Crossing Center Ice

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “Of course, I’ll meet him.” Kenton saw it as an opportunity to learn more about his therapist and perhaps get the answers to a few questions he’d had about her. “Just tell me the time and place. I’ll get myself there.”

  “Okay. Thank you. Assuming you don’t want to do a full-on meet and greet with lots of people, it would probably be best to do it indoors somewhere.” She hesitated. “You could come to our place if you wanted.”

  Though Kenton knew that there were other places they could meet—there at the house, Gabe’s climbing gym—he definitely wanted to go to her place. He could tell that she wasn’t thrilled with the option, and if he were a nicer guy, he’d suggest meeting somewhere else. Unfortunately, his curiosity and need to get out of the house overran his niceness.

  “Sure, that sounds great. When would be a good time?” Kenton asked. “Aside from my time with you here, my schedule is pretty wide open.”

  She stared at him for a moment, a frown on her face. “It has to be either in the evening or on the weekend since the boys have school.”

  “So maybe tonight or tomorrow night?” he said, not surprised to see her look a little underwhelmed by his suggestion.

  “Tomorrow night, I guess. I need a chance to talk to the boys about it.”

  “Why not surprise them?” Kenton said. “I think that would be a lot of fun.”

  She appeared to consider it before nodding. “Okay. That would probably be better anyway. If I told them beforehand, I wouldn’t hear the end of it.”

  “So tell me a little about the boys,” Kenton said as they began their session. “How old are they?”

  Avery glanced up from where she was measuring his knee extension. “Benjie is ten, and Elliot is fifteen.”

  “That must be quite an age gap between the two of you.”

  She didn’t even look at him as she nodded. “My folks had trouble conceiving and then had several miscarriages after me. Elliot was a pleasant surprise long after they’d given up any hope of having more kids.”

  “That’s neat. It’s kind of like the age gap between me and Dalton.”

  “Though as a teen, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of how the pregnancy happened, I absolutely adored Elliot once he was born.” She had him bend his knee. “I was in the room when my mom delivered him, which was an awesomely horrific experience.”

  Kenton shuddered as he slid off the table when she motioned to the bike. “I can honestly say that while I agree with the not wanting to acknowledge Dalton and Danica’s conception, you could not have paid me enough to be present for their deliveries. Dalton was a preemie, so I can only imagine that that wasn’t a pleasant time for my mom and dad.”

  “That must have been scary.”

  After settling on the bike, he began to do his rotations. “Yeah. And more recently, Bennett’s girlfriend, Grace, had a baby prematurely. She was in the hospital for a couple of months, I think.”

  Avery went to stand in front of the bike, watching him as he pedaled. “So Grace’s baby isn’t Bennett’s?”

  “No. Grace’s husband died as a result of a car accident, and she found out she was pregnant after he’d passed away. She and Bennett are engaged now.”

  “It sounds like there’s a story there,” Avery said.

  Kenton sighed. “Yeah. One that goes back a long time.”

  Her gaze lifted to meet his. “And you’re part of it?”

  “Unfortunately. But that’s all in the past. They’re together now, and that’s what matters.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Have you met either of them?” Kenton asked, curious how many of his family members she had interacted with.

  “I think so. He’s a tall, dark-haired man?”

  “Yeah, unless you mean Ethan or Levi. They would also fit that description.”

  Avery gave him a perplexed look. “I really can’t keep your family straight. At this point, I can only say with certainty that I know you, your mom and dad, Sammi and Gabe. They’re the ones I’ve seen the most.”

  Kenton nodded. “That makes sense. You’ll probably end up meeting us all eventually.”

  As he moved from one exercise to the next, he enjoyed their conversation. Most of it was centered around his family, which was fine. If it put her more at ease, that made him happy for some reason. She had a tendency to be rather intense, frowning more than she smiled, so to see her relax a bit, even as they continued working, was good. She wasn’t smiling much still, but at least she wasn’t frowning.

  He understood being focused and intense. That was how he tended to be during the season when he was focused on hockey. Now though, he was kind of in limbo, which meant he was focused on hockey and yet, at the same time, he wasn’t. He was focused on his recovery with the same intensity, but it was limited. Hockey was all-encompassing. If he wasn’t playing or traveling for a game, he was at practice or training. And even his diet was focused during the season. It was a sustained intensity.

  What he was doing since his injury was more bursts of intensity. Which made him antsy and eager to find other things to do. Meeting Avery’s family was definitely going to be a highlight, and he found himself really looking forward to it.

  He told Avery that when they were done for the day, but she didn’t look like she felt the same way. That was okay. One day she was going to look back at this time as the start of a beautiful friendship. Or at least a beautiful acquaintanceship.

  “Why don’t you invite him to dinner?” her mom suggested when Avery told her that they were going to be having a visitor the next night.

  “No. You’re welcome to serve him brownies or cookies, but he’s not coming here for a meal.” Avery took a sip of her tea. “Also, don’t say anything to the boys about it, or we’ll go nuts with their bugging us about when he’s coming. Oh, and nothing about Julian, please.”

  “Of course not,” her mom said, an indignant tone to her voice. “I would never talk to anyone about Julian. That’s your story to tell, not mine.”

  Avery pulled her legs up, resting her mug on her sweatpants-covered knees. “Well, it’s not a story I want Kenton, or anyone in his family, knowing.”

  After several minutes of silence with only her mom’s favorite instrumental hymns playing in the background, her mom asked, “Do you like this man?”

  “Like him? He’s a patient. Given that he’s been fairly cooperative and listens to what I say, then yes, I’d say I do like him.”

  Her mom chuckled but didn’t call her on it. They both knew that wasn’t what she’d meant, and that by avoiding answering the true meaning of her mom’s question, Avery had revealed that she didn’t just like him as a patient.

  “Maybe you’ll be friends when you’re no longer in a professional relationship. You could use a few new friends.”

  Once upon a time, Avery had had quite a few friends. She hadn’t been super popular, but she’d been friendly, willing to be friends with anyone who needed a friend. She’d had two close friends, one who had since moved away, but they kept in contact via phone and FaceTime. Her other friend, Caroline, was still in Winnipeg, but she had four kids and a career as a nurse that kept her busy. Once a month they tried to get together for an evening out, and they usually saw each other briefly at church, but often time slipped away from them.

  Caroline had been there when Avery had fallen in love with Julian, and she’d been there when everything had fallen apart so horribly. She was the only person who knew everything that had happened. Having gone through that together had bonded them in a way that time and busy schedules couldn’t weaken.

  “I’m a little excited about meeting this guy too,” her mom said, interrupting her thoughts. “After hearing about him constantly from the boys, I feel like I know him already.”

  “Yeah, I was a bit surprised when I realized that he was the son of the woman I was working with.” Surprised, and a bit wary. “I hope that the boys don’t completely overwhelm him tomorrow night.”

  “Are
you going to take him to one of Benjie’s games or practices?”

  “I’m not sure. He offered when he heard that I had a kid on a hockey team. Just not sure how much attention he wants to draw to himself. As far as I know, the media still haven’t zeroed in on exactly where he is. If he went to something like a game, that would probably change pretty quickly.”

  Once they finished their drinks, Avery cleaned up their cups and then said goodnight to her mom before retreating to her suite in the basement. She couldn’t stop thinking about Kenton’s pending visit. The pit in her stomach was ever present as she worked out and then took a shower.

  As she lay in bed later that night, Avery contemplated texting Caroline with the latest developments in her life, but then decided the news would have to wait for a phone call. There was no way she could type everything she wanted to say in text messages. Unfortunately, there was no time to spill her guts to her friend before Kenton’s visit the next night. She was just hoping that opening the door of her life to him didn’t lead her to a place she didn’t want to go.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Nice house,” Tristan said as he pulled into the driveway of the two-story home that matched the address Avery had given him.

  The lights at the front of the house were on, revealing a combo stone and vinyl siding exterior with a porch in front of a large door with frosted glass panels flanking it. Warm light spilled from the large bay windows on either side of the door on the first floor. There were also bay windows on the second floor, but they were dark.

  Tristan followed him as Kenton slowly maneuvered his way up the walk to the steps leading to the front door. He was still a bit awkward on stairs, but Tristan waited patiently as Kenton made his way up the six steps then rang the doorbell.

  The door swung open to reveal a young boy with loose dark brown curls and light brown eyes that widened when they landed on him. His mouth dropped open, and he stood there frozen for a moment before finding his voice.

  “Mom? Mom? MOM!” Each word was progressively louder and drawn out longer. “Mooooooom!”

  Kenton grinned. “Benjie?”

  Kenton hadn’t been sure it was possible to stun the kid anymore, but Benjie’s eyes grew impossibly larger as he said, “You know my name? You know my name!”

  Avery appeared behind him wearing the same outfit she’d had on earlier that day. “Benjie. Why don’t you let Kenton come in?”

  Benjie took a step back before turning to look at Avery. “What’s he doing here?”

  She rested a hand on his shoulder as a teen peered around her, this one looking a lot more like Avery. That had to be Elliot, Kenton assumed.

  “Let Kenton in, and we can answer your questions.”

  Avery moved Benjie out of the way so that Kenton could come in followed by Tristan.

  “Hope it’s okay I brought my brother, Tristan, with me. I kind of needed a driver.”

  She gave him a quick nod before smiling at Tristan. “Come on in.”

  Kenton stepped into the foyer, walking as Avery had taught him using the crutches and allowing some weight on his injured leg.

  “Go on into the living room.” She turned to the boy at her elbow. “Elliot, can you go get Mom?”

  The teen had a similar wide-eyed look as Benjie, but he gave a quick nod and disappeared into the back of the house. Kenton walked through to the living room and settled into the easy chair that Avery directed him to. Tristan took a seat in another easy chair that was on the other side of a small round table between them.

  An older woman walked into the living room, a warm and welcoming smile on her face, but Benjie and Elliot hovered in the entrance of the living room as if unsure of their welcome. Kenton immediately saw the resemblance between this woman and Elliot and Avery. Though she was about Avery’s height, she carried more weight on her frame, but her hair was light brown, and her eyes were the same shade of blue-green as her children.

  “This is my mom, Sally,” Avery said. “Mom, this is Kenton Callaghan and his brother, Tristan.”

  The woman came to shake their hands then asked them what they wanted to drink. When Kenton declined at first, she informed him that she had cookies and brownies ready to serve, so at the very least she’d be bringing him a glass of water.

  “In that case, I’ll have a coffee with a spoonful of sugar and a splash of cream.”

  “Perfect,” Sally said after Tristan had also requested a coffee. “I’ll be right back.”

  The woman left the room, passing the two boys who were still watching them with wide eyes.

  “C’mon, guys,” Avery said with a wave of her hand.

  The boys came further into the room and sat down on the large ottoman near where Kenton and Tristan sat. Avery came to stand near them and touched her brother’s shoulder. “This is Elliot, and that’s my son, Benjie.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Callaghan,” Benjie said as he tucked his hands under his thighs as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

  “Just call me Kenton.”

  “Really?” Benjie looked from Kenton to his mom. “Can I call him that, Mom?”

  “You know that I normally prefer you to address adults with titles, but since he’s given you permission to call him Kenton, you may.”

  “But you still have to call him Mr. Callaghan,” Kenton said with a wave in Tristan’s direction.

  As expected, the boys grinned when Tristan made a noise in protest. “Please do not call me that. That’s my dad’s name. Tristan is just fine.”

  “I know you’re wondering what Kenton is doing here,” Avery said, prompting vigorous nods from the boys. “Actually, I’ve been working with Kenton on his knee.”

  “Really, Mom? And you didn’t say anything?”

  “He’s a patient, so there was a matter of confidentiality, but he offered to come meet you boys when he found out you were fans.”

  “We’re not just fans, Mom,” Benjie protested. “We’re superfans!”

  Elliot nodded his head. “We know all about your career. All your stats and everything.”

  Kenton glanced at Tristan. “Sounds like you.”

  “Well, except for the part about being a superfan,” Tristan said with a grin. “I’m just a guy who knows some stats about his brother.”

  By the time Avery’s mom returned with their drinks and the baked goods she’d promised, Kenton and Tristan had made a very important discovery. The relationship the two of them shared was very similar to the one between Elliot and Benjie, except that the roles were reversed with the younger one being the hockey player. Like Tristan, Elliot was a stats man, studying plays and understanding how to play against certain players.

  It was more than he had expected to find when he’d offered to meet the two young guys. They truly were his biggest fans. While he might have had ulterior motives when agreeing to meet Benjie and Elliot, Kenton was now glad to have made the connection with them. He could see himself and Tristan having fun hanging out with the two boys.

  Maybe he should take them to a Jets’ game. He happened to know that his team was coming in for a game the next week. The timing was great since the two teams didn’t play each other as often as they did the other teams in their divisions even though they were both in the Western Conference. He’d have to see if his family would be willing to cough up their tickets so they could have premium seating if Avery agreed to let the boys go with him and Tristan.

  It was strange how his desire to come to Avery’s home in order to learn more about her had morphed into wanting to give the two young hockey fans a chance to see a pro game up close. He had a feeling that Avery might object, so a part of him wanted to mention it while the boys were there, but he knew that was playing dirty. There would be no way she’d be able to turn down his offer once the boys heard it.

  As much as he wanted to treat the boys, he didn’t want to upset Avery with his plan. He didn’t want her to regret letting him into this part of her life.

  As he ate
brownies and cookies and drank coffee, Kenton tried to look around to see if there was some clue why there was a notable absence of fathers in the room. He’d thought Avery’s dad might be present, even if Benjie’s dad wasn’t. There was a picture on the wall across from him of Avery’s mom and a distinguished looking man. He would think that if there were a divorce involved, the picture of them together wouldn’t be there.

  Had Avery lost her dad at some point?

  “Would you sign something for us?” Benjie asked, his brown eyes wide in appeal.

  “Sure. What’ve you got?” Kenton asked.

  The two boys exchanged a look then Elliot said, “Hang on a second.”

  They scampered out of the room, leaving the adults to stare after them.

  “I have to say, Kenton, that I think I’ve met my match for tracking and understanding your game,” Tristan said as he leaned forward to snag another cookie.

  In that moment, Kenton felt a flash of sadness. One of the things their mom had always loved to do was bake for them. The cookie jar in the kitchen had always been filled with an assortment of their favorite cookies. Chocolate chip for Sammi, Makayla, and Gabe. Oatmeal chocolate chip for him and Tristan. Snickerdoodles for their dad, Mitch, and Bennett. Danica and Dalton seemed to rotate among all the cookies, and when Ryan was home, he ate either type of chocolate chip. Of course, with it being Christmas, there was a whole other list of favorites.

  Since he’d been home, there had been a smattering of homemade cookies, and he knew that was courtesy of Danica and Sammi, but it wasn’t the same. And it didn’t have anything to do with wanting the treats, but just the realization that his mom wasn’t able to do what she’d always enjoyed.