Chapter 26 Collin #2
My own father’s face flashes through my mind, the one I’d only ever seen in pictures.
The birthday cards that never came. The hockey games he never showed up for.
What if I’m wired the same way? What if whatever made him able to walk away from his son without a backward glance is lurking somewhere in my DNA too?
I’ve never done a real relationship, never even tried.
I’ve always had the perfect excuse—my career, the travel, the demands of training.
But the truth is, I’ve been terrified of discovering I’m just like him.
And now there’s Jamie, with his wide, trusting eyes.
And Iris, who’s already been through so much.
The stakes have never been higher. If I mess this up, I’m not just breaking my own heart—I’m breaking theirs too.
This drawing clutched in my hand feels like the most important thing I’ve ever been given.
More meaningful than any medal or trophy.
It’s trust in paper form. And damn if I don’t want to be worthy of it.
Seattle in January means perpetual dampness, gray skies, and temperatures that hovered in the mid-forties—not cold enough for real snow to stick around, but chilly enough to make your breath visible.
The thin blanket of snow from last week had been washed away by the constant rain, leaving the streets wet and slick.
It had stopped raining while we were practicing, but puddles still dotted the parking lot, reflecting the dull winter light.
I watch from my car as Iris turns her key in the ignition for the third time.
Each attempt seeming more desperate than the last, her car making that sad whining noise that cars make when they’re about to die.
After the engine sputters and goes silent again, I decide to step in.
I zip up my jacket against the chill and climb out of my SUV, making my way over to her car.
I tap lightly on her window with a smirk I can’t quite suppress.
Iris jumps slightly before rolling down her window.
The glare she shoots me would have been intimidating if I hadn’t seen the relief flash in her eyes first.
“Car trouble?” I ask, trying and failing to keep the amusement out of my voice.
“You could at least try not to look so pleased about it.” She sighs, blowing a strand of hair from her face. I laugh, unable to help myself.
“Come on, I’ll drive you guys. No point sitting here all day when I’ve got a perfectly good car right there.”
“Mama, can we go in Collin’s car?” Jamie asks from the backseat, his voice tinged with excitement. This kid makes my heart do ridiculous things without even trying.
“Looks like we don’t have much choice, buddy,” Iris says, unbuckling her seatbelt in surrender.
It took some maneuvering to get Jamie’s booster seat properly installed in my backseat.
Jamie watches with wide eyes as he takes in the interior of my SUV, his little nose and cheeks pink from the Seattle chill.
Iris stands beside me, equally bundled up in a thick scarf and wool hat.
“Whoa! Your car is so big!” Jamie exclaims, climbing in and bouncing slightly on the seat once I got the booster secured. He wrinkles his nose immediately. “But it stinks!”
I feel my face flush as Iris lets out a genuine laugh—the first real one I’ve heard since practice ended.
“Sorry,” I grimace, glancing at her apologetically. “New car smell mixed with... well, hockey gear.” Iris laughs, tugging on her scarf.
“Comes with the territory?”
“Unfortunately.” Once Jamie is settled, I open the passenger door for Iris with a playful flourish.
She rolls her eyes but slides in without comment.
As I walk around to the driver’s side, I catch her adjusting the seat and checking her reflection in the visor mirror.
“Might be the alternator,” I say as I climb in, misinterpreting her anxiety at first. “Shouldn’t be too expensive to fix. ”
“Great... always something.” She nods and gives me directions to Owen’s house as I pull out of the parking lot.
With each turn, I can feel her tensing up more and more beside me.
Leg bouncing, fingers picking at her cuticles.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.
Owen. The guy is a grade A prick, and our last meeting hadn’t exactly been friendly.
I feel a small smirk form as I remember the shocked look on his face when I’d hauled him up against his car outside the rink that day.
It had been deeply satisfying to put the fear of God into someone who clearly thought he could get away with treating people like garbage.
I glance at Iris and catch the fake smile she plasters on for Jamie’s benefit—the stretched-too-tight kind that pinches at the corners of her eyes and doesn’t reach them at all.
I hate that smile. It isn’t the real Iris—the one who laughs freely on the ice, who teases me mercilessly, who pressed her lips against mine on New Year’s Eve like she’d been waiting to do it for months.
Without thinking, I reach over and take her hand, lacing my fingers through hers.
“Hey,” I say softly, squeezing her hand. “It’s going to be fine.” She huffs out a humorless laugh and mumbles low so Jamie wouldn’t hear as he babbles on in the backseat about everything and nothing.
“With Owen it’s never fine. Frustrating and anxiety-inducing, yes. Fine? Never.”
“If he says anything—” I start, but Iris cuts me off with a slight shake of her head.
“Just... please don’t engage. No matter what he says.” Her eyes plead with me. “Jamie doesn’t need to see that.” I nod, tightening my grip on her hand.
“Okay.” As much as I’d love to tell Owen exactly what I think of him, Iris is right.
“Turn right at the next street,” Iris instructs, her voice stronger now, though her leg still bounces nervously against the floor mat.
“It’s the third house on the left.” As we pull up to the curb, I release her hand reluctantly, not wanting to make an already volatile situation worse.
The last thing she needs is Owen making their co-parenting arrangement even more difficult because he’s jealous.
I try not to smile at the thought of kissing her in front of him that follows.
Too late. “Wait here?” she asks, her voice quiet but firm. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“Are you sure? I can—”
“Please, Collin.” Her eyes meet mine, silently pleading.
“It’s easier this way.” I nod reluctantly.
“I’ll be right here if you need me.” She gives me a grateful smile before helping Jamie out of his booster seat.
I watch as they walk up the concrete path to the front door, Jamie skipping ahead with his backpack bouncing against his small frame.
Iris’s shoulders are squared, her posture perfect, if not a bit rigid.
The damp air creeps into my car as I roll the window down just enough to hear if things go south.
Owen opens the door before they even reach it.
Even from this distance, I can see his face harden when he spots my unfamiliar SUV parked at the curb.
He’s dressed in what I assume is his work attire—pressed slacks and a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
“Daddy!” Jamie’s excited voice carries through the air as he launches himself at Owen’s legs. Owen bends down to hug him, his eyes never leaving my car.
“Hey, buddy. Who drove you guys here?” His voice is deliberately loud, meant to carry. Jamie, completely oblivious to the tension, beams up at his father.
“Collin did! Mama’s car made funny noises.
His car is super big, but it smells like hockey.
” He wrinkles his nose dramatically, making Owen’s jaw visibly tighten.
“Can I have a snack? I’m starving!” Without waiting for an answer, Jamie darts past Owen into the house, completely forgetting to say goodbye to Iris.
The casual dismissal makes my chest ache for her.
I’ve seen how much these little moments hurt, though she never says it.
Owen steps onto the porch and deliberately closes the door behind him, shutting Jamie safely inside and away from whatever he’s about to say.
The movement makes me tense in my seat as I stare out through the window, hand paused on the door handle.
She asked me to stay in the car. Stay in the car.
It’s a simple request, King. Don’t be stupid.
“So,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “He’s driving you around now?” Even from the car, I can see Iris stiffen.
“My car wouldn’t start. He offered us a ride.”
“A ride,” Owen repeats, his voice dripping with skepticism. “And what else is he offering, Iris?”
“I’m not doing this with you, Owen,” Iris says, her voice surprisingly steady.
“My personal life isn’t your concern anymore.
How many times do I have to explain that before you get it?
” Owen takes a step toward her, and I find myself halfway out of my seat before forcing myself back down. Stay. In. The. Car. You. Idiot.
“Not my concern?” His voice rises. “When it involves my son, it absolutely is my concern! You’re bringing random men around Jamie now?”
“Collin isn’t random, and you know it.” Iris takes a step back, maintaining distance between them. “He’s my skating partner. He’s my...” She pauses, stuck. Friend? Boyfriend? God I’ve never wanted to hear the end of a sentence more in my entire life. Owen’s laugh is ugly.
“He’s your what? You can’t honestly think you’re special?
I mean, come on! How many women has he slept with?
” I can see her shoulders pull in, like she’s had a similar thought track through her mind before, and in this moment I hate myself.
Hate every stupid choice I’ve ever made, because how can I convince her now that she is special.
That she’s the most special person in my life?
And this fucking guy is actively trying to ruin it.