Page 126 of Game Misconduct

She nodded.

“So, the last game we played in Boston, I ran into Dad and Hawke. They were in the hallway, talking.”

“Okay.”

“You know I’m not always great at reading people, but it seemed … it seemed like things were very frosty. It surprised me. I thought they were kind of … I don’t want to sayfriendly, but maybe, polite? They’d let bygones be bygones, anyway.”

She looked startled. “Oh, that is surprising. I agree, I thought the years had mellowed any lingering hurt. It’s possible it wasn’t about their feelings for each other,” she pointed out.

“What else would it be about?” Leif asked with a frown.

“Hockey?” Silje offered. “I swear, your father was single-minded about it. The same way you are. And I understand it. I’m certainly the same about my career. But it is one reason why your father and I simply didn’t work. Knowing him, I think it’s safe to assume his major concern is hockey, not his feelings about a man he was involved with two decades ago.”

Leif chuckled. “Yeah, fair enough.”

Aksel Rasmussen could beverysingle-minded about hockey. And, well, as they said, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

“I watched that game,” she said, taking a sip of water. “And there’s always quite a lot of tension between the teams. It’s always been a good rivalry.”

“True.”

“So maybe your father or Hawke simply … got a little overzealous with the chirps and one of them took it too personally.”

“That’s possible,” Leif agreed.

But something in his gut told him it was more than that. Something deeper.

After their meal was finished and they’d lingered, talking for a while, Leif paid for lunch and they left the restaurant.

When they were on the sidewalk, his mom reached out and cupped his cheek. “You’ll figure out the situation with your guy, vennen min,” she said softly. “I know you will. He’d be a fool to not fall in love with you. And no matterhowit goes, these are important life experiences to have.”

“Was it worth it?” he whispered. “Being with Dad even though it didn’t work out?”

Her expression softened. “Of course it was. I loved him very much. I still do. In a way, I’ll always love him no matter how long it’s been. I loved him and we had you and I could never regret that.”

“So I should let myself get my heart broken?” Leif answered.

“If you love him and he’s a good man, the heartbreak is worth it.”

“He’s …” Leif smiled, despite himself. “He’s awful and he’s amessand he’s … he’s a good man.”

It looked like she was trying to hide a smile. “Then I look forward to meeting him someday.”

You already have,he thought but he didn’t say that aloud either. “He helped me pick out the flowers for your birthday.”

“They were lovely. He has very good taste,” she said lightly and he somehow didn’t think she was talking about the flowers anymore.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Tanner was glad when they finally got back from the road trip. It had been fun and they’d played well, but the time zone difference made it way harder to talk to Leif.

The good news was, they’d have another game against each other when the Rockets headed back to Boston for the final game of the regular season.

Tanner felt like he was going to explode just knowing that he and Leif couldfinallyvideo chat again and today he couldn’t get through practice quick enough, even though they wouldn’t do their call until later tonight.

He started stripping out of his gear when Connor called out, “Hey, guys! Listen up!”

Tanner paused, looking up.