Holiday Shot, page 10
“Look, I’m here. You can go to work and not worry about the boys. I don’t mind watching them.”
“That’s not your job,” he muttered.
“Of course, it’s my job,” I protested. “I mean, not my job, but it’s a given that when the boys are here, I’ll be spending time with them. And what are you going to do? Hire a sitter while I sit around and eat bon bons?”
He chuckled, pulling me closer so I could curl into his arms. “No, but I don’t want you to be forced into something you’re not ready for. You don’t know them yet and Adam can be a handful.”
“Hello… you’re talking to someone who’s lived her entire life with ADD. Adam won’t be a problem.”
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re a very special woman, Autumn. Thank you for making this easy on me.”
“Isn’t this how relationships are supposed to work?” I asked softly.
“In theory, but in practice, I’ve never had much luck with it.”
“Well, your luck has changed.”
“You’re damn right it has.” He tugged me up and forward until I was astride him, my thighs resting on either side of his hips. “Get undressed.”
I loved when he got all bossy and alpha in the bedroom.
“What if… I mean, the boys…”
“We’ll pull up the sheet.”
I hesitated.
“Get undressed, Autumn.”
I wasn’t sure covering just our bottoms would be enough, but when he used that low, sexy tone of voice, I’d do anything he asked.
When I was naked, I crawled back on top of him, and he slid right into me.
How was I so aroused just from the sexy timbre of his voice and the way he looked at me? This man didn’t even have to touch me to turn me on.
“That’s my girl, so tight and wet.”
Our eyes locked and the look in his—lust and destiny, all wrapped up in a pair of pale blue eyes—was enough to make my heart skip a beat. I always got this strange but wonderful feeling when we were intimate, and what we shared transcended the boundaries of sex.
What we had was special.
Important.
None of it made sense but I’d stopped trying to understand why or how.
It just was.
He pulsed inside of me and my core tightened with need. He felt so big and smooth and hard and silky. A million different sensations that sent my libido into overdrive. My hips undulated over his, the two of us moving in perfect harmony, and when he angled his lips to mine, I all but fell into them.
We kissed and touched and fucked. But this didn’t feel like fucking. It felt like two people making the best kind of love. The kind that promised today, tomorrow, and forever.
“Please please please!” I hissed against his mouth.
“That’s it, beautiful… I love when you come all over my cock.” He thrust up hard and we both went over the edge.
“How can it get better every time we make love?” I asked, collapsing against him.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s just the way it is between us.”
“It scares me a little,” I whispered.
“Yeah, me too.”
I loved that he understood what I meant.
“Everyone thinks we’re crazy.”
His arms tightened around me. “Everyone? Like Sutton and Cam?”
“Not them so much, but my brother called the other day and he was skeptical. But, I mean, he’s twenty. What the hell does he know?”
“Who else?”
“Well…” I didn’t want to tell him that the ladies I’d spent the afternoon with baking cookies had all expressed concern about how fast we were moving.
“Your friends?”
“Some of the girls here. Sutton’s friends more than mine.”
“The wives and girlfriends of the players.”
“No one had anything negative to say. Not really. It was just obvious that they think we moved kind of fast. But I stuck up for us!”
“Did you?”
“I told them we know what we’re doing. Besides, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I like how it feels when we’re together. And it’s kind of like fate stepped in, you know? If we hadn’t decided to do this, I wouldn’t be here now that you really need me.”
“I don’t want you here because I need you,” he whispered. “I want you here because I’m falling in love with you.”
“Same.”
“Daddy?” A little voice in the doorway made us both tense.
We were both still naked.
“You okay, buddy?” Henrik asked, gently pushing me to the side as he surreptitiously rooted around for his boxers.
“I had a bad dream.”
“How about we go get you some water and I’ll lie down with you until you fall back to sleep?”
“Okay.”
Henrik gave me a quick wink before slipping on his boxers and getting up. I went into the bathroom to clean up and put on pajamas. Then I got back into bed and listened for Henrik, but he seemed to be taking a long time and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.
The next time I opened them, I was alone in bed and came awake to the sound of laughter from downstairs.
Henrik and the boys were up so I quickly got dressed and hurried down to join them. We hadn’t discussed how he would introduce me, but there was no point in pretending I didn’t live here.
“Good morning.” Henrik grinned at me as I walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning.” I smiled at the boys.
“Boys, do you remember Autumn? She lives here now.”
“Is she your girlfriend?” Aiden asked, staring up at me curiously.
The boys were identical, but they currently had different haircuts. Aiden’s was short, cropped close to his head, while Adam’s was long and curly. Apparently, he didn’t like getting his hair cut so Lydia had given up and just let it grow.
“She is.” Henrik nodded.
“I remember you.” Adam squinted a little. “You were at Thanksgiving.”
“I was.” I smiled.
“Mommy has a boyfriend and now you have a girlfriend,” Aiden said. “You’re never going to live together again, are you?”
“Aiden!” Adam gave him a look. “Mommy said not to talk about that.”
Aiden made a face. “But I want to know.”
Henrik squatted down so he was eye level with the boys and pulled them closer. “I know you’re sad that Mommy and I aren’t together anymore, but it’s okay because we both love you very much. No matter who we’re with, you’re always our priority.”
“Mommy said her pie-ority is her career,” Adam said, blinking sad blue eyes at his father.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean that,” Henrik said softly. “Your mom loves you more than anything.”
“Not more than Harlan,” Aiden said. “He told us so.”
Henrik glanced up at me and we exchanged a telling glance.
What the hell had Lydia been thinking?
It was one thing to talk like that in private, but to come right out and tell seven-year-olds that their mother loved her boyfriend more than them?
And then she’d unceremoniously dumped them with their father.
This was the best place for them right now, but that didn’t make what she’d done right.
“Anyway, we’re going to have a lot of fun over Christmas,” Henrik said after a moment. “Autumn put up a tree and you guys can help me hang the lights outside this morning. What do you think about that?”
“Yes!” Aiden was excited while Adam seemed far more interested in breakfast.
“Did you and Giselle set up a time to get together?” Henrik asked me. “It’s part of your Christmas present, so you just need to go with it.”
I frowned. “I probably shouldn’t go anywhere today in case—”
“It’s part of your Christmas present,” he repeated. “So don’t argue.”
I chuckled. “Okay, you win. Now, what can I do to help with breakfast?”
19
Henrik
With Autumn out with Giselle and the outside of the house decorated within an inch of its life, it felt good to sink down on the couch and watch a movie with the boys. It was late afternoon, and we were going to order pizza because it had been a busy day. Autumn had texted to tell me she would be a while, so I was taking it easy while I could. The boys had been well-behaved and seemed to have forgotten our conversation before breakfast, but I hadn’t.
Part of me wanted to strangle Lydia.
Not literally, of course, but it felt like I hadn’t been paying enough attention. I’d known there was a guy in her life, and I’d kept that news to myself, thinking it would come up eventually. I’d had no idea he was living there, but after casually pressing the twins for information today, I’d found out quite a bit.
Harlan worked for National Geographic and he’d been trying to talk Lydia into this project in Africa for months. They’d had a big fight about it not that long ago, which was probably around the time she’d asked me to keep them over the holidays. When I hadn’t given in, she’d waited until the eleventh hour and brought them to me in Boston.
Now I was going to have to figure out what to do about it.
And them.
I’d always wanted to get full custody, but coupled with my insane travel schedule, it seemed wrong to take them away from their mother.
It didn’t seem so wrong anymore.
The only question was whether or not I could handle them on my own.
Yes, Autumn was here, ready and willing to help, but if things didn’t work out, I had to be able to manage without her. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, or how we felt about each other, but there were no guarantees in life, and I had to have a back-up plan when it came to my kids.
We’d need a nanny no matter what because I wanted Autumn to be able to take the internship with the Knights if they offered it to her. Dani had said she couldn’t make it happen until next season, but that worked in our favor. Autumn would have time to get to know the boys, spend time with them, and adjust to the life I was inadvertently throwing her into. If we survived until fall, I’d probably ask her to marry me.
The boys seemed content to watch the movie, so I got up and called my attorney, asking him to recommend someone that could help me if I decided to pursue getting full custody. Then I got online and sent a handful of emails. Autumn and I were going to have to have another serious conversation about the future, but I figured talking to an attorney to get the information I needed would be helpful before we did.
My life seemed to be moving at warp speed, but instead of being stressed about it, I was excited. Excited about living with Autumn. Excited at the prospect of having the boys with us full-time. Excited for a new year potentially filled with opportunities. My marriage hadn’t worked out, but that failure had led me to where I was now, so I couldn’t really complain.
“Daddy, I’m hungry.” Aiden tugged my arm.
How were these boys hungry all the time? I’d fed them an hour ago.
“Let’s get a snack,” I said, getting up.
They followed me in the kitchen and I pulled out cheese, crackers, and fruit, letting them eat at the island while I opened my laptop to see if there was anything that needed my attention. Toli often sent us videos to watch on our days off, and as I’d expected, there were a handful of them in our shared online drive.
I wouldn’t be able to concentrate right now, so I went to my email and immediately saw one from Harper Barrowman. My heart skipped a beat, and I wasn’t sure whether it was excitement or dread, but before I could read it, my phone rang.
I groaned when I saw the name on the screen.
Jordan Palmer.
This wouldn’t be good, and I steeled myself as I answered. “Hey, Palmer.”
“Coach.” His voice sounded weird.
“You all right?” I asked.
“I’m in the hospital.” He sounded strange.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“You okay?”
“I was in a car accident—not my fault, guy ran a red light. They think I may need surgery. I don’t…” His voice trailed and I was already on my feet.
“Tell me where you are, and I’ll call Doc Bernstein.” Bernstein was the team doctor.
“Yeah, okay.” He gave me the pertinent information.
“Hang tight, I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
I disconnected and took a moment to figure out what to do. I didn’t want Autumn to cut her time with Giselle short until I knew what was going on. If I needed to be at the hospital for an extended period of time, I would, but for now, I could take the boys with me. “Get your shoes on, boys! Daddy has to do something so we’re going for a ride.”
They raced to get ready and I grabbed my wallet and phone.
I’d call Autumn once I got to the hospital to let her know what was going on. Depending on what happened, she could meet me at the hospital and take the boys home in the SUV if necessary. I’d Uber home later if I had to, but I didn’t want Palmer to be alone until we knew how serious his injuries were.
I just hoped he hadn’t done anything stupid.
If he hadn’t, he had the worst luck in the world. The guy couldn’t seem to get out of his own way. This was his third car accident, from what I could remember, and if he’d been at fault in any way, Toli was going to add insult to injury by sending him back to our minor league affiliate in Atlanta.
“Daddy, where are we going?”
“One of the guys who plays hockey for me got hurt,” I replied. “We’re going to see if he’s okay.”
“Are you going to kiss his booboos like you kiss ours?” Aiden asked.
I smiled. “Probably not. Grown-ups don’t like having their booboos kissed unless it’s by their mommy or daddy.”
He wrinkled his nose. “That’s sad.”
Ah, the innocence of children.
Hopefully, Palmer wouldn’t need surgery, or kisses, and we’d all be home for dinner.
20
Autumn
I had Giselle drop me at the hospital since she’d picked me up earlier today, and it looked like Henrik would be there for a while. Jordan’s car had been hit by a drunk driver, and he had a broken leg. He’d been heading into surgery when I’d gotten there. Since his family was from the northeast, it would be late tonight or tomorrow before his parents could get here, and Henrik didn’t want him to be alone.
I took the twins home, stopping to pick up pizza on the way, and there was a lot of chatter and laughter as we ate at the island in the kitchen. Giselle and I had bought out a couple of different holiday-themed stores, and the purchases were in piles all over the living room. She was coming back tomorrow to do the decorating, and the boys and I were both excited to see what it would look like.
Henrik’s gift was so sweet and thoughtful, but I was overwhelmed by how much he’d spent. And what I’d seen didn’t even include the tree and the handful of items she’d picked up without me.
The boys were adorable as I talked about it, peeking in all the bags and asking questions about where we would put the second tree and what it would look like.
“Mommy only has one tree,” Aiden said, “and we put it up on Christmas Eve. Then she takes it down really fast because the needles fall and make a mess.”
“Mommy doesn’t like messes,” Adam said.
“Harlan doesn’t like Christmas,” Aiden added, making a face.
“Has she been friends with him a long time?” I asked casually as I scrolled the guide on the TV to find something appropriate for them to watch.
“Too long,” Aiden said in a dreary voice that made him sound older than seven.
“Feels like forever,” Adam muttered.
“Well, we’re going to do lots of fun Christmas things while you’re here, so you don’t have to worry about that,” I said, deciding on a show and putting it on. “I love Christmas and don’t mind messes as long as you’re careful. Now, you guys get to watch this show while I clean up the kitchen. Then we’re going to take showers, all right?”
They both nodded, and I went back to the kitchen, throwing away the cardboard pizza boxes and bagging up what was left of the pizza for Henrik to warm up when he got home. His last text had said Jordan was in surgery to repair and reset a broken bone, so he wasn’t sure how late he would be. I’d told him not to worry because I had everything under control.
So far, things had gone smoothly. The boys hadn’t had a problem with me bringing them home; they’d been happy to have pizza for dinner, and the ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations had kept them distracted for over an hour. Once I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I’d get them into the shower and we could wind down for bed.
At least, that was the plan. I wasn’t naïve enough to think it would always be this easy, but we were hopefully setting a good precedent for the rest of their stay.
I put everything that had been in the sink in the dishwasher and wiped down the counters and island. Henrik had left his laptop open before rushing out this afternoon, and the screen came to life as I cleaned under the mouse. I was just about to close it when something caught my eye.
Contract for Head Coach Position: L.A. Phantoms.
I froze, staring at it.
I had no idea what this was about, and I hesitated, torn between wanting to find out what the hell was going on and invading his privacy. He’d left the computer open, so it wasn’t like I’d purposely snooped, but he’d never said a word about a potential job opportunity in L.A. Certainly nothing about a head coaching position.
L.A. was only a couple of hours from San Diego, so it made sense that he would want to move closer to them. And if there was the possibility of him being a head coach, he would be crazy not to take it.
But why hadn’t he mentioned it?
More than that, if he knew he was moving, why had he approached Dani about that internship for me? Did he not want me to go with him? Had this happened before we met? But even if it had, he still should have brought it up.
