Page 144 of The Shot You Missed
“Hey, sweetheart.”A few heads turn our way when I pull Indie into my arms and kiss her slowly in the corner of the coffee shop where she’d been writing for hours. If they recognize either of us, they don’t acknowledge it. No one points phones our way, no one asks for an autograph or selfie, and most of them look away quickly.
Good.
Pulling back, I brush a strand of pink hair off Indie’s face and study her. I hate being away from her. “Did anyone bother you?”
Relief floods through me when she shakes her head, smiling. “Nope. All good. Lola and Megan have been checking in with me every hour. I think they’re disappointed not to have an excuse to start shit with someone.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s true.” Especially Megan. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Lightning got knocked out of their Cup contention in the second round of the semi-finals, so she probably has some disappointment and aggression to work through. At least she has Lola. If what Indie says is true, the two of them have been working out theiraggressionregularly and enthusiastically.
Good for them.
“I missed you,” she whispers, the words only for me.
They sink into my body, radiating heat, and my chest expands. “I missed you too. So much.” She sighs contentedly when I press a kiss to her forehead. “You ready to go?”
“Of course. Are you really not going to tell me the plan?”
“Nope. It’s a surprise.”
“I’m not great with surprises,” she says wryly.
“I know.” I lace our fingers together and shoulder her backpack. “But it’s character-building.”
“Sure, it is.” Her chuckle rolls through me as I lead us through the coffee shop and out to the parking lot, but she doesn’t push. Not when I help her into the car, not when we maneuver through the city, and not when I ask her questions about the last two days while I was away. I want to know everything about her ex showing up. It’s not until I pull into the hospital parking lot that Indie looks at me with confusion furrowing her brow that she asks me what we’re doing.
“Why are we at the children’s hospital? Is Reed sick or something?”
“No, baby.” I take her hand and press a kiss to her palm. “Reed is fine. Don’t worry. Come on.”
“Babe.” She tugs on my hand when I help her out of the SUV, those pretty hazel eyes of hers narrowed in confusion and concern. “What’s going on?”
“We’re here to visit some friends of mine,” I tell her, grabbing a bag full of gifts and my D&D gear out of my back seat. “Unfortunately, theyaresick. I haven’t been able to come by as often as I usually would because of the postseason, but I thought you might like to meet them. Spend some time with them together.”
“You visit these kids regularly?” she asks softly, looking up at me with so much tenderness I want to drop to my knees and tell her I love her. That I’ve always loved her. But a busy hospital parking garage isn’t the time or place. She deserves something romantic and intentional.
“I do.” Leading her through the parking garage and into the elevators, I press the button for the oncology floor. “I’ve been coming for the last two years. Ever since the Rogues did some outreach here. I met some pretty special kids, and we discovered a mutual interest. Something I never felt comfortable sharing with anyone else.”
She studies me for a moment before her eyes light up with understanding. “Wait, are these kids who you play Dungeons and Dragons with?”
Of course, she’d figure it out. “Yep. They sure are.”
“Oh my god. That’s the sweetest, nerdiest thing I’ve ever heard, and if we weren’t in an elevator at a children’s hospital, I’d get on my knees and show you how happy that makes me.”
When the elevator door opens a moment later, letting a mom with a stroller on, I’m choking on my own saliva. The woman looks at me curiously, and I do my best to smile at her and keep my watering eyes from turning into full-blown tears.
Fucking embarrassing.
“Come on, Rosebud,” I choke out when the elevator doors open on our floor. My absolute menace of a girlfriend laughs at the strain in my voice and the tears in my eyes.
By the time we’ve navigated the maze of hallways and are standing outside of Savvy’s door, I’ve gotten myself under control. Three familiar young voices filter through the cracked door, and I smile as some of the pressure that’s been squeezing the hell out of me eases.
I needed this. Time with these kids. Time with my girl. Introducing them to each other.
“You ready?” I ask Indie softly. Her eyes are already trained on the door, listening to the laughter spilling out with a complicated expression. It’s one I understand well. Curiosity, warmth, fear, pity… Hanging out with sick kids makes you run an emotional gamut every single time. But it’s worth it. They’re worth it.
“I… Is there anything I should or shouldn’t say or do?”
Giving her hand a squeeze, I shake my head. “Just treat them like they’re normal kids. Because they are. They’re normal kids who happen to be sick. But my goal while I’m here is always to help them forget that part. At least for an hour or two.”
