One minute you're at the top of your game, and the next, you receive a hit that knocks your skates out from underneath you.
Still reeling after an unexpected loss, Ryan Nyberg not only finds himself back in his beachside hometown of Neptune Bay, bu...
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With so many different things happening at once, it felt as though the next few weeks flew by.
After spilling the beans to June about wanting to step away from Wilma's, Sloane had thrown herself into figuring out a plan forward. It was one thing to take the first step after having shouldered the weight and responsibilities of the store for so long—and I was so immensely proud of her for doing it—but it was something else entirely to keep taking the steps required to get herself to where she wanted to be.
But that's what she did. As if, now that she'd let herself think about returning to the career she once loved, there was no other way forward.
She spent countless nights brainstorming with June after closing the store, talking about who they needed to hire, what the future of the store looked like, and an overall timeline and plan for how to make their vision a reality. Changes were being made—albeit, slowly—and each time I saw her, she was more at ease. No longer bogged down with the stress she'd been carrying for over a year.
Some days I asked her questions, some I didn't, because while I was curious to know how things were coming along, I also didn't want to push. Sloane was doing things her way. She was smart, independent, and more than capable; I was just someone on the sidelines cheering her on.
All while making arrangements for my return to Boston.
Time was ticking, and I was doing as much as I could remotely in terms of getting everything in place for Bowen. Finding him a good school that was relatively close to my apartment, hiring a painter to execute on the mural he wanted in his new room, buying new furniture for him, and most importantly, going through several qualified applicants who could possibly act as his caretaker when hockey demanded my time. A few of my teammates had recommended an agency they'd used in the past to find reliable childcare, for which I was grateful. All of it was so foreign. Something I couldn't fathom myself doing just months ago, but with their advice, as well as my parents helping out with interviews, it was going a lot smoother than expected.
Therapy was also helping. Both for me and for Bowen. It gave me a safe space to talk about my grief surrounding Liam and Thea, allowed me insight into Bowen's thoughts about leaving the only home he'd ever known, and helped temper some (not all) of my anxieties around returning to Boston with him in tow.
All that to say, I was busy. Sloane was busy. But we found ourselves spending nearly every moment of free time together. We managed a few nights out while my parents watched over Bowen—either double dating with Mara and Sam or some much needed alone time—but otherwise, she was staying over at mine most nights. The two of us being creative, and quiet, in the ways we fooled around long after nightfall before falling asleep with our limbs tangled together.
It was honestly one of the highlights of my days; the comfort I felt as her breathing leveled out and I pulled her closer to me. The ease at which I drifted off knowing she was right there next to me.
