Sin Bin (D.C. Stars, #5)

Sin Bin (D.C. Stars, #5) — Chapter no 25

TWENTY-FIVE

BRODY

H.E.

Merry Christmas, Brody!!

ME Merry Christmas, Hannah.

H.E.

How is the movie marathon with Liv going?

Great. We’re watching Die Hard.

H.E.

Please tell me you’re joking.

One will never know.

She loved the laces, by the way. There were tears. And screams. And photos.

H.E.

Aw! Give her a hug for me! I’m glad they made her happy!

How’s Florida?

H.E.

Warm. I might never come back to DC. I’m heading to the basketball game now. I’ll text you later?

ME Sounds good. Have a good day, Hannah.

H.E.

You too, Brody.

H.E.

I miss the sun not setting at 4 in the afternoon.

These gray skies are so sad.

How was your flight back?

H.E.

Besides listening to my brother snore for two hours? It was great.

The flight attendant gave me four bags of pretzels, and this must be what it feels like to be God’s favorite.

ME I could never get into the pretzel craze. Now popcorn? I can eat a bucket in minutes.

H.E.

Oooh, what about popcorn with M&Ms mixed in? That’s a delicious combo.

I’ve never tried that. Might need to give it a whirl and see for myself.

H.E.

I’m picturing you whirling and I’m giggling.

Glad I made you smile.

See you bright and early on the ice.

We’re doing swizzles all morning.

H.E.

I can’t wait!

H.E.

Happy New Year’s Eve! What exciting plans do you have today?

Do you really think I have exciting plans?

H.E.

Okay, true. You’re probably going to spend your night staring at the wall. Right?

I hate that I’m so predictable.

What are you up to?

H.E.

Nothing at all. Grant is going out with some of the guys. My best friend is out of town. It’ll probably be an uneventful night on the couch.

Feel like taking an adventure?

H.E.

Do I get to take my clothes off and sit on your face?

Eventually, yes. But not at first.

We’ll pick you up at three.

H.E.

We? Who is we?

ME You might want to bring a helmet.

“DAD. It’s very distracting when you hold the ‘oh shit’ handle before I shift out of park,” Liv says from the driver’s seat of my Cadillac. “Can you chill, please? For like, thirty minutes.”

“She’s right,” Hannah pipes up from the back seat. “We need a calm environment. You look like you want to rip that handle off, and that gives the tone of nervous energy right off the bat.”

“I don’t appreciate being ganged up on,” I grumble, slowly relaxing my grip. I look down at my seat belt, checking to make sure it’s tight, and take a deep breath. “This is serious shit, everyone.”

“We’re in an open parking lot with no other cars. What do you think is going to happen?” Hannah asks, and when her eyes meet mine in the mirror, it’s easy to tell she’s trying not to laugh. It makes my lips twitch. “A meteor is going to crash into earth and we’re all going to die?”

“Yes,” I answer. “Do you not see the threats all around us?”

“Hang on.” She makes a show of leaning over the center console and looking out the dashboard. “Oh, no. Liv! Look out! There’s a crushed water bottle sixty yards away!”

“There’s also hot dog wrapper up ahead.” Liv giggles and turns on the radio, starting to blast a pop song before I reach for the dials and lower the volume. “Could be dangerous.”

“You can’t even get your permit until you’re sixteen. That’s over a year from now. Why are we rushing to get you behind the wheel?” I put a hand over my chest, positive I’m having heart palpitations. “And why is it so hot in here?”

“I think your father is panicking, Liv.” Hannah reaches for the dials on the dashboard. She switches from heat to air conditioning, and I heave a sigh of relief at the cool blast of air. “Brody? May I speak to you outside?”

“Sure. Yeah. Outside.” I open my door and unbuckle my seat belt, almost rolling to the asphalt. My knees shake when I stand, and I lean

against the car when I shut the door behind me. “What’s up?”

“Are you okay?” Hannah asks. “You seem jumpy.”

“Maybe that’s because my only daughter wants to learn how to drive.

That means tomorrow, she’s going off to college.” I press the heels of my palms into my eyes. “And then getting married and having her own kids.”

“I see what’s going on here.”

“What’s going on here is time is moving too fast. She just learned to walk, and now she’s driving? Where did the last—”

“Brody.” Hannah puts her fingers around my wrist, guiding my hands away from my face. “Take a breath.”

“I was fine this morning.” A deep inhale, a long exhale. “When she asked if I would teach her to drive, I thought this would be easy. But now we’re here, and I’m —”

“A very good father,” she says gently, letting go of my wrists.

Somewhere, behind my panic and anxiety, I appreciate her discretion with PDA around Liv. That’s a conversation I’m really not sure how to have.

“Liv is so lucky she has someone who cares about her and her safety so much. I’m not a parent. I’m not going to pretend to understand anything parent-related or tell you how to act, because that’s your domain, but as a former fourteen-year-old girl, I’m here to tell you that you can’t stop time.”

“You’d think with all my money I’d be able to find a way,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“It would be nice, wouldn’t it? I think I’m going to call an Uber and head home. This feels like an important moment for you all, and I don’t want to overstep.” Hannah pats my chest. “Text me later? We could —”

“Will you stay? I could use some moral support. Clearly, I’m not doing that great.” I huff out a laugh and shove my hands in my pockets. “And it’s nice to have someone call me out when I’m acting irrationally.”

“I never said anything about being irrational! Just that—”

“I know. I’m giving you a hard time.” It’s cold as hell out here, but I smile. “I mean that in the sense of you’re not obligated to handle the absurdity that comes with being a parent, but I’m glad you’re letting me know when I’m overreacting.”

“Feels like I’m invested now.” Hannah bites her lip. “I’ll stay with you.

But only because I can’t wait to see how much you panic when she gets up to ten miles an hour.”

“Brat,” I tell her. “If you’re not doing anything tonight, Liv is going to Kali’s. I’ll probably be asleep by ten, but if you want to come by and enjoy some early festivities before the ball drops, my door is open.”

“Yeah?” She steps closer. “What kind of festivities?”

“Pineapple pizza. Whiskey. Three fingers,” I murmur, and her cheeks turn bright red. “Maybe four.”

“Can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year than with good dick and good food.” Hannah opens the back door, dropping into the leather seat.

“Count me in, Brody.”

I don’t let myself look too excited when I sit next to Liv again. “Okay, kid. Go from park to drive, and make sure you keep your foot on the brake when you shift gears.”

“What was it like when you learned to drive?” Liv raises her seat up and checks the mirrors before following my instructions. “Did you have to use a horse and buggy?”

“Ouch.” I groan and shake my head. “My own daughter is attacking me.”

“I’m sure you had those crank windows, right?” Hannah asks, adding fuel to the fire. “You’d have to manually roll the windows down, Liv. And if it started to rain, you’d have to roll them right back up.”

“I was born in this century. Let’s go to that light post at the other end of the parking lot, Livvy. If you could keep your speed under five miles an hour, that would be great.”

“Floor it, Liv,” Hannah says, and my daughter giggles.

“This is good practice. I have someone trying to peer pressure me and someone who is being a back seat driver from the front seat.” Her hands stay at ten and two on the wheel, and we lurch toward our checkpoint.

“Wait. If I want to stop do I just—”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” I fly forward when she slams on the brakes, my seat belt locking in place. “Congratulations, kid. You found the brakes.”

“I should probably buckle up. We’ve got a speed demon out here.”

Hannah bursts out laughing when Liv smashes the accelerator and I fly back against the seat. “I wish I had this on camera.”

“Gentle, Liv. And go slow, please. Wait. Why are you turning? The light is up ahead, not to the left.”

“Just getting a feel for the wheel,” Liv says, but it’s anything but innocent. “I bet this car can go fast, can’t it? What kind of car does your

brother have, Hannah?”

“A Range Rover. I drive a Hyundai, but that’s because anything more advanced confuses the hell out of me. Like, this thing has heated and cooling seats? You’re fancy as hell, Saunders.”

“I want my ass to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer.” I glance at Liv, who looks carefree as can be. “Two hands on the wheel, please.”

“This is so easy. Uh oh, Dad. Look out. There’s a soda can in sight.

How should I avoid it?”

“Smart-ass. Everyone in this car is a smart-ass.” I fold my arms over my chest, miming that I’m keeping my mouth closed. “You’re on your own, kid.”

And, of fucking course, the less I talk, the better Liv does. She uses her blinker and completes a full circle turn. She puts the car in reverse, neutral, then back to drive, taking her time to accelerate through the gear shifts. I start to breathe easier, folding my hands in my lap instead of trying to secretly reach for the door handle in case I need to make an escape.

“This was so worth skipping one of our skating lessons, Hannah.” Liv rolls to a stop and puts the car in park, clapping loudly. “What do you think, Dad? Did I pass?”

“Not hitting that pigeon earned you extra points,” I say. “For day one, you did well.”

“A miracle, because I’ve been listening to you yell about shitty drivers for years.” Liv smiles and drums her fingers on the center console. “Can I drive home?”

“And break the law under my nose? No. You can sit in the back seat so Hannah can stretch her legs in the front.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. It’s like a movie theater back here.” Hannah puts her hands on the armrests, leaning between us. “Are you excited to spend New Year’s Eve with your mom, Liv?”

“Yeah! We’re doing a spa night with manis and pedis and watching romcoms. I’m going to do my nails pink to match my new skating laces.”

Liv unbuckles her seat belt and retracts the seat from the steering wheel.

“Are you going to any parties, Hannah?”

“No parties for me. It’s funny. When I was your age, I couldn’t wait to grow up so I could do all this fun stuff like stay up past the ball drop and drink champagne in a sparkly dress. Now that I’m older, I’m happy with

being on the couch and making a list of all the things I want to work on in the new year.” Hannah smiles, and I listen to every word. “Do you want to know what my top two focuses are?”

“Yes.” Liv spins to look at her, eyes wide. “I bet they’re good.”

“I want to prioritize my patience. Your dad has been so kind to spend time with me on the ice, and every day we’re out there together, I see myself making improvements. But I also know there is joy in going slow, and I’m having so much fun doing drills I would’ve written off six months ago.”

“That’s a really good one. What’s your other focus?” Liv asks, and I see the spark of wonder in her eye. I can tell how much she looks up to Hannah, how much she values her opinion, and it says so much about her character that she’s here, with us, when she could be anywhere else.

“I want to say yes more. To things that scare me—like the competition I officially entered in March.” Pride practically bursts from her with the admission, and Liv squeals. “To things I wouldn’t normally try—like coaching you, Liv. Think of all the fun I would have missed out on if I didn’t give this a shot.” Hannah gives her a high-five, and the strangest sensation settles over me as I watch her interact with my daughter. Peace, almost, and knowing Liv is in the best fucking hands. “I can’t wait to see where that takes me.”

“I’m going to focus on not comparing myself to other people,” Liv announces. “A girl who is younger than me already nailed her double Axel?

That’s fine. Mine will happen when it’s meant to happen. My friend at school has a boyfriend and I don’t? No big deal. Boys my age are gross.”

“That’s my girl,” Hannah says. “Brody? What are you going to focus on in the new year?”

I stall before I answer. I could go the coaching route: focusing on getting my guys to play better. More attention to detail when it comes to what’s happening on the ice. But these two are sharing important things with me. It doesn’t seem fair to take the easy road.

“My daughter lovingly tells me I need to lighten up,” I say, and Liv rolls her eyes. “I think I’d like to focus on having more fun.” My gaze meets Hannah’s in the mirror. She’s watching me, listening to me, and it makes me feel like a million bucks. “With people who know how to have a good time.”

“That’s a good focus,” Hannah answers. “Any idea how you’re going to do that?”

My smile is easy, slow. “I have a few ideas.”

LATER THAT NIGHT, after I drop Liv off at Kali’s, there’s a knock on my door. I open it to find Hannah in a sparkly silver dress, holding a bottle of champagne.

“After our conversation with Liv earlier this afternoon, I felt like mixing it up this year and going for the best of both worlds: a sparkly dress while I’m sitting on the couch because the thought of being at a crowded bar sounds absolutely horrible.” She grins. “Want to join me?”

“I’m a terrible father.” I yank her inside and close the door, pressing my lips to hers. She tastes like sugar, and she laughs against my mouth when I take off her jacket. “I was excited for Liv to spend the night at her mom’s so I could see you.”

“I’m excited to see you too, but I had fun with you and Liv today.”

Hannah puts a hand on my shoulder so she can take off her shoes. “She’s a good kid.”

“The best.” We walk down the hall to the living room where I have the electric fireplace going. “Want to open the champagne?”

“Honestly? It was kind of for show. I’ll take a glass if you’re having one though.”

“It’s the year of saying yes, right?” I lead us to the kitchen and open the cabinet, pulling down two cups. “This is the fanciest thing I have.”

“It’ll get the job done.” Hannah hands over the bottle. “I’ve actually never opened one of these before, so I’m going to defer to you.”

“I’ve opened plenty in the locker room after a championship win.” I walk her through the steps, popping the cork and pouring the alcohol into our glasses. “Cheers, Hannah.”

“Cheers.” She smiles and bumps her cup against mine, taking a sip. “So.

What time are you aiming to be in bed by? Ten, right?”

“I could be persuaded to stay up later.” I loop an arm around her waist, pulling her to me. Did you have something in mind that would pass the time?”

“Scrabble?” Hannah teases, and I laugh. “Gosh. I like that sound.”

“What?”

“You. Laughing.” Her fingers press into my cheek with a sigh. “It’s funny. Grant tells me about the guy at practice who rarely smiles and barks out orders, but I almost don’t believe he exists. You’re not that guy around me.”

“Can’t explain it. There are expectations that come with coaching, yeah, but when I’m with you…” I shrug, sipping my champagne. “I don’t feel any of that. I feel…” How is it that she makes finishing a sentence almost impossible? “Different, I guess.”

Hannah hops on the kitchen counter and swings her legs back and forth.

“Is it a good different?”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Good.” Her whole face lights up when she says it, and her happiness hits me square in the chest. She’s so fucking pretty, and out of every option she could’ve picked tonight, she chose me. How lucky am I? “I’m glad.”

“You officially signed up for that competition in March?” I ask, trying to get rid of the pressure sitting on my chest. It’s persistent, heavy the longer I look at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrified, but also grateful. Working with you has meant so much to me, and I’m ready to see how our training has paid off.” Her foot nudges my thigh. “I’m really proud of myself, and I’m not sure that would be possible without you.”

“Hannah.” I set my drink down and nudge my way between her legs, putting my hands on her knees. “You would’ve gotten here without me. I’ve only given you the drills. You’re the one executing them. You’re the one showing up. And while I hope this is the cure for your burnout because you’re so fucking beautiful on the ice, I also know I’m going to be so proud of you no matter how your story ends.”

She puts a hand on my shoulder, hope in her eyes. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I step closer, cupping her cheek. “This year is going to be your year, Ice Queen, and I can’t wait to watch you shine.”