Page 2 of Over the Line

And he was hugging me as if he’d missed me too.

“It’s good to see you,” I said, my voice coming out thick.

“You too,” he whispered. “It’s been too long.”

Fucking hell. He was going to make me cry right here in baggage claim.

We separated, and though he tried to be subtle about it, I caught him wiping his eyes. I didn’t say anything about it.

He cleared his throat. “Do you, uh, have any bags?”

“Yeah. It’s carousel…” I racked my brain. “Shit. I can’t remember.”

Chris laughed, and we found another screen with the carousel assignments. Then it was maybe ten minutes before bags started arriving. We collected mine and headed out to the parking lot.

I should’ve known—and on some level, I’m sure I did—that he wouldn’t still be driving that battered old Toyota we’d given him for his sixteenth birthday. I was definitely surprised, though, when he pressed a button on the key fob, and the taillights flashed on a black BMW SUV.

I whistled. “Wow. That’s one hell of a car.”

Chris beamed with pride. “I know, right? I bought it when they re-signed me with the one-way deal. I love it.”

“Nice. How long is the new contract?”

“Three years.” He pursed his lips. “I wanted a longer extension, but my agent thinks he’ll be able to get more money for me after I’ve had more time to really prove myself. Plus I’ll be really be in my prime then.”

“Smart man.” I hoisted one of my bags into the trunk. “A longer track record at this level will give you more leverage.”

“Let’s hope.”

We got in the car, and Chris took us out of short-term parking. The scenery around us barely registered as the freeway whipped by; I was just so overwhelmed to be here next to my son.

My son, the professional hockey player who was making a name for himself in the top league. That wasn’t much of a surprise, though. He’d been drafted twelfth overall the year after his mother and I split. We’d been estranged then, so I’d watched his career from afar. He’d spent most of that time developing in the minors, getting called up now and again when the team needed someone. Last year, toward the end of his third season, he’d been called up and hadn’t been back down since. This year, he’d been on the opening night roster for the first time, playing left wing on the third offensive line.

He’d made it. He’d busted his ass, and he’d made it to the big leagues. I couldn’t have been prouder… or more ashamed of all the time I’d missed. Not to mention how much of a distraction our issues had been at the worst possible time for a kid trying to break into his sport at this level. That he was willing to reconcile with me was definitely a miracle.

Now that we’d made enough progress to spend time together, maybe I could finally make up for some of the time we’d lost.

“So, I want to ask about something.” I shifted in the passenger seat. “You don’t need to give me an answer now, and you won’t hurt my feelings if the answer is no. But I want to bring it up so we can talk about it while I’m here.”

Chris shot me a wary look before refocusing on the interstate. “Okay?”

I took a deep breath. “My company opened an office in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago. I’ve been offered an opportunity to transfer to it.”

He glanced at me again, eyes wide. “Like… moving to Pittsburgh?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” He adjusted his grip on the wheel as he stared at the road. “Are you… Do you want to come here?”

“I’d like to be closer to you,” I admitted quietly.

“But… then you’d be farther away from Nick and Katie.”

“I would. But I’ve spent a lot of time with them over the past couple of years. I’d like to make up for some lost time with you.” I paused. “Like I said, though, it won’t hurt my feelings if you say no. I don’t want to encroach on⁠—”

“No, no, it’s fine.” He tapped his thumbs on the wheel. “I’m not here much, though. At least during the regular season. We’re on the road a lot, and when I’m home, I’m at practice, games, media stuff…”

“I know. And that’s okay. I don’t want to be underfoot all the time, you know? But the opportunity to grab a beer or something sometimes…” I hesitated. “And… I’d like to be able to come to your games. If you want me there.”