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“They’re offering me a cut.”

“A cut? Of the box office sales or whatever it’s called?”

“Yup.”

“Babe, that’s amazing.” I say the words even though my heart sinks.

It is an amazing opportunity, both professionally and financially. For me, however, this is a disaster.

“I know. But…two years. In New Zealand.”

“On and off?”

“Yeah, to some extent. But I have other commitments too. My family. Reid. Nolan. I’m already spread too thin. I don’t know how I can do it.”

“But it could make you very, very rich.”

“Money isn’t everything.”

“No, but a sacrifice like this could mean financial freedom. Maybe for the rest of your life. I don’t know how much money we’re talking about but I imagine it’s a lot.”

“If the franchise does well, yes. A whole lot.”

“It would be a lot…for us,” I say carefully.

I watch as Blaze carries six pizzas and Rodi, one of the trainers, carries the rest. The guys pounce on them as they walk into the conference room.

“I know. And Nolan is already mad at me because I don’t think he can come to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. Reid is annoyed because he’s used to me saying yes, picking up the slack for him because he has the hockey excuse, and then expects me to adjust everything.”

“The hockey excuse?”

She sighs again. “Hockey is sometimes an excuse for everything. Yes, it’s legit, but if there’s a scheduling conflict—oh, I have a game. Oh, we’re on a road trip. Whatever the situation is with the family, I have to do it because he has hockey. Yes, it’s his career and it’s important, but isn’t my career important? Ninety-percent of the time, I can be flexible. It’s just that ten-percent, when I can’t, that seems to send everyone into a tailspin.”

“That’s kind of the issue with hockey,” I say. “We don’t have flexibility unless it’s a true emergency. Death, childbirth, a serious illness, stuff like that. Otherwise, we’re expected to be where they tell us, when they tell us."

"I know. That’s what makes it so hard. The situation with Nolan is tricky because he’s a little spoiled. Reid and I have bent over backwards to be close to him, so now it’s a matter of expectations. Our parents expect us to take him when they want to travel, and Reid is used to me taking over when he has to play. My life is changing now, though, and no one seems to understand.”

“I understand,” I say softly.

“I don’t know what to do,” she says, her voice filled with uncertainty. “How do I choose between my career and my family?”

My heart squeezes painfully.

She doesn’t even mention me in that equation.

Almost as if she’s already written us—and me—off.

Because New Zealand is really fucking far away.

Because this is reminiscent of my situation with Shandy, and she knows that. She’s dropping hints, waiting for me to pick up on them. I just need to figure out how.

But first, I have to address her question.

“You shouldn’t have to,” I say. “Your parents need to remember that they opted to have this child later in life—he’s their responsibility. Not yours. Not Reid’s. Theirs. And Nolan has to try to understand that in addition to all the cool, fun stuff he gets to do, the reason he gets to do those things is because you have these amazing careers. Without them, all the fun goes away too.”

“Yeah, that’s all easier said than done.”

“Honey, you have to remember to put yourself first sometimes.”