Golden

Chapter 8

March 2017- Denver

It was the night after my first game in the WAGs suite. Nate ate a premade meal that was left in the fridge by his chef while I drank a glass of wine that he poured me. We both sat down on the barstools around his kitchen island. He studied my face for a minute. “So what did you think of the WAGs? They weren’t as bad as you thought were they?”

“No, they were all nice for the most part once they got to know me a little bit. I have a different life than a lot of them, so I think the connection will come a little slower.”

Nate’s phone vibrated on the counter and a text alert popped up on his screen. He glanced at it with a smile. “Well, Mel really likes you. So you have the captain’s approval. She will look out for you with the rest of them.”

I knew that was true. She had definitely gently led the ladies away from any topics that would be uncomfortable. And I, for one, was really grateful for that.

“Yeah. She seemed nice. A couple of the girls had questions about skiing, so it was easy to talk about that.”

“I’m glad they only asked about that though. I was a little nervous that they would ask about your family or something earlier in your career. Like a topic that would upset you. I know you don’t really like talking about your past.” Nate admitted.

I twisted the ring on my right hand for a few seconds while Nate patiently waited for my reply. It was one of the nervous tendencies I had that I couldn’t break over the years, no matter how hard I tried. Looking down at my hands I finally answered. “You know that I bounced around foster homes before my coach agreed to take me in from 16 to 18.”

Nate nodded for me to continue.

“My biological father left my mother and me when I was 5. We lived in this tiny trailer just off of I-70 that was 20 minutes away from Copper Mountain where he was a ski instructor. My parents weren’t married, my mom was a drug addict and my father was an abusive drunk. He really didn’t care much for her. There were a lot of arguments and fights before he left. After that, my mother became completely self-reliant on drugs.”

Tears were streaming down my face. Nate pulled me into him and held me while I let tears flow for the childhood I had missed out on. As much as he hated to see me cry and would probably tell me I didn’t have to tell him, I also knew he deserved to know about my past, so I took a deep breath and continued.

“By the time I was in second grade, she paid pretty much no attention to me. I would catch the bus to or from school, do my homework, and stay out for as much of the day as I could. It’s the whole reason I became a good skier. We were so close and it was cheaper than any child care my mother would have to pay for. In the mountains, there isn’t school on Fridays during ski season, so everyone skis. I would be at Copper for the first lift to start and leave when the last lifts ran Friday through Sunday. The ski coach at Copper eventually saw me ski and asked me to join their team. I was 10 and I told him my mom couldn’t afford it or get me to any events. I told him that I found the bus or hitched rides to Copper to ski. Once he realized that I was there all day for those weekends, he started giving me lunch in the middle of the day and making me take breaks. I’m pretty sure he was the one that called CPS. Most of my teachers had asked me questions, but I always had managed to lie.

A few weeks after that, my mother was put under investigation and I got placed with a foster family. I got really lucky and managed to get a family in Vail in the beginning. They let me ski race at Vail with the team there. So I got to ski and met a really great coach. I stayed with that family for roughly two years. Once my mother died from an overdose, I was 12 and I was probably placed in a house a year until I was 16. That same ski coach drove to each house I was at and picked me up for weekends. He and his wife eventually agreed to foster me until I aged out of the system.”

I finally picked up the courage to look Nate in the face. His eyes were red with the remnants of tears. “Myers. That’s heartbreaking.” He kissed my hand that was held in his and studied me. “You are incredible. You know that right?”

It was actually a huge relief for Nate to know that part of my past. He and I had already talked about my wild days when I first turned pro. Now he knew all of it. And he was still here.

Later that night, Nate and I laid in his bed cuddled under the covers. Nate turned over in bed, propped himself up on one elbow, and studied me for a second before speaking. “So, I’ve got just under a month left until our season is over. You are pretty close to being cleared for skiing and the Olympics are 11 months away. What is your training going to look like over the summer? Any chance you would come up to Halifax for a week with me. Train, relax, meet my parents.”

My eyes bugged out, but I couldn’t keep myself from letting out a laugh. “That was a real casual way to throw in the meet the parents' bit. And to answer your question, I will mostly be getting strength back for the season coming up. For most of the summer, I will be in Vail and I will probably head to Chile for a bit to train, but I can definitely squeeze in a week up in Canada for my favorite Canadian guy.”

At that answer, Nate smirked down at me before allowing his body to land on top of mine, trapping me for a searing kiss. “Not your favorite guy, just your favorite Canadian guy?”

Fair to say, by the end of that night, Nate had definitely reminded me why he was my favorite guy- Canadian or other.
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Sorry! It's a little short but you finally learn more about how Myers grew up. If the Avs win game 2, I'll post Chapter 9 on Saturday night!