“Come on, McCoy. You’re going to play again. Do you want me to approach the Sharks with your rehab plans?”

“I can do it. I’ll bring you in if I need backup.”

“Okay, then. Is there anything else I can do right now?”

“Nope,” Drew said. “Thanks for listening.” After a few more pleasantries, his agent hung up.

Drew had tossed and turned most of the night last night, thinking and weighing his options. Even the pain pills didn’t knock him out. The best plan of attack was to rehab and train like he was intent on going back to the Sharks, while preparing for the fact he may not. He knew he wanted Kendall to be included in every plan he made. He’d crawl on hands and knees to California with a duffle bag of clothing between his teeth if she wanted him to, but he hoped some sincere groveling might work as well.

Three o’clock in the morning was a great time to think in an almost-silent house and straighten out his priorities. While his parents slept on in the room next door, he calculated and thought. He knew the only way he might get at least one of the things he wanted—creating a happy family—was accepting the fact that family might be living an hour outside of San Francisco, instead of in a 5800-square foot house on Seattle’s Eastside. He’d bought a family house, but it was never going to be a home as long as Kendall didn’t live here with him.

He remembered the night his teammate Zach bought the engagement ring for his now-wife, Cameron. He remembered Zach’s trembling hands as he pulled the box out of his shorts pocket and showed a roomful of his teammates a gigantic ring, and the joy in his face as he told them he was in love. He reflected on the fact he’d watched their romance bloom from one dorm room over during training camp.

His and Kendall’s love story wasn’t going to happen under the noses of eighty guys. It would be just the two of them, and he would woo her until she fell in love with him. He’d known her a month, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her already. If that was love, he’d take it, and he’d water it, feed it, and let it grow like the flowers in her backyard garden.

He grabbed his phone and tapped out a text to Kendall with one finger.

I am so sorry I hung up on you. Will you forgive me? I miss you.

He could take a nap later. He stood up from the bed, pulled a suitcase out of his closet, and started packing.

HE HEARD FOOTSTEPS from the room next door, his dad’s voice as he talked with his wife, and Drew’s mom tapped at his door as she poked her head in.

“Honey, are you awake already?”

“Yeah, Mom. How are you this morning?”

She looked at the mostly-packed suitcase on his bed and the scrawled page of notes he’d made with his non-dominant hand during the night last night. She raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe you should lie down for a while. You need some rest,” she said. “What’s going on here?”

“Is Dad in the shower?”

“No. He’s downstairs making coffee.”

Drew patted the bed. “Mom, sit down. I’ll be right back.”

He walked into the guest room, grabbed the little Tiffany’s bag from its hiding place, and came back to his room. His mom stared at the bag.

“I have some stuff to tell you, but first, this is for you. Thank you for always being there for me, Mom. I really appreciate it, and I wanted you to have this.”

His mom’s eyes were huge. “Is this from Tiffany’s?”

“Yes, Mom. Open it,” he prompted.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.” He nudged her with his good shoulder. “Open it.”

His mom bit her lower lip as she reached into the bag and extracted a palm-sized robin’s-egg-blue box tied with a double-faced white satin ribbon. “It’s so pretty I don’t want to take the ribbon off,” she said.

“You won’t see what’s inside until you do,” Drew teased.

She admired it for a few minutes and finally pulled the end of the ribbon, which slipped off of the box easily. She took off the lid and let out a gasp.

A sterling silver charm bracelet was nestled inside, featuring a heart-shaped charm that read “Mom” in flowing script. The only other charm on the bracelet was a small, intricately detailed football.

He owed McKenna some more money, but he could take care of that later. He watched his mom take the bracelet out of the box and hold it in her palm. “Oh, honey. It’s beautiful,” she said.

“They have a lot of charms, Mom. Maybe we kids should get you one for every special occasion.”

“You don’t have to do that,” his mom protested, but her eyes sparkled. She might need two or three bracelets by the time he and his siblings were through. She unclasped the bracelet and held it out to him. “Help me put it on?” she asked.

It took a few minutes and some maneuvering, but he managed to clasp it around her wrist. She kissed his cheek.

“Thanks, honey. I love it.”

“If you want gold, we can take it back—”

“No. I love this.” She let out a happy sigh.

“I also wanted to apologize for upsetting you yesterday.”

“You didn’t upset me. I wasn’t feeling well and I–I freaked out, as you kids would say.” She fingered the little football charm as she spoke. “I know your love life is your own business. You’re a grown man and you should make your own decisions. We really like Kendall, though. Is there any way to patch it up?”

“I’m working on it,” he said. “You and Dad have made me think over the last couple of weeks.”

“We’ve been fighting like kids. Really? I’m a little worried about that.”

“Mom, it’s not what you think. I’ve been thinking about the fact I always thought I wanted a wife that stayed home too, and it was pretty unfair of me to expect her to fulfill all my needs and wants, and none of her own.”

His mom took his hand in her smaller, work-roughened one. “I thought you sided with your dad.”

“There’s not a side. We’re a family. Why should you sit home all day if you find something else that makes you happy, Mom?” He let out a sigh. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your job. I’m proud of you. You wanted something more, and you went out and got it.” His mom patted his hand. “I hope they’ll still let you come back after you had to come out here to hang out with me for a little while.”

“The HR person told me there’s a federal law that protects a leave of absence taken to care for a member of my family.” She twirled the bracelet around with her other hand. “I might have to do some retraining or something when I go back, but I want to go back. It doesn’t mean I don’t love your dad. I need something for myself. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Mom. I do.” His shoulder was twinging. He should get his ass back to bed for a while, but he wanted to make sure he got the next part out. “You might be going back sooner than you think. I’m going to ask the Sharks if I can rehab in California.”

“Honey, you just had surgery two days ago—”

“I’ll make sure the doctor signs off on it before I get on a plane. I need to find a rehab facility that I can find a place to stay close by. I’ll do those things, and then I’m going to go find out what happens when I can spend a little more time with Kendall. If she won’t let me in the front door of her house, I plan on groveling.”

He heard the “chirp” of an incoming text.

I miss you, too.

Chapter Eighteen