Clusterpuck (Vegas Crush #9)

Epilogue

epilogue

Tripp

Four months later.

Gaudreau University, Southeast Ohio

Lila is a whirlwind, moving around the house, picking up notepads and bags and her phone, and talking herself through the list of things she needs for class today.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table, sipping my morning coffee and playing Solitaire on my phone. Hard life I lead, I know.

“Ugh, my pants are still too tight,” she mutters, adjusting her jeans and heading back up the stairs. She comes back down a moment later, unbuttoning her pants and slipping a maternity band over the waist. “I was really hoping I’d be back in my pants by now.”

“Your body takes the time it needs to heal,” I tell her gently, and not for the first time, either. Somehow, she still needs reminding that she had major surgery eight weeks ago delivering our daughter via c-section.

“Well, it needs to take less time.”

“Or you could buy new pants. We have plenty of money for new pants, babe.”

“Meh.”

We’ve been here in Southeast Ohio, since two weeks after the baby was born. Lila worked out a plan (no surprise there) with her instructors to get a head start on coursework and then join in person once we got settled. Now, our daughter, Natalie Jayne, is two months old and we’re starting to figure out the rhythm of our new life as a family of three. We decided on Natalie after my mom, and Jayne after Lila’s grandmother and her own middle name. It just sounded pretty to me. And Lila agreed with me with absolutely zero argument. That’s happened a few times now, so my ideas must be improving or her standards are slipping.

Moving two thousand miles across the country with an infant has been hectic, for sure. There are still boxes to be unpacked and there’s baby stuff everywhere . I know Lila has an idea about the aesthetics of the house, but this certainly isn’t it. She frets about it every day and I just say, over and over again, that we’ll get to it when we get to it.

“I fed her like twenty minutes ago,” Lila is saying as she gathers more stuff for school. “She should sleep for a bit, but there are bottles in the fridge for when she wakes up.”

She starts to walk past me, but I reach out and grab her arm, pulling her to my lap. She starts to object, but a kiss shuts off anything she was about to say. Well, almost. She pulls away and scolds, “I’ve got to get to class.”

I sigh dramatically. “Well, I’ll just have to save it all up for later, then.”

“Later, like when I get home, feed her, and then pass out in the rocking chair like I did the last two nights?”

She stands and fiddles with her pants again. She won’t look at me, so I’m fairly certain she’s about to cry.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

“It’s just a lot, you know?” she says, her voice tight. “School, parenting, all of it. It’s a lot and I feel like I’m not being a good wife to you.”

I pull her close, into a tight hug. “You’re the best wife in the world. Remember, I have nothing to compare you against as far as wives go, and I never will, so, you’re already the gold standard to me. I figured out a while ago that I’m a really lucky guy, living my best life only because of you and our daughter. You are the one who gave that life to me, Lila Jayne. It was all you. And we just need to remember that this stint isn’t forever. We’ll figure out the rest as it comes.”

“Who are you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You were so different before. Where did this new Tripp Blackburn come from?”

I have to think about that one for a moment. When I answer, I mean every word. “I think I was holding myself back. Putting up barriers. I was so sure I couldn’t have what I really wanted, so I became a self-fulfilling prophecy on two legs. I put limitations on what I thought was possible. But you busted through all of that. You woke me up and made me decide to join the world and really start to live.”

“I always knew you were in there.”

“Except for those first months at the Crush, I’m pretty sure you thought I was foul.”

“Foul, but still really hot.”

“At least I had that going for me.”

Lila laughs. “I really do have to go. But I will point out how serendipitous it was that we both ended up at the Crush at the same time. You know, my classmates can’t believe I’m married to a pro hockey player. I’ll have to bring you in for show-and-tell.”

“Well, you’re actually married to a retired pro hockey player and current diaper genius. Still impressive?”

“Definitely.”

“Your standards are very low then.”

“Nope, I disagree. I have it on good authority that Mrs. Blackburn has only the highest of standards in men.” She puts her hand on the side of my face and lays one on me. Never gets old. Being kissed by Lila Jayne Blackburn/Marchmont-Terry.

She grabs her bag. “Okay, you’re good, then, husband?”

I salute. “All good, chief. Little Miss Natalie Jayne will have delicious breast milk for her mid-morning snack, then we will deal with whatever pee or poop comes out as a result. Then we will take a long walk across campus in the ridiculously fancy stroller Auntie Jenn and Auntie Gayle sent us.”

“Let me guess, you and our daughter will then sit and watch the university’s club hockey team practice?”

“ Mayyyybe ?”

She gives me a knowing look. “Just ask about coaching.”

I shrug and kiss her on the cheek. “I love you. Go get ’em. Remember, you’ve worked for a team. You’re married to a player. And you’re the heir to the team as well. No one has that résumé yet.”

“Thank you for supporting my dreams.”

“Always.”

She steps out the front door and I watch her walk towards campus, her long, beautiful hair blowing a little in the autumn breeze, until she turns a corner and is out of view.

My wife.

And upstairs? Our precious baby girl.

I still have to pinch myself sometimes.