15. The Green Monster
CHAPTER 15
THE GREEN MONSTER
MILES
A fucking date?
Delilah was in my bed on her hands and knees for me two nights ago and she already has a date lined up? I drive to the arena to park in the garage with the other guys so we can take our bus to the flight, telling myself to stay calm.
I told her we’re done. Delilah is beautiful and smart, so why shouldn’t someone else snatch her up?
“There he is.” Drew grins when I approach the private area in the back of the arena where fans can’t get to us. “Ready for these teams?”
There are some skilled teams we’re going to battle with, and I need to have my head in the game.
“You know it. We’ve been practicing for this, right?”
I look forward since I don’t want Andrew to see right through me.
“Is Del ready for a week alone with Lola?”
He’s laughing and I take a deep breath, knowing I can’t blow it.
“I sure hope so. She was active this morning before I left to come here. Mom said she’s there to help if needed.”
“She seems to love Del. Lola looks at her like she’s her entire world when it’s just them and even when it isn’t. I am so full of great ideas right now.”
“Why are you wasting that intelligence on hockey? You could invent things and become rich.”
Okay, that sounded a little bitter.
“The hockey world would miss me too much. We have a league to destroy, but if you need any help with your personal life, I am a phone call away.”
“Asshole.”
We board the bus after the luggage is settled and I look out the window as we head towards the airport. I have done this so many times, but it feels like I am leaving a piece of myself behind this time. What if she goes on this date and falls for the guy?
It’s about a five-hour flight and we fill most of the plane. Normally, I sleep on these flights, especially as Lola gets older, and Andrew listens to his crime podcasts. I’ll never understand that, but I am a dad now.
This time, I lean back and close my eyes, but I don’t sleep. Instead, I play back every time I slept with Delilah and all the tension between us before that happened. I have never felt like this before with anybody, and it scares me. Is it because she’s the forbidden fruit?
Before her, I could have any woman I wanted. It doesn’t take much to get them in bed, but I stopped wanting that casual arrangement after Lola came into my life. I still don’t crave it, but after the sex I had with Delilah, can I give it up?
Will it be anything like how she felt wrapped around me?
It feels like the hours drag before we land and get settled in the hotel rooms for the next two nights. There’s a team dinner and an early practice the following morning, so I need to sort out this sleeping issue.
I have a room with Andrew as usual and I step out to make my nightly call to Lola. Delilah picks up and all I see is my daughter’s smiling face, making me feel disappointed.
“Daddy!”
She’s clearly happy and I know I should be grateful for that since I always wondered how content she was with her mom. I can hear some kids’ music in the background, and I lean against the wall.
“Being good, bug?”
She babbles about something, and I smile in response, missing her deep in my soul. This is the norm at this age, but I must see her face and tell Lola how much I love her. We ‘talk’ for a while and I promise to call her tomorrow before watching the screen go blank.
No Delilah at all. What does that mean?
Andrew is on his bed with the TV on, clearly decompressing for the night.
“Things good?”
He glances at me, and I nod absently.
“She’s having a blast. It sounded like they were having a toddler dance party over there.”
I shower and pull on my sleep pants before getting into my bed. The alarm is going off at five since we have an afternoon game tomorrow and I remind myself how much I love this life.
We practice for a few hours, with little sleep, followed by breakfast. I join some of the team for a workout to stay busy before the game, showering before we need to get to the arena.
I can already feel the energy in the massive space as we repeat the practice from this morning. Fans of the opposing team are filling the seats and I feel the eyes on me as I pass to Andrew, who shoots it right past our goalie.
“Yeah, man!”
I give my best friend a thumbs up and he laughs as we move back to do it again.
We gather in the locker room for a team meeting and Coach goes over our strategies again, which are specific to the team we’re playing today. They’re good and have been close to a cup for the last few years. We need to play with a perfect mix of defense and scoring to beat them and I roll my shoulders back, ready for the challenge.
I am used to the cheers for the home team and some boos for us. Hockey has some dedicated fans that are faithful until the bitter end, and I love that about this sport. I catch a few of our jerseys out there and smile at Gabe as he stops by the bench.
“Ready for this?”
We bump fists as I nod with a confident smile. Coach goes over the immediate strategies again and I hit the ice with Andrew and the rest of our winning line.
Is Lola watching the game back home? Of course. Delilah has my daughter’s best interests at heart and wouldn’t play dirty that way. I wonder how much Delilah will be into it as I get ready for the puck drop, staring into the eyes of the other player.
It’s on and everything moves fast as I battle for the puck. We’re all in today, just like the other team, and I feel the tension on the ice. I pass to Andrew, who attempts a shot that’s blocked; I curse in my head. It’s a lot of that for the rest of the game, but we get two goals just before they match us in five minutes just as the first period ends.
We go in for a pep talk from Gabe. He’s always positive and encourages the best in everybody, which makes him a fantastic captain. I drink water and rest for a few minutes, looking at the guys as they focus on Gabe.
I know if I check my phone, there will be a text from my family cheering me on. Will there be anything from Delilah?
We barely win the game with a 4-3 lead, and we all know how lucky we are when we leave the ice. It was a hard-played game for everyone, and my muscles ache from the long minutes spent out there.
“Dinner meeting?”
I look at Gabe, then the other guys, who all nod. We shower and dress to impress before leaving the arena and boarding the bus to go to a restaurant that offers us a private room so we can focus on hockey. There’s one or two in every city, especially the larger ones. The food is incredible, and I inhale it as I listen to the conversation, thinking about checking my phone.
“Daddy win! Daddy skate!”
Lola is happy when I call, dancing around in her jersey. She watched the game, and it makes me smile.
“Sure did, bug. I miss you. Love you so much.”
“Love you.”
Her response comes in a singsong voice, and I smile.
I sense they stayed in for the game because I recognize my house. Mom always invites them over for away games, but my family can be a lot. I remember her asking about Delilah when I arrived without her for dinner before I left.
“She had something going on, so she stayed home.”
Easy enough answer, but Mom narrowed her eyes at me.
I assume Delilah might avoid them now like she seems to do with me. Perfect.
The week blends into practices, games, and meetings mixed in with a little sleep. My calls to Lola ground me because she doesn’t mind if I win or lose, and we lost two out of the four games.
“Delilah?”
I ask for her the third night since I haven’t seen her.
“Yeah?”
She doesn’t get on camera, and I sigh.
“Is everything good there? Lola’s doing okay?”
“Of course. She’s busy, but I keep her active and pass out when she’s asleep. She’s watched every game wearing the jersey.”
“Thank you for that. I appreciate it.”
“It’s time for a bath. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
What else can I expect from her? She’s playing the role of nanny with ease, and I have to commend her for that.
I walk into the current hotel room and shower before bed, feeling the fatigue taking over. Andrew matches my energy level, and we watch the scores for the day as sleep threatens to take me over.
We’re going home tomorrow afternoon and I’ll get a day to rest before starting all over in our arena.
I sleep during the flight, exhausted after the strenuous games. When we arrive back at the cars, I say a quick goodbye before heading right home. Everyone just wants to go home, and it’s standard to leave quickly, but I sit in my driveway for a moment, just looking at the house.
It’s dark, which makes sense. We left in the late afternoon and Lola was sleeping already.
I walk inside and everything is quiet. Delilah isn’t on the couch waiting for me this time and I feel lonely as I look around the quiet space. It’s clean as I expect and she’s probably getting some rest for tomorrow.
I get some water and unpack my clothes, separating them into piles. Some go to the dry cleaners, and I can wash other ones here at home tomorrow. Once that’s settled, I glance at the clock to see that it’s ten o’clock. I feel too awake since I am still in a different time zone.
There is always the gym. I’m sure Delilah is cool getting up with Lola tomorrow since I got in so late and it’ll drain me quickly, I hope.
I change into shorts and turn up the music as I start a five-mile run on the treadmill. My muscles still ache but I am used to a lot of exercise in my job, so I always push myself as much as I can.
From there, I work with weights and focus on my legs. They need the stretch and I lose myself in it, feeling the burn with a smile.
Three hours later, I emerge from the gym and notice the house is still quiet. I see something on the counter and move closer to find an empty tea bag that wasn’t there before.
Delilah was up, but when? Does she know I’m home?
It’s chamomile which Mom tells me she drinks to go to sleep, and I wonder if Delilah is having trouble sleeping like I am. She might be thinking about this asshole that asked her out, or maybe me.
I want to ask her and fight the urge to knock on her door. After such a chaotic week, my body needs her as much as anything else, but I’m not going there.
I make my way to my room to shower and get some sleep.
Alone.