Mitchell's Power Play

Like a Whale

SAMMY

The difference in Mitch after our friends arrived was like night and day. He visually relaxed in front of my eyes, and the familiar smile returned. We were all squished into Mitch's and my hotel room, which wasn't small, but with three large hockey players, me and Kennedy and little E with his stroller, it definitely felt that way.

I loved it.

I had to turn away from Mitch and blink the moisture out of my eyes the first time he laughed out loud at something Nash said. And I almost lost from the look on his face when Kennedy handed him Ethan.

This was what an actual family should be like. Mitch and I never had that growing up, and it had bothered me in the past. Full truth, I'd been very jealous of some people who had a great family.

But sitting on the bed in a hotel room somewhere in a small town in Michigan, I realized it doesn't matter. Who cares whether or not your blood related? The people that will drop whatever they have going on to come support you, like Nash and Kennedy, and Bryce, those are the people that matter, and the ones we want in our lives.

"Nash," Kennedy said when Ethan began to fuss, "I need to feed him. Can we go check in to our room?"

"Yeah, why don't me and Bryce do that while you change him?"

"He needs to eat, not get changed."

Nash was already at the door when he turned around with a huge grin. "Just in case, babe. Do it here. We don't want to stink up our room."

"Get out of here," Mitchell laughed as Kennedy shook her head and Bryce high fived Nash. "Good call," he said. All over the potential of a dirty diaper. I felt myself smiling like we'd won the lottery. And maybe we had. The friendship one.

After they left, so Kennedy could feed Ethan and let him take a nap, and Bryce could do whatever it is Bryce does for a couple of hours, Mitchell reached for me for the first time in days.

"Sammy," he sighed. "You are just what I need. How did I get so lucky to find you?"

I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me and leaned my head onto his chest. "I think that goes both ways, handsome."

"Mmm."

He bent his head and kissed me, tenderly. And that was all we did for a while, just kissing and innocent touching, until Mitch had enough. He flipped me onto my back and we spent some quality time - naked - getting reacquainted with each other.

Mitch and I showered and ordered lunch for everyone, which we ate in Nash and Kennedy's room. After that, the boys left to go check out the gym. Both Kennedy and I knew that was code, for them going to talk to Mitch without us, and that was more than fine by me. Mitch needed some time with just them.

Kennedy and I spent some time catching up while Ethan slept. She checked in with Jackson about their business. They had some ads that were due that Kennedy had worked on before she left. She also called her mom, but they were busy with the move.

I followed her example and called Carly at the funeral home just to find out that the cremation was scheduled for the following morning. We knew it was coming, but I still worried that Mitch would get upset.

He did, but not to the extent he'd been before our friends arrived. Whatever talk he had with Nash and Bryce must have put things into perspective for him.

It wasn't like his father had been a wonderful, loving man. From what I'd been able to sum up, he'd been a selfish, drunk asshole. No wonder he had asshole children. Except for Mitch, of course. He was wonderful.