Chapter 42
~Daley~
River wants to get to the arena early, practically vibrating with coiled energy as he gives me a kiss on the cheek and waves goodbye to his friends after parking his car in the players’ lot.
Since the doors won’t be open for spectators yet, Brayden, Jonny and I head in the other direction on the downtown Sioux Falls street, finding a table in a sports bar a few blocks from the rink where we can get something to eat.
At least, the boys are going to eat. I’m so excited and nervous that I’m not sure my stomach will survive any attempt to fill it.
“You guys going to the game tonight?” the waitress asks with a smile as we all remove our coats, revealing the matching jerseys underneath.
River gifted them to us earlier that afternoon when we arrived at his apartment.
The purple jerseys with a grey, stylized wolf on the front blend in easily with the colours at all the surrounding tables.
Looks like everyone is going to the game tonight.
“It’s our friend’s first game,” Jonny tells her, beaming with pride. “River Adams, he’s on defence.”
“Nice!” Her enthusiasm seems genuine as she checks out the back of our jerseys which all read Adams with the number 19. “We need some help on defence with Brady Miller gone. I mean, I get why the team traded him, but he was a great defenceman.”
The casual way she references the scandal with Deacon’s wife makes me wince.
It must be ten times weirder for him to have people discussing his personal life that way.
Despite our worry last week, nothing further has come out about our relationship, and though I know it won’t last forever, I’m appreciating the anonymity even more in the meantime, knowing it could end at any moment.
“River’s better,” Brayden promises, still on the subject of the Wolves’ defence. “He’s going to be awesome.”
My son couldn’t ask for better hype men than these two, and neither could I.
On the ride down this afternoon, I told them about me and Deacon.
They pretended to be shocked, but I know these young men well enough to know when they’re lying.
River had obviously told them already, and they admitted it when I asked them directly.
I’m glad he’s talked to them about it, and I’m grateful that he didn’t make a big deal out of it when I offered to spend the night at Deacon’s house instead of his.
Everything has gone so smoothly that I can’t help feeling like something is going to go wrong soon.
Then I feel bad for thinking it, like I’m manifesting some bad luck just by anticipating it.
Jane reminded me by text this morning that good things are allowed to happen to me, and I need to let myself enjoy them when they do. That’s exactly what I intend to do tonight.
After picking at my salad while the boys scarf down their burgers and fries, we make our way over to the arena, joining the steady stream of fans heading inside.
The Wolves’ home is a far cry from the Wikaskwa rink where River learned to play.
Instead of one concession stand, there are dozens, not to mention the souvenir shop and the team mascot wandering around.
Brayden and Jonny tease me when I get teary over finding River’s jersey in the team store, but they take a picture of themselves with it too.
They even try to convince a couple of kids in the store to buy one before I push them out the door.
The smell of hamburgers and beer follows us into the arena bowl, and all three of us stop at the top of the stairs to admire the view.
It’s not the first time any of us have been here, but seeing the Wolves logo on the ice and the jumbotron hanging from the ceiling above it, already displaying facts and stats about the players, it all hits home once again that River really made it.
I can’t even imagine how he’s feeling right now.
“This is so fucking cool,” Jonny breathes, and I have to agree.
River gets two free tickets to each game for friends and family, with an option to buy additional ones in the family section.
We find ourselves seated next to some of the wives and children I recognize from the family event last weekend, and I don’t miss the look exchanged between some of the women when I sit down.
Deacon said he told the whole team about us dating, and I imagine some of them told their wives. No one says anything about it to me directly, but I feel a distance in their greetings that wasn’t there when I was just River’s mom.
Thankfully, the woman right next to me gives me a friendly smile when I’m settled. “I’m Sherry, Vince Carroll’s wife.”
“Hi.” I scour my memory for any previous conversation we might have had, but come up blank. “Were you at the family day?”
“No, the morning sickness lasted well into the afternoon that day.” Her hand goes to her slightly-rounded stomach, so slight I wouldn’t have noticed it if she hadn’t drawn attention to it. “If I need to get past you to use the restroom during the game, trust me when I say it’s urgent.”
“Got it.” Her blunt openness reminds me of Jane, in a good way. “I’m Daley, River Adams’ mom.”
“Oh, I know. You’ve been the talk of the group chat this week.”
Great. I already had that feeling, but having it confirmed still stings. “All good things, I’m sure.”
Her laugh is friendly, not at all mean-spirited. “Nothing too bad, I promise, and anything negative was probably fuelled by jealousy. Deke’s quite the catch.”
I want to protest that I haven’t ‘caught’ him, but before I can reply, the door to the ice at the bench in front of us is opened and the players begin to charge onto the ice.
The music swells in volume, backed up by the cheers of the gathered crowd.
I almost miss River’s number 19, partly because I’m expecting him to look younger than the rest of the men out there, but he doesn’t.
He fits right in, looking like he belongs, and when he circles back around as part of his warm-up, his eyes find us in the crowd and he lifts a gloved hand in greeting.
Brayden, Jonny and I all wave back like lunatics, but I can’t control the rush of excitement inside me.
I’m so proud of him I could honestly burst.
The opposing team spills onto the ice soon afterwards but I’m only vaguely aware of it, my eyes still fixed on River, until a buzz of whispers builds around me.
A few of the men and women around me pull out their phones and I catch the words ‘Brady’ and ‘Miller’ in the air.
An uncomfortable knot forms in my stomach.
“What’s going on?” I ask Sherry since she seems to be in the know.
“Looks like Brady Miller’s playing for Oregon now,” she confirms, her lips tight. “They sure kept that quiet.”
I catch the Miller on the back of number 37 on the visiting team, holding my breath while he skates close to the centre line, just a few feet from where Deacon stands. Did he know Brady was going to be here? He didn’t mention it when I talked to him last night.
For his part, Deacon ignores the other team entirely, his focus solely on his own teammates.
“This could get messy,” Sherry warns me. “Brady’s a physical player, and I know there are a few guys on our team who’d love to take a shot at him for what he did. Hopefully they can remember it’s just an exhibition game and there’s no need to play dirty.”
I hope so too. I’ve seen enough kids with broken bones and their teeth knocked out to know that it’s no joke when these guys slam each other into the boards with everything they’ve got, even when they aren’t actually mad at each other.
“I’m going to run to the restroom before the game starts,” I announce, and Brayden and Jonny stand up to let me by. I could have gone during the period if I needed to, but it suddenly feels even more important than before that I don’t miss anything.
The women’s restroom is fairly quiet with just a few minutes left until the game starts. When I come out of the stall and go to the sinks to wash my hands, there’s only one other woman there, dressed in an elegant blouse and blank pants that fall just right.
“Hey,” she greets me with a friendly smile.
She’s beautiful, her brown hair piled into an artfully messy bun, her makeup professionally perfect in a way I’ve never been able to master.
She eyes the back of my jersey curiously when I reach over to grab a paper towel to dry my hands. “Adams? Is he new?”
“Rookie season,” I confirm, my heart swelling with pride again. I probably shouldn’t tell everyone I meet, but I can’t resist telling just one more person. “He’s my son.”
Her eyes widen in true surprise as she scans me quickly from head to toe. “You can’t be serious. You’re not old enough to have a son playing.”
“I’m afraid so,” I laugh, tossing the paper towel in the trash. “I better get back to my seat.”
“Wait.” She reaches into her pocket for her phone. “Can we take a quick photo? It’s not every day I meet a player’s family.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” I try to protest. This is River’s accomplishment, not mine.
“It’ll only take a second.” Not giving me a choice in the matter, she leans over so we’re both in the shot and snaps a photo. I probably look like a deer in the headlights, but as I hear the announcer’s muffled voice over the speakers, I let it go.
“I’ve got to get back.”
“Sure. Enjoy the game.” She doesn’t look up at me again, her attention fixed on her phone, and I hurry back to my seat, arriving just before River’s name is called and I let out a cheer so loud I know for sure he heard me.
Deacon also turns around, finding me in the crowd, and my heart flips as his beautiful grin breaks out on his handsome face.
Any worry I had about Brady Miller being here fades to the background, leaving only the thrill of seeing my son play his first game and getting to cheer on both him and the man I’m falling for a little more every day.
Tonight is going to be unforgettable.