The Brick Wall

Chapter 31

Collins POV

  There you have it, folks. 

  The introduction of 'sister' is out there. The look of being startled was rather faint on Curtis' face, outside of his throat bobbing harshly. No one other than myself saw it, definitely not my brother who became quickly enamored by the little cherub in my arms. 

  That's another facet about Mark that most wouldn't notice.  He's an incredible father, having received me as a gift for his eighteenth birthday.  I wasn't his responsibility at all, but there were many nights I'm told that he'd forgo going out with friends, choosing to stay home and rock me to sleep instead.  He could work on his fathering skills without the full fledge responsibility, which really  prepared him for the role of dad when Gage came along. 

  Lennox is twisting in my arms, lifting up a sleepy head to look around at the new space.  She spots Curtis within a second, lifting her chubby finger and pointing at him.  Her sweet, sleepy voice giving a matching, quiet, "DaDa."

  That's actually the moment Curtis' face pales.  A natural bystander wouldn't catch it considering the scruff on his face.  But someone who's accustomed to what being out on the ice for any length of time knows how red and blustered the skin can become.  He still had a tinge of pink on the skin up until now. 

  My brother's attention turns from the little girl to Curtis, whose hands are now out and accepting his daughter into the comfort of his arms. Mark's head tilts in the opposite direction of where Paige is resting her head. "Family emergency?" he asks. 

  Curtis' blue eyes drop, watching Lennox as she snuggles into him.  There's a faint wave of shame covering his features and that's when it dawns on me.

  My brother didn't know his player has a child. 

  I've just outed Curtis' secret.

  But why would he keep his daughter a secret to begin with.

  "Yes, sir," he answers quietly, his eyes lifting from his daughter's blonde hair, presumably wondering what he'll see when he meets his coach's eyes. 

  Where Curtis may be fearful of Mark's reaction, I'm not.  His players lives off the ice don't concern him, unless it's hindering their ability to perform. He keeps his nose out of their business as long as they hold up their end of their contract. 

  "She's a beauty," he tells his goalie, his hand petting over the soft blonde hair.  "How old is she?"

  I hide my smile as I take note of Curtis standing up a little straighter, a smile of pride begins to overtake his concerned frown. "Almost nine months, sir."

  "First Christmas then?" he tacks on like it's a question. Dear brother, you're not that stupid to not be able to do the math. But, I let them have the moment, admiring the change in Curtis when he gets to share his little girl with someone in his life. 

  "Yeah," his shoulders relax more. "We're uh, leaving early in the morning to drive to Norfolk to see my mom." He glances around the small crowd of my family. "Guess I better get her off to bed so Santa can pay her a visit." He tosses that in for the benefit of my niece.  I catch my nephew rolling his eyes out of the corner of my eye and I kick his foot with my own. 

  "I've got her car seat in my car," I tell him, figuring there's not a whole lot of reason behind her going back to the apartment with me. "I'm in Lot 4 if you want to pull your car around."

  "Or I could give you a lift," he offers.  I nod, looking over at my brother for a moment. I can see the wheels turning in his brain and I know I'm going to have many questions to answer, but those can wait til tomorrow.