by Kat Mizera
Jared wrapped a towel around Braden so he wouldn’t be dripping wet and Zio toweled himself off as well. Renee set the table and within a few minutes they were eating.
“What is this?” Braden asked, moving the stir-fried chicken, broccoli and carrots around on his dish.
“It’s Chinese food,” Daisy explained.
“Broccoli is gross.”
“It is not,” Zio teased, popping a floret into his mouth. “I love broccoli. And carrots. Mmmm.” He made a big show of enjoying his food and though Braden eyed him suspiciously, he cautiously put a piece of carrot in his mouth.
“See?” Jared encouraged. “It’s not bad, right?”
“It’s okay.” Braden shrugged, but took another carrot and a piece of chicken.
“What are you guys planning for the rest of your trip?” Jared asked Zio.
“I want to see the Grand Canyon, so we’re going to take a tour of that and the Hoover Dam. Day after tomorrow, right, Daisy?”
She nodded. “Yup. And we might drive to L.A. this weekend, just overnight, so he can see the Pacific Ocean and say he was in California.”
“Haven’t you been back to the U.S. since you left?” Renee asked him.
Zio shook his head. “No, and we lived on the East Coast mostly, so I don’t remember visiting the West Coast at all.”
“Can we borrow the Mercedes, Mom?” Daisy asked her mother.
Renee shook her head. “I don’t want you taking my car to L.A. I can’t be without one and Jared’s hasn’t gotten here yet.”
“We’re not old enough to rent a car,” Daisy protested.
“Well, honey, I don’t know what to tell you, but it’s a seventy-thousand-dollar car and I’m not comfortable letting you take it all the way to L.A. Especially since you haven’t driven in a year and—no offense, Zio—I have no idea how he drives or if he would be covered under my insurance if something were to happen.”
“Why don’t we all go?” Jared suggested lightly. “I think it would be fun to take Braden to the ocean since he said he’s never been and we can drop you guys off wherever you want to go. You don’t have to hang with us. I’ll even spring for the hotel room.”
“That’s good for me.” Zio glanced at Daisy. “Daisy?”
She seemed about to protest but finally nodded. “I guess that’s okay. As long as we don’t have to hang out with you.” Her eyes twinkled as she stuck her tongue out at her mother.
“Then I guess it’ll be my final hurrah,” Jared said. “I start work with the Sidewinders on Monday.” He paused briefly. “I’m going to need somebody to watch Braden next week. I’m happy to pay you and Zio, Daisy, if you’ll do it for me. I haven’t found a sitter yet, but we have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow and we’re touring two of the schools I’m considering the next day. I’m going to bust my ass to get him settled soon, but I need a little help short-term.”
Daisy nodded. “It’s fine. Zio and I can help.”
“I’m down with that.” Zio put another helping of stir-fry on his plate. “And this is really good. You need to show me how you made it, Daisy.”
Renee and Jared took Braden with them to the boarding school tour and the little boy was immediately overwhelmed. He stared with wide eyes at the campus, the dorms and the classrooms. Even the playground seemed to stress him out and he shook his head vehemently when their tour guide offered to let him play. He clung to Jared’s hand the whole time, burying his face in Jared’s stomach at one point because he didn’t want to walk anymore.
“This is a very typical response,” the headmistress said once they were seated in her office. “He’s lost his mother and is living with a whole new family. The idea of being displaced yet again is most likely very distressful for him. We have counselors here that will work with him to make him more comfortable and I think once he makes friends, he’ll be happier.”
“I’m more concerned about the lifestyle,” Jared said carefully. “This isn’t meant to be a punishment, like military school or something. It’s just that both of us are required to travel for work, a lot, so I want him someplace where he’ll have fun after school. I don’t want it to be all studying and homework. He’s nine. That can wait until high school. I’d also like him to be involved in sports and your brochure lists a lot of them.”
“There are rules in place regarding bedtime and the Wi-Fi is turned off at nine p.m. specifically to allow the children to sleep. However, Wednesday is game night and all the children gather in the cafeteria for games and free time. Saturdays and Sundays are mostly free time unless you’re on academic probation, in which case you’re required to have tutoring from nine to twelve. Otherwise, the children are free to play, watch television, take walks, use the gym, and play sports. There are arts and crafts on Sundays, bowling field trips once a month, random movie nights, and other off-campus excursions twice a month. I believe we offer everything we can to the children.”
“What’s visitation like?” Jared asked. “I don’t have a lot of time off during hockey season, so if I get a free afternoon, I need to be able to come take him to dinner or home for the weekend or whatever.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “This is still your child. Although we have attendance policies during regular school hours, parents who are local are welcome to come and go as they please, between the hours of seven a.m. and nine p.m.”
They talked about medical care, accommodations, meal plans, and tuition before heading towards home. Braden fell asleep almost immediately and Jared glanced back at him worriedly.
“What do you think?” he asked Renee.
“It sounds lovely in theory.” Her mouth said one thing but her eyes showed him something else.
“Do you think I should give it a try?” Jared asked hesitantly. His heart was screaming no, that it was a mistake, but he didn’t know what else to do and Renee hadn’t offered any solutions either. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place with no solution in sight.
“I’m not sure,” Renee answered, equally hesitant. “I guess we need to keep looking.”
This wasn’t good at all.
26
By Friday, they’d settled into a bit of a routine and it almost felt like they were a real family, Renee thought as she boiled noodles for pasta. Since it was Braden’s favorite and Zio said he liked it too, she opted to keep things simple. Braden was being a good sport about trying new foods so she wanted to reward him by making his favorite once a week.
Jared had been distracted and stressed, racing around all day every day to figure something out before he officially started with the Sidewinders on Monday. He’d found a pediatrician and started the process of getting Braden’s immunization records so he would be able to start school, and Renee had made some phone calls today that she was fairly certain would help him tremendously.
“I got some interesting information today,” she told him the first chance they had a minute alone. “What would you think about a granny for Braden?”
“A what?” Jared frowned.
“There’s an agency that specializes in middle-aged women who are nannies, like grandmothers who want to be nannies. Many of them are lonely now that their children are grown and need something to do with their time while making money, especially some who were homemakers their whole lives.”
“Huh. Never considered that.”
“Well, I went ahead and set up a meeting for us Monday at noon. I know you’re working but it’s not like the team is going to be there, and if we don’t find a nanny, you’re not going to be able to work at all.”
“Wow, babe, that’s amazing. Thank you. And yes, I can be flexible with my schedule the first couple of weeks.” He leaned over to kiss her and their lips met with more passion than either of them intended.
“I’ve missed you this week,” she admitted under her breath. “There are far too many people in the house.”
He smiled and pulled her against him. “I know, but I have a surprise for you.”
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br /> “Oh?”
“I was talking with Braden today and he seemed spectacularly unimpressed with the idea of going to L.A. and said he’d rather play with CJ. So I called Cody and asked him if he and Suze would watch him overnight since Zio was here on vacation, blah blah blah. They didn’t even hesitate. It might be because I’m his new boss, but it really felt like they wanted to. I told him I’d owe him one and he said he’d remember, so we get a real sleepover tomorrow tonight. Just. Us.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You have no idea how worn out you’re going to be in the morning.”
“You have no idea how excited that makes me.”
“I probably have a little idea.”
The trip to L.A. was fantastic. They spent the day at the beach in Malibu, followed by a romantic dinner at a restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway, overlooking the water. They separated after dinner, with Daisy and Zio heading down to Hollywood Boulevard to people-watch while Jared and Renee walked the boardwalk in Venice, ending up at a rooftop bar for a nightcap.
“It’s going to be an adjustment getting back to work,” Jared mused, looking out at the view, even though it was dark. From where they sat outside, he could hear the surf crashing onto the sand and a gentle breeze made the weather perfect for relaxing.
“I’m so behind on everything,” Renee admitted. “I’ve never had such a houseful.”
Jared glanced at her. “Do you want Braden and me to move out? I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I don’t,” she said gently. “It’s just an adjustment period for us. Not to mention having both Daisy and Zio underfoot.”
“Is something going on with them? They seemed a little at odds today.”
“I think Daisy’s struggling with how serious they’ve gotten. Her ex still calls and texts her and it messes with her head.”
Jared grimaced. “She still has feelings for this guy?”
“I don’t know. He was her first everything, and you know how it is with your first love. I wish Ben would just leave her alone, but he seems to be getting more insistent. I’m sure it’s because she and Zio have been all over her social media accounts together. He’s being territorial and it pisses me off, but I can’t force her to do anything. She’s a grown woman, no matter how much I still want to micromanage her life.”
Jared nodded. “Yeah, Zio’s as close as I’ve ever come to having a kid until a few weeks ago, and even I’m struggling seeing him in a sexual relationship. In my head he’s still ten, begging me to take him skating.”
“It definitely takes getting used to. Seeing Zio in Daisy’s bedroom at night… Ugh.”
They chuckled together before Jared brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing it. “I want you to know how much I appreciate all you’ve done since I got Braden. It means a lot to me. This wasn’t part of the deal and I wouldn’t blame you for running in the other direction.”
She looked out towards the water, a thoughtful look on her face. “It is hard, especially with Daisy home and me not getting much of her attention because of Zio. I have a new son-in-law, for lack of a better word, a new boyfriend, and a new stepchild. I can’t seem to focus on any of them.”
He curled his fingers around hers. “Trust me, I know. New city, new job, new girlfriend, new kids in my life…all in the last six weeks or so.”
“I’m guessing running away to Tahiti isn’t an option?” She gave him a wry smile.
“That sounds spectacular. You think we can talk Daisy and Zio into raising Braden?”
“You never know.” She scooted her chair closer to his. “We should go back to the hotel and make the most of this sleepover. I’m thinking sexy times are going to be few and far between once hockey season starts.”
“Well, all-nighter sexy times are going to be few and far between, but I don’t think I can give up my favorite taste of honey for good. We’ll just have to be quieter.”
She leaned in for a kiss. “But not tonight.”
“Definitely not tonight.” He motioned for the check.
Monday morning came too soon, but with Daisy and Zio promising to keep Braden out of Renee’s hair and the noon meeting with the nanny company, Jared got to the arena at eight o’clock, anxious to meet with Lonnie Finch, Pierre Bouchard and the rest of the executives within the organization. They had a breakfast meeting planned and then he would start moving into his new office. He had to leave about eleven thirty to get to the nanny offices by twelve. He’d decided to work from home the rest of the day, coming up with talking points for the coaches meeting he had planned for tomorrow at nine. He’d be meeting with the returning assistant and goalie coaches, Petr Svoboda and Rob Rousseau, as well as his brand-new assistant coach, Jamie Teller.
This week would be busy, but he hoped to get some of the big tasks out of the way so he would be free to begin planning for the start of training camp. There were a lot of details to sort out and he needed to meet the rest of the staff as well, including trainers, equipment managers, and everyone else that made a hockey team operate efficiently. Then he would focus on the players from last season, getting an idea of how he was going to set up the lines even before training camp.
Yeah, there was so much to do and he still didn’t have Braden set up in school or with a nanny. Hopefully, the nanny situation would work out and then he only had to worry about getting him registered for school. If they couldn’t find a nanny, he might have to revisit the boarding school option, but right now that was his very last resort. Not only was the cost astronomical, it would make seeing his son prohibitive. While a full-time nanny would be expensive too, at least his son would be home whenever he was and under the same roof.
He and Renee discussed the meeting with the nanny agency that night in bed.
“If we can find someone we like, I think this is going to be the best solution,” he told her. “We saw some excellent candidates and the one we’re going to meet with tomorrow sounds promising. Does that work for you?”
“It’s good.” She nestled against his chest. “We’ll make it work. I’ve got Chelsea coming over to help me get caught up on paperwork, so hopefully Daisy and Zio will keep Braden busy for a few hours.”
Though he was beginning to understand how much work it was to care for a nine-year-old, his chest tightened a little every time she mentioned Braden needing to be distracted. She was working, just like he was, but she seemed unwilling to spend any quality time with Braden and he wondered where they were going with the relationship if she truly wanted nothing to do with his son. He hadn’t lied about not having or wanting kids, but now that he had one, he was going to do his best to be the kind of father his own had never been. Part of him wondered if Renee would step up to be a mom at all, but he didn’t know how to ask.
It was too soon, that much he knew, but he didn’t have time to wait. With them living together, it was trial by fire and that wasn’t fair to either of them. They needed time and space if they were going to have any chance at all, and he needed a back-up plan because now there was a child involved. He didn’t know how to bring it up, though, so he blurted out what was on his mind.
“I think I should look for my own place.” He felt her stiffen and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. “It’s not what you think.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking?” she asked quietly, pulling away enough to look into his eyes.
“I think we’re going really fast and by living here I’m forcing you to do something you don’t want to do.”
She sighed.
“I know you don’t want to admit it, because you’re afraid it’s going to impact what’s going on with us, but we have to talk about this, Renee. If we don’t, it’s going to fester and one or the other of us is going to wind up resenting the other.”
“I’m struggling,” she admitted. “He’s a sweet kid, but he just lost his mom and I see how he comes to me for everything, even before you. I just want to snuggle him up and never let go, but I can’t.
I have my own responsibilities and a very busy fall planned. I stand to lose a ton of money if I back out of everything I have going on, and while I could certainly cut back if you wind up needing help in an emergency, I can’t drop everything.”
“I don’t expect you to. I just don’t know what to do. It might be time for us to slow down, back things off a little. I have to make him a priority and the same with this job. I don’t want to lose you, but he’s just a little kid and…” His voice trailed off. “Fuck, Renee, how could she keep him from me? I’m so pissed about that, I just want to shake her. No, I didn’t want kids, but she had him. My son. Who does that?” His voice broke.
“I know.” Renee wrapped her arms around him. “She was incredibly selfish, but she’s gone now and you’re going to have to find a way to make it right.”
“What if he doesn’t like me?”
She chuckled. “Then you’re doing your job. You’re not supposed to be his friend, you’re his father.”
“You and Daisy are like friends.”
“Sometimes. Other times, I want to put her over my knee, no matter how old she is.”
“I’ve only been this scared one other time in my life, and that time, I was equal parts pissed and scared. Now I’m just scared.”
“Then you’re on the right track. I’ve been terrified since the day I found out I was pregnant. You get used to it, but it never goes away completely.”
“Shit.”
“As for the other stuff, we are going a little fast, and I think it’s because it’s so good between us, but Braden needs you in ways I don’t, so you do what you have to do.”
“And what about us?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I have my career and my daughter, but she’s going back to Switzerland soon so it’ll just be me and my books.”
“You have a lot of books.”
“I do.”
“I still haven’t found out what happens with Petra and Phantom.”
“You’re going to need to step up your reading game,” she teased.
