Father Figure

Making the house as clean as possible with three five year olds bouncing around like basketballs was not easy. They were more than excited to get to see their beloved Penguins play the next day. When Joe told them, they wouldn't show an ounce of excitement towards him, but when he turned his back they were all but fangirling. 

"Gab! Do not hit your brother with a baseball bat!" I cried out in frustration. 

He ignored me and continued to smack the back of Beau's arm with his plastic baseball bat. I groaned loudly before marching over and swiftly taking it out of his hands. "I told you to stop. All of you, go get your hockey sticks," I announced. 

They all let out shrill screams before running to their hockey equipment. I led our small army out to the garage. "Go get some pucks," I told Kris as I got in my car to back it out. Kris scrambled off in a hurry. 

After parking my car in the driveway, the boys tugged forward their hockey net. Joe and I had purposely left one area of the garage clear because we knew they would be doing this. The corner had no windows or doors, so we were relatively safe from any damage like that. The boys dumped out their pucks and began slapping away. 

I ran a hand over my forehead, trying to bid my headache away. "I'm going to go finish cleaning. I'll be right back. Don't talk to anyone," I warned. 

Vero and I agreed to head home to clean up after working out, so I gained a little extra time to get things cleaned up. I was showered, put together, and my house was progressively looking clean and tidy. 

"Mom! Some lady just pulled up!" Beau yelled from the garage. I'd left the door open to be sure I could hear if anything happened. 

I hurried out to the garage to see Vero parked next to my Rav. She exited her car and came forward to give me a hug. "How are you?" she asked. 

"Good! Yourself?" I asked. 

She grinned widely. "Wonderful!"

We both looked back at the sound of a sharp ping. Kris giggled before hitting another puck at the net. "Oh! T'ose must be t'e triplets?" Vero asked excitedly. 

I nodded. "Yeah. Come meet them," I told her. I walked back into the garage. "Boys, meet Vero. She's from where Grandma used to live," I explained quickly. 

Kris's eyes lit up. "You know my Grandma?" he asked excitedly. 

Vero laughed. "No, but I'm from her old home town," she told them. 

I nudged Beau. "Speak French to her, bud," I suggested. 

He nodded his head. From that point on, all of us switched into French. The boys didn't usually get to speak French with anyone other than myself, so they were all excited. I could already see Kris had a crush on her. 

"So you boys play hockey?" she asked. 

They all grinned and nodded. "Yeah! I'm a goalie!" Kris exclaimed. He was sitting right beside her, almost on her lap. 

Vero laughed loudly. "Want to know a secret?" she whispered to him. He nodded his head enthusiastically. "I love goalies."

With those words, he was in love. I couldn't lie. Seeing the boys take to her so quickly made my heart warm up. She returned the affection just as quickly. It was obvious she wanted to be a mom one day. 

We ordered a pizza at about six pm and all sat down in the living room. The boys turned on a hockey game to watch while Vero and I sat on the couch and talked. 

"They are so adorable," she gushed yet again. "I just want to hug them all!" She let out a laugh. 

I smiled proudly at my sons. I couldn't imagine my life without them now. "I do love them," I said with a smile. 

Kris whirled around to face her. "Miss Vero! We're going to a Penguins game tomorrow! Joe is taking us!" he informed her happily. 

She grinned widely and leaned forward. "Are you super excited?" she asked. 

He nodded his head so fast that his helmet bobbled around. "I get to see my favorite goalie play!" he announced with so much excitement I thought he would pass out. 

If possible, her own enthusiasm grew. "Marc-André Fleury?" she asked. 

He nodded. "He's super amazing! I want to be just like him!" he announced. He climbed up onto the couch beside her. Beau and Gab began wrestling on the floor. 

"I have to agree, I do love him," she said. 

I could see in Kris's eyes that he almost died. "Really?" he whispered.

"Really," she confirmed. 

Just in time to join our little party, Joe walked in. His eyes landed on Vero. "Hello! Who might you be?" he asked kindly. 

She smiled politely. "Vero," she answered. 

He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Joseph, but you can call me Joe," he replied. 

I watched him hesitantly. His lips were lightly stained a bright red. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. He probably just ate a red piece of candy, I told myself. That was all. 

He leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. I licked my lips slightly, begging my taste buds to assure me that I tasted some sort of sugar. He left the room with his bright smile still on his face. 

Kris moved back to his brothers to watch the game. Vero looked at me curiously. I could see the words forming in her mind, but her lips were pursed. "He doesn't understand French," I mumbled do only she would hear. 

Her eyes met mine full on. "He... He, uh... His... Lips," she finally struggled to get out, all in French.

I couldn't hold her gaze after that. My eyes slid to the TV. I simply nodded my head. I could feel the tears begging to come forward. Vero's hand held onto mine. "Aw, sweetie..." she began. 

I shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm fine," I quickly told her. 

Vero gave me a hesitant look before dropping the subject completely. Joe entered the room again, now wearing his nice jeans and a black, button down shirt. "Hey, you don't mind if I go hang out with the guys tonight, do you?" he asked expectantly. 

I stated at him. He was slightly smirking to himself. He didn't look like a guy ready to settle down at all. He looked like he was about to go party and take some girl home. 

And there it was: the forming panic in his eyes. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to hit him. I wanted him to tell me he was just messing around and he wanted to stay home with me and the boys. 

"Go ahead," I mumbled. "I love you."

He paused to look at me for a few seconds. "Love you, too," he muttered before dashing out the door. 

"Vero, who is your favorite hockey player?" Kris asked innocently as he leaned against her legs with a cheesy grin on his face. 

Vero gave him a wide smile. "Fleury, of course!"

The happiness that radiated from my son kept my heart from splitting at that moment. As the other two got on the ground to pretend to be dogs, I knew they were going to be the thing to pull my mood up. 

Vero nudged me with her elbow. "You okay?" she asked. I nodded my head. Her hand squeezed mine again. "We can talk about it after they go to bed," she offered. I gave her a grateful smile.