Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Um…,” Ava drawls slowly, glancing at me one more time before accepting. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
“Awesome. I’ll have a badge for you at will call, and they’ll have someone escort you up. Now, I better get back to my table. I’m helping with pumpkin carving and crafts.”
Brienne glides off, and the woman with the clipboard says, “Places, everyone. We’re opening the gates.”
I manage one more kiss with Ava and then we’re busy greeting the kids as well as their parents, many of whom I don’t know yet, since my dealings with the administrative side of the organization have been nominal so far.
Just as Ava and I are saying goodbye to a little girl dressed as a fairy, three boys come up and yell, “Trick-or-treat!”
“Now, there’s trouble,” I announce as I take in Colby, Jake, and Tanner McGinn—our goalie Drake’s kids. They’re with his sister, Kiera, who’s dressed as Harley Quinn. I make a quick introduction between her and Ava, who then turns to dump candy in the boys’ bags.
“Where’s Drake?” I ask.
Kiera nods to the right, and I see he’s standing at the craft table, talking to Brienne.
“Did they coordinate that?” I ask in shock, noting that Drake is in a Thor costume that looks every bit as real as Brienne’s.
“They didn’t,” Kiera says with a laugh, “but damn if they don’t look like they both stepped off a movie set.”
“Well, Drake does look just like Thor with the long blond hair and beard,” I point out.
I return my attention to the boys. I’ve met them on a few occasions since they arrived in Pittsburgh three weeks ago. Drake’s new to the team, same as me, and he’s a single dad. His sister, Kiera, moved here to Pittsburgh to help care for them when he travels.
“Let’s see,” I muse as I look at their costumes. “We have a rough-and-tumble cowboy, a brave fireman, and what looks to be a future Titans’ goalie?”
“What are you supposed to be?” Colby asks, his cowboy hat just a tad big for him.
“The Cowardly Lion,” I lament, bringing my paws up to my face and pretending to hide. I peek through the mitts and see that Colby just blinks at me, unimpressed.
Ava steps into the conversation, giving my shoulder a little pat before bending over to get closer to Colby. “You see, he wasn’t born with any courage. So that means he’s afraid of all kinds of things. For example, those guns in your holsters probably have him a little on edge. Maybe if you reassured him that you’re harmless, he might relax a little.”
Colby’s eyes alight with mischief. He rests his hands on his toy guns, and in a spot-on Texas drawl, says, “It’s okay, Lion… I won’t shoot you unless you try to eat people.”
“I could never do that,” I assure him, although I absolutely have plans to devour Ava after this is over.
For a solid hour, it’s nonstop kids and candy. Surprisingly, Ava seems in her element as she explains who she is to those who’ve never seen The Wizard of Oz, engaging in one-on-one conversations with the little humans. She asks questions about their costumes, their favorite candy, and who has been their favorite trunk so far. With the little girls, it’s resoundingly Gage and Jenna, who are Cinderella and Prince Charming. I have no clue how Gage pulled it off, but he rented a carriage that looks like it’s ready to take them to the ball. There aren’t horses attached, but it’s magical enough that all the kids get to climb in for pictures.
The boys all loved the Power Rangers, and I’ve been watching the guys ham it up with the kids.
A slight twinge of sadness hits me. Not only are the kids having a great time, but their parents are too. I thought I’d have this one day with Melissa, and early on in our marriage we often talked about the day we’d start trying for a baby.
As the marriage deteriorated, though, those talks became fewer and further between until kids weren’t a dream for us anymore. Sometimes I think it’s a blessing that we didn’t because I would never want them to have suffered the death of their mom.
“There goes the last one,” Ava says as we watch a little boy of only about three, wearing a Spider-Man costume, being carried by his dad, one of the team’s assistant equipment managers.
“We have any candy left?” I ask as I glance into the trunk.
“Nope… I gave Spider-Man the last of it.”
“You didn’t save us any?” I tease, loosening the tie of the lion’s head hood under my throat and pushing it backward off me. “Christ, that thing is hot.”
Ava snickers at me. “Give me your paws.”
I hold out my arms, and she takes the big mitts off and throws them in the trunk. “You were such a good sport.”