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Waving Evan away to hockey camp at the beginning of that summer felt like a kick in the teeth, his kid had been a whole hell of a lot happier since moving middle schools, the principal had been a dream to speak to especially when Jack had inquired about the family tree projects that had gotten Evan so worked up in the first place, and been told they were optional.
Jack didn’t think Evan was so worried about filling out a family tree and researching the ancestry of that tree, so long as he could include the people that were family to him, not the people who had given him away. As far as Jack knew, it was him Robby and Dana’s family, he wasn’t sure about his older sister, Evan didn’t speak about her much other than being upset that she never came back for him.
Evan had started fortnightly therapy sessions with a child’s therapist that Jack’s own therapist had suggested when he mentioned how hard it had been for Evan to transition to life in Pittsburgh. He was a perfectly excellent kid as much as Jack saw of him, he was pleasant, an excitable kid, he had reasonable mood swings, but Jack had seen him upset a lot and he didn’t want that to impact his life more than it already had. Evan had been hesitant to begin with but he seemed to have adapted to that well.
He adapted to a lot of things as far as Jack could tell, it seemed like a skill that would have been a sadder reaction to living with the Buckley’s if he had continued on in that house, now it was something he had learnt that Jack was willing to let linger so long as it remained healthy.
He was an extroverted kid that had a lot of introverted tendencies, he loved books and he loved learning, but he loved talking to people, it was just a shame that his first school hadn’t been the perfect fit.
Even so, things were looking to be smooth sailing now that he had moved schools. Evan had even met a little boy named George who had a real fascination for geckos, which kept the two of them interested for long research binges at the Abbot dining table when he came round so it was no skin off of Jack’s back to let them entertain themselves.
Starting summer without Evan in the house felt wrong, he was away for three weeks, the longest Jack would have been along for since he first came to live with him. The camp they chose ultimately seeming the best fit for Evan as a beginner to the sport, and they had an after school program if it really went well for him.
Jack had an inkling his kid was pretty much full on hooked on hockey, he’d sit enraptured between him and Robby on the couch during hockey evenings. So fixed on watching every part of the game he could catch on the tv they had to wait until period intermissions to get some food in him, too busy dissecting every play and keeping his eye on the puck.
He was just happy that the kid trusted them enough to show enthusiasm for something that captured him. It was a far cry from trying to convince him to let Jack buy him things, there was still some resistance but it had waned some since the transition into calling him dad.
He wasn’t sure Evan had even really realised how weighted that first one had been, and it had been another couple of weeks from the first before it slipped out again. Worried eyes held with Jack’s until with no negative response it was slowly slipping further and further into Evan’s daily vernacular. It was still interspersed with Jack but he didn’t mind it at all, it had taken a minute for the shock to start wearing off but that was his kid and no one was taking that away from them.
It hadn’t been until Jack had brought up the weight of it all to Robby after Evan had gone to bed one evening, that his friend finally revealed what had happened that night of the parent teacher meeting. Robby being the one who had inched that reveal closer to them was something Jack had not expected, but he figured to them Evan had been permanent in their minds pretty much immediately.
He’d always hoped he was doing well with Evan and it had been important to him to learn that Evan thought he was better than his original parents. Even more so that he felt comfortable enough to have those sorts of conversations with Robby. He was always so grateful that he had friends that were so willing to help him. He wasn’t sure how far they would have gotten without them, and Robby was a huge part of that.
Robby was a huge part of Jack and Evan’s life and he was forever thankful for it.
“Did you miss me!” Evan launched himself at Jack, who stumbled a little bit but held firm wrapping him up tightly. The kid might have grown an inch in the time he was away but that might have just been Jack being silly.
“Of course I did. Did you have a good time?”
“It was amazing! Some of the little kids were really really good. But I explained, like you said, that I’ve only been on the ice a couple of times and never with a stick, so they spent a bit more time getting me onto the basics. I was on second line, I tried all the positions but I liked being forward and defence the best. Goaltender was scary.”
Jack hooked Evan’s bag over his shoulder and lead the kid away from the rest of the families towards his car when Evan lit up again, tugging Jack’s hand to try and bring him with him in the direction he so clearly wanted to dart away in. Jack only stumbled a little bit, his kid slowing down some, always mindful that as much as Jack was upright it might not take too much to send him down if they hit the wrong angle.
Jack nodded ahead, eyes locked on those blonde curls to watch for him as he bounced through the crowd, Jack could catch up on his own that was a bit safer when his kid was this energetic. He was bouncing over towards another little boy, tearing something out of his pocket and handing it over to him with excitement.
He chuckled as he made his way over to the kids and the other parents who seemed just as endeared as him to the performance in front of them.
Evan grinned excitably as Jack located them and motioned towards the kid in front of him, “dad, this is my friend Robbie, like an actual Robert, not our Robby!”
The parents of the other kid, breathed an interested laugh at the words just exploding out of little Evan.
Jack shook his head with a laugh, meeting their eyes with a need to translate, “my best friends nickname is Robby, I’m Jack.”
Robbie’s dad smiled and shook his hand, “Freddy, m wife Amanda. Robbie was just telling us the boys were both on second line. Was this your first camp?”
Jack nodded, “Evan’s hooked, it sounded like a good one on paper so we thought we’d give it a try and it sounds like it was a winner.”
Freddy smiled, “they do a hockey school in an evening too if that’s something you’re looking for. Robbie’s been in hockey since he was five.”
Evan was practically vibrating with the possibility of it, Jack smiled down at him warmly, “we’ll definitely be looking into it I think, so long as it all lines up with our schedules.”
Freddy looked between the two of them, “let me give you our numbers, if you have any questions about the school, or at least if the boys want to get together again.”
Jack smiled, sharing contact details with them easily. If it became a regular thing he’d have to get them Dana and Robby’s details just in case but that was thinking too far in the future for right now. The boys shared a hug before they separated to their cars, Evan continuing to talk Jack’s ear off about the experience.
“Dad?”
Jack glanced up at him in the rear view mirror before looking back to the road, “yeah kid?”
“Do you think I could call Robby something else? It’s getting confusing in my head with hockey Robbie.”
Jack hummed, “you should ask him but I’m sure he would be okay with it. What are you thinking?”
“What’s his first name?”
Jack choked on a laugh, “absolutely, please call him Michael, that would make my day kid.”
Evan scrunched up his face, “Michael Robinavitch? That’s long.”
“Hard for some people to say too, good job kid.”
Evan puffed up proudly, “I’ve been practicing.”
Robby squatted down to accept the full weight of Evan bouncing into him at the end of his shift, “missed you.”
Jack smiled as he watched them from where he was leaning against his car in the parking lot waiting for them.
Robby wrapped his arm around his back as Evan squeezed his round his neck, “missed you too, Ev.”
Evan pulled back slightly, still standing in the circle of Robby’s arms, he poked him in the chest, “can I call you Mike?”
Robby blinked at him, shock flickering across his face, surprised at the swift change of subject, “I guess so? Why the change kid?”
“I met a Robbie at camp, he’s really cool and I want to do more hockey with him but dad said we need to check the schedules before we agree to anything. But dad had his dads number so I can still see Robbie, and it was getting confusing in my head having two Robby’s.”
Robby couldn’t stop the smile that had grown across his face while he spoke, he’d missed the little whirlwind. He lowered his arm around the back of his legs and lifted him up from the crouch he’d settled in to greet him. Held on tightly to his legs so he could continue babbling in his ear and Robby could walk them back over to Jack.
“Heard that Jack? Little man is calling me Mike now.”
Jack ruffled his kids hair as they got him situated in the back of the car once again.
“Aw kid, you were supposed to break his brain calling him Michael. But Mike sounds good kid.”
Evan made a happy little wiggle in his seat and then settled into telling his Mike more things that he’d already told Jack. Neither man would turn down a chance to hear his little excitable voice filling the silence once again.