36. Colt - New Normal

It’d been a week since I walked Mer out of her cold-as-shit apartment, and I hoped she’d never go back.

I loved falling asleep with her every night and waking up with her every morning.

We did eventually go back to pick up some of her clothes, but true to my word, we also went on a shopping spree.

Early Saturday morning, Mer and Lu sipped on Starbucks– iced coffee for Mer, hot chocolate for Lu– while walking through the mall and gabbing about everything from school to skating. I couldn’t believe how Lucy was opening up to her. When she started giggling while telling a story about a boy named Joey in her class, my mouth dropped open.

“Woah, woah, wait, who’s Joey?”

Mer and Lucy made eye contact before glancing back and laughing at me, but I wasn’t laughing. I was panicking.

“I’m serious, do I need to have a chat with this kid?”

Mer scrunched her nose. “Maybe we should get him some Auntie Anne’s to distract him, what do you think?”

“Yeah,” Lucy said conspiratorially. “That should work.”

I shook my head at the two of them, but Auntie Anne’s pretzels did sound good.

I was just glad to be a part of the day, even if it meant trailing after my girls and holding their bags.

At one point, Lucy was gushing over a pair of boots that were on sale and Mer said we had to get them because they were “literally a steal.”

“Yeah, Dad! Please! A steal! Literally a steal!” Lucy begged with her hands clasped together.

Glancing at the price tag, I arched an eyebrow. “I think we have different definitions of a steal.”

“But they’re fifty percent off,” Mer pointed out. “So that means we’d be saving fifty bucks, so that means we can go to the bookstore after and we’d probably still have leftover. We’re basically making money.”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” Lucy squealed.

“Wait, hold up,” I said, shaking my head. “That doesn't make sense. How are you making money?”

“Because we would’ve spent it, but we’re not, so it’s extra,” Mer explained.

I looked at Mer like she lost her mind. “Come again, darling?”

“Makes total sense, Dad,” Lucy interjected.

“Yeah, total sense,” Mer said, struggling to maintain a straight face.

Lucy ran up to the counter to ask for her size.

Keeping an eye on her, I inconspicuously wrapped an arm around Mer’s waist and dipped to whisper. “Are you teaching my daughter girl math?”

She reached up and held my cheek. “It’s an important skill.”

My eyebrows raised. “Oh, is it?”

She giggled before giving me a quick, chaste kiss. “Yes.”

I didn’t quite believe that, but I didn’t care, because Lucy wore her new boots to both home games that weekend thanks to Mer, who happily brought her. I loved watching the two of them going crazy cheering us on right on the glass.

Mer brought a much needed change to the house. Instead of dreading cooking dinner each night, it quickly became my favorite part of the day.

The three of us would listen to music, bust funny moves, and laugh together while we created a meal.

When we sat down to eat, Mer would always ask us for our highs and lows of the day. Sometimes I suspected she did it for herself as much as for us– like it was her way of keeping her mind busy so she could finish dinner without thinking about it. I knew her well enough not to draw attention to it. I just hoped she knew I was there for her if she ever needed help. Either way, sharing became easier for myself and Lu, and our dinnertime conversations always ended in us laughing so hard we were almost crying.

Day by day, Mer also started sprucing up my bedroom. There was suddenly a frame on the wall with a candid picture of me carrying Lu on my shoulders at the cider mill. Another day there was some kind of fall candle on the bedside table that made the room smell amazing. Then there was a plaid Christmas throw blanket and a couple decorative pillows.

The night the pillows appeared, she was lounging on her side of the bed in one of my hoodies, boy shorts, and slippers, her hair up in a messy bun while reading one of her romance books. I leaned in the doorway and laughed to myself.

She dog-eared her page before looking up. “What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing, nothing,” I mused.

She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer.

“You’re like… nesting,” I said with a smirk.

Her mouth formed a little oh. “Is that bad?” She scrambled off the bed. “Sorry, I just thought… it was kind of…” She tied her fingers together in knots. “It was plain in here. I’ll take it all with me.”

I stalked closer to her, right into her personal space, and gently grabbed her chin. “Take it with you where, sweetheart?” I arched a challenging eyebrow.

Her eyes shifted nervously and her cheeks flamed with a blush.

“ You are staying, and all your cozy shit is staying, got it? I love it.”

She blinked. “You love… it,” she repeated quietly.

I knew exactly where her head was at and I needed to fix it, immediately. Picking her up, I dumped us both onto the bed, making her release a little laugh.

But her laughter was replaced by a breathy gasp when I started kissing her neck. “I love you , Mer.” I pulled back to see her ocean eyes. “I never stopped. My heart has always been yours, baby.”

Her eyes went a little glassy as she looped her arms around my neck. “I love you, too. So much, Colt.”

We were frantic then, kissing, touching, groaning in pleasure. I never wanted this to end.

_________

We spent the next day in our pajamas, putting up our fake Christmas tree and watching Christmas movies.

I argued it wasn’t Christmas season yet since it was still only mid-November, but Mer was of the opinion that Christmas season started the day after Halloween, which meant we were actually late to start. Lucy loved all things Christmas, so it was a losing battle for me– not that I was upset about drinking hot chocolate and stringing up Christmas lights. I’d do whatever made them happy.

While handing the two of them ornaments to place on the tree, my phone rang. Pulling it out of my pocket, I cringed. It was Sunday. I’d totally forgotten about brunch plans with my mom, and now I felt like a shit son.

“Hey Mom,” I said, wedging my phone between my shoulder and ear so I could continue helping.

Mer and Lucy, who were both giggling a second ago, went quiet and avoided looking at me.

“When are you and Lucy coming over?” she asked in a sad voice. “I was waiting for you guys.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m sorry. It totally slipped my mom.”

She went quiet.

“I’m really sorry.”

Now I felt like all three women in my life were uncomfortable and I hated it.

“How about dinner?”

“Okay,” I said quickly.

Lucy shook her head at me and motioned around looking frazzled, but I had no clue what she meant. I looked to Mer for clarification, because I was clearly missing something.

“Movie night with her friends,” she said quietly.

My head fell back. Damnit. I completely forgot. Lucy was so excited about it, too. Mer was taking Lucy to dinner and a movie with her skating friends and their moms. They planned it a couple weeks ago. There’s no way I was stopping her from going.

“Lucy’s going out with some of her little buddies,” I relayed to my mom, closing my eyes, waiting for the guilt trip. “The two you met at her birthday. Sophia and Charlotte.”

“Oh, well,” my mom started, “that’s good then, right? They seemed like nice girls.”

My chest loosened. “Yeah, it’s good.”

‘Well… are you busy?” she fished. “Can we get dinner?”

“Sure,” I said, feeling relieved. “That’d be good. How about 6pm? Want me to pick you up?”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll come to you,” she said before saying her goodbye.

After hanging up, I looked up to realize Mer and Lucy were nowhere to be found.

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking around the tree for them. “Mer? Lu?”

A second later, the two of them popped up from behind me and threw a box of fake snow at my face.

Standing there, I blew it out of my mouth and wiped it from my face. “That funny to you guys?” I asked dryly while the two of them cackled loudly. “That’s it!” I yelled before running after them. I struggled to keep a straight face because I loved the sound of their laughter as they both ran from me.

________

Later that afternoon, I kicked back in bed and pretended to watch TV while they got ready for their “girls night out.” They completely took over my bathroom– spreading out all their clothes and a bunch of different hair sprays and makeups– but I honestly didn’t care because I loved listening to them discuss their hair and outfits together. Mer listened to Lucy’s opinions and feelings and treated her like a best friend rather than a little kid. Lucy looked at Mer like she hung the moon.

I knew Mer had maternal instincts, even as a teen. It was obvious in the way she was always trying to take care of the people around her. She loved to feel needed. Lucy had clearly been wanting a maternal figure, and I hadn’t even realized it. It was like the two of them were meant to find each other.

At one point in their getting ready routine, they started blasting some music and dancing in the bathroom, and that’s when I crashed their little party.

“Oh my gosh, Dad.” Lucy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop laughing as I spun between the two of them.

Before they left, I snapped some pictures of them all dressed up in their sparkly tops and boots.

“You sure you don’t wanna come? Last chance,” Mer sing-songed.

“Nah, all good,” I said with an easy grin. Grabbing her waist, I spun us around so Lucy couldn’t see, then slid my hand down her butt to pull her into me. “Leave this on later.” I wagged my eyebrows.

She just laughed and shoved at my chest, completely oblivious that I inconspicuously slipped a credit card into her back pocket.

“Alright, my mom’s coming in…” I checked my watch, “five minutes.” I turned to find Lucy. “You sure you don’t wanna stay and see Grandma Catherine?”

Lucy rolled her lips together and stood straighter. “Nope, I’m good.” She marched over to Mer, grabbed her wrist, then started pulling her to the door. “Bye Dad!”

Mer pulled a worried face as she trailed after Lucy.

“Use the card in your back pocket to pay,” I said.

Mer’s jaw dropped and she reached for her butt pocket. “What?”

“Have a good time, you two! Bye!” I said, forcing her out the door with a laugh.

Mer just shook her head at me as she struggled not to grin.

A couple minutes after they left, I started pulling on my boots when I heard a key turning in the front door.

A second later, my mom popped open the door and walked in wearing the long peacoat I bought her last Christmas.

“Hey, you didn’t have to come in, I was about to come out to you,” I said distractedly, searching around for my keys.

“I was hoping to see Lucy before she left with her friends. Guess I’m too late?” she asked with a frown.

“Ah, yeah, you just missed them. Ah-ha,” I said, finally pulling out my keys from my Carhartt jacket. “Ready to go?”

Instead of answering, her eyes darted around the front hall, taking in Mer’s skate bag, her Ugg slippers, and her jacket hanging on the coat hook, all reminders of her that I loved, but my mom’s frown deepened.

“What are you doing, Colton?” she asked in a disappointed voice.

“What do you mean?” I asked, moving to the front door, but my mom stood stock-still, blocking the way.

“She destroyed you, don’t you remember? I remember that phone call like it was yesterday. She was screaming at you to stay away from her.”

My head fell back. “Mom, that wasn’t…” I trailed off, not quite knowing what to say to her.

Her forehead creased and she moved forward to pull my jacket together. “I’m just worried about you.”

My hands went to her frail shoulders. “A lot happened back then.” I didn’t want to tell her the role she played in all of it, how she misunderstood and caught Mer yelling about Andy, not me, because it would only make her feel bad, and I didn’t want to hurt her. There was nothing that could be done about it now anyway. “The past doesn’t matter, Mom.”

She scoffed. “Yes, it does. As your mother, I can’t forget, and I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” She pursed her lips. “She needs to move on so everything can go back to normal.”

“This is the new normal, Mom. She’s going to be in my life,” I said gently.

“I don’t know, Colton. We should talk about this, we should–”

“Mom, I'm going to marry her.” I couldn’t stop the goofy grin from spreading on my face.

She gaped at me in shock. “You’ve been back together for like two days.”

“Not right this second,” I said with a laugh. “I just mean, she’s the love of my life. In my mind, she’s already my wife, has been since we were young. I’m going to be with her. I love her and she loves me back.” I felt like the luckiest bastard alive. “There’s a reason we got this second chance, and I need to take it.”

She held my chin and looked in my eyes. “Are you concussed? Because you’re talking out of your mind, Son. I’m concerned.”

I laughed. “No, I’m good. It’ll all be okay.”

She shook her head in disappointment. “I’m worried. Afterwards, you were so broken up. You were about to leave the NHL for her, honey.” She started tearing up, which shocked me. I’d only seen my mom cry a handful of times.

“No, Mom, don’t be upset. Things are different now. We’re not kids anymore. Please just try to be happy for us, okay? If you really got to know her, I think you’d like her.”

She waved me off. “Sorry, this is all just a bit of a shock. Can you blame me? You’re my baby. I just don’t want you to have to go through that again.”

No, I didn't blame her. She was scared of relationships because of the shitstorm she was still dealing with when it came to my father.

“It’ll be okay, Mom. Just give Mer a chance, alright?”

She nodded and steeled her spine. “You’re right. She deserves a chance. I will try.”

“Thank you.” I pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug, making her laugh in surprise.

“Only doing it for you, my darling boy,” she said, patting my chest before wiping her eyes.

I grinned. It didn’t matter why, just that she’d try.

She frowned again. “I should probably apologize to her. I was a little stern at Lucy’s birthday party, but I just wanted to make sure she was here for the right reasons.”

“She is, Mom. And I think that’d be a good start.”