“Well, we were just leaving, so if you don’t mind, I need to get the kids’ shoes on, or we’ll be late.” Caro attempted to move both children aside and away from me. Hell no, that wasn’t happening, and the kids weren’t budging, and neither was I.
I turned my attention to the boy, Heath.
“Hi, Heath, I’m Easton.” I held out my hand. He stared at it for a moment, seeming to struggle with what to do next. He shook my hand and gawked at me. The kid had a firm handshake.
“We aren’t going anywhere. You said so. You said we didn’t have any money and had to stay home all weekend. Mr. E, would you stay and play with us?” Hailey challenged her mother while Heath continued to gawk at me, reminding me of the starstruck kids I’d met at team events. Did he realize who I was?
I smirked at Caro, having caught her in an out-and-out lie. She glared back at me.
“I’m sure Easton has better things to do with his time.”
“Nope.” I pushed past Caro and followed the kids into the living room. My disapproving gaze swept around the room and landed back on Caro.
“It’s a little messy,” she stammered.
“Junie? Hey, how are you?” I gave her a big hug. I’d met her that summer too. We’d hung out as a group and drunk beer and partied, typical teenage shit, which, if I were honest, I was still doing.
“Big E, you’re looking hot as ever.” She beamed at me, oblivious to the daggers being sent her way by her best friend.
The two kids stood nearby, watching the exchange in silence. Something rubbed up against my leg. I looked down and my grin grew wider.
“Rusty, my buddy!” I picked up the fat orange tabby and held him in my arms. He assaulted me with loud purrs and kneading claws in my arm. I remembered Caro’s cat well. He and I often hung together, him on my lap demanding pets, and me complying. “How old is Rusty now?”
“Ten. Can we have a word?” Caro’s words were clipped and tense. I grinned easily at her, knowing my mere presence was annoying her beyond belief, and my easygoing attitude made her even more irritated.
“Sure, what’s up?” I placed Rusty on the nearest chair and shoved my hands in my pockets.
“Privately.”
“Love to.” I gave her the once-over, knowing she’d be ready to explode after my gaze raked up and down her body. She was madder than hell and stalked toward the open doorway. I leisurely followed her into the room and shut the door. I leaned against the door, my expression impassive.
She spun on me, her face contorted in rage. “What are you doing here?”
“Visiting my children, as I have a legal right to do,” I answered calmly.
“I told you tonight wasn’t a good night.”
I merely cocked one eyebrow and crossed one ankle over the other.
“Easton, please, this is difficult.”
“You’re making it so.”
“I’m worried about the twins. You don’t have any idea what they’ve been through.”
I frowned, pushing away a twinge of guilt. She was partially right, and I knew it as well as she.
“I’m sorry. I needed to see them. And I do know what they’ve been through. I lost my dad in a fire when I was ten. Remember?”
She deflated before my very eyes, as if all her courageous blustering had been nothing but hot air and someone had poked a hole in it. She looked down, but not before I caught her lower lip quivering.
Oh, crap, she was going to cry. I couldn’t handle tears. We were doing quite well sniping at each other; why’d she have to ruin it by crying and revealing her vulnerability?
“Please, just leave.” She lifted her head, and that beautiful face contorted in agony, and I’d done this to her. I should’ve been an asshole and merely shrugged, but I wasn’t made like that. I was basically a good guy, and she was getting to me in ways only she could. A tear slid down one high cheekbone and dropped off her chin, followed by another and another.
Fuck. I wasn’t strong enough to walk away—at least not when it came to her.
In two steps, I pulled her into my arms, engulfing her with my much larger body. At first, she was stiff as a hockey stick. I stroked her back and just let her be, and she relaxed into me. Her arms went around my neck, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and once it had been. Great shuddering sobs racked her thin body, and she clung to me as if I were her lifeline. The Caro I’d known had been so strong, so independent. Seeing her broken like this wrecked me.
“Caro, I’m truly sorry. We can work this out. I’ll do it your way for now if only you’ll let me spend a little time with them. I want to get to know my kids.”
She blubbered into my shirt, and the wetness from her tears soaked through to my skin. I was sick with concern and worry. Right now, all I wanted to do was protect her, but from who? From me?
Finally, she gazed up at me, her eyes red and swollen, tracks of tears on her face. “I’m sorry. I’m so scared. So very scared. I feel all alone.”
“You’re not alone anymore. I’m here now.”
What the hell had I just committed to?
Chapter 13—Show Me
~~Caroline~~
Why did I show weakness to a man who held all the cards while I held nothing but a joker?
I’d fallen into his arms too easily. Being surrounded by his big, strong body felt too right, too good, too dangerous. He was bigger than he had been as a teenager. His body was harder and more muscular. He’d matured into a very attractive man, and the woman in me was all in. Thank God my head was still in charge of my body, or so I hoped.
I had the kids to consider. They were my priority. Starting any kind of relationship with this man endangered that priority and muddied the waters, not to mention what it did for my sanity and their well-being.
I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away. He backed off without protest but kept his fingers wrapped loosely around my arms.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Hailey burst into the room, followed, as usual, by her wingman, Heath.
“Mr. E, are you going to play a video game with us?” She stared up at him with big, wide eyes. My little girl was already drawn to this man, her father, and my throat clogged with an unexplainable emotion. I didn’t have a clue what it was I felt, but it was pleasant and unpleasant at the same time.
Easton glanced at me for permission.
“If you have time,” I said.
“I have time.” His grin was wide, reminding me of Heath’s last Christmas morning.
“Oh, good!” Hailey clapped her hands together and grabbed his big hand. She shot a glare at me, as if to say, Don’t you mess this up. She knew something was off about Easton being just a friend. Call it child’s intuition, but my perceptive little girl was suspicious.
The two of them walked out the bedroom door together, Easton’s big hand engulfing her small one. Heath stared at me momentarily, and I feared he saw too much with those old eyes of his. Without a word, he trailed out the door after them.
My stomach clenched into a tight knot. Only then did I recognize the emotion sliding through me like a snake through the grass.
I was afraid of losing my kids to their father.
~~Easton~~
I didn’t stay long, ever mindful of taking my relationship with my kids one step at a time and navigating the minefield of dealing with Caro. She’d turned cold again when I’d gone back to the living room. Fuck if I knew what I’d done this time to piss her off.
I might as well not agonize over her feelings since I couldn’t please her anyway. This was about me and my kids. Not her. Worrying about her feelings would only get in the way of what I wanted for the twins and me, as it was obvious Caro didn’t want it.
I played one game with chatty Hailey while Heath stayed in the background, never saying a word and always watching. I learned Hailey loved the color pink—no surprise there—wanted a pony in the worst way, was able to read to herself, hated Brussels sprouts—that we had in commo
n—and loved to ice-skate. She was working on her spins. She was all girl, but she had my competitive spirit.
My attempts to draw Heath into the conversation failed miserably. He would shrug and say nothing. A glance at their hovering mother indicated she didn’t have any better luck than me. In fact, I recalled she’d mentioned he’d been noncommunicative since his father died, except for when he was playing hockey.
Yeah, they were my kids. Genetics played a much larger role in our personalities than humans cared to admit. The twins hadn’t been raised around me, yet each of them had aspects of my personality, for example, their love of all things skating.
I let myself into my condo. Kaden was sprawled on one side of the sectional couch, eating as usual and watching the Food Channel. He had his phone in one hand as he popped buffalo wings into his mouth with the other. Steele was on his laptop, oblivious to the rest of the world.
They both looked up as I walked in and threw myself down on the middle piece of the huge sectional. I was grinning from ear to ear. I couldn’t help myself. I’d spent time, however brief, with my kids—my flesh and blood.
“Must’ve gone well?” Kaden licked his fingers and wiped them on a paper towel. He held the bowl of wings out to me, and I gladly snagged a few.
“Fucking incredible. I’m a dad. Guys, I’m a dad.” With a chicken wing in each hand, I used them to punctuate every syllable.
“I find that scary as shit, but I’m happy for you. If one of my ladies told me I had a baby, I’d be freaking out,” Kaden said.
“I am a little,” I admitted. “It’s a heavy responsibility.”
“That’s awesome, man,” Steele, a man of very few words, said. He grabbed a wing from the bowl and chewed on it, deep in thought but not adding anything else to his comment. He’d been more secretive than usual lately, and I knew better than to pry. Steele was the most private person I’d ever known. He didn’t even talk about his conquests unless he was wasted.
Meanwhile, the Puck Bros knew all the sordid details about Kaden’s various hookups, even when we’d prefer not to know.
“Does Caro know you’re moving her into a condo across the hall from us?”
“Not yet,” I admitted.
Steele arched his brows but didn’t reply. He shrugged and focused his attention back on his laptop. Kaden and I had speculated multiple times about what he found so fascinating that his head was always buried in that laptop. Not even a phone or tablet, but a laptop. Kaden, being a horndog, was certain it was kinky porn. I didn’t think so, but who the hell knows. People could have some surprising secrets. I suspected whatever he was doing was more personal and private than porn. I liked to think he was writing the next great American novel or something profound. That’s what I’d expect from such a quiet, introspective guy.
“She’ll kick your ass,” Kaden said.
“Yeah, I know, but I want them close.” I stole the remote from Kaden and flipped through the channels for a hockey game, ignoring his protests. He had a TV in his room. He could watch that. There’d be a disadvantage to having them so close, such as having Caro across the hall and attempting to resist her. The other would be exposing my kids to the Puck Brothers. The thought sent chills up and down my spine. Not a good idea, but they weren’t bad guys. I’d threaten them with bodily harm if they did anything unacceptable in front of my kids. Kaden would have to restrict his fucking of random women to his bedroom, instead of wherever he felt like it whenever he felt like it.
“Why aren’t you out tonight?” I asked, suddenly curious.
“He met someone,” Steele said. I glanced his direction, but he’d gone back to his laptop. Steele knew everything. The guy had heard it all and mostly kept the gossip to himself. I swung my attention back to Kaden, who was scowling at Steele. That was odd. Kaden loved talking about his sexual conquests.
“You met someone and because of that you’re staying home?”
“It’s a long story. She’s busy tonight. Some kind of family obligation.” Kaden sounded grumpy.
“And you couldn’t find anyone else willing to scratch your itch?”
“Something like that.”
“What kind of Puck Brother, are you?” I teased.
“I could ask you the same thing? When’s the last time you’ve hooked up with a random?”
“Not that long ago. More recent than you,” I shot back. I’d enjoyed my brief stint in the league before Caro had initiated contact with me.
“He’s addicted to this woman, like a drug. A bad drug.” Steele met my gaze and rolled his eyes.
“You are?” I turned to Kaden, shocked this was the first I’d been hearing about it.
“She’s hot, really hot, and adventurous in bed, and I can’t fucking get enough of her.”
“You falling for her? ’Cause that would mean you’d be the first to lose the bet,” I said.
“No, I’m not,” Kaden said defensively. “It’s just sex. It’s not like I found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, if I ever do.”
“I see. Thanks for the clarification.”
“I’m obsessed with her. I’ve tried to hook up with a few others, but none of them do what she does to me. I mean, she’s game for anything. Absolutely anything. The fucking part that sucks is that she’s really coy about when we can hook up, keeps me dangling. Doesn’t want to be seen with me. Just wants to hook up.”
“Maybe she’s married,” Steele suggested.
“She’s not married. I asked her. She might have a boyfriend, not sure.”
“Sounds like you’re playing with fire, buddy. People keep secrets for a reason.” I clapped him on the shoulder as I walked by, heading to the kitchen for a beer.
I’d never seen Kaden so wrapped up in a woman. He was the love-’em-and-leave-’em type. He didn’t get attached. This wasn’t an attachment though, sounded more like a sexual obsession. I didn’t worry too much about it. Knowing Kaden, no matter how hot this woman was, the relationship would soon run its course.
Chapter 14—Mr. E
~~Caroline~~
On Saturday morning, I dragged my tired butt out of bed and cooked breakfast. I’d expected to hear from Easton by now. He’d texted yesterday that the condo was supposed to be ready to move into this weekend, but they were having issues getting a few repairs done.
“When is Mr. E coming to see us again?” Hailey asked. She held her ragged teddy bear in one hand and a worn book in the other. The teddy bear had been a gift from Mark, and my heart squeezed every time I saw it.
It’d been a few days since Easton had interrupted our afternoon and disrupted our lives. Hailey chattered nonstop about Mr. E, while Heath said nothing.
They didn’t seem to know Easton was a hockey player, even though Heath did follow some pro hockey. If he did know, he wasn’t talking, and I wasn’t ready to tell them yet.
“When is he coming again?” Hailey insisted, not to be deterred.
“Soon. He’s a very busy man. Please don’t get your hopes up.”
She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and blinked back tears. The tears came easily to her these past few months, and seeing them so often broke my heart. She’d been such a happy, carefree, loving child before Mark died.
“He said he’d watch me skate.”
“He did?” I didn’t conceal my surprise. I hadn’t heard him say any such thing. He must have made the offer when I’d left briefly to use the bathroom.
Hailey nodded vigorously. “Didn’t he, Heath?”
Heath’s gaze flicked from me to Hailey and back to me. He nodded solemnly.
“I’m sure he will then.” I suppressed a resigned sigh. My daughter was attaching herself to Easton already as a surrogate father, and the irony in the situation wasn’t lost on me. Still, I worried Easton might not be around long term. He’d play the father role until he tired of it or some gorgeous celebrity caught his eye and he forgot he had kids.
I’d researched him pretty extensively the past few
weeks, trying to get a handle on what kind of man he was now compared to the teenager I’d known. What I’d discovered were countless pictures of him with beautiful women on his arm, getting wasted with his buddies, and playing hockey. Of course, hockey. With Easton, hockey came first. And if he was traded to another team, then what would happen? I didn’t see such a thing happening this season or even in the next couple years, but hockey players moved from team to team, and eventually Easton would, too. I wasn’t following him all over North America with my kids in tow.
Kids survived moving around a lot. Other hockey families dealt with these issues, not to mention military families. I might as well admit it. I was the one who didn’t want uprooted. Not that I had to. We weren’t a couple or anything. But the one stipulation in the agreement stated we had to live within forty-five minutes of each other. What if I had a boyfriend or a husband? This requirement was unreasonable, and the paperwork wouldn’t be signed until we straightened this out.
Resisting Easton’s involvement in my children’s lives was becoming futile, almost as futile as resisting his intrusion into my life.
“Hey, it’s not raining. I’m going for a walk. Who wants to join me?” Junie announced as she entered the living room carrying the twins’ coats, already knowing their answer. Hailey shot to her feet, jumping up and down and jabbering away. Heath stood, too, and reached for his coat.
“Caro? You coming?”
“If you don’t mind, I have some things to finish up. I think I’ll stay here.”
Junie smiled and herded her charges out the door. She glanced over her shoulder just before she shut the door. “Enjoy your moments of silence.”
“I will.”
~~Easton~~
On Saturday morning, I worked out and attended the optional skate. By noon I was knocking, unannounced, on Caro’s door. I was sure I’d piss her off again for not texting, but I was on a mission.
I had a game tonight, so my time was limited. Just this morning, the building manager had dropped off the keys to Caro’s condo. The place was finally move-in ready. I’d taken the liberty of rounding up some teammates with trucks to move her in tomorrow.
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