Chapter 7 Cooper
COOPER
Dad Joke Of The Day:
What has four wheels and flies?
A garbage truck.
“Pass the puck!” Asher shouts as he skates behind the net. With a quick pass, he’s taken control of the puck and tries to fake me out. But when he fakes a shot, I read the play and wait just a fraction of a second before moving to the left—my glove out in the exact spot needed to make the save.
His eyes widen in shock. “I could have sworn I had you on that one!” Asher says as he skates past me.
“Nope, you’ll just have to try harder,” I return with a wink as I get ready for Levi to start his turn.
“Fuck off, Coop,” he says as he skates away. I blow him a kiss, grinning as I snag the puck Levi just shot out of the air.
“I wanna be pissed,” Levi starts, “but thank fuck you’re my goalie.”
I can’t help but smile. “Love you too, Levi.”
We spend the next hour running drills and practicing plays until, finally, Coach called it once we are all gassed and drenched in sweat.
“Go get in the showers; y’all stink,” Coach barks. “Johnson, you come here first.”
“Ooooh, you’re in trouble,” Jax says as Nash skates over.
“What’d you do?” Nash glares as he watches me skate towards Coach.
“Nothing, Daddy,” I say, knowing that one word gets under his skin like no other. He’s never told us exactly why, but one girl made a joke about calling him daddy at a party and he nearly lost it.
Needless to say, she left the bar crying after he sent her away—but that was it. He never explained, and as far as I know, we never asked.
“Hey, Coach, what’s up?” I ask as I stop next to him on the ice. He’s looking down at his clip board, his eyes scanning something before jotting down a few notes and looking up at me.
“Everything good with Ally? She showing up, being decent?”
“Uh, yeah, of course she showed up. She stopped by yesterday afternoon for a tour, a run down of the rules, and to get a little quality time with Lucas before she really started by herself. And she’s there with him now.”
“And she’s nice to him? She’s doing what you asked?”
“Yeah, I mean she’s sent me pictures of him in the backyard painting, and then she helped him make life size bubbles using yarn and dish soap, so I take it she’s doing a good job at being nice.”
“Ally? My Ally is doing that?”
“No, Santa Clause is,” I deadpan. “Yes, it’s Ally.”
“Sorry, that’s just surprising. She doesn’t think she interacts well with kids.” He chuckles, but my fists ball at his tone, that he finds any humor in the way she talks down about herself.
I mean, was I hesitant to have someone who didn’t like kids around my son?
Only for a second, and not for the reasons everyone thought.
I know Coach and I know Ally. I have for years, and I honestly trust them both with my life.
Ally may have been a pain in the ass for Levi, but she’s not going to let someone get hurt.
Plus, she doesn’t think she’s good with kids, but I’ve seen her at our youth hockey events in the off season, and she is going to do just fine. I’m only nervous that she’s going to fall in love with Lucas and then the next kid she meets won’t be as cool, leaving her disappointed.
“I’m learning that. I’m assuming you know why?”
“No, but I have my suspicions. Just try to be patient with her, okay? She’s working on figuring out what will make her happy, and that’s not something I can force her into. No one can.”
I clench my teeth at his words. The way he’s talking down about her is pissing me off, but I try to realize he’s just frustrated and trying to break her of old habits.
But this is his niece, and he gets this one time to be insensitive. After that I’ll unfortunately have to find a professional way to remind my coach how to be respectful.
But we will cross that bridge if we get to it.
“Okay, Coach,” I say as he looks back down at his papers, essentially dismissing me. “Is that everything?”
“Yeah, sorry Johnson. Just trying to look over some things; my head’s all over the place. I’ll see you bright and early at practice in the morning.”
The guys all waited for me outside the locker room, Nash and Jax in a heated game of foosball outside the locker room.
I grab my phone from my pocket and scroll through messages, most of which are Ally giving me play-by-plays of their day. I’m thankful for the updates—especially on her first day.
Scrolling down, I see messages from Kenna—five of them to be exact—and I look through them as I hear the guys yell in the background.
“He’s alive!”
But I ignore them as I read through the messages, the whiplash I’m getting from Kenna confusing the fuck out of me.
Kenna: Hey! I made it safe to my parents. Miss you guys.
Kenna: They really wish that you had come with.
Kenna: Or that you had let Lucas come with. They miss him too.
Kenna: Hello?
Kenna: Oh, I see. You’ve got your replacement help and don’t have time for me anymore? I knew this would happen.
“Whatcha looking at over there?” Levi asks as he walks over to me and peers over my shoulder, letting out a whistle as he scans her messages.
“I told you she’s a touch on the crazy side,” Levi says as I try to figure out how to even respond.
“You think you’re really one to talk?”
“Fair, my track record isn’t the best, but I’m not delusional enough to think that my sister’s baby daddy and I are going to play house.”
“If your sister’s baby daddy and you were playing house, I’d have questions…starting with when the fuck did you get a sister?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I have to when I don’t know what to say.”
“You’re always so worried about upsetting her because she’s a little vindictive—but now might be the best time to talk to her. It’ll give her time to cool off before she’s back here with Lucas and maybe it’ll help her be a little less…”
“Controlling?” Nash says, as the rest of the guys pipe in.
“Overbearing?” Jax says.
“Clingy?” Asher adds at the last minute.
“All of the above would be nice,” I say as I type out a response that I hope isn’t too abrasive.
Me: Really, Kenna? I’m glad you made it safe, but I could do without the passive aggressive comments about Lucas not being there and me being busy with Ally.
Me: Have fun on your trip.
Kenna: Can I call you now?
Me: Nope. I’m at practice.
Pocketing my phone, I glance back at Levi, who’s smirking. “What’s the look for?”
"You're living a real-life episode of Maury. Your ex's sister fighting over you because she thinks you’re playing house with your best friend’s ex? Incredible!"
“That’s not what’s happening—” I start, but Levi cuts me off.
“You can hide shit from your kid, not from me. I know someone playing games when I see it, and Kenna is playing you. Set boundaries with her.”
“I don’t need her thinking I’m playing house with Ally. That’s a horrible idea.”
“Why?”
“Well first off, that’s your ex-fiancée.
Second, I’m almost positive that girl hates me.
She’s…tolerated me, but over the years, I’ve never missed her little sideways glances that always felt like daggers to my soul.
I figured it just came with being your friend, but now that you two get along, I’m not so sure anymore. ”
“Technically speaking, yes, she’s my ex.
But if you really understood our past relationship, if you can even call it that, you would know our relationship was very superficial, not one that really holds a lot of weight on the heart, if you know what I mean.
Like, yeah, we dated, but it’s no one who got away type love.
Obviously, I’m dating her sister now. As for her hating you?
Pretty sure Ally hates most people, so what’s your next excuse? ”
I stare up at him, dumbfounded. What is even happening right now, and why isn’t he trying to punch my face in?
I mean, this is Ally. The girl he was going to marry—although just saying that feels wrong because even I knew when we were younger that those two were never going to work.
I could also tell they didn’t want to work, but that’s another story.
“I’m just fucking with you, Coop. It’s fun giving you a hard time over a girl when I swear you haven’t looked at anyone since Lucas was born.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I look back at Levi, shrugging my shoulders. “Never really had the time. Still don’t.”
“Not that I’m one to really talk her up, but Ally is misunderstood.
Truthfully by everyone, including herself.
Not that I’m saying she should be your new best friend, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing on the planet if you two got to know each other a bit.
We could all use a new friend every now and then,” Levi says quietly, his tone no longer teasing, instead more serious.
“What are you two whispering over there? Secrets don’t make friends,” Jax says as they finish their game and make their way over.
“Nothing, just pointing out to our boy Coop that he’s having more lady drama now than in the last five years,” Levi says quickly, steering away from enemy territory and directly back into teasing me.
“GIRL DRAMA! Yes!” Nash says, practically foaming at the mouth for the tea.
“No drama to spill. It’s just Kenna being a pain in the ass.”
“Over what now?” Nash says, excitedly.
“Now? Is this common? And it’s nothing really, she’s just pissed about Ally nannying for Lucas while she’s gone.”
“No shocker there,” Jax says.
“What? Did you guys all know Kenna was like this?” I ask suspiciously, wondering how I’ve been so blind to her behavior.
“Duh,” Nash deadpans. “Wait, you’re serious? Dude, we’ve all been able to see this for years. I guess we all just figured she’d grow out of it once she realized you were really clueless on her feelings. I mean, unless you do have an interest in Kenna.”
“No,” I say quicker than I intend. “I mean, that sounds rude. Her sister and I had our thing back in college, and Kenna and I were friends then, but it’s never been more than that for me, and to answer your next question, I don’t want anything more than that with Kenna.”
“Then I think it’s time you make Kenna understand that little fact. I think she’s one of those girls who might need to have her feelings hurt a little bit to make her understand that you’re not actually interested,” Nash adds.
“That’s stupid but probably not wrong. I’ll talk to her when she gets back into town. Not something I really feel like dealing with over the phone—not when she’s crazy enough to fly back, and I don’t feel like dealing with that nonsense at the end of the season.”
“Valid. I’d say just have some fun, relax, and enjoy the last few weeks of the season. I mean, we have our work cut out for us if we want a shot at the playoffs, so we gotta put in the effort,” Asher says.
Relax. Sure. If only my brain would stop replaying her laugh from that video Lucas sent.