side of it, but still in range. He’ll get his bottom teeth first and not long after, his top ones should come in. Cate loved those rings. I bought several and rotated through them. Baby Tylenol really helped her sleep.”

“Thanks. I’ll try those.”

“You can always call me if you have any questions.”

“I will.”

I make a note to stop at the store on my way home and grab some things for Jayden before our game tonight. Mom, Dad, and Gi offer to take both Jayden and Cate for the day and we can pick them up in the morning. Mom assures me before I leave she has teething toys and baby Tylenol for Jayden and that he’ll be fine. She promises to call should anything come up.

As much as I hate to leave Jayden, especially when he’s like this, I trust Mom and I know I need to take help while I have it.

When I get home, I quickly pick up before settling on the couch and looking around. I can’t remember the last time I had hours to myself with no plans and no kid. Jayden’s been with me for a month now, and it’s amazing how much he’s changed my life. I pull up a show and get lost in it until it’s time to head to the rink.

We’re playing the worst team in our league tonight, so I expect the game won’t be too intense. We end up winning 5-2.

Once we’re dressed, we meet the girls upstairs in the restaurant. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Zoey, because she only arrived just before puck drop. When I see an empty seat beside her, I make a beeline for it. She smiles at me as I pull out the chair and take a seat before she continues her conversation with Hannah.

“I don’t know,” Zoey says.

“Come on. You can’t let one guy standing you up stop you from any other dates.”

My stomach feels like it’s bottoming out. Hannah is trying to set her up with someone. I order a beer from the waitress, trying to hide that I’m solely focused on Zoey and Hannah’s conversation.

“It’s not that—” Zoey starts, and Hannah sits straighter.

“Oh, do you have your eyes on someone?” Hannah’s enthusiastic voice carries down the table, and I feel eyes move our way.

Zoey swats at her arm. “No, and can you keep your voice down?”

Hannah relaxes back in her chair, and I take a sip of my beer.

“You know you can tell me, right?” Hannah asks.

“I know.” Zoey’s eyes move around the table, lingering on me for a few seconds longer than anyone else. “I don’t have my eyes on someone.” Her voice sounds pained as she says it, as if she doesn’t believe the words but there’s a reasoning behind why she won’t admit the truth. The notion that Zoey is pining over someone is like a stab to the gut. The idea that I’ve spent so much time being stupid and may have lost any potential chance I could have had with her is devastating. But until she actually says the words she’s interested in someone, I have to do something.

“Let me set you up on one date. If you don’t like the guy, you don’t have to see him again,” Hannah persists.

Zoey sighs. “Fine. One date, but I pick the date, time, and place.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I listen intently as Zoey and Hannah talk about the details of Zoey’s date. I need to make a plan to stop her from going on it.