Chapter 9
TYLER
I’ve been sleeping in the room where Ty’s things are. Upstairs felt so far away. Besides, I like being close. It’s easier for me to give Denny a break when he needs it. He won’t ask. I’ve been here for just over forty-eight hours, and it’s very clear that he won’t ask for help.
I haven’t quite figured out how to give him a break without him catching on that it’s what I’m doing. We’ll eventually establish a routine, right? Right now, it’s just me asking to hold Ty when I think Denny needs a nap or something.
He’s wrong, though. He is doing everything right.
He’s tired but attentive. A lot of people will comment on seeing a big guy with a little baby, and yeah, it’s cute.
But seeing Denny hold this little human with a soft smile and shining eyes is probably one of the most attractive things I’ve ever seen.
Are you watching, Sally? I ask internally. Are you seeing this?
I find I mentally talk to my sister a lot. I’m still trying to figure out the puzzle she left behind. The more time I spend with Denny, the more I have to believe that she liked him as a person more than that she was actually attracted to him.
But I’ve met her last three boyfriends, and they couldn’t be more different from Denny.
I recall, specifically, her previous boyfriend was ‘too muscled’.
Too hard. He went to the gym too much. She admired his dedication and supported whatever was important to him, but for Sally, it made her feel kind of meh.
Yes, I thought she was weird. We’d laugh about it a lot.
He was also super sporty. A huge fan of hockey.
Sally and I were always hockey fans, but this guy was over the top.
He played hockey in high school and was always talking about it.
He missed playing. That was clear. He was trying to get into the Winnipeg franchise in some way, just so he could be back in the hockey field.
In the end, so many of the reasons she decided it wasn’t working with that guy are embodied in Denny. There was nothing wrong with her not liking the other guy. To each their own. Attraction is subjective, and for Sally, that just didn’t do it for her.
So why was she marrying Denny? I’m still inclined to believe she wasn’t all that into him. They were never together. She never spoke of him.
What were you hiding?
It’s nearing noon when I take Ty from Denny so he can take a shower. “What did Mommy tell you when she was growing you, Ty? Spill it all.”
I wish my sister had been in the habit of keeping a journal or diary. Not that I’ve looked for one. Maybe she had one.
As I sit in the recliner to rock Ty, the doorbell rings. I glance in the direction of the bedroom to see if Denny is going to answer it. Is he already in the shower?
A minute passes, and he doesn’t come out. Okay. Am I supposed to answer?
The doorbell doesn’t ring again, but I hear knocking on the door. Yep, I’m going to need to answer.
“Come on, Ty. Let’s see who it is.”
I shove my boots from right in front of the door and pull it open.
There are three big men there. Big hockey men.
I recognize all of them, and yep, I may have to wipe my chin.
I’ve kept my fanboying internal since diving into Denny’s life, but fucksauce.
Three more hockey players. Three that I’m an enormous fan of.
“Hi,” I say. Did my voice squeak? I hold Ty a little tighter to me as the cold February air rushes toward us.
Ren Ho, Felton Badcock, and Zenia Talmage stare at me. Probably trying to figure out who I am. Before I can answer, the giant Felton Badcock leans into Ren and asks, “This is the right house, isn’t it?”
The corner of Ren’s lips rises. “Yeah, Fel. He’s holding Tyler.”
Felton’s eyes drop to my nephew, and he smiles.
“I’m… Tyler,” I say, and then shake my head. “Sally’s brother.”
“Ohhh,” Zenia answers. “I didn’t know she had a brother.”
I snort. “It appears she kept me as her dirty little secret,” I muse.
That earns me laughter from Felton and Zenia. Ren doesn’t laugh, but that quiet smile is back.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know whether I’m supposed to let you in or not. Denny is in the shower.”
“You must be Denny’s dirty little secret, too,” Zenia says, smirking. “He didn’t tell us you were here.”
“To be fair, I showed up on his doorstep like a stray puppy looking for my nephew,” I answer. “He’s been catching up on sleep.”
“I knew he needed help,” Felton says, sighing.
“I’m Ren. This is Felton and Zenia. We’re friends of Denny’s,” Ren says, and I finally notice all the food containers they’re carrying. “We brought more food for him.”
“Oh.” I step aside. I want to tell them I already know who they are, but I’ve done so well keeping my little fanboying contained, and if I let it out now, I’m just going to make a fool of myself. Hugging Ty a little more closely, I say, “Okay. Come in.”
The three big men step inside, and now that I’m not standing a step higher than they are, all three are taller than me. Felton is a mountain.
I get out of the way as they take their boots off and shed their winter layers, taking turns holding the containers of food. I hope Denny won’t be angry that I let them into his space. Maybe I should have thought this through more. I did promise not to overstep.
Silently, I follow them through the house and watch as they stuff everything into the fridge.
Felton moves to the sink and begins washing the dishes while Ren goes through the fridge and smells the milk, throws out some gross-looking vegetables, and calls items out to Zenia, who’s making notes on his phone.
It doesn’t take me long to realize that they’re making sure Denny has everything he needs. They’re taking care of him.
Did you know Denny has such good friends? I silently ask my sister while I hug Ty close.
Ren takes a step back from the fridge and starts poking through the cabinets and then the pantry. When Felton is finished with the dishes in the sink, he empties the dishwasher before heading into the laundry room.
“Check for other laundry, Fel,” Ren calls.
“I will. There are still towels in the dryer,” Felton calls back.
Zenia looks up at me. I’m probably staring with glassy eyes because I’m stupidly touched that they’re doing this. Without asking. I’m sure it’s without asking. I can’t imagine Denny would go to the shower when he’s expecting his friends to show up.
“You good?” Zenia asks.
I nod. “Yes. Sorry. I’m just… I’m really relieved that there are people here looking out for him. That’s all.”
“Of course,” Zenia says. “He’s shit at asking for help, but we’re only pushing so far. Kroy and Carson will be stopping by to clean up later, swap laundry, and drop off more baby milk.”
“More hockey players?” I ask, though I don’t recognize their names.
Zenia grins. “No. You recognize us?”
I nod and attempt to rein in the excitement. “Yes. I’m a Winnipeg fan.”
“Hell yeah,” Felton calls from down the hall. He pokes his head out as he’s folding a towel, an enormous smile beaming at me. “Good taste.”
“What’re you doing here?”
I turn at Denny’s voice, and my heart jumps into my throat. He doesn’t sound particularly mad, but still.
“Restocking,” Ren answers. “Fel, go grab the dirty laundry.”
Felton leaves the laundry room and disappears down the hall, flashing Denny a big smile on his way by. Denny stops at my side and rests a gentle hand on Ty’s head. “You don’t have to,” he says, watching Ren and Zenia finish going through his pantry.
“Yeah? When’s the last time you had food delivered?” Zenia asks.
Denny presses his lips together.
Zenia looks smug. “That’s what I thought. Just focus on your baby, mate. We’ll make sure you’re fed and have clean clothes.”
Felton comes back down the hall with an armload of towels and clothing.
“Split the baby clothes from the adult ones, Fel,” Ren says. “Remember?”
“I remember,” Felton calls back. “Special baby detergent.”
“That’s a thing?” Denny asks, looking a little stressed.
“It is. We brought some last time we were here.”
Denny sighs. I have a feeling this is one of those moments that makes him feel like he’s doing everything wrong.
Together, we watch Denny’s three friends move around the house until they’re finished. Then they’re standing in front of us.
“You really don’t need to do this,” Denny says.
“We don’t,” Ren agrees. “But we’re going to.” His gaze flickers to me for a minute. “You’re going through a rough time, understandably, and we’re happy to help. Kroy and Carson will be over this afternoon. Just focus on your baby.”
“Food delivery is scheduled for three-fifteen,” Zenia says.
Denny sighs. “Thanks.”
“Call Coach, too. Check in,” Ren says as they head for the door.
Denny nods. “Okay.”
Silently, we watch them leave. Once they’re out the door, the house is silent except for the sound of the washing machine.
“You have some nice friends,” I offer.
A smile touches his lips as he hangs his head, letting it bob in a nod. “I do.”
“I’m going to change Ty. Maybe you should check out the food they brought. It’s adult lunch time.”
His smile grows, and he glances at me. He smells fresh and yummy. The way he’s looking at me makes me all hot and bothered inside, so I turn and head down the hall toward the spare room on this floor.
Gently, I place Ty in the middle of the bed and reach for the bag of diapers and dump the rest out. There are eight left.
Once he’s fed and properly wrapped snugly, I pick Ty up again and bring the dirty diaper to the kitchen. “There are only seven diapers left,” I tell Denny.
He sighs and hangs his head back. Once again, he looks like he’s been run over by a truck. “All right. I guess… I should order some.”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
Denny picks his head up and meets my eyes.
“Let’s get all of Ty’s things from Sally’s. She has a mountain of diapers and clothes for years. And all the other baby things.” I hesitate. “At some point, I’m going to need to deal with her house, too. I can’t right now, but… I’ll need to.”
I’m surprised when he wraps his hand around my wrist in comfort. “I think our meeting has been a little… weird, so I didn’t have the presence of mind to offer my sympathies. I’m so sorry for the loss of your sister, Tyler.”
I shake my head, partially in response to his words but also to try to get the tears from my eyes. “I really don’t want to acknowledge it right now because I’m going to start sobbing again, and I’m tired of crying.”
“I’m sure.”
So I can turn away from him, I hand Ty to Denny and head for the trash can to deposit the diaper and wash my hands. I spend the next few minutes drying the dishes Felton washed and going through drawers and cabinets to put them away.
The bottles apparently just sit on the counter.
“I should find a home for them,” Denny says quietly. “It feels temporary when they’re just on the counter like that, doesn’t it?”
I meet his eyes and shrug one shoulder. “I can make room if you want.” My eyes travel to the mountain of formula options. “And maybe put those in the pantry?”
“I didn’t know what to buy, so I bought them all,” he says, laughing. “April took the ones she said I wasn’t going to need and said I shouldn’t bounce between them. I think she opened the one in the front.”
“April?” I ask, trying not to sound suspicious. Did he have a girlfriend while engaged to my sister?!
“The nurse. The one who watched me be a zombie when I took Ty home. She must have seen that I was already drowning and offered to answer questions when I had them.”
“Ah. That sounds very kind.”
“I’m going to buy her an island in gratitude when I get my head on straight.”
A smile spreads across my face as I look at him. Once again, my heart skips all over the place when I see him holding his baby.
Silence settles between us, but we don’t break eye contact. I’m not sure I could look away even if I wanted to.
“Uhm,” Denny says and shifts Ty in his arms. “Yes. I think we should get Ty’s things from your sister’s house. That’s a good idea.”
“Tomorrow morning?” I suggest. “I think we have enough until then. Or I can grab some diapers, at least, but you have food coming and more friends, so…”
“I guess we’ll see how long seven diapers last. We might need to stop at the store tonight, which is closer than Sally’s house.”
I nod and look at the counter. “Do you… have her phone and stuff? From the hospital?”
“Yes. Sorry. I should have said something. Her suitcase is just outside my bedroom door. Down the hall.” He gestures with his head in that direction.
“Do you mind if—”
“Of course not. She’s your sister. You have a right to everything.”
“She’s your fiancée,” I remind him. “I think, technically, that makes you her more direct next of kin.”
Denny presses his lips together for a second. “Fine. Then I’m giving you permission to whatever you want of hers.”
I stare at him for a minute and note that this is just one more weirdly shaped puzzle piece. I don’t doubt that he’s grieving, but I think that maybe that grief is buried under his exhaustion and the sudden, unexpected upheaval in his life with abruptly becoming a single parent to his day-old son.
At least, that’s what I hope.
“Thank you.”
Denny sighs. For a minute, he stares at nothing before coming animated again. “What do you feel like eating?”
“What are the options?”
He opens the fridge and flashes me a smile. “Chinese. Authentic Chinese.”
Grinning, I nod. “My favorite.”