“Hello?”
“Hey, Ben, it’s Kenton,” he said, bending forward to rest his elbow on his knee, rubbing his forehead. “Any chance I could talk with you and Grace?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before Bennett responded. “Sure. We were thinking about coming over there in a bit anyway. We can talk then.”
“Sounds good.” It didn’t really because he wasn’t even sure how to address things with Bennett. They had let their feud go on for so long now that it was just a festering wound. A conflict fueled by immature emotions had led to words which said at that age, they hadn’t known how to take back. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case now.
Kenton had watched his former best friend grow into a responsible man who cared deeply for those around him. By contrast, he knew that his life appeared shallow. And maybe it was. Until his injury, his biggest worries had been his contracts and what his latest endorsement was going to be. Meanwhile, Bennett had helped their dad build his business and was now preparing to take on the roles of husband and father to Grace and her baby girl. Plus, he was active in their church, sharing his faith with people like Levi, Sammi’s boyfriend.
Between the injury and coming home for an extended period of time, a sharp spotlight had been shone on his life, revealing how self-centered it really was. He did participate in things like hospital visits and some fundraisers, but when it came right down to it, he wasn’t contributing to anyone’s life in a significant way. Most of his pursuits had been for self gratification.
As he waited for Bennett and Grace to show up, he sent a text to Ward. Though he’d talked with his dad and his brothers, Ward was the one whose opinion he valued the most. He, more than anyone else, understood Kenton’s devotion to the game and what changes would mean for his future and his career.
Any chance you could head this way for a visit in early January?
As usual, he didn’t have to wait long for a response.
Ward the Man: Definitely. Any dates in particular?
Whenever is convenient. Not urgent but would like to discuss some stuff with you.
Ward the Man: Sounds good. I’ll let you know when I’ve booked my ticket.
Thanks, man.
Ward the Man: Anytime.
Though he would have loved to talk with him sooner, he didn’t want to take Ward away from his family during the holidays. And maybe the extra time would give him more.
He settled back on his bed, scrolling through his phone, reading all the comments that had followed the team’s latest loss. And it was a bad one at the hands of the team sitting at the bottom of their division. Unfortunately, a couple other key players had ended up on the injured reserved list, though none for as long as he’d be on it. Still, that was impacting the team in a big way. Even O’Neal was faltering after his strong start. If the team didn’t pull it together soon, there would be no play-offs in their future that season.
He was in the middle of a text to Vlad when there was a knock on the door. Careful not to twist his leg the wrong way, Kenton slid to the edge of the bed and pushed to his feet. When he opened the door, he found Bennett standing in the hallway, head bent over his phone.
“Good time?” Bennett asked when he looked up.
“Yep.” Kenton joined him in the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him. “Are Grace and the baby here too?”
“Yeah. They’re with Mom and Dad right now.”
Walking in silence, they went to the family room where they found their dad sitting on the couch with the baby in his arms. Grace looked over and smiled when she saw them.
“You okay to watch her for a few minutes, Dad?” Bennett asked.
“Sure thing,” their dad said, his gaze going back and forth between the two of them. “I’ll try and keep her from opening any presents that might have her name on them.”
“Dad,” Bennett said with a warning in his voice. “She has to wait just like the rest of us.”
“But she’s so cute.”
“Resist the cuteness,” Grace said with a grin.
“I’ll try, but I make no promises.”
Kenton had never really imagined how Bennett might be with a child, but clearly, he doted on this one even though she wasn’t his blood. The lack of a genetic connection apparently didn’t make any difference to Bennett, and Kenton knew that he had learned that from their parents. His dad was as much a dad to his step-children as he’d ever been to Kenton and his brothers. In the same way, Emily had welcomed the four Callaghan boys as her own even before she and his dad had married.
“Why don’t we go to the kitchen?” Bennett suggested with a nod of his head. “I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee.”
Kenton followed the couple to the kitchen, searching for the words to say to make things right. Where he’d once shared closeness with both of them, they were more like strangers to him now.
“Wow. More cookies,” Grace said as she peered inside the container that he and Avery had filled the day before.
Bennett made a beeline for the Keurig. “Want a cup, sweetheart?”
“Sure. A cup of coffee to go with some cookies sounds good.”
Kenton watched as Bennett grabbed a couple of mugs from the stand beside the machine then took a plate from the cupboard and slid it to Grace.
“You want a cup as well, Kenton?” Bennett asked as he got the machine going on the first cup.
“Sure.”
“Someone’s been doing some baking,” Grace remarked as she pulled several cookies from the container and put them on the plate Bennett had given her. “They look yum.”
“Avery and I made them yesterday under Mom’s supervision,” Kenton said, leaning a hip against the counter.
Bennett grinned. “Oh right. I remember Dad texted a picture of the flour mishap.”
“We had to start all over again after that,” Kenton said.
“Well, the outcome tastes wonderful,” Grace said as she swallowed the bite she’d taken. “You two did a good job.”
Bennett switched out the mugs then went and got cream from the fridge. He set the mug and the cream in front of Grace as she leaned across the counter to grab the sugar bowl from where it sat next to the Keurig machine. Kenton watched as she doctored her coffee liberally with both cream and sugar.
“Why do you bother with coffee?” he asked. “It’s like you’re drinking coffee flavored creamer.”
“That’s what I tell her all the time,” Bennett said. “Do you drink yours black still?”
“No. I’ve mellowed in my old age.”
Bennett slid a mug to him and put a third in the machine. “Haven’t we all.”
Kenton put a splash of cream and some sugar into his coffee then lifted it to take a sip.
“The combo of these cookies and my coffee is yum,” Grace said as she took two more out of the jar. “It’s a good thing these are at this house and not mine. They wouldn’t last too long there.”
Bennett took the one Grace held out to him, giving her a smile as he did. “Considering how many people live here, I’m surprised they haven’t all been eaten yet.”
“It’s barely been twenty-four hours,” Kenton said. “Give them time.”
Silence fell between them as Bennett took a bite of his cookie, and Kenton knew that since this meeting was happening at his request, it was probably up to him to initiate conversation.
He took another swig of coffee, then cleared his throat. “I just wanted to try to clear the air with you guys. Now, that I’m around more…I guess maybe it’s time.”
“Long past time, actually,” Bennett commented.
Kenton nodded, unable to argue with that. He knew that he’d let the tension drag on too long. Over the years he’d had the opportunity to make things right, but instead, he’d needled Bennett and said things that had actually made the situation worse.
“I apologize that I let things get out of hand. I stepped in when I shouldn’t have back then.”
“Wh
y did you?” Bennett asked. “You said you asked Grace because it would be better if she went with you instead of some other guy. Was that for real? Or did you do it to get back at me?”
Kenton frowned. “Get back at you? For what?”
Bennett shifted on his feet, sending a glance Grace’s way. “For spending so much time with your dad.”
“Our dad,” Kenton said. “I didn’t have a problem with you working with Dad. That had never been an issue for me even back when we first met, and you liked to help him out when he was repairing that old house of yours. Hockey was my time with Dad. I never wanted to do the construction stuff.”
“Then what was going on?”
Kenton looked to Grace then back to Bennett. “I had a crush on Grace.”
“What?” Grace said, straightening from where she’d been leaning over the counter, mug cupped in her hands. “I didn’t know that.”
“Neither did I,” Bennett said, his voice low. “You never said anything.”
“Well, up until she decided not to go out with you, I thought she liked you. Then we went on that date, and it was pretty clear to me that she did feel something for you and definitely didn’t feel anything for me.” Kenton hadn’t allowed himself to think about that time in a long while. “I was mad at her for not liking me, and mad at you for obviously being the person she really liked. So when you got angry at me for asking her out, I didn’t really care since I was already angry at you. Just crazy teenage angst.”
“I didn’t know you felt that way about Grace too.”
Kenton scoffed. “Well, of course, you didn’t. I wasn’t about to tell you that I liked her, but that she liked you more than me. Even though she’d rejected you, for whatever reason, it clearly hadn’t meant that she was going to give me a chance either.”
“And now?” Bennett asked.
Kenton frowned. “And now what?”
“Do you still have feelings for Grace?”
Kenton glanced at Grace then met Bennett’s gaze directly. “No. Nothing beyond what I also feel for Makayla, Sammi or Tami. What I felt for her didn’t last long, to be honest. I was just too stubborn to admit anything back then.”
“Well, it wasn’t all on you. I was furious at you for asking her out. Saw it as kind of a betrayal since you knew how I felt about her. I wasn’t buying your excuse about asking her so no one else would, and I guess I was right.”
“You were, and I apologize for that.” Kenton shifted his weight. “I want to move past all that. For the family’s sake, but for ours too. It’s time.”
Bennett reached out and clasped his shoulder. “It is, and I apologize for the role I played as well. With everything that’s happened over the past couple of years, I’ve come to realize that it’s important to cherish family and friends. I’ve missed you.”
Kenton blinked at his words then nodded as he swallowed hard. “Missed you too.”
And he had. Before their falling out, they’d been inseparable. Though they’d been as different as night and day when they’d first met—Kenton the athlete, Bennett the studious nerd—they had clicked and become fast friends. While Kenton had gone on to make other friends, close ones even, he’d missed the surety of his relationship with Bennett. Not only best friends but brothers.
Setting his cup down, Kenton gave Bennett a quick hug and then gave Grace one as well. “I’m glad we’re moving past this. It feels…good.”
Grace smiled at him. “I do love you, Kent. Just not like I do Bennett.”
“And that’s perfectly okay,” Kenton said with a smile. “I’m not really in a good place for a relationship anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bennett asked.
“Just that with my schedule, it wouldn’t be fair to get involved in a relationship when I could hardly devote time to it.”
“How do other hockey players do it?” Grace asked. “It’s not like they’re all single.”
“There are some who are willing to put up with all of that because of the benefits of being married to a professional athlete. Others are truly amazing women who love their husbands, and they both work hard to keep their relationship strong even when hockey season is on.”
“And you haven’t found a woman like that?”
Kenton hesitated, his thoughts going to Avery. “I hadn’t really been looking, to be honest. I guess I was selfish enough that I wanted to be able to focus on my first love without having to worry that I was short-changing a woman.”
“Can’t really argue with that logic,” Bennett said. “At least you’re smart enough to know that you’re not able to balance both.”
“But maybe someone will come along who might change your mind,” Grace offered. “Someone who makes you want to make that extra effort in order to be with them.”
Bennett and Grace shared a smile, and yet again, Kenton’s thoughts went to Avery. She certainly made him want to make the extra effort, but she might not look at their situation the same way. After all, any relationship they had until his contract ended would be long-distance. But then what? If he decided to keep playing, he doubted that she would be able to follow him around because of her mom’s situation, and he wouldn’t ask that of her.
“I guess only time will tell,” Kenton said. For now, she was in his life, and would hopefully be there for a few more months. Maybe that would be enough time for him to figure out how she felt and what he was going to do with his future.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Avery smiled with excitement as she helped her mom into the car, relegating Elliot to the back seat with Benjie for a change. She knew that her mom was having second thoughts about leaving the house—and quite possibly third and fourth ones as well—and if she actually changed her mind, Avery wouldn’t force her to go. In the time leading up to them leaving for the church, she’d been careful not to ask her mom if she still wanted to go. She just acted like everything was fine, and they were going ahead with their plan to attend the Christmas Eve service.
Before pulling out of the garage, Avery loaded the playlist she’d put together of her mom’s favorite group singing Christmas carols. She was trying to do anything she could to make the ride more comfortable for her mom. The drive took a little bit longer than usual as she drove more slowly than she normally would have, taking her time stopping at red lights and accelerating at the green. Wanting to give her mom as smooth a ride as possible. Still, there were times her mom’s hand shot out to grip her arm, letting go only when whatever she’d perceived as a threat had definitely passed.
By the time they got to the church, Avery’s hands were cramping from having gripped the steering wheel so tightly as she drove. Though her mom had been quiet during the ride, there had definitely been waves of tension coming from her.
“Ready to go in?” Avery asked after turning off the engine.
The parking lot looked full even though the church had already had a service at five o’clock. In years past, they might have gone to the earlier service because they’d have plans for their evening, but now that it was just the four of them, their Christmas Eves were fairly quiet. Going to the seven o’clock service instead of the five o’clock one didn’t cut into their evening much.
They’d hung up their coats and were walking toward the sanctuary when Avery heard her name. She turned to see Kenton heading in their direction, Tristan with him. Benjie greeted them both with smiles and a hug. Elliot was a little more reserved, yet no less excited to see the two men.
Kenton and Tristan greeted her and then her mom. Knowing her mom’s feelings with regards to Kenton, Avery was glad that she still smiled at both the guys. She tried to ignore her own response to seeing Kenton. Spending as much time as they did together, it was getting harder to keep herself from having stronger and stronger feelings for him.
“Are you all ready for Christmas?” he asked as he fell into step beside her, following Tristan, her mom, and the boys.
“As much as I can be.” She glanced up at him, f
eeling his hand rest lightly on her back as they approached the doors to the sanctuary. “To be honest, we have pretty low-key Christmases now.”
“Mine usually are as well when I’m in LA. Here, it’s another story. There are so many of us that no holidays are ever really low-key. Although this year is a little different.”
When they reached a fairly empty pew, Tristan led the boys into it. After a quick look at his brother, Kenton followed next to sit beside Benjie. Avery knew that her mom would prefer the outside since she would feel hemmed in if she sat in the middle of the row. With that in mind, Avery slipped into the pew and settled next to Kenton with her mom on her other side.
“Is the rest of your family at this service?” Avery asked as she looked around the sanctuary.
“Dad and Mom came earlier with Makayla, Ethan, and their baby. I think Sammi and Levi are going to be here along with Bennett and Grace and Ryan, who drove up from Minneapolis for Christmas. Not sure what Gabe and Maya are doing. I think Maya’s parents are going to be at our house later, so maybe they’re here for this service too. And Mitch? No clue what he’s up to.”
“Mitch doesn’t have a girlfriend?” Avery asked.
Kenton shook his head. “We were all a little surprised that Gabe ended up in a serious relationship before Mitch did. I mean, we all assume it’s just a matter of time before Gabe proposes to Maya. Mitch, on the other hand, would love to be in a relationship. He’d be all about the flowers and chocolate. A real romantic. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t found the right woman yet.”
Avery wanted to ask Kenton how he felt about romance but knew that was dangerous territory. “In my experience, there are not too many men who willingly want to be romantic. Seems most do it under duress or because they think it’s what’s expected of them.”
“Yeah. Mitch is definitely the most romantic out of all us guys. Ryan is probably next after him. It’s kind of ironic that they’re the ones who are still single.”
Avery was saved from asking the question about where his level of romance fell since he was also still single, by the arrival of his family.
Crossing Center Ice Page 23
