It Takes Someone Special to Be a Dad

Kate's POV
I was happy to have Asher home for a week before his big day as it gave us the chance to just relax and let everything sink in.

Evgeni refused to go to practice unless we came with him and to be honest it was getting on my nerves. I felt like it was my fault the playoffs would be ruined for the guys. If it wasn’t for me then they couldn’t be so closely affected by it. It was their job and they were just throwing it away like it was nothing.

“Just go,” I pleaded with him as I helped Natalia divide up the week’s dinner into tubs.
“No,” he sat down at the table next to Asher who was happily coloring.
“Why not? It’s two hours at the most and then you will be back in time for lunch, nothing it going to happen in that time.”
“I not going,” he folded his arms over his chest.

Asher looked up at him, “booger silly,” he continued coloring.
I loved Asher’s new nickname for Evgeni it made me laugh every time he said it.
“Why booger?” Evgeni frowned, “Why not daddy? Or Geno?”
“Da…duck,” Evgeni rolled his eyes at the little boys teasing.
“No, daddy, da…ddy.”
“Duck,” Asher’s cheeky smile returned.
“I am sorry babe but you are getting beaten by a three year old,” I smiled walking over to Asher and ruffling up his hair.

He giggled and latched onto my arm, “mummy look,” he pointed to the paper in front of him.
“What am I looking at?” I picked up the paper with undefinable scribbles all over it.
“Copper and Jeffrey,” he pointed to the two blobs that looked nothing like the two animals who were sitting next to Evgeni begging for food.
“Wow, good job,” I placed the paper back in front of Asher who began attacking it with other colors.

The medication he was on had stopped the headaches and he was acting more like himself again and when it came to bed time he was out like a light with no hassles so Evgeni and I had a chance to relax and talk things over.

“But seriously, you should go,” I kept at Evgeni who was now helping Asher color.
“No we color,” Asher pouted.
“Yeah,” Evgeni poked his tongue out.
“Ok so one second you’re on mummy’s side and now you’re on daddy’s side.”
“Booger’s side,” he corrected getting a chuckle from Vladimir.

I don’t know what I would do without Asher in my life. He made me laugh when I really didn’t want to and could bring a smile to my face just by saying mummy. He was everything to me and more and without him I would be nothing.

**************************************

Asher grew more and more disappointed with each shot that Evgeni missed, he had so many chances and they were thrown away with stupid decisions and I knew exactly why. I couldn’t let Asher and I dictate his life anymore.

“Hey, how are you?” Craig Adams wife Anne sat down next to me.
“Good, considering,” I smiled.
“Mummy can I play,” their son Rhys shook her leg and pointed to where Asher was in front of us.
“Sure,” she smiled sending him on his way.

“How is Asher?” she looked at my son who was spreading out the pencils for him and Rhys to both use.
“He is good, probably better than us.”
“Craig said Evgeni hadn’t been to practice all week,” she frowned.
“I couldn’t get him to leave.”
“Aww but that’s sweet right? He’s such a kind man.”
“Yeah he really is.”
“Have you found out what kind of tumor it is yet?” she looked a little reluctant to be asking the question.
“No not yet, but he has surgery in 2 days to get it removed and then they can send it off and found out what it is,” to be honest I was completely ok with talking about it, I wasn’t going to break down when I talked about it, yet.

**************************************

“Asher come back,” I chased after the little blonde boy who was suddenly full of energy.
“Hey where are you going?” Sid grabbed him before he reached the gym.
“Thanks Sid,” I put my hand on Asher’s back, “I think someone has been sneaking sugar.”
“No,” he wiggled from Sid’s grasp and found Evgeni as he walked out of the showers.

“Are you alright?” Sid put his hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I think,” I sighed.
“He’s going to be ok you know, he is a strong kid,” we watched Asher getting tickled by Evgeni.
“I know, I just wish I could say the same for Evgeni.”
“He just needs some time, just like you do.”
“Yeah but I can’t help but feel like I am the reason behind his shitty playing.”
“Don’t be, he made the choice and he has to deal with the consequences,” Sid pulled me into a warm hug.

He was right though. Evgeni was a grown man and whatever choices he made to do with his career were up to him but I still couldn’t help but feel like it was my fault.

Sid’s POV
“I said you should have gone to practice this morning,” Kate said to Geno as he put his gear in his bag.
“I know,” he sighed.
“Look I think you should go to the game on Friday?” she sat next to him.
“What?!” he looked at her shocked.
“Asher will be fine…”
“No, I am not going. I promise Ash I be there, so I be there.”
“You need to focus on your hockey, it’s your job for god’s sake,” Kate was clearly getting annoyed.
“I don’t care!” Geno yelled and stormed out.
“Evgeni!” she called out after him, “Sid can watch Ash for me?”

Asher sat on the floor with his toy car; I wasn’t exactly sure what to do so I sat down with him.
“Hey cool car.”
He continued pushing it around making a quiet noise of an engine.

I could hear them still arguing outside the hall so I tried to distract Asher.
“Can I play?” I questioned pointing to the other car sitting next to him.
“Ok,” he smiled.

I pushed the little metal toy into his to see what he would do; he looked up with a mischievous grin plastered on his face before he pushed his car back into mine. It was like a mini demolition derby.

“Sid, I sleepy,” he complained rubbing his eyes with his tiny fists.
“Ok, come on,” I climbed to my feet and picked him up shoving the two toy cars in my pocket.

He wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his head on shoulder as I reluctantly headed out into the hall.
They weren’t there so I continued out to the car park and sure enough there they were. Evgeni had his arms around Kate holding her, he saw me coming and that’s when I saw his watery eyes.

“I want mummy and daddy,” Asher mumbled into my neck.
“Who?” I stopped and craned my neck to look at him.
“Mummy and daddy.”
“You mean mummy and Geno?” I knew they had been trying to convince him to call Geno daddy but it hadn’t been working so I wasn’t sure I was hearing him right.
“No daddy,” he wriggled in my grasp.

“Hey guys, come here,” I waved them over with my free hand, “listen.”
“Hey Asher,” I ran my hand through his hair to get his attention, “who do you want to cuddle right now?” It was a long shot and I hoped he would say it.
“Mummy and…daddy,” he yawned removing his head from my shoulder as his sleepy eyes tried to focus on them, “Daddy,” his little arms reached out for Geno.

Kate’s POV
“Daddy? He call me daddy,” Evgeni’s eyes lit up.
He took Asher from Sid’s arms and hugged him, squeezing him so tight I was sure Asher would burst.
“Evgeni ease up, we don’t want to break him,” I laughed putting my hand on Asher’s back, “Evgeni?” his eyes were screwed shut, “are you crying again?” I ran my hand through his hair and squeezed the back of his neck.
“Happy tears,” he adjusted Asher in his arms, “just happy,” he wiped them away with the back of his free hand.

It was safe to say that no matter what happened with Asher we could make it through. Evgeni wanted to be there for Asher like he promised saying he was more important than hockey. There was always next year and it could wait because if he let Asher down he couldn’t live with himself.

It was an important game but Evgeni didn’t care and if his heart wasn’t in it then there was no point in him playing.

When we got home Evgeni carried Asher inside, “are you ever going to let him go again?”
“Never,” he sat Asher on the kitchen counter but kept his arm around him.

I disappeared upstairs to grab Asher’s pyjamas and when I returned I just had to stop at the corner and watch them. Asher was still sitting up on the counter but he had Evgeni standing between his legs where his little hands could study the gold jewellery around Evgeni’s neck. They were just too precious for words.

“Mummy?” Asher spoke up as I pulled his black Malkin shirt that he insisted on wearing to bed over his head.
“Yeah buddy?”
“Ice cream?”
“You want ice cream at 11:30 at night?” I grabbed his medication from on top of the fridge.
“Mhuh,” he nodded with a little smile.
“I guess just this once but you have to let me crush these up in it,” I shook the little white container.
He looked disgusted and shook his head, “you won’t taste them, I promise.”
“Ok,” he still didn’t seem to sure about it.

“Taste good?” Evgeni asked running his hand up and down Asher’s back as Asher sat on the stool leaning over the bench.
“Yes,” he smiled with a big ring of chocolate around his mouth.
“You’re a grub,” I squeezed his cheek to which his giggled.

“Alright it is way passed your bed time mister,” I looked at the clock reading 12:05am. “Come on,” I washed his face and grabbed him from the stool before carrying him up to his bed.

“Goodnight mummy,” he wrapped his arms around me.
“Goodnight,” I kissed his forehead.
“Daddy,” he called to Evgeni who was loving being called dad.
“Goodnight,” Asher’s little arms hugged him as tight as he could.
“Goodnight buddy,” he kissed his forehead.

“You know the novelty of him calling your daddy will end,” I slipped into bed next to him.
“Never,” he shook his head wrapping his arms around me.
“Yeah, when he has one of those days where he just keeps saying it over and over again, he will drive you up the wall. I promise you that.”
“Still love him.”
“Oh of course, but sometimes he can be a devil child.”
“No,” he frowned.
“Are you trying to tell me how my son acts?”
“Our son,” he rolled over and pinned me into the mattress.
“Our son,” I mimicked him.

He was right though, he was OUR son. Evgeni loved Asher as if he was his own and Asher, well he couldn’t adore someone more than he does Evgeni. They were like two peas in a pod, a really unorthodox pod at that but they made it work.