Page 128 of Pucking Rebound
By comparison, the three of them are worse. Still, we all act sometimes without thinking through the consequences.
“Did you pay Miranda child support?”
“Lots. I paid for all his hockey lessons, uniforms, extra training.”
“Out of guilt?” I ask.
“Partially. But mostly because I saw how talented he was. I went to every game. He just never knew it.”
“He’s going to hate it when he finds out Zane is his half-brother.” That might hurt worse than finding out Marcus is his dad. Wade hates him.
“They fight like blood brothers.”
“Because they are.”
“It’s all a bit of a mess, Lola.”
“How is Zane?” I haven’t seen him since he was suspended for attacking Kali.
“Better.” His jaw twitches. “His therapy sessions are helping.”
“The consequence of not being able to do what he loves will be killing him,” I state, knowing how important hockey is to every single member of the team. Their career is their passion, their purpose, and what drives them.
“I've been protecting him and covering his ass for way too long. Trust me, he won’t be permitted to return to the team next season if his therapist doesn’t sign off for him to do so. The cocky little bastard needs to be taken down a peg or two.”
“Like brother, like brother,” I say, my voice full of humor, making Marcus smirk before his face falls.
“Lola, I’m sorry about your dad. He was a good man.”
“Before he died, he said you were a good man too. You were his best friend, Marcus.” I have to ask the question that’s on the tip of my tongue. “Why did you have an affair with her?”
His voice sounds heavy as if the weight of his sorrow makes it hard to form the words. “Honestly, I don’t have an answer.” He fiddles with the handle on his cup. “Miranda and I fooled aroundthroughout college, then she married your dad and then we just sort of kept happening. I can’t explain it.”
“What are you going to tell Nicki?” The time is ticking by. He’ll have to tell his wife about Wade at the same time as Kali and I tell Wade about me.
“The truth. Which is what I should have done years ago.”
I nod in agreement. When he puts it like that, it all seems so simple.
I hope for everyone’s sake it is.
“I’m not sure I can ever fully forgive you all for what you did.” My father is not exempt.
“I understand.”
“I would like to thank you though, for helping Wade. He would have lost everything had you not intervened. So, thank you.”
With Marcus being his father, his intervention makes sense. Had it been any other player busting fellow team members’ noses, making front pages of the tabloids for all the wrong reasons, and getting pulled out of police cells every other week, they would have been fired or transferred to a nowheresville team by now.
“I was trying to make it right, Lola.”
“You did.” I take another sip of my coffee and then push the mug away. I love coffee, but for some reason today, it tastes weird. “Are we doing the right thing by telling them?” I ask, doubtfully.
“It’s time, Lola.”
“Do you think Nicki will leave you?”
“I hope not. You may not think so, but I do love my wife.”
