Chapter 9
Haddy
“Are you really a princess?” A little girl in the white hockey helmet squints up at me.
Her curly brown hair is styled in two pigtails on either side of her head, and she’s dressed in skates, black leggings, and a kid-sized white Champions sweater with Mav’s name and number on the back.
She looks like she’s probably in first or second grade, and like all the kids, she’s holding a hockey stick. She’s in the box with me and the other camp participants her age waiting for their turn with the team on the ice.
“I sure am.” I smile down at her.
Gavin is in the rink with Maverick and about ten of his other teammates. They’re leading a mixed group of boys and girls through basic hockey plays, culminating in a chance to slam the puck into the net.
I’m pretty sure the Champions’ goalie is only pretending to try and block, since they all score. Still, he puts on a good act, and they all get so excited to get it past him. It’s really sweet.
I’m wearing a fluffy white jacket and black leggings along with my small tiara and a sash that says International Princess Woman.
I didn’t go all out, since it’s not a parade, but the coach asked if I would make an inspirational speech. I only found out about it this morning, and I’ve been working on it ever since.
“Is your dad a king?” Another little girl jumps up and down, causing me to scoot my feet back to protect my toes.
“My dad’s a football player.”
“My dad says football is way less awesome than hockey.” The first little girl’s nose wrinkles.
I’m about to reply when an oversized little boy sitting on the bench and swinging his feet yells, “My dad’s mean as a snake!”
Chewing my lip, I squint my eyes, unsure how to respond to that one.
“Do you think girls can play hockey?” The little jumping bean has stopped jumping, and she’s now holding my hand.
She’s a cutie, and I lean down to whisper in her ear. “Girls can do whatever they set their minds to.”
Her dark eyes widen with excitement, and she nods. “That’s what my momma said!”
“It sounds like you’ve got a smart mom.”
A whistle tweets, and Gav swirls up to where we’re waiting. “Next group, on the ice!”
The other kids have gone to sit on the bench across from us, and the little ones who were surrounding me flood into the rink with cheers and yells.
Gav hangs back, leaning on his arm against the plexiglass partition. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” I smile up at him. “They’re really cute.”
“Yeah. We’ll do a round with this group, then you’ll say a few words, and that’s it.”
“I’ll be ready!”
His smile is adorably crooked, and he skates backwards a bit before turning to join the other guys.
I’m not cold at all as I watch him guiding the little hockey girl through a play, culminating in her slamming it into the net.
Up next, he shows the little boy with the snake-dad how a pinch works, which I only know because Gigi explained it to me.
Maverick waves at me, and I lift my chin with a smile. I’d already gone to bed when he came in last night, but if he stayed out late, you’d never know it. He’s as smiling and energetic as the rest of the guys.
Another twenty minutes pass quickly, and the little ones are sweaty and thirsty. They return to the bench area, and I step back to let them grab water bottles and flop on the seat.
Two of the team players quickly unroll a red carpet leading to center ice for me, and the coach skates over to where I’m waiting.
“Thanks for coming out, Miss Bradford. We’re ready when you are.”
No matter how many times I do this, I always have a mini-panic attack before addressing a large group of strangers.
I’ve learned to lift my chin, straighten my shoulders, and put on a confident smile as I step out in my stilettos.
Still, when I get to the center of the rink, my stomach dips when I turn to see twenty giants in full hockey gear standing in a line facing me.
I blink a few times, doing my best to project confidence, until Mav lets out a taxi whistle and starts clapping. “All right, Haddy!”
He’s quickly joined by Gav, who claps and also shouts a “Yeah!”
The other guys start clapping, and the kids all beat their sticks on the wooden boards. It breaks the tension at once, and I exhale a laugh.
“Thank you for that.” I look around at the little kids on the benches. “Is it okay if they come out and join us, too?”
“Sure.” The coach motions to the little attendees. “Come on out!”
They all hop up and quickly take their places in front of the big guys facing me. I notice the little girl with pigtails skates right up to Gav, taking his hand. She looks up at him, and he gives her a warm smile as he holds her little hand in his big one.
It helps me relax, and I take a beat, doing my best to make eye contact with each of them. “Now I don’t have to yell.”
Polite laughter fills the gap.
“You’re probably wondering who I am.” All the little heads nod rapidly. “I’m Hayden Bradford, this year’s International Princess Woman, and Maverick Murphy’s first cousin.”
At that the children gasp, turning big eyes from me to Mav and back again.
“I’m also a scientist. Do any of you know what that means?” I get a mixture of nods and shrugs.
One girl raises her hand. “It means you work in a lab and do experiments!”
“Yep, that’s part of what I do. I also do a lot of math, and I build models on computers.”
“My dad said girls aren’t good at math.” It’s the little boy with the snake-dad.
“It’s a common misconception,” I reply. “Have any of you heard of the STEM program?”
Several hands shoot up, and the little girl holding Gav’s hand waves hers wildly.
I point at her, and she yells, “It’s science camp! I go every summer!”
“That’s great! Do any of you have STEM programs at your school?” About half the group nods, so I press on. “Then you know that just like hockey, being a scientist involves a lot of hard work and sometimes even failure.”
I continue talking to them about what to do when an experiment fails or we lose a game (dust yourself off, see what you learned, and try again), and we talk about the value of hard work and team work and not being afraid to take chances or ask hard questions.
After a few more minutes, I wrap it up. They’re tired, and I don’t want to make them stand too long at their age. Also, their pick-ups are arriving to take them home.
“With that in mind, remember always to do your best, stay curious, and look for ways to help others shine.”
Everyone claps, and I quickly thank the coaches and the players for having me.
Little Pigtails releases Gav’s hand and skates up to me. “I think I’ll be a princess now, too!”
“You can do it!” I give her little shoulder a squeeze, and she holds her arms up for a hug.
I lean down, and she hugs me so hard, it makes me laugh. Then she skates to her waiting mom, who gives me an apologetic wave. I wave back, smiling. It’s totally fine.
Gav glides up to me expertly on those skates. I still can’t get over how fast he can move on those things.
That cocky grin splits his cheeks. “You’re a natural.”
“I could say the same for you. I think that little girl would’ve come home with us if she knew we all lived together.”
“This is my favorite outreach we do.” He’s serious, watching them all meet up with their adults. “They’re so earnest.”
“You’re really unexpected, you know that?” My head tilts to the side.
“I could say as much for you.” He gives me a wink.
“Other than Mav, I haven’t met a lot of guys who have the patience for little kids.”
“It’s not about patience. They just want somebody to listen to them and care.”
My eyes follow his to a beefy man in a Champions sweater picking up the boy with the “snake-dad.” I hold my breath a second as he excitedly shouts to his dad everything he learned today, including “a lady who’s a princess and a scientist!”
The man laughs, holding up his hand for a high-five, and he puts his arm around the little guy as they walk to the exit.
We both exhale a laugh, and I take Gav’s arm as I walk up the red carpet to the bench where I left my stuff. “I don’t know what I was expecting from that guy.”
“Something more sinister?” Gav’s tone is serious. “I was waiting to see what he’d do.”
“He must hide his snakeyness under a bushel.” I pick up my stuff. “Or maybe it was a joke, and his son didn’t get it?”
“Hard to know.” Gav shrugs. “Do you need a ride home? Give me a second, and I’ll get changed.”
It’s not long before he’s helping me into a black SUV that will take us home. Mav likes to drive his own car, but the team all have drivers available if they need them.
I notice my cousin standing with one of the little attendees and talking to reporters. They take pictures, and another reporter has a mic and a television camera.
“You don’t have to do that?” I nod in their direction.
“Not yet.” He’s in jeans that stretch attractively over his thighs and a black hoodie. “I’m the new guy, but I expect that’ll change before long.”
His confidence is pretty much on par with all the hockey players I’ve ever met, but I can’t argue after watching him. “You and Mav play really well together.”
“We always have. It was tough when he left Atlanta, but he’s the reason I’m here.”
“I can understand wanting to play with your friends. Your schedule is about to go crazy.”
Every fall it’s the same. Mav’s games start up with a vengeance at the same time I go back to school and Gigi heads into dog show season.
She’s as busy with all the training and qualifying. It’s like dog-pageant-world.
It’s also the reason we came up with a schedule for spending time together. Otherwise, we’d be ships passing in the night, “same planet, different worlds.”
“I don’t know how you guys do it.” I look over at Gav. “You play so much all the time. You must be exhausted.”
“Nah, we love it.” He gives me that grin that makes my stomach tingle.
Clearing my throat, I look out the window. “I was surprised how many little girls were at the clinic today.”
“Girls can do whatever they put their minds to.”
“Right.” I glance back at him. “I noticed one little girl was a big fan of yours.”
“She was a good little player—and she wants to be a princess now, too.”
I think about that. “They’re not that different, you know. Pageants and hockey, I mean. Not when you get down to it. They’re both hyper competitive, and some participants take it way too seriously.”
“Are you saying pageant girls draw blood?”
“They can, figuratively speaking. I hate to take my mom’s side, but I’m not sure I’d want my daughter to do either one.”
“You’re making both our moms right,” he chuckles.
“I’m not sure how I’d handle it if my daughter wanted to play.”
“I think I’ll have to support my kids whatever they decide to do.”
More unexpectedness. I study his wistful expression. “You’ve thought about having children?”
“Sure, I always wanted to have kids, although Karen kind of killed that for me.”
“How did she do that?”
His eyes drift to mine before moving around my face. “She told a lot of lies. She damaged my trust… and the trust of others.”
We’re at the house, and I don’t know how to respond. It almost feels like he’s talking about my trust, but I don’t know what his having children would have to do with me.
Either way, if he’s trying to act like he can’t get a girlfriend, I’m not buying that for one second.
Gripping the door handle, I open it before the driver can make his way to me. “I’m sure you’ll find somebody to help you with that.”
The man takes my hand, and I step out, heading to the house without looking back.
“Haddy, wait.” Gav slams his door, but I’m already up the front steps.
I hear him jogging up behind me, and I have to stop to enter the code to unlock the door.
“Why are you mad?”
“I’m not mad.” My fingers tremble, and I enter the code wrong. “Stupid door. Why can’t we just use keys?”
“Stop.” He puts his hand on mine, turning me to face him. “Talk to me.”
“About what, Gavin? I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I want you to say for once you’ll give me a chance to tell you my side. I know she’s your friend, but is it possible there’s more to the story?”
Crossing my arms, I step away from him. He’s too close and too overpowering.
“Okay.” Exhaling a sigh, I look up at him. “I’m listening. Tell me your side.”
He exhales deeply, looking down and putting his hands on his hips. Then he turns, taking a step away, to the side of our small front porch and shoving both hands in his hair before turning back.
When he faces me again, he’s disheveled and earnest and his eyes are too blue.
His broad shoulders heave, and he speaks as if he’s making his confession. “I realized things weren’t going to work out with Karen the day I met you.”
My eyes blink wide. “But you stayed with her.”
“Because it wouldn’t have made a difference. You were friends, and even if we’d broken up, you wouldn’t have dated me. Would you?”
“Of course not. She was my roommate and my friend.”
His lips tighten. “She wasn’t anybody’s friend. She definitely wasn’t mine, or she decided our relationship was non-exclusive and forgot to tell me.”
“Are you saying she cheated on you?”
“I walked in on her on her knees in front of my teammate. A few weeks later, my cousin Dex confessed she’d tried to get with him, and he didn’t want to tell me…”
“So it was all Karen, and all those other girls simply made up stories about sleeping with you.”
Reaching up, he scrubs the back of his neck. “No.”
“That’s what I thought.” I turn to start entering the code again, but again, he stops me.
“I slept with a few Tri-Delts.”
“A few?”
“More than a few.” He won’t meet my eyes now, and his brow is furrowed. “I didn’t care about them, and it wasn’t right. But I was on a rager after Dex told me. Then next thing I knew, she found out and she turned it all around. She said it was all me… and you stood by her, just like they all did.”
“I never had a reason not to believe my friend. I’ve known Karen since we were teenagers.”
“I’m giving you a reason.” Intense blue eyes lock on mine. “I’m telling you it was a lie.”