I chuckled. “Yes, of course I’d jump at a chance to be with Isla like that.” I paused. “I just feel like I’m wasting my life sometimes. I love hockey, and make a lot of money, but it seems like I could be or do something else. Something more.”
“Like?”
“I don’t know.”
“You would’ve joined the military if you hadn’t been drafted by the league,” Dad said quietly. “Is that still in your mind?”
“I was thinking maybe the FBI, but it’s so complicated. From that perspective, I’m not young anymore.”
“In what way?” Mom asked.
“Well, it would take a lot.” I explained about the requirements to join the FBI. “And even to get started in college, I’d have to take entrance and placement exams, get all my old high school records… It’s a lot of work. And yes, I’ve checked into it.”
“Well, you’ll have time to think on it this summer,” Mom said, patting my hand. “Maybe even take a summer class, see if you even have the patience to start university at this point in your life.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.”
“And now you have a college professor girlfriend. I’m sure she could help.”
I hadn’t thought about it in that regard, and I nodded slowly. “You’re right. I should probably talk to her about entrance exams and SAT’s and such.”
“You always did well in school,” Mom said. “Even when you were focused on hockey, you always got A’s and B’s. I think it’ll be easier than you’re expecting.”
“You might be right.” I was suddenly anxious to talk to Isla about the details of going back to school, and get her input. We’d discussed it in general, but not in terms of doing it right now.
“I guess that definitely means no grandbabies any time soon, eh?” Mom’s eyes twinkled as she teased me.
“That’s an emphatic no, Mom.”
“Dammit.”
“Easy, Dorothy,” Dad said. “He’ll let us know when he’s ready.”
“He’s already ready,” she muttered. “He’s just being cautious, which is great when it comes to some things, but not so great with others. Like giving me grandchildren.”
Dad chuckled.
Isla and I weren’t alone until much later that night, but I was still thinking about my conversation with my parents and made a point of bringing it up after we’d made love. She was nestled against me, covered in a light sheen of sweat since we’d gone at it for a while, but now that we were done, my mind was millions of miles away.
“Dax?” Hearing my name brought me back to the present.
“Sorry. What did you say?”
She smiled. “If I was insecure, I’d be worried you had another woman on your mind. But I know you well enough to know better. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing huge.” I tightened my grip on her. “But I’ve been giving a lot of thought to taking a college class, and I was wondering if you’d help me.”
“Of course. I told you I would.”
“Yeah, but this is more urgent. Like if I wanted to take a class in the fall, I’d have to take the SAT’s and probably a ton of placement exams. I don’t know the first thing about all that. Can you help me navigate the waters of academia?”
“Absolutely. Maybe, after the wedding and our week in London, we can go to Las Vegas and visit the university there. It’s University of Nevada at Las Vegas, yes? I did a quick search online when you first mentioned it, and there seem to be a lot of options for majors as well as digital classes.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too. I’m a little nervous, though.”
“Don’t be silly. We’ll figure it out, and I’m a great standardized-test-taker. I’ll whip you into shape for your SAT’s in no time.”
“That’s amazing. Thank you.” I dipped my head to kiss her and we were lost in each other all over again.
“You’re very welcome,” she breathed against my mouth when we came up for air.
A group of us went to pick up our kilts the next day. We’d been fitted and measured at a shop in Las Vegas, but most places in the U.S. didn’t specialize in kilts and that’s what Ian wanted for the men in the wedding party. I didn’t know a lot about the tuxedo-version of kilts, but the pictures looked great and Isla had mentioned how hot she thought they were. That was pretty much all I cared about. I’d wear one because I was the best man and Ian asked me to, but I’d do it happily if it turned Isla on.
“So, you going to give me the scoop on you and Isla?” Tore asked as we sat in a formal waiting area for our turn to try on our kilts and the accessories that went with them.
“What do you want to know?” I asked, leaning back and stretching a little.
“Everything. Duh.”
“That’s not happening. You’re going to need to ask specific questions.”
“How’s it going? Are you happy? Is it what you thought it would be?”
“It’s better than I could have ever imagined. She’s amazing and I’m falling hard.”
“Oh. Cool.” Despite what he’d said, he looked a little dejected.
“That’s not exactly the response I was expecting,” I said after a moment. “You okay?”
“Summer sucks. Without hockey, all I do is party.”
“It’s up to you to change that if it doesn’t make you happy anymore.”
Tore was quiet for a minute. “Sometimes I wonder what will make me happy beyond hockey. Hockey’s all I ever wanted to do, all I’ve ever done. I’ve always assumed there would be a family at some point, but finding that special person is harder than I thought it would be.”
“What about Margot?”
“I don’t know. I’m working on it, but she’s keeping me in the friend zone, so I don’t know if I can change her mind. And honestly, because of Gracie, I don’t know if I want to.”
“You don’t like Gracie?” I asked in surprise. “I thought you adored her.”
“I do. But I get to give her back at the end
