I Want You Back (Want You #1)(117)

My heart damn near burst in my chest when my wife turned and looked at me, giving me that beautiful smile that belonged solely to me.

Her smile faded and she scowled. “Jaxson Lund. You get back there and put on your U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team jersey now, before the final game starts!”

Maybe she was taking the superstition thing too far? The entire Lund family—including the babies—had worn the same lucky Vikings jerseys after the “Minnesota Miracle” game that had clinched the NFC divisional title against the Saints, only to have the Vikings lose the NFC championship game to the Eagles the following week. We all still moped about the lost opportunity to play the Super Bowl in our home stadium.

“Daddy, go! Gabi got these for us special and we have to wear them for every game!”

Two against one. “I’m going.”

We settled in to watch the USA versus Canada in the gold medal game. Lucy had a bunch of questions, which I mostly answered, but Mimi chimed in before I could on about half of them. The kid was a sponge, and a natural athlete who worked hard at improving her skills. Even if she decided not to pursue more competitive hockey, we liked watching college and NHL games together.

Mimi and Lucy screamed themselves hoarse during the game. The shoot-out finish where the USA beat the Canadians 3 to 2 was one of the best hockey games I’d ever seen.

But as I watched my wife and daughter hugging each other, chanting, “USA, USA,” I knew my life was pretty damn sweet. Hockey would always be part of it, but not the most important part.

As they’d wound down the celebration, Gabi sent us a text—a picture of her with the team and their shiny gold medals—and Mimi lost her mind. The kid bounced off the walls for the next hour before we finally tucked her in bed.

Lucy sent Mimi a soft look before she quietly closed the door to her bedroom. “Do you think tonight will be a defining moment in her life?”

I pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe. But she also mentioned that she and Calder might pair up and start training to become ice dancers after that Olympic competition ended. And I know you heard her comment about practicing bowling so she could join the national junior league bowling team.”

Lucy sighed. “Too many ambitions, and she’s good at anything she sets her mind to. She gets that from you.”

“I think in the long run, the defining moment in her life will be when we became a family and she realized she’ll have our love and support together no matter what she chooses to do.”

“Perfectly said, Mr. Lund.”

“Come on, Mrs. Lund, let’s see if we can’t make another little miracle tonight.”





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Getting a head-butt to the groin was the perfect capper to my crap day.

I stepped off the elevator on the second floor of my apartment building, pulling my roller bag behind me. When I turned the corner—wham!—a hard head connected with my crotch.

Grunting, I crumpled against the wall for a moment, thighs clamped together to try to block out the pain.

Motherfuck did that hurt.

When I didn’t hear a “Gee, mister, I’m sorry,” I glanced up to see my crotch smasher sailing down the hallway, long brown curls bobbing as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

That pissed me off.

“Hey, little girl,” I yelled.

The figure spun around and glared at me. “I’m not a girl.”

“With that long hair I assumed—”

“You have long hair,” he pointed out.

“I’m not wearing a dress,” I shot back at him.

“It’s not a dress. It’s a hakama.”

“Looks like a damn dress,” I muttered. I closed my eyes and silently willed the throbbing pain in my groin to go away.

Stupid visualization exercises never worked.

Sighing, I pushed off the wall and opened my eyes. I said, “Look, kid, we . . .”

But he was gone.

Where the hell had he disappeared to so fast?

He’d probably slipped into an apartment. But I knew everyone who lived in my building, and no one had kids.

Maybe in the two weeks you’ve been gone someone new moved in.

That’d be an issue since Bob the building manager was supposed to restrict families with kids to the other building.

Did this kid’s parents know he was running the halls unattended? Did they care?

If I ever ran into them, they’d get a piece of my mind about their son’s behavior.

Why don’t you shake your fist in the air too, you grumpy old man?

I’d cop to being grumpy, but I wasn’t old. No matter what my body felt like some days.

I shambled down the hallway to my apartment. After unlocking the door, I dragged my suitcase inside.

The piney scent lingering throughout the space indicated the cleaning service had been here recently. When I snagged a sparkling water out of the refrigerator, I noticed my personal chef had delivered this week’s meals. Now that I wasn’t on vacation, I had to get back to healthy eating. Training started in roughly eleven weeks, and I already had enough to overcome without showing up looking like a lard ass.