Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

DARIA

The words sat on the tip of my tongue to tell Tyler the truth about Evan. So many times, over the last eight years I’d sat in my bed or in Evan’s nursery and contemplated telling Tyler about our son. Something kept preventing me from doing it, however. I didn’t know whether it was because of the times he told me about his parents not caring about his dreams, or I was afraid to tell the broken boy who came home to bury his mother and father, we had a son.

I’d watched his career take off in silence, staring at our son, promising one day I’d tell them both, until one day turned into now. With Tyler sitting across from me at Jerry’s, and Evan played with the other boys and girls from his team, I had to tell him the truth.

“So, what do you do now?” Tyler hedged. “Anything fun and exciting?”

I didn’t think real estate was fun or glamourous, but it put food on the table for Evan and me, plus allowed me to explore my hobby of upcycled books and paintings, turning them into gothic art. Not to pat myself on the back, but I had one of the top ten stores on Esty. “Real estate is my day job. Upcycled secondhand paintings and books and crafts, into gothic art, is my passion.”

“Wait, one of the guys’ sisters does that stuff,” Tyler said. “She draws on like old book pages and sells it as classic literature art. I have some of her stuff. It’s pretty cool.”

“It’s really popular right now,” I agreed.

“So, gothic huh? Like Poe and shit?” Tyler tilted his head.

I liked the glasses. They fit him. Black square frames stood out against his lightly tanned skin and steel-colored eyes. Eyes I stared into every night when I kissed Evan’s forehead before bed. Where Tyler’s hair darkened to a light brown, Evan’s stayed blond, darkening slightly from the white blond he’d been born with to more of a golden color. What I didn’t like was seeing those shadows in Tyler’s eyes. I wasn’t sure if they came from the past or from the injury he’d sustained on the ice.

“Sometimes. Sometimes it’s Jane Austen or Mary Shelley. Whatever I can get my hands on. Unlike your teammate’s sister, I turn those pages into bouquets of flowers or vases or other pieces of art.”

“Evan is mine, isn’t he?” The question came out of left field, surprising me. Everything in me said to run. Put space between us. Ease into the topic. Yet, instead of moving, I stayed right where I was. “I can see the resemblance. Just had to put it together. I’m not mad, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

No. He was deceptively calm. So much for working up the courage to tell him. “Yes. I could give you a million reasons I didn’t tell you. None of them are good enough excuses. You deserved to know. I should have told you when you buried your parents. I should have tried to find you.”

“I wasn’t the best person to talk to. I cut ties with this place. Never saw myself coming back, ever. I wouldn’t have blamed you for never telling me,” he said. “Not sure I’m good enough for either of you right now.”

“I didn’t have any information on how to get in touch with you. I don’t think calling a college to drop a bomb would have worked out either. Nor after you got drafted. They’d have portrayed me as some attention seeking wh?—”

“Don’t say that word,” he muttered, anger filling his tone. “You aren’t.”

“Yeah, well...” I shrugged. “I can see why you left Clinton. People here are too...” I shook my head, not giving voice to how it felt to be that outsider no one ever understood. “Thankfully, I don’t work around here. I just live here because of my parents.”

“Isn’t that how it goes for us?” he said, staring at the menu. “Our parents and their lives and wants come first, while everyone else fucks off with mommy or daddy’s ranch money.”

I laughed. “The stories I could tell you about the ones who stayed could turn your hair gray. Plus, you got out too, Mr. Hockey Pro.”

“I bet.” He reached across the table and took my hand, ignoring the dig at him. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you couldn’t count on me. I’m sorry you had to raise Evan on your own for eight years. If I could go back and change everything, I would.”

I shook my head. “Don’t. We’re both responsible for our actions. I should have figured out a way.”

“I don’t blame you, Daria. What bothers me is that if I hadn’t returned, maybe I wouldn’t have known the truth.” He glanced over to where Evan was playing with the other kids. “Maybe all this was supposed to happen.”

“Getting hurt on the ice was supposed to happen?” I snorted. “Bullshit, Tyler. Chemek hit you on purpose. He ruined your career. That should’ve never happened.”

“He did,” Tyler agreed. “Because he thought I slept with his sister.”

“Did you?”

He shook his head. “One of the other guys did. Somehow, I became the fall guy.”

“And no one is going to tell the commission?” Daria shook her head. “Sounds like a good ‘ol boy' system, if you ask me.”

“It is what it is?” He laughed. “Yeah, sounds about right for the commission. Cover up the highest paid stars to keep butts in the seats. Kinda like around here, huh?” We sat there in silence for a few minutes before the server came to take our orders.

Eventually, Evan joined us. I knew I’d have to tell him the truth about his father sooner rather than later. Tyler beat me to the punch, however, and I didn’t know whether I was grateful or pissed. I went with neutral. I messed all this up. Tyler deserved more than I’d already taken away from him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give him back eight years with his son.

“So, your mom and I have something big to tell you,” Tyler started, cutting his gaze toward me every so often. “It’s pretty big. You can feel however you want to feel about this news too. It won’t hurt our feelings.”

“Okay,” Evan murmured, glancing at me, then back to Tyler. “What is it?”

“Evan,” I started, needing this much from Tyler, “you know how I said your dad would be back, but he had important stuff to do first?”

Evan nodded. “You said we had to share him with a lot of people.”

“I did, and we did.”

Just then, the server returned with our orders before leaving once more.

“Well, you shared your father with a ton of people,” Tyler chuckled, grabbing a fry.

“I knew it,” Evan said, tearing into his burger. “You’re my dad. Aren’t you?”

Surprise shot through me. We’d never talked about Tyler. However, whenever he played, I always had the game on, even it meant watching them on YouTube. I figured when Evan was older and more curious, I’d tell him everything. “How did you know?”

“We look alike,” he said in that matter-of-fact way of his.

Tyler barked out a laugh. “We look alike. He got you there.”

The resemblance was uncanny. “So, you do.”

“But I don’t understand. Why did you stay away so long?” Evan glanced up at him with those soulful eyes of his. It was hard to tell my son what happened between Tyler and me was done in the heat of the moment without thinking about the consequences.

“I don’t have an answer for you,” Tyler murmured. “I wish I could’ve been here for you all along.”

“This is on me, kid,” I said, looking Evan square in the eyes. “I didn’t tell Tyler about you, because I knew if I did, he’d have given up everything to come home to you. I wanted him to have the chance to get out of Clinton with no ties holding him here. In the end, I was selfish. If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.”

“Why did you come back?” Still, that hopeful light sparkled in my son’s eyes.

“Well,” Tyler said, “you saw the bad hit I took?”

“Chemek,” Evan grumbled. “Cheap shot.”

Tyler chuckled. “It was. Son, I can’t play anymore. The concussion I suffered has made it impossible to return to the ice.”

“What?” Evan’s soft sob broke my heart. “It was that bad?”

Tyler nodded. “I can’t even drive. Doc’s not sure if I’ll even be able to do that, either.”

Evan twirled a fry between his fingers. “That’s rotten. Did Chemek get into trouble?”

“I don’t know,” Tyler answered. “From the moment it happened until I got out of the hospital, I was in darkness and silence. Nothing to over stimulate me. I’ve been in and out of doctor’s appointments and visiting specialist to heal my brain. I couldn’t tell you what the commission did to him or if they plan on disciplining him.”

“All that matters now is Tyler’s health,” I added, taking the focus off Chemek and where it should be, Tyler. “We focus on making him better.”

“Are you going to live with us?” Evan hedged.

“Uh...” Tyler chuckled. “That might not be happening soon.”

“Yes,” I blurted. I knew Tyler couldn’t stay in his parents’ house. The place had a dark cloud hanging over it. Between losing them at such a young age to the fact they never supported him... Being in that house would eat away at Tyler, and I couldn’t have that on my conscience. “I mean, the offer is on the table. You need a fresh start and that house, isn’t it?”

He popped a fry into his mouth, slouching back into the booth I’d picked. “Didn’t feel like home either.”

“Never has,” I replied. “You could fix it up, and I can get the place on the market.”

“Tempting offer.”

“You don’t have to say yes tonight. I’ve dropped an atomic bomb on you, and you’re still trying to settle in,” I stated.

“Yes,” he murmured. “I’d like that.”

“You’re serious?” I couldn’t believe he was taking me up on my offer. He could have said no. I wouldn’t have been offended. If anything, I’d have understood why he was saying no. This... He should have been so angry with me.

“Yeah.” Tyler shrugged. “Why not? We’ve known each other for years, Daria. We’re not strangers. Plus, we’re a family now.”

“I can’t wait to tell the guys Tyler Grant is my dad,” Evan whispered, finishing his burger. “They’re going to be so jealous.”

“I’ll be their coach too,” he added.

“You’re going to work with Coach Brown?” Excitement colored Evan’s features. “This is the best day ever!”

I grinned. “The other teams won’t know what hit them!”

“We’re going to win a championship with Tyler,” Evan said.

“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself,” Tyler stated. “We still have to practice and win games. Not just make those wins magically appear.”

“I know. I can’t wait. It’ll be so much fun.” Evan looked at his friends who’d went back to playing. “Can I go tell them?”

Tyler shrugged. “They’re going to find out whenever practice is again. I don’t see why not.”

Evan excused himself from the table, taking his trash with him to dump it, then went back to the side tables where his friends were sitting. Tyler stared after him in awe. I’d gauged the whole situation wrong. I should have told him when I found out I was pregnant. Not now. Definitely not in the middle of a burger joint.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said, squeezing my hand. “There’ll be some lumps and bumps along the way, but I am confident we’ll get there, eventually.”

“Right.” I swallowed hard. “All the same, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you straight away and let you decide what you wanted to do. I took your choice.”

He waved me off. “You did what you thought was right. When did you find out you were pregnant?”

“Four months in. I had the flu, and it wouldn’t go away,” I answered. “Turns out the only flu I had was named Evan.”

He laughed. “Best flu ever though.”

“Yes, he was. I documented everything. I have videos of him as a baby. Photos too. They’re all yours if you want them.”

Tyler took my hand. “Breathe... Am I disappointed, yes. Do I wish I could’ve been there, yes? I’m not angry though or bitter. I understand your rationale and appreciate you. Don’t make yourself sick over this. It won’t do either of us any good.”

Easy for him to say. He didn’t have eight years of guilt eating away at him.

I did.