We turn to walk into the restaurant, and I hold the door open for everyone. Erika is the last one to walk in. "They closed down the restaurant," she says. "We’re safe." With a laugh, I put my hand around her shoulder.
"It’s not a good time if we don’t get kicked out of a place," I tease, and she just shakes her head.
We sit next to each other with Mia on her left side and Emma on my right. She takes off her white jacket, leaving her in a silky pink top. "If you did that not to get dirty." I shake my head.
"I don’t care if she took my jacket to wipe her face. I was getting hot," she admits, grabbing a piece of bread and buttering it for Mia and then asking Emma if she wants a piece. Dinner is crazy chaotic, and when I look over at her, she has Mia in her lap facing her with her head on her chest.
"We should get going," I say, looking at Erika, who nods her head. "It’s been a long day when you get up at four in the morning."
We kiss my parents good night, and I drop her off at her car. Erika kisses the girls and tells them she will see them tomorrow. I want to ask her to come back to the condo with us, but I know she has a forty-minute drive, and I don’t want her staying out that late. "Text me when you get home."
"Go away," she says, shutting the door and walking over to her SUV. I wait for her to get in and drive away before I leave. The condo is five seconds from her office and four minutes to the arena. All of our heads hit the pillows by the time nine o’clock comes.
My parents get to the condo right in time for my mother to cook breakfast and take the girls so I can get ready for the game. "You really need to get a house," my father says when I walk out of the bedroom. "I mean, this would be okay if you were alone."
"I know, I have a couple of houses to check out next week." I kiss the girls goodbye and walk out of the condo.
The drive to the arena is stupid. I should have just walked, but I know the girls are coming to the game tonight. I park my SUV at the same time as Manning, the captain, gets there. He gets out of his SUV and nods at me. "Coops," he calls out to me. "You look better."
"How shitty did I look before?" I ask him, and Miller, the assistant captain, slaps my shoulder.
"Horrible," he says. "Worse than Ralph did when he got another newborn."
I open my mouth, thinking back to last year when Ralph and Candace welcomed another child. Candace is my brother-in-law’s sister and the social media expert. "He fell asleep getting dressed once," I recall as we walk into the arena. The journalists are already lined up to take pictures.
We nod politely to them as I open the door and walk down the blue carpet.
"Boys," Nico, the owner, greets us. "We have a big one tonight," he tells us, but every game is a big one. When Nico inherited the team at twenty-seven, he was the youngest owner. No one thought he would do anything with the team but he proved them wrong. Our team is not ready for the Cup just yet, but I give it a couple of years, and I think we have a decent shot at it.
I change out of my black suit and put on my track pants, then go to hit the bike. I do a couple more cardio exercises, and when it’s time to hit the ice, I’m bouncing on my skates. I glide out when the doors open, looking at the corner to see if the girls are there. I see their heads jumping up and down when they see me as they hit the glass.
"Daddy,” I hear Emma say when I get close enough. Both girls have their hair in ponytails and are wearing Dallas jerseys with my name on the back.
I look behind them, expecting to see my mother or father, but Erika is standing there with them. She is wearing tight black pants and a white shirt with an oversized brown sweater. Her hair is in a ponytail like the girls. "Why aren’t you wearing my jersey?" I ask, and her eyebrows pinch together. She’s never ever worn a jersey to any of the games. "You could match the girls."
"You aren’t my favorite," she says, smiling.
I throw my head back and laugh. "Liar." I grab a puck and shoot it over the glass. "Who else will carry you over their shoulder while you sing ‘Runs the World’?"