Something About Blending

Derick and Emerson hadn’t been able to see each other since the gallery show but they had spoken on the phone often enough for Derick to be teased in the locker room at captain’s practices. “How’s the girlfriend?” J.T. Miller asked one day about two weeks after the gallery. “She’s not my girlfriend,” Derick muttered. The teasing didn’t upset him but it was still annoying. “Girlfriend or not, Therese demands to meet her after the third date,” Henrik said walking out from the showers. Derick groaned. Some guys had to impress their mother with their girlfriend but Derick had to impress Therese Lundqvist. She had taken his need for help with Amelia to heart three years earlier and would do anything in her power to keep the little girl from being hurt. “He hasn’t even had a second date yet,” Mats chimed in defending his friend. “So we don’t count the gallery surprise as a date?” Marc Staal asked from where he sat in the locker room. The team that was present for the practice continued to debate about Derick’s love life, the most exciting thing to shake the team that summer- or the most exciting not trade related thing. “How serious are you two anyway?” captain Ryan McDonagh asked more out of curiosity than anything else. Derick thought for a moment while he finished putting his hockey stuff away. “I met her best friend, I met her son by accident, we talk on the phone a lot rather than text, but I wouldn’t say we’re serious. It’s still casual. We haven’t committed to not seeing other people or anything or talked about how either of us came to be single parents,” Derick told Ryan and anyone else who was listening with a shrug.

Tossing his bag into his car Derick called Emerson. When she answered after a few rings she was calling to someone else on her end of the phone. “For fucks sake Piper did you get any paint on the canvas!” he heard her exclaim as the music in the background was also turned down. “Hello,” she said to him as if just picking up the phone. He laughed and started his car. “Hello to you too. It sounds like you’re having an eventful day,” he said. Now it was her turn to laugh. Instead of responding though she waited for him to continue. “I was calling to see if you wanted to go out this week. It’s Monday so we have all week to figure something out. Get dinner maybe,” he suggested. Emerson smiled and nodded her head before remembering that he couldn’t see her. “I would love to. Only don’t forget that it’s my turn to recommend where we go. I actually might have an idea. When are you free this week?” she asked. Derick thought for a moment while he pulled into his spot. Actually I’m free most of the week, aside from workouts and practices. Mats said he would watch Amelia any night this week and she’s at camp during the day,” he answered. He heard something clatter on her end of the phone and heard either Emerson or Piper swearing again. “Okay then how about Thursday evening? I’ll text you the address if you promise not to google the place,” she said. Derick laughed and agreed that he wouldn’t google the place she wanted to go to. After talking for a few more minutes the two hung up for Derick could go pick up Amelia from camp.

“You look really casually for a date,” Piper said walking into Emerson’s room making her jump. “Sorry love,” she apologized flopping on her friend’s bed. “We’re going to the botanical gardens. I’ve always wanted to go but never had a chance,” Emerson told her while putting on deodorant. “You and nature,” Piper said with an eye roll and a smile. “I have to get going, I told him to meet me there at 4:00 and I don’t want to be late,” Emerson said blowing Piper a kiss and hurrying to find Teddy to kiss him goodbye. Telling the cab driver where she wanted to go Emerson hoped she would be getting there before Derick but with New York traffic it was hard to know. During the drive she worried that he was going to think her venue choice was anything but good. Trying to put her nerves to rest Emerson paid the driver and went to sit on the bench in front of the conservatory.

Derick saw her sitting with her eyes closed and her head back on a bench, trying not to startle her he sat to Emerson’s right. “You and nature,” he said with a smile and a raised eyebrow. Smiling back Emerson shrugged, “I’ve been told I’m almost a hippie.” Walking into the lobby Derick went to pay for two tickets when Emerson pulled out two tickets. “When you’re a nature photographer you get some perks,” she said with a smile. As the two took off to roam around the gardens Derick took Emerson’s hand in his causing her to smile. “So what have we deemed appropriate to talk about on the second date?” Derick asked in a slightly teasing voice. Emerson furrowed her brow pretending to be deep in thought. “I suppose this is when we talk about hometowns, backstories, maybe mention the kids once or twice and just kind of everything in between. Get to know each other, really,” she told him her tone light and playful but her words serious. “Interesting,” Derick said admiring the trees they were walking under. “Magnolias,” Emerson whispered with a smile on her lips looking up at them. “You should see them on the plantations in the South Carolina,” she added almost to herself.

“I’ll go first with my backstory, it’s not very interesting. I grew up in Hull, Quebec. I’ve always loved playing hockey so it’s living the dream playing professionally. My parents have always been supportive of my ambitions. I found out about three years ago that an ex-girlfriend was pregnant. We decided to co-parent from the start so I was there when Amelia was born. After about six months though she decided she was done being a mother and dropped Amelia off to me like she was supposed to for the weekend but then never came back to pick her up. I’ve been a single dad ever since. And the rest of getting to know me can just happen,” he told her. Emerson looked up at him and he could see an emotion in her eyes that he recognized, empathy. “I hate to one up you but my backstory is better. I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota not far from Piper. We met in grade school and we’ve been inseparable since. Growing up I always loved art but I loved a lot of things. My parents though aren’t supportive. I haven’t spoken to them since I got pregnant. They’re very conservative. Wanted nothing to do with me after they found out I was pregnant out of wedlock. So Piper and I followed our original plan, we dropped out of college and moved to New York to work in the arts and here we are now. We co-parent Teddy, who never knew his dad and whose dad never knew him. But it’s better that way. As for getting to know me, well I’m pretty easy to read,” she concluded with a laugh. Derick smiled down at her, knowing that it must’ve been odd to talk about her past, knowing that it must be something she rarely did. “I would say so, you like nature,” he agreed and laughed. The two kept walking and talking about everything under the sun.

Notes