Page 14 of Icing on Top

We finished up our snacks and discarded the trash. I helped Jeremiah make sure everything was cleaned up and the cheese warmer had been turned off before we exited the concessions.

“Hey, Tot. Why don’t you go to the restroom before we head out?” he suggested. “We’ve gotta make some stops on the way home.”

“Okay.” She turned to me. “Don’t leave until I get back, okay?”

“Won’t move an inch,” I promised.

Assured that I would stay, she turned and hurried off to the restroom around the corner. Jeremiah turned to me once she was out of sight, an apologetic look on his face. I wanted to wipe it right off. If anyone needed to apologize, it was me for being so careless.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you at the first practice when I introduced myself.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You don’t owe anyone that.”

I couldn’t imagine experiencing such a devastating loss. I’d been lucky to have never had anyone close to me pass. But a parent? And at that young of an age? Or God forbid, my spouse. Someone I planned on growing old with.

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away.

“I’m so sorry the two of you had to go through that.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled softly.

Desperate to lift the mood before Charlie returned, I nodded in her direction. “You’ve got an amazing daughter. And beautiful. I can only imagine what her mother looked like.”

He followed my gaze, and a proud and affectionate smile graced his lips, chasing away at least some of the sadness.

“There’s a lot of Sadie in her. It’ll catch me off guard sometimes. She’ll give me a look or say something that Sadie would have totally said, and it’s like she’s there with us again.”

“Was her mom as sassy as she is?” I teased lightly. “That girl chirps like no other.”

Especially when it came to her dad.

“Oh yeah. Sadie had no problem putting someone in their place.” He tilted his head to the side. “Granted, I give it right back to Charlie, so I think I’m partially to blame for encouraging it. Just have to hope that mouth doesn’t get her in trouble in the future.”

“Oh, it totally will, but she’s a tough cookie. Besides”—I waved my hand—“she’s the goalie. Nobody will be able to touch her unless they want the whole team on them in seconds flat.”

Charlie came running out of the bathroom then and skidded to a stop next to us. I held my hand out for a fist bump.

“Thanks for letting me join you two today. It was much more fun than skating by myself,” I said.

She tapped her knuckles against mine. “Thanks for keeping up with Daddy. It was fun to see him struggle.”

She wore the most mischievous grin as she peeked up at her dad. Jeremiah just rolled his eyes as he picked up her bag and then nudged her shoulder to get her moving. His eyes met mine, and we exchanged a knowing look.

Yup. Grade A chirper.

Chapter 6

Jeremiah

Charlie skipped along beside me, proudly wearing her navy jersey with SANDERS stitched across her shoulders. Any other day, she’d be repping her burgundy Denver jersey, but we weren’t Denver fans tonight.

Wes had gotten us access passes so that we could visit him before the game and away from the crowds. Once our tickets had been scanned and we’d passed through the metal detectors, we turned in the direction of the tunnels. I shot a quick text to Wes to let him know we were on our way. Charlie wasn’t even fazed by the towering security guard, happily displaying her access pass and then tugging me along whenever he opened the doors.

We’d barely made it around the corner when Wes’s unmistakable voice boomed off the cinderblock walls.

“Charmander!”

Charlie left me in the dust, barreling down the hall to Wes who snatched her up easily and hefted her onto his hip.