Me and My Boys

My head was spinning, and I tossed and turned all night long. I was so confused. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t want to leave Camille’s house and walk back to my own dark, empty house. I forced myself to after my second mug of hot chocolate, and even though it was full of warm hot cocoa, my stomach felt cold and empty. The next day I showed up to practice haggard and sleep deprived.

“You look like you got hit by a truck,” David said, and I frowned.

“Thanks Clarky. You gotta try to look this good,” I said in reply. The locker room was relatively quiet, and I looked at my stall. Something seemed off, but I didn’t know what was up until I put on my gloves.

“Aw really guys?” I groaned, pulling my hands immediately back out. Someone had filled my gloves with shaving cream. A bunch of people started cracking up, and I scowled.

“I don’t know if I can even get this crap out!” I cried, shaking the gloves over the trashcan. Globs of white plopped out, but the gloves were still full.

“Hey Zach?” Marty called.

“Yeah?” I asked, turning around.

“Now I forgive you,” he smirked, holding up a can of shaving cream.

“You’re an ass,” I chuckled. I knew that once Marty had gotten his prank in that it was going to be smooth sailing once again. I handed my gloves to an equipment manager, and they were quickly cleaned out. I figured that Marty had warned them.

“So Zach, how about we have the Christmas party at your place this year? I mean, what better way is there to break in a new house than a nice big party with your friends?” Clarky asked. I thought about it for a minute, and then nodded.

“Yeah, but I’m going to invite a new friend of mine,” I said.

After practice, I could hardly wait to get home. There was so much to do, and I was thrilled to be having the party. The Devils’ Christmas party was a huge ordeal, and almost every single guy on the team showed up, with family. Kovy had it last year, Patrik had it the year before, and Marty had it so many times before that the team had lost track. I started making a mental check list. I had to put up the lights, get some decorations, buy a tree, decorate the tree, and figure out food. I was going to be extremely busy. Not to mention, I had to invite Camille. For some reason, the thought of going to talk to her made my stomach do back flips. I went inside and took care of some things, but around 4:30 I finally got up the courage to walk over to Camille’s house. I knocked on the door, and Jack answered.

“Hey Zach, hold on a second. Mom, Zach’s at the door!” he called. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. He seemed a lot older than seven sometimes. Camille came to the door a few seconds later, and smiled.

“Hi Zach. Do you want to come in?” she asked. I nodded, and stepped inside the house. In the daytime it was a lot brighter, and I immediately noticed that pictures of her and her sons were everywhere. Scattered among the photographs were a few cute decorations, either handmade or rustic, and it gave the big house a warm, approachable feeling.

“So I was wondering if you would want to come to the Christmas party. I just found out I’m having it this year, and I thought it would be nice if you went,” I said quickly.

“I’d love to but the boys…” she started.

“Bring them too! A lot of the guys bring their kids, and I’m sure they’d all love it,” I said.

“What day is the party?” she asked.

“Christmas Eve this year,” I smiled. She thought about it for a second, and then nodded.

“I’d love to go. I’ll bring a pie too,” she smiled. I felt myself grinning broadly, and then I felt a tug on my coat.

“Hey Zach, could you show me how to deke?” Jack asked sheepishly. I raised my eyebrows.

“Sure thing kid. Does Jimmy want to learn too?” I asked. Camille’s face grew even happier, and I knew I had done something right.

*Camille’s Point of View*

There was something heartwarming about the way Zach treated the boys. I watched as they led him down the basement to where we had set up a makeshift hockey training area. We had gone out and bought special plastic that allowed the pucks to slide as if they were on ice, and the boys had all kinds of games they played with their equipment. It was strange how much they enjoyed hockey, but I didn’t mind because it gave me something to talk to them about, and I would much rather them play hockey than video games. Zach showed the boys some of the wrist movements, and they all had a great time. Jack and Jimmy had warmed up to Zach considerably, and even though he was still practically a stranger, I loved when he stopped by. He was kind, and friendly, and he was incredibly attractive. The attractive part made me blush, but I shrugged it off as I watched him play with my kids. In a way, I wanted to have him there forever. I froze at the thought. Was I becoming attracted to Zach Parise? No way, I swore off of men once the boys were born. They don’t need the confusion of their mom dating.

*Zach’s Point of View*

The boys caught on surprisingly fast, and as they deked and dangled the pucks into the net, I found myself laughing.

“They are so talented! I’ve never seen anything like it!” I said to Camille after she sent the boys upstairs to get ready for dinner. Camille grinned broadly.

“Thank you. If I let them, they’d eat, sleep and breathe hockey,” she smiled.

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked. She let out a laugh and shook her head.

“They’re seven years old. They’ve got a lot of school ahead of them, not to mention all of the usual rites of age that come between now and when they’re old enough to decide if they want to continue playing,” she said.

“Good point. I think that if they stick with it, they’ll be drafted one day,” I said. I wasn’t lying either. Those two kids were incredible puck handlers, and they had filled me in on their stats and the like while I taught them some moves.

“You should see them on the ice,” Camille smiled.

“I’d like to one day,” I said quickly. I slammed my mouth shut quickly however. Oh shit, did I just say that? I mean, it’s true, but they aren’t my kids…I probably just weirded Camille out…damn Zach, first word vomit, and then mental word vomit huh? Camille was looking at me, and it made me squirm inwardly.

“Really?” she asked quietly. I nodded. I saw something strange flicker in her eyes, but I shrugged it off and ran my hands through my hair.

“Well, I’d better get going so you guys can have dinner,” I said quietly, turning towards the stairs.

“You can stay for dinner if you’d like,” Camille immediately said. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks for some reason, and I bit my lip before responding.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Positive. The boys would be thrilled too,” she said. I smiled.

“Alright, I’ll stay…” I finally said, and she grinned broadly.

I smoothed out the front of my crimson dress, and checked my hair in the mirror before walking out into the hallway. Jack and Jimmy were both sitting in the hallway waiting for me, and Zach jumped up as I walked over to them. They looked precious, both wearing black dress pants and suit jackets. Jack had opted for a red shirt with a black and white tie, and Jimmy opted for a green shirt and a matching tie. I tried not to match them perfectly, but for some reason they always tended to match on their own, even if they didn’t plan it.

“Mom you look really pretty!” Jack cried, hugging me tightly. I bent down and hugged him back, smiling.

“Yeah Mom! There’s no way Zach won’t wanna date you!” Jimmy beamed. I froze and stared at him.

“What did you just say?” I half laughed.

“There’s no way Zach won’t want to date you,” Jack repeated for his brother. I started to laugh, and ruffled their adorably unruly hair.

“You guys are too much,” I smiled. They want Zach to date me? I grabbed the pie I had made off of the counter and ushered them towards the door. They are bubbling over with excitement because they were getting to meet a lot of the Devils, and they loved meeting new kids too. I knock on the door, and Zach answers it quickly. His jaw dropped as he looked at me, but he quickly recovers.

“You look great,” he blushed, taking the pie from me.

“Thanks,” I smiled, a blush forming on my own cheeks. Jack and Jimmy exchange a look before high fiving Zach. He leads us into his enormous living room and I’m immediately overwhelmed. There are so many familiar faces there that I had to take a second to remember to breathe. The boys don’t have a problem running over to the group and introducing themselves.