Though, I can’t ignore the immediate tension.
“Good plan,” I say as Aviva comes to grab Vance. She puts him in the high chair and then sits beside him.
“Well, come on, everyone. Let’s eat all this awesome food we made,” Aviva says, and I can see she’s going to play the ringmaster to this circus of lions.
I look at Callie, and her shoulders are back, with no intention of giving in to Nico. She didn’t even greet him. I pull out her chair, and as she sits, I say, “Hey, Nico. Thanks for having me.”
Nico shrugs. “Yeah.”
This is going to be a blast.
Aviva pats his hand. “As I said, we’re so happy to have you. Callie has talked about you nonstop.”
I sit beside Callie and move my hand into her lap, taking her hand with mine. “I think she might like me a bit, so I’m not surprised.”
She looks over at me, her lips curving just slightly. With a wink, she says, “Just a bit.”
“Small bit,” I say, returning the wink. Her lips curve even more, and I hope I’ve helped her relax some. For me, I’m still as tight as a ball of tape, but I’m really good at masking my feelings. Callie lets go of my hand to take my plate and starts to fill it with food, just as Aviva does for Nico. I look across the table at Nico and clear my throat.
“Did you have morning practice with Owen?”
He meets my gaze, and I know he doesn’t want me here. “No.”
I know Aviva doesn’t think I see her smack him, but I do as she adds, “He goes this afternoon.”
Callie sets down the plate for me, and I squeeze her wrist. “Thank you, my love. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” she says, moving her hand out of mine to cup the back of my neck. She rubs the knot in my neck and then smiles before grabbing her plate. I pat the side of her thigh as I grab my fork and dig in.
“Wow, this is fantastic,” I say with a mouthful. “I didn’t think anyone could make French toast better than my mom. Don’t tell her I said that,” I add quickly, and Aviva grins at me.
“Owen has said the same thing,” she laughs. “It’s Nico’s specialty.”
“He makes it for me when I’m home,” Callie adds. “It’s my favorite.”
“I can taste why. It’s really good.”
Nico doesn’t say a word, just digs into his own food, making everything super awkward and loads of fun.
Not.
Aviva cuts up some fruit for Vance and asks, “How was the drive?”
“Awesome,” I say around the bite I just took. “We had a blast. Congratulations, by the way. If I had known, I would have gotten you something other than wine.”
“Thank you,” Aviva says with a wide grin. “I’ll drink it as soon as I have him.”
“Another boy? I bet you guys are stoked.”
When Aviva smiles at Nico, he actually smiles back. “We are.”
“Have you decided on a name?” Callie asks, and Aviva rattles off a few with the approval of Nico, though he doesn’t verbally contribute. Just head nods or shakes. It’s so tense, and I feel sick. It’s very obvious he doesn’t want me here, and trust and believe, I am ready to leave. Now.
Before I can plan my escape, Aviva says, “You know, Callie hasn’t told me your major, Evan.”
I look at Callie, and she shrugs. “I don’t even know,” she laughs, shaking her head. “I mean, I know it’s athletic training, but is that the major?”
I grin. “That’s what I came to Bellevue to do. But I’ll be getting my degree in therapy, and I’ll focus on sports. I already have a lot of credits in sports therapy, the physical side, since I never really knew what I wanted to be. I just knew it would be in sports. It’s helped a lot now that I have everything in the works. I’m lucky that a lot of my classes apply.”
“That’s wonderful. So the goal is to be…?”
“A sports therapist, focusing on mental health.”
“That’s wonderful,” Aviva gushes. “When Callie went to the gym here, they had one on staff, and then we hired the one at Bellevue.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said. It was actually Callie who kind of pointed me in the right direction.”
Callie glances at me. “Really?”
“Yeah. When you told me you had therapy for sports, I decided I wanted to be that someone for a kid who struggles. Since I never had that option.”
Callie’s lips curve up, and her eyes sparkle. She presses her hand to her chest and sighs. “I feel so special.”
“You are,” I say with no hesitation, and I feel Aviva’s gaze on me. I don’t look at her, though. That affirmation is only for Callie. She leans into me, and I lean back, sharing a smile.
“So, it’s safe to assume you’re done with hockey?”
Nico’s words plague me, and I hate that I allow them to. I don’t want to assume he’s taunting me, but it almost feels as if he is. I move my gaze from Callie’s to his, meeting the lion head on. “I am. I don’t have the passion for it that I used to.”
He moves his fork along the plate, his eyes flicking over mine. “How’s Owen taking that?”
I push my shoulders back. “He’s being supportive, as he always has been.”
“Last time I talked to him, he made it sound like you’d be back in no time.”
The doubt is there, and I know I can go through every single negative thought in my head, telling me Owen lied about accepting my decision, that he’s mad, but I know the truth. “I just told him yesterday I wasn’t coming back.”
I can feel Callie winding up beside me. Her annoyance is rolling off her in waves.
“That’s gonna be hard for him to swallow since I know how badly he wanted you back.”
I feel myself wanting to run from this conversation, from his judgment, but I won’t let him win. “I doubt it will be. He was really open and supportive.”
“As anyone would be, knowing you chose your mental health over a sport,” Callie says sharply. “I know I’m proud of you.”
I know if I look at her, I won’t be able to control my emotions. I keep my gaze on Nico’s, staring him down, waiting for his next jab.
“And your parents? Especially your dad. He raised you to be the passer for Owen, didn’t he?”
The insecurities are growing, knocking down the wall I’ve worked so hard to put up to protect myself. I lick my lips, swallowing hard as I form my words. I want to yell, I want to cuss at him, but I won’t disrespect Callie or Aviva.
“How is your mom?” Aviva asks at the same time Callie says, “He raised Evan to be happy with who he is!”