We all looked.
“Dipshits,” Xander mumbled.
We all nodded in agreement to his assessment of us and resumed running special-teams drills for another hour. I managed to keep my thoughts on hockey and not on the first stem cell collection that was scheduled for the day after opening day. A simple matter, the oncologists had informed me. Day patient only. In and out in four hours or so. I’d been getting injections at the hospital and was finally notified that my last results showed enough stem cells in my blood. Which was good because Sophie had been feeling poorly the past few days.
Isaac and I had taken turns comforting her so the other could rest, something that Isaac seemed to have trouble with. It was obvious that the man had never had someone else care for his wellbeing. I felt it was my duty to change that as well as tend to my daughter. Which brought us right back to that fizzy feeling popping in my chest like carbonation in a bottle of soda. They both needed me for different reasons, and I was happy… no thrilled to give them all that I possessed. It had been too long since I had a family to worry over.
I passed on going to the coffee shop and went right home. It was a glorious fall day in Boston. The air was cool, the sun bright, and the sky as blue as Isaac’s eyes. I’d planned a walk to Wigwam Pond on my way home to gather leaves that were dropping. Perhaps we could make a scrapbook or press them somehow. Did people only do that with flowers? I’d have to Google that, but for now a walk to the pond with my two most favorite people in the world was on the docket.
Dropping my personals bag inside the front door, I took a moment to admire my newly-painted living room ceiling, then went in search of Sophie and Isaac. I suspected I knew where to find them. The playhouse.
The door was open to let in that fresh, cool autumn air, but it was quiet inside. Slipping in, I saw both Sophie and Isaac snoozing. She was sprawled out on the floor on a yellow sleeping bag with little red ladybugs, her thumb in her mouth, her long lashes resting on her flushed cheeks. She had dark circles under her eyes, as did Isaac and I. The chemotherapy that she’d had to undergo before the transplant procedure had really done her in, the poor little angel. Again, the knowledge that we were incredibly close to her possibly being cured or in remission filled my heart with hope. It would take time and lots of medical supervision, but we were praying for the best possible outcome. I’d accept nothing less. This had to work. It simply had to…
I sat down beside Isaac, after laying the back of my hand against Sophie’s brow. It was warm, but fevers were common I’d quickly learned. My thigh rested against Isaac’s, and I let my head drop to the well-padded back of the new sofa. It too was yellow. Sophie liked yellow. And ladybugs. And frogs. Which was why, if she were well enough, I wanted to take her to Wigwam Pond so she could ribbit back to the frogs.
Eyes heavy from being up with a sick child for the past few nights, sleep crept up on me with speed. One moment I’d been mulling over frogs and the next I was out cold. The pressure of someone leaning on me pulled me from my slumber. Shaking off the fuzziness of sleep, I glanced down to see Isaac had curled into my side, his cheek resting on my shoulder, his breath fanning over my chest. My gaze lingered on him, on his lashes and the whiskers that he’d not shaved off this morning. Who had the time or the energy to shave? My face was covered with a reddish-gold beard as well. My back was cramping so I shifted downward a bit, disturbing Isaac with my movement.
His eyes flickered open. I smiled down at him. He smiled weakly back at me. His lips were parted and a mere inch or two from mine. Something profound passed between us as we stared at each other. Perhaps, in hindsight, this would be a mistake of epic proportions or the best thing I’d ever done. Time would tell. I prayed it would not be a mistake. I inhaled his scent and let the lure of those soft pink lips lead me. I lowered my head just a bit. He lifted his chin. Our lips met briefly. Just a mere touch, but it was enough. More than enough. All that fuzzy warm sleepiness was swept aside by something much more primal. It had been some time since I’d been with a man. Women were just easier to hook up with on the road. No one thought much of seeing a player disappear with a sexy chick. Now if that player should slink off with a hot man…
Things were changing, but not so much that same-sex couples didn’t raise eyebrows among the fans. Hell, among some of the players as well.
Isaac craned his head, and I applied more pressure. His breath hitched when our tongues touched. A soft moan rolled out of me as his taste blossomed on my taste buds.
“Me make kisses too,” Sophie said as she climbed up over us, plunking her bottom to my thigh then plastering both of our faces with sticky little kisses. Isaac blushed furiously, his embarrassment making his brow as warm as Sophie’s. Happy and content in a way I never knew I could be I hugged them both to me. My daughter cuddled in tight. Isaac eased out of the familial embrace, his eyes filled with confusion and desire.
“It must be time for lunch,” he said as he got to his feet, leaving Sophie in my arms. “I’ll go make soup. How does that sound?”
“Mate-o with baby crackers,” Sophie requested as she rested on my chest.
“I love tomato soup with tiny crackers too,” I told her and got a wobbly smile.
“Daddy like mate-o zoop too,” she informed me. My gaze lifted from my daughter to her uncle. I thought that perhaps it was time to start correcting her. I was her father. Isaac was not, nor would he ever be. While I understood why she called him that, it was an easier word for a small child to say, she was not his daughter. She was mine. I’d already contacted my lawyer to begin the legal process of setting up my parental rights. As soon as I heard back from him and we had this medical procedure behind us, I’d announce the good news to Isaac and then the world. He’d then be free to live his life as he wished.
Hopefully, given the heat and impact of that kiss, he’d stay here in Boston. He could find a good job in such a big city, get his own place, and live the life of a young, single man without the responsibility of taking care of a child. That was my role now, and I looked forward to Sophie being in my life.
“Let me go open two cans then,” Isaac said, then rushed to the house as if someone had bitten him on the backside.
“Wook at clouds.” Sophie slithered from my arms to lie on the sofa so she could stare through the glass ceiling. I sat beside her, marveling at how tiny her feet were as they rested on my thigh. Perfect little feet with perfect little toes. “See da clouds! Ooooo fuffy.”
I let my head fall back, and we watched clouds floating by until Isaac texted me to let me know lunch was on the table. With Sophie riding on my hip, we went inside. Isaac glanced at me as I handed my girl over so she could wash her hands at the kitchen sink. I saw so many warring emotions that I wasn’t sure which to deal with first or if I should deal with it at all. Maybe he needed time to come to grips with this new dynamic. He seemed the sort that required long periods of introspection before he could accept new things, whereas I tended to crash into things full speed then reflect on the aftereffects of the impact later. Which explained why I’d nearly tanked my career.
“We’ll talk tonight after my meeting,” I told Isaac and that helped to wash away the deep furrows of worry on his brow. “I regret nothing,” I added, and he blinked in surprise.