19. A Few Years Later

KRIS

Our baby crying wakes me up in the middle of the night. I let Bailey sleep and tread down the hall to his nursery. At night, the perfect buttery yellow paint color Bailey insisted we use doesn’t have the sunshiny punch it does in the mornings.

“Hey little man. What are you fussing about? Playing hockey in your sleep again? Come here. Daddy’s got you.” I pick him up and cover him with a blanket, soothing him against my chest. After checking his diaper, and preparing a bottle, I sit in the rocking chair, using the repetitive motion back and forth to help him drift off.

Bailey thinks Noah likes my voice, that it grounds him. She says my new nickname should be Super Dad. I love my son and would do anything for him. While he sucks down the formula, I tell him a story in soft tones.

Maggie picked the perfect day for her wedding at the Justice of the Peace, a sunny one, the first day of Spring—after Peter finally proposed romantically with a ring, candles, and roses on the beach, all approved by your mother, of course. Exactly the way Maggie deserved to be proposed to, according to her.

I asked your mother to marry me on Valentine’s Day at the skating rink next to the Mt. Hood Ski Lodge, one year after our incredible first night together at the wedding of her ex. I rented the entire rink only for us and had a sign erected and lit in the middle that said Marry Me? In my proposal, I told her the story of us started that first night we skated together, so it fits that we return to continue the story of us for another chapter.

She said yes, just in case you wondered. Second best Valentine’s Day ever. And yes, we stopped in to say hello to Mal. Can you guess in which cabin at her motel you were conceived in on a new mattress? You guessed it. Number ten.

We booked our wedding ceremony at the Justice of the Peace, like Maggie and Peter. Mostly because Bailey couldn’t decide what kind of wedding to have, while I grew impatient because all I wanted was to make her my wife.

Her parents—your Grandma and Grandpa Scott—felt disappointed about not having a huge Scott family wedding celebration for us, but they quickly got over it as soon as you were born. They come here to visit you at least once a week, and slowly your mother is forging a better relationship with them, while I remain her most loyal and protective supporter.

Together, we went public and did the interview with Gianna Perez. It was the right thing to do. In the interview, we told the truth, as we knew it, about Tia. Many people didn’t believe us, and Tia tried to run a fairly good smear campaign against us. Then we got offers for more interviews, and those spawned an entire discussion in Hollywood about the integrity of entertainment news reporting.

I started the charity in Portland, Wishes Granted Hockey Program. Like a new hobby, it keeps me busy in the off-season. I hope you’ll be proud of your old dad someday, that I did more than scoot a puck around the ice, but did some good, too.

Bailey gained respect back as a journalist and it inspired her new podcast where she researches and focuses on inspirational feel-good stories about people from all walks of life who face incredible challenges to get to the top. Your mother loves what she does now with a passion, and she’s good at it. I tune in religiously to listen.

The best part is, she can run her podcast from home while she takes care of you, Noah, our precious baby boy. You came into our lives and made us better. The Us became three. And that’s the story of us and how your mother and I got here.

His eyelids finally drop as I bring story time to a close with my favorite story to tell. I love sharing in the raising of our son, and his first three months of life have been a whirlwind this summer. I’ve been here every single day, taking photos and creating memories with my little family.

The new hockey season starts up tomorrow, though, and the Glaciers are the defending champs, having won the cup two years in a row. I’ve had a great couple of years here, my career is back on top, and I’m this close to leading the league in the all-time most power play goals.

It remains to be seen how we’ll navigate my busy hockey schedule with new parenthood here at home. I’ll do anything it takes for my family to thrive, though. Bailey and Noah are my world now.

As I carefully place our son back into his crib and stay and watch him sleep a while, my Super Dad heart expands against my rib cage, so full of love. Like he opened a hole there and inserted himself into it. Now I have both my wife and son in my heart to keep forever.