Holiday Hockey Tale The Icebreaker's Impasse (By Ivory Row) novel Chapter 60

Luci

I wake up alone confused the next morning. “Easton?” I say softly but hear nothing back. I’m in his blue t–shirt and his pillow is barely warm. I look for a note and check my phone worried something happened with Cole. Nothing. But then I see his bag sitting on the floor and get up grabbing my underwear off the floor. I slip it on and walk out toward the living room. “Ouch.” I hear him hiss and step into the kitchen. He’s at the stove wearing his boxers and flipping eggs. He hears me and turns his head my direction.

“Why are you out of bed?” He asks, smiling at me.

“I was looking for you.” I confess.

He turns the stove off and comes to lift me off my feet. He sets me on the counter. “I would wake you if I had to leave, sweetness.”

“I know. I was worried something happened with Cole and you had to go, but then I saw your bag.” I trust him completely.

His face relaxes. “Didn’t think about that. I wanted to make you breakfast.”

“It’s your birthday. I had planned to make it for you.” I protest.

“We can declare it a tie for thoughtful breakfast idea.”

I shiver and he kisses me softly. “Go get back under the covers, Luci. It’s cold.” He sets me back on my feet. “And lose those panties. I have plans for you this morning after I feed you.”

I press my lips together at the heated look in his eyes. He is insatiable. He smirks slowly as he walks back to the stove.

“No, I haven’t had enough of you. Go get warm, sweetness. I’ll be there in five minutes with your food.”

I grab his gifts on my way back. After setting them on the nightstand, I dive back into the warmth of the bed. He walks in with two plates and sits facing me. “You found the donuts I bought for your birthday.” I laugh.

“Guys can sniff out donuts anywhere.” He assures me.

After he eats, I hand him the two boxes. He narrows his eyes at me and looks it over. “It won’t explode in a confetti bomb or anything.” I tease. He opens the lighter one first and pulls out the white hoodie. It has a picture of Darth Vader and the storm troopers on an ice rink wearing skates. Darth Vader is holding a hockey stick while reading over a storm troopers shoulder as he thumbs through a book. The speech bubble above reads “No Lord Vader, you cannot use the Force to choke out the goalie in order to score. Physical choking is allowed in this game though.”

He laughs. “Perfect.”

I swallow nervously as he opens the second one. He pulls out the leather book, flipping it over to read the cover.

The Wisdom and Words of Coconut by Cole Reed

He turns to the first page and begins reading. “Luci…..how?” He breathes out as he keeps going.

“I’ve been writing down anything funny he says since I met him. And Becker has a memory like nothing else. He keeps a list of the funniest things Cole has said to him. I asked your brothers and Baker for more. They gave me everything they could remember and I had it printed up. It has lots of lined pages after the first twenty, so you can keep adding to it. That way, one day you can look back and remember he called Becker, Bleeker for a while.”

“I absolutely love this.” His voice is thick with emotion. He closes the book and comes to lift me into his lap. “Thank you Luci. You have no idea what you do.”

“You’re welcome.” I whisper to him. He moves us to lay down and I lean against him, understanding he needs a minute. I turn my head, so I can observe his face.

“You know Luci, when I found out I had a kid, I almost lost it. I truly almost ran out of the house screaming. I was terrified. I don’t exactly look like dad material now but when he showed up, I was even more of a mess. I told you the minute I held him, I fell in love and I did. But I was still scared shitless. Especially when I figured out I was going to be doing it alone basically. A three month old and a lost barely adult guy who only knew how to play hockey. I made so many mistakes. I would forget his bag or dress him wrong for the weather. Took me so long to figure out this cry meant hungry vs wet or just comfort. I thought he’d be better off with someone else for a little while. They could take better care of him than me. He got sick when he was five months old while Lorelei was in treatment. Dad was gone on a trip. Mother was off with her friends. Baker was sick with the flu along with all my brothers. He wouldn’t stop crying.” A tear slips out of his eye as he talks and I reach up to brush it away. “He wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t settle. I tried everything. I walked him nonstop, rocked him, sang, begged, pleaded. At one point, I had to set him down and let him cry while I collapsed on the floor for five minutes praying for help. I picked myself up and started walking him again. He was so hot Luci. Suddenly he started seizing. I lost it. Called 911 and was on my knees holding him ready to lose my mind. They said it was a febrile seizure when they got there. He was dehydrated, so they admitted him to the hospital for IV fluids. All I could do was stand there and not lose my s**t to hold my baby boy while they poked him with the needles and attached him to monitors. I knew then and there, I could never let him go. I could never lose him. I promised him I would do better. And I try but some days Luci….I feel like he could do so much better.”

“No he couldn’t. Easton, you got thrown in at the deep end. But you love him with all your heart and you try more than a lot of parents. I’ve seen….I’ve seen some awful people who should never have kids Easton. People who would have left him there and let the hospital take care of him until he was better. He loves you so much. He worries about you and tries to take care of you. You honestly are his hero. He has a sweet loving nature. That kind of love from a child happens when they feel loved in return. You will never do things perfectly which is to be expected. You stepped up in a way a lot of men and women don’t. Give yourself a little grace.”

He stares at me for a long time. “I want to know about those people one day. The parents who were awful to you.”

“They don’t matter Easton. I learned what I needed to from them and moved on.” I tell him honestly.

“They shaped the great Luci and I want to know. When you’re ready.” He emphasizes.

I say nothing more about it.

He has to leave for the game around lunchtime and I get ready to head over to see Cole.

Banning invited me for lunch. When I get there, the boys are racing around playing some kind of alien tag game. “Luci, I can’t wait to give Daddy his birthday present.”

Cole got him a new hockey stick which Jackson helped him with thankfully and then his teacher had them make a list of all the things they knew about their parents. His was hilarious and I placed it in a hinged frame adding a photo I took of the two of them at the tree lighting where he was on Easton’s shoulders. “I can’t wait to hear all about it next week.”

At the game, we meet Stormi and Sydney. “Hey can we move girls‘ night to be girls‘ brunch

and a pedicure tomorrow morning? My parents have something planned for us all tomorrow night.” Stormi asks.

“I have no issue with that.” I tell her.

“I just need to be done by two to meet with my partner for our final group project.” Syd answers.

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