Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“Papa! Papa, the baby moved!” Hillary came bouncing out to the barn, her baby bump obvious in her scrubs, which were covered in kittens, her hair up in a long ponytail, little Vella following behind, bouncing and barking at Hil’s excitement.
“Did she?” He shook his head and grinned. “Lord, girl, you’re going to have a baby before we know it.”
The world was moving on with or without his permission.
“I am. She moved. Our little Natasha.”
“Sí, mi nieta.” He leaned down, face close to Hillary’s belly, murmured. “Te amo. Eres mi sol.”
“I have to go get changed for school. I’ll be home late tonight, so don’t worry. Can you feed Vella?”
Right, because he could just not worry on her say-so.
“No problem.”
“Love you, Papa. You want I should bring home Carl’s Jr?”
“Sure, honey. Sounds good.”
She was addicted to hamburgers, but at least the barfing was done. And he was never going to say no to Carls Jr., although he preferred Blake’s Lottaburger. Still, he was smart enough to know that no one argued with the pregnant woman when she said what she wanted to eat.
“Okay, Papa. I’ll be back.”
“Just be safe,” he called out as she bounced away again. She still had more energy than the rabbit who advertised batteries.
He got back to his feeding, checking water and hooves, tapping his earpiece when his phone rang. “Bueno.”
“Hermanito, ?que pasa?”
“It’s all good, huh? What do you need?”
Sarafina chuckled. “Went and saw Hillary today, took her to lunch. She’s looking good, eh? Seems happy. Not missing the boy, huh?”
He shrugged and headed to make sure all the chickens were in their coop. The coyotes got hungry in the dark. “I guess it wasn’t all that much of a love match. At least they don’t hate each other.”
“Yeah, that’s hard. So everything’s good on that front?”
“As far as the legal stuff? Yeah.” Everyone had been decent. There’d be insurance, child support, and a formalized visitation thing when the baby was bigger, and the boy was more grown up.
“?Mira! Listen, huh? Where’d you go? You need some help out there? I’m in the car.”
“Hmm? No.” His cheeks heated. “I was herding up the chickens with the dogs, is all.”
“How’s your man?”
He chuckled softly. “Doin’ good, doin’ good. He’s in Michigan, I think, this week? Wisconsin? Somewhere up north. I never can tell them apart.”
“So you’re still a thing.”
“Yeah.” Why lie? They talked every friggin’ day. Zoomed a lot.
He’d driven up to Las Vegas once to see Evan. Denver too. Evan had even come into Albuquerque once on a layover.
So what that they hadn’t even gotten to do anything but have supper? It had been nice to see him.
Who scheduled a layover in Albuquerque? Evan’d had to work on that.
That warmed the pit of Sam’s belly, didn’t it? Because it meant Evan was trying. And Evan was really interested in keeping this thing going and wanted to see him.
And God knew they had the occasional video chat sex meeting that was smoking hot for two people who rarely got to actually touch each other.
Sister chuckled. “Good for you. He seems so nice. Even if he is weird and Back East.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy, and his work is interesting. Like, he finds mine interesting, so we have stuff to talk about.”
“I’m glad. When are you going to see the boy and his family?”
He rolled his eyes and whistled up the dogs as he headed in.
He was going to get a beer, start up the fire pit, and watch the sun set.
“Thanksgiving. We were gonna go over Halloween, but there’s no way.
I’ll have just come back from the circuit finals.
She’s got schooling, so it’s just not going to work out. ”
He got that beer and a bunuelo from the package Hil’d bought at the Smith’s. He’d have to wait to crunch on it, but the cinnamon sugar crispiness made him happy.
“How’s her schooling going?”
“Good, good, good. She’s doing this semester and rocking it. She’ll have Natasha during the break. She’s doing distance education for this semester in the spring, taking summer off, and then she’ll go back to school in person in September when the baby’s nine months old. It’s all good, no?”
He turned the propane on, set his treat on the little table by his chair, then patted his pockets for a lighter.
“She going to a day care?”
“Orale, look, my nieta? No, no, no. I only work the weekend, so I’ll watch her. If I can’t, she can take her down to Albuquerque to Tanya’s. They’ll watch her, or Mama will for a few.”
He didn’t want no stranger watching his baby. No way. They were family. They raised their own. She’d go to school, sure, but when she was five, like normal.
Until then, she’d be surrounded by the people who loved her, raised with nothing but the knowledge that she was safe.
Where was that damn lighter?
“You’re such a ‘uelito. You’re all protective, no?” Fina was laughing at him.
“Maybe. She’s my nieta, my Natasha. I can’t—this is my baby’s little girl.”
“You’re a good man, Sammy, you really are.”
“I try, sister.”
He found the lighter and got the fire pit lit with a whoosh.
“Well, you succeed.” She was laughing at him, he could tell, but at the same time she was serious. Family was family, and he loved her to death. “I just wanted to check in and see how everything was going. I love you, hermanito.”
“I love you, too, sister.” The fire was looking good, so he added a few more pieces of wood and settled into his chair. The dogs all coming up to lie next to him, except for little Vella, who cuddled into his lap.
“I’ll let you go. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Love you. Bueno, bye.”
They hung up, and he sipped his beer, sitting and watching the fire as it crackled in the fire pit. He needed the silence for a minute.
Of course, that was when his phone rang again. He assumed it was his mother because she had radar about when someone else in the family had called.
When he glanced at it, it was Evan. So, he clicked the green button, answering the call.
“Hey, guapo, how’s it going?”
“Frustrating as hell. Tell me why I do this, Sam. Tell me why I deal with fucking egotistical asshole hockey players.”
“Because you want to stay in the game somehow, and you can’t play anymore?”
“Harsh.” Evan laughed out loud. “But true. How are you doing, babe?”
“I’m living the dream.” He grinned at one of the dogs who was chasing some kind of a bug around. “I am sitting with a beer in front of my fire pit enjoying the quiet.”
“Oh shit, did I interrupt your relaxation time?”
“No, not one bit. So, tell me what’s going on with your egotistical asshole hockey players. Is this another DUI or something?”
Evan scoffed. “No, just some asshole kid who doesn’t want the endorsement I lined up for him. Says he doesn’t want to rep something so fuddy-duddy and old-fashioned.”
“And what is it that you’re asking him to rep? Depends?”
That had Evan laughing again. “No, it’s a helmet company. Protective gear, you know?”
“Yeah, I see that sometimes in my line of work, too. The young kids came up riding in helmets, but some of the older guys think they’re for idiots.”
“Yeah, well, once a guy gets a couple of concussions, then he starts to think differently about that, doesn’t he?”
He nodded his head once, grinned. “I don’t know, I mean you don’t see me wearing a damn helmet, although really concussions are not our damage, most of the time. We end up with way more broken bones.”
“So much fun.” Evan was laughing at him. “You guys don’t even have any mandatory safety gear.”
“Nope. I wear it. Hell, I own part of a company that makes it. I mean, it’s not like y’all have a choice of wearing some of this stuff, right? The League makes you do it.”
“Exactly, and for the most part, the team provides it. This is more random hockey player for fun or ‘kids, here is the neat helmet to wear’ that sort of thing.”
“Oh well, you got him the job; he needs to just suck it up and do it.”
“See I knew you’d understand. You’re good that way.” He could hear Evan’s smile.
“I sure try.”
There was a long, comfortable silence, and then Evan said, “Tell me what you did today? My job is way more boring than yours.”
He snorted. “Yeah right. Let’s see. My exciting day.
I went to the feed store. I picked up some chiles that Mama wanted me to get and took them over to her.
I worked with the horses, I fixed a piece of fence, started planning that fenced-in porch.
Let’s see, I talked to a guy who wants to do a signing at a feed store.
If I can get Kacey to come down, it’ll double my money, so I gotta talk to Mr. Kacey and see if he’ll come.
Let’s see, Miss Hil went to work, now she’s at school. Oh, the baby moved!”
“Oh, listen to you, are you excited? Did you get to feel it?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t, I didn’t ask.
” That felt creepy. “It’s…you know I figure if she wants me to feel it, she’ll say so, but she seems pretty happy.
My sisters are going do a baby shower for her, so that should be absolutely overwhelming, and I’m glad I’m a man, and I don’t have to show up. ”
“Shit, is that how it works where you are? I’ve had to go to all of Annette’s baby showers, and she fully expected me to bring presents.
” Evan’s warm chuckle made him smile. “And let me tell you, when they make you play games like tasting baby food, to tell them what’s in it?
Like, ‘Is this peas? Is this pork?’ You don’t want to do that. Don’t ever do that.”
“Madre de Dios. No, no, baby showers are for las mujeres, not for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m paying, I will pay and pay and pay.” He chuckled. “Strollers, beds, a rocking-chair, paint, onesies, diapers, a heated wipie container, a diaper pail—you name it.”
Evan hesitated, then went on. “You should get a hold of Bobby, though, and let him know there’s going to be a shower, so he and Annette can think of things they could send. They want to be grandparents—they’re coming around to that whole idea.”
“She sent some pictures of the ultrasounds.” Okay, that sounded defensive as hell. And he wasn’t defensive, much. “Maybe I should have my sister invite Annette to the party. She could come by Zoom.”
Evan’s sigh sounded relieved. “I think that would be amazing—it would make her feel like your people cared that she was included. I know they want to send a car seat for sure, and I guess your daughter has a list somewhere?”
“Oh God, yes, she’s on every registry known to man. I’ll have my sisters— I think it’s Susan that’s in charge, but I don’t know. I’ll just tell Mama. She will make sure the girls know, and then they will send an invitation and all of the necessary stuff.”
“Thanks, baby. That’s important. I think it’ll help Annette be on board, and that’s what you need. She’s really the mover and shaker in that family.”
Sam took a deep breath and then blew it out. “Okay.”
“Actually, Annette was talking about creating a group chat for the family, sort of like the WAGs do at the team. I guess you’ll talk to your sisters or your mom about that once she gets all the information.”
Sam raised an eyebrow at his beer. “WAGs?”
“Wives and girlfriends. Although these days it’s more like partners and families and whatever.”
“Huh.” Sam nodded along. “Yeah, they’ve got something like that with most of the rodeo wives, but they tend to be more regional rather than team-like. I guess it’s like all the wives and girlfriends in Waco would get together. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I hear you. It all depends on the culture, right?”
Sam shrugged, making a noise that he hoped was affirmative. It was weird to be one of the gay guys when it came to that because they didn’t get included a lot of times. You would bet it was that way in hockey, too. They were still very traditional sports cultures.
“So, tell me the most crazy thing that happened to you this week,” Sam asked.
He sat back to listen to Evan tell him a story about some wild kid who had gotten drunk in Minnesota or maybe Michigan since that was where he was and had ended up naked in some field someplace tipping cows.
Apparently, the kid missed being in a small town and had gone a little bit nuts.
He sure laughed his ass off at the antics of some of these hockey boys.
They were about as crazy as rodeo folks.
Some of it he couldn’t understand because he couldn’t get his mind wrapped around traditional and superstitious hockey stuff.
But he understood having a contained little world that he lived in.
And he loved to listen to Evan tell stories.
They wound down a little bit with some laughing and Sam lying back relaxing in his chair, staring at the sky. “I wish you were here, guapo.”
“Yeah, it’s been too damn long. Not sure if I’m gonna wait until Thanksgiving to see you again.”
“Yeah? You in Denver or Phoenix anytime soon?”
“I bet I can swing a trip to Santa Fe, actually. There’s some negotiating going on about a team there. They’re building a new rink. It’ll be professional-sized.”
“No shit, a full-sized hockey-like arena?” Were there enough people in the Santa Fe-Albuquerque metro to do another semi-pro team or pro team?
“Yeah, there’s a retired front-line center whose name I won’t invoke right now but who’s pretty damn rich and famous who has retired there because that’s where he’s from originally, and he really wants to invest in a team.”
“Wow, okay. Well, cool. Gives you a reason to show up and visit, I guess?”
“Cowboy, I don’t need a reason to visit. You’re my reason, and I need to see you. Like spend some time to see you.”
Sam’s heart started pounding a touch faster. “I’d like that. I miss your face.”
He wasn’t pining or nothing. His life was going the way it normally did. He worked, he did this, he did that, he planned for his grandbaby, but there was a part of him that was Evan’s, all the way already.
“Good deal. Well, then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll find a time, you clear your schedule, and we’ll figure this out.”
He couldn’t stop grinning. “I’ll shore up the bed and buy some steaks.”
“Yeah, and tell your mama that I’d love some tamales. Hers are the best.”
And her least spicy dish, too. “Oh, you’re going for that ninety-point ride, are you?”
Evan’s voice went low and deep. “Cowboy, I’m going for the whole enchilada.”
They laughed, said their goodbyes, and hung up, and he sat there for a bit watching the sun set, listening to the dogs play.
Next year, he’d have a little one here he’d have to make sure didn’t touch the fire. By October, she probably wouldn’t be walking yet, but she’d definitely be crawling.
Lord have mercy. God did work in mysterious ways.
Maybe he could get himself a shower in before Mama called.
She would.
Evan had invoked her name a couple of times, and Sam needed to talk to her anyway about the baby shower.
He got up, brushed himself off, and turned off the fire pit.
“Come on, dogs, let’s go eat. I got phone calls to make and a man to plan for.”