Daughter // Tyler Seguin

1.9

After a few hours, the guys have to get ready for practice and I finally get a break to eat and rest my hands. I'm exhausted and I know I'll have to be here until after practice for at least an hour to make sure the guys I had to see earlier are feeling okay.

I'm sitting in my office writing up reports about Jamie and Cody, who both I put on no contact today and light workout tomorrow. Neither of them are happy about it but we can't afford to lose any players to injury at this point in the season. Sophia is sitting quietly beside me finishing up her math work, which is taking her forever even though Jamie was helping her earlier, it's about 150 problems for her to do. I told her when she finishes she can go watch the rest of practice and see if someone will take her on the ice for a little bit after.

"Mommy, can you help me with this one?" Sophia points to a question 22 x 12 and I nod.

"Okay remember, Jamie showed you how to multiply two digit numbers earlier. You do the last ones first, so you do two times two and get?"

"Four!"

"Yep, so write that under the twos."

"And then you do one times two and get?"

"Two!"

"And that one you write above the first two in twenty two at the top. And then you do two times two again and it's?"

"Four! And you add the little two at the top to the four and get six? And that goes under the line right?" I nod and she writes the six before the four.

"And then you cross out the little numbers at the top. And then you do?"

"Two times one?" I nod, "And that's two."

"Yep, so what's your answer?"

"Two hundred and sixty four?"

"Right, good job." She seems proud of herself and carries on with her work sheet.

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Tyler's POV

I'm casually skating around the ice while everyone waits for the whole team to come onto the ice to start practice. I'm looking around the arena and even though I've been here before, it's weird to see it empty and quiet. A few of the guys have stopped to talk to me, just to make sure that I was doing okay and settling in.

"Hey." I turn to the voice beside me and it's Jamie.

"Sup?"

"I'm on no contact thanks to the boss lady today. How're you feeling from this morning?"

"Boss lady?"

"Harley, she hates it when I call her that so I always do."

"Ah I see. But yeah, I'm feeling good. It's nice to get back into things because I had a while to settle in here."

"Nice, I feel like you're fitting in already."

"Yeah, everyone has been nice and helpful. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here and making some friends."

"And being close to Harley and Sophia?"

"You know?" I ask, referring to Sophia being my daughter.

"Yeah, it was a drunken confession at Cody's birthday party but I haven't and won't tell anyone because Harley trusts me. Plus she almost cried when I brought it up the next day,  she really didn't want anyone to know. She explained all her reasoning and shit so I totally understand it."

"Well, that's good. Thanks man."

"No worries."

"So is there something going on with you and H or am I reading shit wrong?" I kind of chuckle a bit to make it seem less serious. Jamie laughs and shakes his head furiously.

"No way dude, Harley and I are just friends. I offered to help her out when she first came here with moving in, getting Sophia into school and especially helping Harley around the rink here."

"Oh okay."

"Yeah, so I mean you're free to jump into that again if you both want it. Which I personally think she does but is trying to hide it, plus Sophia would love to finally know who her dad is and why you and Harley were never together." We've stopped off to the side of the ice and start lightly stretching. I think about what Jamie has just said and my mind is going a mile a minute.

"I don't think she does, to be honest."

"Why?"

"She doesn't love me the way I want her to. At least I don't think she does anymore, we've been away from each other for so long and she hasn't return any of my messages until I sent her a DM after it was announced I got traded here."

"Well, you'll never know if you don't try." Jamie gets up and skates over to where some of the other guys are and leaves me alone to think for a minute.

He is right and I know he is, but somewhere in my mind I feel like she won't ever want to be with me again.