Crossing Center Ice

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  The other team scored a couple of goals to tie the game, and Benjie’s coach called a timeout. Kenton was sitting, bent forward, elbows resting on his knees, wishing he could hear what the coach was saying.

  The final minutes of the game lay ahead as the whistle blew to resume play. Kenton was on his feet again, calling out to Benjie as he raced down the ice with two of his teammates—one of whom had the puck—breaking away from the rest of the players on the ice.

  He felt Avery at his elbow, cheering her son on as he streaked by them. His brothers jumped to their feet in front of them, also yelling for the three boys who were trying to score the winning goal. The player with the puck should have passed it but chose, instead, to take the shot. The puck didn’t go in the net, but thankfully the goalie didn’t trap it as it hit the goal post and rebounded back toward Benjie.

  As it came toward him, Benjie raised his stick back then shot it forward, changing the direction of the puck, sliding it under the goalie as he tried to drop down to stop it—just a second too late.

  Kenton raised his arms as he cheered, then turned and wrapped his arms around Avery, giving her a tight hug in his excitement. He looked down to find her staring up at him, her beautiful blue-green eyes wide. Her arms were trapped between them, one hand clutching her cell phone, the other gripping the front of his jacket.

  Even though he knew he should let her go, Kenton couldn’t seem to do so, and she wasn’t trying to get out of his embrace either. He tried to ignore how great she felt in his arms. How right it felt to hold her as they celebrated Benjie’s goal and the win for his team.

  But then he remembered that their brothers were all there, no doubt watching. Reluctantly, he lowered his arms as he said, “Your boy played a great game, Avery.”

  She let loose of his jacket, looking slightly stunned, but quickly recovered and nodded. “He did a really good job. Guess he gets his ice cream treat tonight.”

  “Ice cream? In the middle of winter?” Kenton asked.

  “It’s his reward for winning,” Avery said with a shrug as she fiddled with the phone in her hands. “I try to tell him that donuts and hot chocolate would be much more appropriate, but he’s a big Blizzard fan.”

  “Well, let me treat you all tonight. That win definitely deserves a treat.”

  Avery lifted her hand to her throat, touching the scarf there. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Nope, I don’t, but I really want to. This was even more fun than going to the game the other week. I’d like to be a part of the celebration.”

  “Well, I know that Benjie would love to have you there.”

  “I gotta bring the gang though since we all came in one car.”

  “They’re okay with that?” Avery asked as she glanced over to where the guys stood talking with Elliot.

  He didn’t miss the looks Tristan was shooting his way, and he knew they’d be having a conversation later. “They have no choice. My wheels.”

  “But you’re not driving, right?” Avery asked with an arched brow.

  “Nope. Tristan’s driving.”

  She turned to Elliot. “You want to go get Benjie and meet us at the entrance? We’ll head over to DQ for our treat.”

  Elliot nodded then looked at Dalton. “Did you want to come with?”

  Dalton shrugged. “Sure. Why not.”

  After the teens had left, Kenton turned to his brothers. “Hope you’re in the mood for ice cream. We’re headed to DQ for a celebration.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Mitch said. “Not like I have any other plans.”

  “Maya is out with her mom tonight, so I’m free to party,” Gabe said as he gave a little dance, his own injured leg keeping him from really rocking it out.

  Avery laughed softly beside him. “Just don’t get us kicked out by being too rowdy. We need to be able to go back the next time Benjie’s team wins.”

  As they walked together to the entrance, Kenton was aware of the looks they were given as they moved as a group. No one seemed to recognize him, and that was just fine by Kenton. Once they got to the entrance, he kept his head bent as he talked with Avery while they waited for the boys.

  “Did you see my goal, Ken…K?”

  Kenton grinned, appreciating the boy’s attempt to keep his identity on the down-low. As the boy neared him, Kenton grabbed him in a hug, just like he had with Avery. When he stepped back, he put his hands on Benjie’s shoulders and smiled down at him.

  “I saw your goal, which was terrific, but I also saw your assist for that first goal, and that was also phenomenal. You played great.”

  Benjie beamed, his brown eyes lighting up. “I’m so glad Coach put me in so that you could see me play. I wanted you to watch me play like I’ve watched you all these years.”

  “Well, you should be proud of yourself. That was an awesome game.”

  “Why don’t we head out,” Avery suggested. “We’ve got some ice cream waiting for us.”

  Benjie moved to hug his mom, smiling up at her like he had Kenton. He was hard-pressed to explain the pride he felt in the young boy when he hadn’t contributed at all to his talent—genetically or otherwise. Still, it was there. It was a sense of pride that he’d felt before for a sibling and yet for Benjie, it was…more.

  As they left the arena, cold air rushed to greet them, and Kenton once again questioned why they were going for ice cream. But it was what the boy wanted, so it was what he would get.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Avery gripped the steering wheel as she drove the boys to the nearby Dairy Queen for their celebratory Blizzards, her thoughts stuck on the hug Kenton had given her. It was the first time in…far longer than she could remember, that someone who wasn’t family had given her a hug. There was a reason she avoided physical contact like that with people who weren’t her family.

  She should have found the hug uncomfortable, restrictive. She should have wanted to push away from him. Instead, his strength had encompassed her in a way that had made her want to stay in his embrace. It had made her feel safe instead of threatened. Protected instead of vulnerable. So now her fear wasn’t about the hug itself, but the feelings it had drawn out of her.

  No doubt it hadn’t meant anything to Kenton, but she reluctantly accepted that it had meant everything to her. And now she needed to figure out how to push that feeling to the side and not dwell on the hug. She no longer had a strictly professional relationship with him. Kenton’s involvement with Benjie and Elliot had guaranteed that, but she couldn’t allow the hug to take her feelings any further.

  The Callaghan and McFadden family had somehow managed to slip past the walls she usually kept in place. Of course, the unconventional work environment had helped facilitate that. When she’d been going to school, it had been fairly easy to keep people at arm’s length. The places she’d worked as part of the program had been temporary, so the professional relationship wasn’t hard to maintain.

  But this…going to sporting events and hanging out at places like Dairy Queen was going well beyond the relationship she’d hoped to keep in place. As she listened to Elliot and Benjie talk about the game and Kenton’s presence, along with his brothers, Avery knew that there was no way to go back to a strictly professional relationship. There was no way she could pull Benjie and Elliot away from any offer Kenton might make to spend time with them. She wasn’t sure they would forgive her if she even tried.

  Maybe she could allow that friendship to exist—and perhaps even grow—all while she retained a more surface friendship-type relationship between herself and Kenton. Though she’d sworn to never ever get involved with a professional athlete again, her heart told her that Kenton was different. She really didn’t think he was just like Julian, but even as she told herself that, she had to acknowledge that she had seen glimpses of similarities between them.

  At the restaurant, there was a bit of confusion as they filled the small area. Though there were places to sit, there weren’t a lot of them. Thankfully, however,
it wasn’t busy since ice cream wasn’t really high on anyone’s priority list when it was so cold outside.

  She thought about objecting when Kenton insisted on paying for them along with his brothers, but when they teased him about spending his money on something useful for a change, she didn’t bother. Though she didn’t think of it often, every once in a while, she was reminded of how rich the man really was. From hearing Elliot and Benjie talk, she knew that he earned money from more than just hockey. His fairly clean image in the sport had garnered the cover of console hockey games as well as the face of at least one men’s cologne line that she knew of.

  Treating for ice cream wasn’t going to break the guy’s bank account. Though she wouldn’t make a habit of it, in this case, she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it either.

  When they were all finally settled at the table with their orders, Avery found herself sitting between Kenton and Elliot. Benjie was on Kenton’s other side while the four brothers were seated across from them.

  “You guys need to come to our games,” Mitch said as he dipped his spoon into the chocolate sundae he’d ordered. “Though they can be kind of late since—as you know—ice time can be hard to get.”

  “You play on a team, too?” Benjie asked. He had a medium Smarties Blizzard with extra Smarties. His absolute favorite.

  “Several of us do. Bennett—our oldest brother—plays sometimes. I play. Tristan does too if we’re desperate for players. We also have several friends who help make up our team. Gabe used to play as well, but obviously, he and Kenton are in spectator-only mode.”

  “Which is good for the other team,” Gabe said. “Cause we’re the best players in the family.”

  Avery expected his twin to argue with him, but instead, the man just shrugged. “Well, Kenton for sure. The only reason you’re good is because you’re fearless. The rest of us like to keep our body parts intact.”

  Kenton’s arm was pressed against her as they sat in the small area, taking up two tables. Avery found herself wishing that there was another woman in the group to help balance out the numbers.

  “Do any of your sisters or significant others come?”

  “They used to before all these babies started taking over,” Gabe said. “Makayla, Grace and their friend, Tami, used to come, but between pregnancies and babies, the arena isn’t very comfortable for them. Sammi didn’t come as often, and not at all now. Maya will come if I do and if she doesn’t have anything else to do. I guess you’re feeling a little outnumbered, eh, Avery?”

  She nodded. “Just a bit, but it’s fine.”

  “Come with us one night,” Gabe said. “We’ll make sure some ladies are there too. Our friends’ wives usually come, and if James is playing, Erin comes, and she brings cupcakes.”

  “And they are awesome.” Kenton leaned against her a bit as he said, “She owns a bakery, so I guess they’d better be awesome. Sometimes she lets us taste-test for her.”

  Avery glanced at him, finding his blue gaze close, the skin crinkling at the corners of his eyes as he grinned. A curl of warmth swirled in her stomach, and she had to look away before she found herself lost in his gaze. Looking down at the Peanut Buster Parfait she’d ordered for herself, Avery said, “Cupcakes are always good.”

  As the conversation continued on around her while she ate, Kenton dipped his head to her and said, “So what do you usually do on the weekends?”

  She hazarded another quick glance at him. “Generally, there is practice for Benjie. Errands. Church. Maybe hanging out with my best friend, if she’s available.”

  “Sounds more fun than mine,” Kenton said. He lifted a spoonful of ice cream and ate it. “Any chance I could come to a practice?”

  Avery tightened her grip on her spoon. She knew she should say no because their deal had been one game or one practice, but instead, she nodded, telling herself it was for Benjie. “His practice tomorrow morning is at eight.”

  “I used to have six a.m. practices,” Kenton said.

  “He has had a few of those, but they tend to give the early practice times to the older players. Those times can be hard on the younger ones.”

  “Hard on their parents too,” Kenton pointed out.

  “Can’t argue you with you there,” Avery said. “I really don’t like getting up before the sun for those practices, especially when the days are so short, but I do it.”

  Kenton nudged her shoulder, and when she looked at him, he smiled. “Of course you do. That’s what supportive hockey parents do. My mom and dad took turns getting me to practices until I was old enough to drive myself. Since we lived outside the city, carpooling wasn’t really an option.” He paused. “Do you find it difficult having to do it all yourself?”

  “Sometimes it can be challenging, but it is what it is. Dwelling on it doesn’t help, so I just do it.”

  Kenton glanced at Benjie where he was sitting next to him, holding a conversation with Tristan and Gabe. “My schedule while I’m here is definitely not packed, so if you’d ever like a break, just let me know. Once I’m driving again, I’d be happy to pick Benjie up and take him to a practice.”

  Avery let his words sink in. She knew that if Benjie got a whiff of the offer, he’d be begging her to accept it. Fortunately, the sensible part of her brain—the part that lived with a clear memory of the events of that fateful day—came to life again, yelling at her to push Kenton away. To keep him out of her and Benjie’s lives. They didn’t need him. She’d been doing just fine on her own. “I’ll keep your offer in mind.”

  “It’s not wrong to accept some help, you know. Both my folks were single parents when they met. They actually made a deal. My mom would watch us boys after school, and in exchange, my dad would do some work around her house. It was a good deal for them.”

  “And then they fell in love?” Avery asked, curious about the relationship between her patient and the man who was steadfastly by her side.

  Kenton’s gaze lost focus as he smiled. “Eventually. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but in the end, they decided that they loved each other enough to take on a family of eight kids.”

  “What about your mom?”

  His expression hardened at the question. “She lives here in Manitoba, and apart from trying to contact me after I signed my first major contract, we haven’t seen her. Where Emily was more than willing to take on four extra kids—and all boys, at that—my bio mom wasn’t happy to have four boys. She divorced my dad, remarried, and managed to have her two little princesses.”

  “I’m sorry to hear you had to face something like that. Some people should never have been parents.”

  “Yeah, and it was particularly frustrating when she was trying to make contact after I made it big. Like she had had any part in my success. In fact, it was quite the opposite.” Kenton frowned as he stirred his spoon in his ice cream. “When she was still around, she complained about my practices and games all the time, and frequently refused to even go. Emily, on the other hand, stepped in without any hesitation and did what she could to help my dad get me to practices, and as long as there was no conflict with the other kids, she was at my games. Either she or my dad—sometimes both—were at all my games until I ended up leaving Winnipeg.”

  “Though it’s not my desire to have Benjie in the NHL, I do hope that he’ll always know that I supported him at this stage of his life.”

  “And if he does really want to try for the NHL?” Kenton asked, shifting so his back was more toward Benjie, obviously trying to keep him from overhearing. “Because I’ll be honest, he’s talented.”

  Avery didn’t want to hear that. Especially not from a player of Kenton’s stature. “I have my reasons for not wanting him to go that route.”

  “Are you going to tell me that you’ve prayed about it, and that playing professional hockey is not God’s will for Benjie’s life?”

  She frowned at him then said, “I didn’t think you were overly into church and God.”

  Kenton lifted a
shoulder in a shrug. “I was raised with it all—as I’m sure you’ve seen with my family—and while I’m not active in the church, it’s not because I don’t believe in God.”

  “I choose to believe that God has a different path for Benjie,” Avery said with as much conviction as she could inject into her words.

  “I suppose only time will tell, eh?” Kenton said, his blue gaze direct.

  “Only time will tell about a lot of things,” Avery agreed.

  Kenton tilted his head, his eyes narrowing briefly. “Tell me, are you anti-hockey in particular or just professional sports in general?”

  “I just don’t feel like it’s a good career option. You said yourself that the odds are not in a person’s favor.”

  “True, but I also said that there are some who rise above the others because of their talent and dedication to whatever sport they’re playing.”

  Avery looked over to see Tristan watching her and Kenton. Not wanting to take a chance that Benjie would pick up on the conversation, she leaned closer to Kenton, trying to ignore the scent of his cologne that reminded her of their earlier hug. She kept her voice low as she said, “He’s my son. I’ll be the one who makes these decisions for him right now, not you. You are not his father.”

  Kenton didn’t even flinch at her words. Instead, keeping his gaze on her, he spoke in a soft voice. “True, but if I were, I would be proud to call him my son and would nurture what is clearly his God-given talent.”

  The words called to life a longing she’d tried to ignore ever since Kenton had begun to express an interest in Benjie. But alongside that was a long-held fear. A fear that she wouldn’t be any good at raising a son. From the moment the ultrasound technician had said she was having a boy, Avery had wondered if she could be what her son would need. At the time, she’d relied on the fact that her father would be present as a good male role model. But Benjie had been seven when his grandfather had died, removing that presence from his life and leaving both him and Elliot without a man in their home life.