Goodnight, Beautiful.

“How’s he doing?” Danny Briere slid on the bleachers next to Bristol. He startled her; she hadn’t expected to see him for another thirty minutes.

Moving over to give Danny more room, Bristol tucked her cold hands into the front pocket of her hoodie. “Good. Scored a goal and has an assist. A fight short of a Gordie Howe hattie.”

His eyes fell upon the bench where his oldest son waited patiently for his next shift. There were five minutes left in the final period and the score clearly indicated his son’s team would leave the ice victorious. “I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to drop the gloves yet.” Danny shook his head. “He’s been hanging around Carbomb too much.”

“Yeah, he wants to take me to the gym by his place so he can teach me how to throw a proper punch. He says I punch like a cheerleader.”

Danny couldn’t keep his laughter contained. “Thanks again for brining him today. I couldn’t miss the team meeting. Pittsburgh is gonna be tough to play against.”

“No problem. The other two trouble makers are off in the arcade blowing ten dollars worth of quarters in the crane game, which I’m beginning to believe is rigged.” Bristol clapped along with the rest of the hockey moms as the game concluded. She and Danny stood up, making their way down the bleachers to meet Caelan.

Danny offered his hand to Bristol as they climbed down; neither bothered to use the stairs which were less than three feet away. She took it, and was surprised by the sudden electrical shock she felt. Bristol was a good and devoted girlfriend to Carcillo, leaving her to ignore it. He hesitated a minute before letting go of her hand, even though they were now safely on even ground.

Bristol was sure her cheeks were rosy, but she could blame it on the cool, rink air. They waited for Caelan to finish changing in the dressing room, and in the meantime she and Danny stood amongst the other hockey moms who were doing the same.

She wasn’t paying attention to the light chatter that went on around her. Drowsiness was hitting her hard from the lack of sleep she had gotten over the past few days. Between dance classes, Flyers games and helping Danny with the boys, Bristol was ready for the next road trip. That way she could lounge in bed and watch the game on TV while dozing between periods.

“Are you Danny’s girlfriend?” An average height woman with dark brown hair asked. She was dressed down in sweats and a tee with the youth team’s logo on it.

Bristol almost answered yes, but she quickly realized the unfamiliar woman wasn’t talking about Carcillo. Her eyes gazed on Briere for a second before correctly answering. He was conversing with a group of other mothers about next week’s game. Games which Sylvie would be bringing her boys too. “No, I just watch the boys here and there.”

She could see the woman nod—almost as if she didn’t believe Bristol’s answer. And, the fact she was wearing an orange Flyers hoodie didn’t make it sound too convincing. She moved her hair out of the way so the skeptical woman could see the white “13” on the upper right side of her chest.

“Shit!” Bristol said under her breath as Carson and Cameron came up behind her and poked her sides. She was easily scared and ticklish. “I ‘oughta kick your asses.” She joked.

Carson smiled. “The machine took all your money and didn’t give us anything in return.”

“I guess you were right. That crane game is a waste of time and money.” Cameron casually wrapped an arm around Bristol’s waist. It was quite clear the youngest Briere had his eye on Bristol. The ten-year-old wished every night that he were sixteen years older.

She slowly eased his arm off her and messed up his mop of sandy blonde hair. Bristol gave them an “I told you so” look before turning her attention to Caelan. “Nice game. I would say you’re just as good as your dad,” she lowered her voice when Danny approached. “If not better.”

His smile was satisfied and thanked Bristol as he congratulated his son on the win. After slinging the equipment bag over his own shoulder, Danny slid his hands into his back pockets.

“Who’s up for pancakes?”

All three boys raised their hands. Cameron looked up at Bristol and smiled slyly. “Do you want to come with us? We always go out for pancakes after one of us wins a game.”

Bristol thought for a second, and Danny interrupted her train of thought.

“If you’re not doing anything with Dan we’d love for you to join us.”

“Its poker night at my place and the half the team has invaded my living quarters so yes, I’d love to join you guys for pancakes.”

At a small diner in Haddonfield, the five of them piled into a booth. On one side it was the three boys and on the other Danny and Bristol sat side-by-side. They ordered drinks—this waitress was much older and less hot than the one she had encountered with Carcillo—and she was quick to bring them back to the table.

Bristol had gotten a coffee, as did Danny. He handed her a packet of sugar and she grabbed it, their fingers slightly grazed. She hoped he didn’t realize her cheeks were turning redder by the second.

“So, what’s good here?” Bristol didn’t bother opening her menu as she continued with her task of stirring the sugar into her coffee. The boys wouldn’t steer her in the wrong direction.

Carson took a large gulp of his chocolate milk and swallowed. “You should get the chocolate chip pancakes. They’re good but, not as good as dad’s.”

Shifting her eyes over to Danny, Bristol could tell he was blushing and slightly embarrassed. “I’ll get them then.”

When their food arrived, the fight for the syrup started immediately. Bristol out-smarted all three of them and laughed maliciously as she poured the thick, liquid over her fresh stack of buttered pancakes. Handing it over to Caelan, Bristol cut into them and shoveled a bite into her mouth. Carson had been right, they were good. They were so good that it left Bristol wondering just how damn good Danny’s must be.

With hockey season being in full swing, Danny had declined to indulge himself for one night and had gotten an egg-white omelet. Although, he did steal a few bites of Bristol’s pancakes.

“Are you excited about your birthday coming up?” Cameron asked.

Bristol cocked her head to the side as she washed down her food with coffee. “How’d you know my birthday was coming up? And, I’m not too excited.”

“Daddy told me. Why? Birthdays are the best. You get to eat cake and get presents. I like it when people give me money. I’m saving up to buy a new game for XBOX. I think your going to have a good birthday this year. All the guys—,”

Danny, Caelan and Carson shushed him before he could speak a word more. He covered his mouth with both hands, worried he had given the surprise away. Bristol assumed Kris had told the guys about her birthday. She was turning 24 in less than forty-eight hours. Although the guys would be home on the date of her actual birthday, it was also the day Pittsburgh was coming to town. She expected it to be a good game.

Once the food had been eaten and the plates had been cleared from the table, the waitress brought the check by. Bristol took her wallet out of her purse and pulled a ten out to cover her meal. Danny insisted she put her money away. He owed her for all the times she had driven the boys to and from practice and watched them. The more he thought about it, Danny was beginning to realize the boys saw more of Bristol than they did him.

Out in the parking lot, Danny and Bristol staggered behind the boys as they raced to the car. Carson had beaten his brothers by yelling “shot-gun” first and pulled open the front door of the Rang Rover.

Danny looked at the time on his phone. “I’m sure your apartment is still taken over by the guys, so,” he trailed off. “Do you want to come over and watch a movie with the boys and me?”

They were on spring break which meant late night and sleeping in. Bristol pulled the sweatshirt tighter around her body as a cool wind whipped through her. “Sounds good to me. Anything to stay out of that man cave. I can only imagine how dirty it’s going to be and the thought of them not using coasters on my cherry dining room table upsets me.”

It only took ten minutes to drive to the Briere/Giroux residence. Bristol parked her car behind Danny’s and before he could kill the engine, the boys ran out. Locking her car behind her, Bristol thanked Danny as he held the front door open for her. Toeing off her shoes, she tossed them into the pile by the door and looked around as if she had never been there before. Over the past month and a half, it was becoming her third home with all the time she had been spending there.

Caelan, Carson and Cameron agreed on a movie. Transformers. Bristol didn’t mind, but rather she was quite excited about their pick. When it had first come out in theaters, she and her brother saw it neatly a dozen times. Growing up with four brothers, Bristol was an avid fan of action films.

While Danny popped a bag of popcorn in the kitchen, she and the boys headed upstairs to the den—it was a make-shift theater room—and put the movie in. Caelan and Carson made themselves comfortable on the floor with a plethora of pillows and blankets and Cameron crossed his arms over his chest and winked at Bristol as he sat next to her. Bristol rolled her eyes and checked her phone for any new messages. She had none.

Popping a few kernels into his mouth, Danny kicked Cameron off the couch to make room for himself. The boys raided the bowl of buttered popcorn instantly as Danny turned off the lights. After adjusting his shorts, he sat next to Bristol, who pulled her knees up to her chest. It was impossible to hold in the yawn any longer. She hopped she could stay awake long enough to watch the whole movie.

She started dozing off at the good part. The Autobots had had crashed down to Earth and caused Shia Labeouf’s character to frantically search his room for his grandfather’s encrypted glasses. Her mind may have far from the plot but she did hear the boys snicker when the word “masturbation” came up.

Danny took notice to Bristol as she rested her head on the back of the couch. He patted his shoulder and she leaned on him, finding her current position more comfortable. Snaking his arm around her shoulders, Danny rested his head against hers. His stomach filled with pangs of guilt, and he waited until he knew for sure she was asleep. Pressing his lips to her temple, Danny took in the sweet scent of her perfume. He pulled away and placed his head where it had been before.

Looking down at his boys, Danny wished he could always give them a night like tonight. Bristol felt perfect in his arms and his boys loved her. If only he had swept her off her feet before Carcillo had, Danny knew he and the boys could be what Bristol longed for…a family of her own.