Matt takes June to the bathroom a little while later, and it’s then that Kara appears. As she comes closer, she’s looking right at me, and I remember Matt finally spilled the beans about her lunch dates. I’d heard their argument begin, and that’s when I picked up June and put some distance between myself and Kara.
It was fine with me for Matt to tell her. I’d already said so. But I don’t want us to have a showdown in the hospital waiting room right now.
Although I might not have a choice. She’s walking toward me with purpose in her step. She tosses her ridiculously pretty hair. “Hailey,” she says, determination in her voice.
Gulp.
“Thank you for all your help today.”
I blink. Wait, what?
She doesn’t say anything else, so I finally find my voice. “All I did was tag along to the hospital,” I say carelessly.
“No, I mean what you did in the waiting room.” There’s a defeated air to her, but I guess when your ex-husband confronts you about your cheating ways, you’re not exactly going to feel victorious. “You took June to the vending machine when Matt and I were…” She trails off.
“Arguing?” I supply.
She nods weakly. “I really appreciate you doing that. Matt and I try to never raise our voices in front of the girls, but we both sort of lost our cool back there.”
I manage a shrug. “It was no problem. I enjoy hanging out with the girls.”
“And they enjoy hanging out with you,” she answers. When my eyebrows shoot up, she goes on in a grudging tone, as if she really, really doesn’t want to be saying this. “Elizabeth loves the way you braid her hair. And June says you do great voices when you read their bedtime stories.”
Warmth flutters in my belly. I don’t know why, but I like hearing that Matt’s daughters talk about me when they’re with their mother. Not because I’m angling to take Kara’s place, but because it means they view me as part of their family. God, I hope they do. I’ve fallen for those twin girls almost as hard as I’ve fallen for their father.
“Like I said, I like spending time with them.” I glance around the empty corridor. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
Discomfort creases her forehead. “I asked him to leave. There was nothing for him to do here.” Kara hesitates. “I suppose you already know about...?”
She obviously doesn’t want to finish that sentence, and I take pity on her by not forcing it. “I do,” I say carefully.
“I never cheated on him,” she whispers.
I don’t respond.
“Not physically,” she adds. “Dan and I dated in high school, breaking up when we went off to college. I saw him at a reunion and…” She shakes her head. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.” Then she gazes at me with guilt-ridden eyes, and damn it, now I feel more than pity. I feel genuine sympathy.
As the WAGs can attest, not every woman is cut out for the hockey lifestyle. Some, like Katie and Jess and Estrella, are made of steel. They can withstand those long absences because the time apart only makes the times together all the sweeter. Other women, like Kara, grow bitter and jealous and, oftentimes, seek comfort in the wrong places. Or the wrong lunch date.
I don’t think Kara is a malicious woman. I think her guilt drove her to attack and blame Matt because she couldn’t stomach her own actions. But she still hurt him deeply, and damned if I’m going to let her get away with that.
“Emotional affairs are still affairs,” I say quietly.
Her teeth dig into her bottom lip. “I know.”
“You need to talk to Matt about it, Kara. And you need to apologize to him. What happened at the rink today wasn’t his fault. It was an accident, and it could’ve happened to anyone. Libby could break her arm falling from the jungle gym when you take her to the park. In fact…” I pause meaningfully. “Just the other day June told me she took a spill off the monkey bars at preschool. No broken bones, but there could’ve been. Did you lay into her teacher for that?”
Another flicker of guilt passes through her eyes. “You’ve made your point, Hailey.”
“I hope so. Because Matt didn’t deserve the way you reamed him out before.”
“I know.” Shame clings to her tone. “I’m going to apologize to him, I will. I just…” Her gaze drops to her expensive heels. “I don’t know what to say, how I can even explain it.”
“Well, you should figure it out fast…” I jerk my head beyond her shoulder.
She follows my gaze to see Matt striding down the hall with Libby in his arms and June walking beside them.
“Girls!” I say cheerfully. “I know you’re eager to get out of this place, but your mom and dad need to have a quick talk, so why don’t the three of us go down to the cafeteria and pig out on some snacks?”
Kara shoots me an evil look.
“Gluten free,” I add quickly, fighting a smile.
Her shoulders sag once again in defeat. “All right. Girls, go with Hailey. Your dad and I will be right down.”
Matt gently sets Libby on her feet, and I swiftly take each little girl by hand. The look that Matt gives me is laced with misery and a trace of you traitor, but I know I'm doing the right thing by leaving him and the former Mrs. Eriksson alone to work through their shit. Matt and Kara don’t love each other anymore, but they also don’t hate each other. And even if they did, they share two amazing, lovable daughters who deserve two parents that can be civil to each other.
Trust me, as the child of a woman who did nothing but bash my absentee father, I know firsthand what it’s like to have toxic parents.
So I simply give Matt an encouraging smile and lead his daughters toward the elevators.
Twenty-Five
Opposable Thumbs
Matt
“Is that Libby again?”
I can hear the smile in Hailey’s voice as she snuggles close to me. It’s only nine o’clock, but we had a long day and decided to turn in early. Of course, the second we slid under the covers, we forgot about the sleep agenda and went straight to the fucking-each-other’s-brains-out plan. Now we’re warm and naked on my big, comfortable bed, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“Yeah.” I chuckle at the voice message my daughter just left me—the third one tonight. “She wants to know if Rufus can sign her cast when she’s here next weekend.” I start to type a text. “How do you explain to a four-year-old that dogs don’t have opposable thumbs?”
“Here, let me.” Hailey sits up, the sheet falling off her slender shoulder. She grabs the phone, types something, and hands it back.
She wrote: “Of course he can!”
I groan out loud. “Way to make promises on my behalf, Hottie. Now I’ve got one week to teach a dog how to use a Sharpie.”
She giggles. “I have faith in you. Besides, you know I can’t ever say no to your kids. They’re too darn sweet.”