“That’s awesome.” Brooke beams at him. She stands. “Do I owe you anything for today?”
“No.” Mom is firm in her tone. “We enjoyed having him. Reed, you’re welcome back anytime.”
“Thank you, Grammy. Thanks, Pops.” He hugs them both as does Sadie.
Brooke walks over to them. “Thank you for being so kind. His grandparents live far away, and we don’t see them often.”
“We loved every moment.” Dad gives her a small hug.
I embrace them both, and then Brooke and I load up the kids. After telling her I’ll see her soon, I head home. I think about the last month. I have a new friend, Sadie’s doing great in school and loves Reed. If only I can figure out where Ashton and I are going.
Chapter Twelve
Ashton
Today, I’m missing practice because it’s parents’ day at Reed’s school. The play and the little family event with the dance is all on the schedule. Brooke slides into the passenger seat of my truck since we’re riding together. She’s quiet, which is unusual.
“How are things with Nate?” That might be what’s going on.
“Really good.”
“And…”
“I think I want him to meet Reed.” She glances over at me.
“Are you sure? I didn’t know things were that serious.”
“Pretty sure. Sure enough that I wanted to mention it to you.”
We park in the lot, and I turn towards her. “Let’s talk about it later. I’m glad things are going well, though.” I smile to show her that I mean it.
“Thanks, Ashton. Let’s go see our boy play a mean piano.”
The lot is pretty full of cars, so we weave our way past them to enter the building. Brooke tells me that Reed was really nervous when he left for school this morning.
“I hope he doesn’t let his nerves get to him. He’s really looking forward to this.”
“He’s got Campbell blood in him. He’ll be fine.”
She laughs, leading the way to the gym which is filled with chairs and parents sitting in them. “Where do you want to sit?” Only a few empty seats are left.
“You sit wherever you’ll have a good view of him, so you can get some pictures. I’ll hide out in the back.”
“Ash, don’t be ridiculous.” She rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “No one cares if you’re here. Everyone is here to see their child.” I stuff my hands in my pockets as she looks around the room again. “Oh, Lexie is over there. Let’s go sit with her.”
Fine by me. She never gave me an answer about the dance, so we’ll see what happens. There are two seats left and Brooke goes to claim them. Lexie smiles when she sees us.
“Hey,” Brooke says. “Mind if we sit with you?”
“Not at all,” Lexie answers, almost sounding nervous. Her eyes flick to me before she turns to the elderly couple sitting next to her. “Mom, Dad, you remember Brooke, and this is Ashton, Reed’s father.”
“Nice to see you again,” Brooke smiles, taking a seat on the end.
“Nice to meet you.” I shake their hands and then take the only spot left, next to Lexie.
“Never thought I would be shaking the hand of the Bears’ captain.” Her dad shakes my hand with a hint of disgust.
“Dad, be nice,” Lexie chides.
I laugh. “Are you a Gamblers fan like your daughter?”
“Good Lord, no way would I be a Vegas fan,” he answers. “I’m a Portland fan.”
I smile. “Variety is good, but I’m just here as a dad today. Took the day off from hockey.”
Her mom returns the smile. “That’s what a good dad does.”
Things get started, and everyone quiets down. The play begins, and I spot Reed. He’s off to the side, focusing on the keys of the piano and waiting for his time to play. Sadie has one of the other minor roles, and they both do great. All the parents stand when they are done, clapping loudly.
Brooke and Lexie make small talk while we wait for the kids. I see Reed first and wave at him. He runs up to us, nearly tackling me to the ground.
“Dad, you came! I wasn’t sure if you were coming or not.” He hugs me tighter. “I did good, right?” he adds, leaning away to look at me.
“You were fantastic, little man. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, you know that.”
He grins, hugging me again. “I love you, Dad,” he whispers.
“Love you too.”
“Don’t leave your momma out,” Brooke teases, poking him in the ribs.
Reed hugs her as Sadie makes her way over to Lexie and her parents. She has to pass us first, so when she’s close enough, I hold my hand up. “You did great, Sadie. High-five.”
She grins and slaps her hand against mine before stopping in front of Lexie. “Did you see me, Mommy?”
“I did. You were perfect.”
I face Brooke to stop eavesdropping on Sadie’s moment with her family. “What’s next?”
“Lunch,” Reed answers. “All that piano playing has made me hungry.” He looks up at me. “Are you staying for lunch too, Dad? Or do you have to go back to work?”
Messing up his hair, I say, “I’m all yours today.”
“Hey,” he protests as he pushes my hand away to fix his hair. Brooke helps him out and once they are done, Reed steps around me. “C’mon, Sadie. You guys can eat lunch with us.”
“Can we? Please? I always have lunch with Reed,” Sadie tells Lexie, apparently feeling as if she needs to persuade her. I know the feeling, kid.
“Sure, if Ashton and Brooke don’t mind.” Her gaze settles on me.
“Of course we don’t.” Brooke waves her hand like she’s being ridiculous.
“The more the merrier,” I agree.
The kids lead us to the room where we’ll spend the rest of the day. We take a seat at a large round table. Somehow, I’m lucky enough to sit next to Lexie again. A teacher stands up at the front and gathers everyone’s attention.
After welcoming everyone again, she says, “The children have each made something in art class for their mothers. Kids, come on up and find them.”
Reed and Sadie scramble from the table. Not even a minute later, they return. Reed proudly places a little birdhouse down in front of Brooke.
“I painted it your favorite color for you, Mom.” He points at the yellow paint. “I tried to do dots to make it pretty, but I kept messing up.” He studies the sloppy circles and then looks to Brooke. “Do you like it? Where are we going to put it?”
Brooke hugs him. “I love it. We’ll find the perfect place for it this weekend, okay? You’ll have to help me.”
He nods, happy that she loves it. I subtly pay attention as Sadie slides a painting in front of Lexie. She climbs into her lap and explains what she did.
“There’s Pops with his worm cookies, and Grammy is sneaking fairy dust into the cookie dough for me.” Her little finger moves from place to place as she speaks. “That’s me. And that’s Reed. We’re waiting for the cookies to be done baking. There’s Mr. Ashton and Miss Brooke. And that’s you, Mommy. You are talking to them and telling Mr. Ashton that his team sucks. Oh!” Sadie seems like she almost forgot something. She moves her finger to a smiley face in the clouds. “That’s my dad. He’s watching us, like you said he does.” Sadie wiggles around to see what Lexie thinks. “Do you like it, Mommy? I don’t think I forgot anyone.” She frowns as if she might have.
Lexie is close to tears as she wraps Sadie tightly for a hug. She whispers something to her and Sadie hugs her back. When Sadie pulls away, she sticks her tongue out at Reed. “I told you a painting was better than a birdhouse.”
“Well, you wouldn’t paint the dots for me,” Reed says right back.
“You should have said please.”
“I helped you with yours!”
“I said please.”
“Okay, cut it out,” Lexie interrupts.
Lunches are passed out and the kids get distracted because it’s their lucky day. Reed and Sadie pract
ically go nuts over the chicken nuggets.
“Hey, you got one more than me,” Reed points out. “We should split it.”
“No way,” Sadie shakes her head. “It’s mine.”
“Reed, leave her alone. Eat what’s on your plate,” I tell him. What is wrong with these two today?
“Fine,” he grumbles. “But somehow, she always has one more than me.”
Lexie’s mom leans forward, catching their attention. “If you two can get along, there might be some cookies at my house for you. Only the best-behaving kids get to have some, though.”
Reed and Sadie glance at each other, and that’s the end of their bickering - for today, at least. Lunch ends up going pretty well. The kids run the show for the most part. It catches me off guard when Reed calls Lexie’s parents ‘Grammy’ and ‘Pops’. I open my mouth to stop him, but Brooke pats my knee under the table at the same time Lexie does. They must know something I don’t. Her parents don’t seem to mind, so maybe they told him he could when they babysat him for Brooke.
“It was nice to meet you, Ashton, and to see you again, Brooke and Reed, but we need to get going,” Lexie’s mom says.
“Are you sure?”
Her dad nods. Once they leave, a teacher goes to the front of the room again.
“Okay, boys and men. Find who you want to dance with, ask them, and have fun dancing.”
Reed turns to Brooke. “Momma, do you want to dance with me? We’ve been learning how in gym. I won’t step on your feet, I promise.”
“Well, how could I turn down that offer?”
He grins, stands up, and takes Brooke’s hand, leading her to the makeshift dance floor. Moms and their little boys as well as dads and their little girls make their way to dance. My gaze shifts from Reed rigidly following steps he remembered to Sadie, who is watching everyone. Lexie sneaks a worried glance at me before whispering something to Sadie, who shakes her head, not once looking away.
Without quietly asking Lexie first, I stand up and crouch down next to Sadie. “Would you like to dance with me, Sadie?”
Her eyes widen. “Really? I’m not as good as Reed.”
I laugh. “That’s okay. I can show you.” I hold my hand out, palm up, and wait for an answer.
She suddenly smiles as she takes my hand. “Thanks, Mr. Ashton.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I might be as bad as Reed,” I joke as we find us a spot on the dance floor. Sadie giggles. “Put your feet on top of mine. That way I won’t step on your feet.” She laughs and carefully does what I’ve asked. “Give me your other hand.” She does. “Now, I have a serious question for you.”
“What?”
“Are you like your mom and willing to be a little crazy? Act a little silly maybe?”
Sadie nods without hesitation. I hold our arms and start dancing straight across the room. She giggles, holding on tighter, and I’m careful to make sure her feet stay on mine. I turn us around in circles as fast as I can, pretending to get dizzy and almost fall over. She squeals in fear before laughing harder.
I shuffle my feet back and forth, attempt to do the moonwalk, and anything else to make her laugh. That’s all she does too: giggle while we dance offbeat.
“Go in circles again,” she pleads.
We start turning around and around. “Oh, I’m getting dizzy again, Sadie.”
“Don’t fall!” I stumble forward a little, causing her to half laugh, half scream, “Mr. Ashton!”
At the last second, I stand upright again. “Oops. Sorry, Sadie. We might have to lay off the circles.”
“Can you twirl me like a ballerina?”
“Sure. Hop off my feet.”
She steps down and I hold her arm up as she twirls around. I swing her out, keeping a good grip on her hand, and then swing her back in. Sadie laughs and holds her stomach.
“My tummy hurts.” She puts her hands on either side of her face. “My cheeks hurt too. We’re laughing too much.”
“How about we stop being silly for the rest of the song then?”
“Okay.” She takes my hands again and we dance in a small circle. “Thanks for dancing with me, Mr. Ashton.”
“Thank you for dancing with me, Sadie.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lexie
“He danced with her?”
I nod.
“Well, that’s it. You have to date him forever.” Tiff throws her hands up.
“He was being nice. It doesn’t mean anything else.”
“But you like him?”
“Yes, but we’ve been on two dates,” I remind her.
“And tonight is three.” She kisses my cheek. “Sadie, let’s go,” she yells.
Sadie comes running from her bedroom. “I’m all packed, Aunt Tiff. I have all my Monster High dolls and my Frozen DVD.”
“Sadie, did you pack clothes or a toothbrush?”
“Why would I do that, Mommy?”
I shake my head. “Go pack correctly, please.”
“I’ll help.” Tiff takes her hand, and they go back to her room.
I quickly run into the kitchen and pull out the pork tenderloin from the oven. I need to thank Dad for his tips; they actually worked out. My heart stops when I hear a knock on the door. I pray that he isn’t fifteen minutes early.
“You’re early,” I tell him.
“I couldn’t wait for a kiss.” He goes towards my lips, and I almost do a backbend to get away.
“Sadie is still here,” I whisper at him.
“Want to hide in the closet?”
I think about saying yes, but then, “Hi, Mr. Ashton.”
“Hey, Sadie.” He looks at me before putting on a smile, turning to her.
“Is Reed with you? Is he here to play?”
“No, he’s with his mom tonight.”
“Oh,” her face drops.
“Hey, Ashton.” Tiff comes around the corner.
This has to be the most awkward moment I’ve ever had.
“Come on, Sadie, let’s go have a girls’ night.”
“Okay,” her face brightens up. “Bye, Mommy. Bye, Mr. Ashton.”
I watch Tiff put Sadie in the car, and when she pulls out of the driveway, I go back into the house.
“Are you hungry?”
“I’m hungry for a lot of things.” He pauses, looking me up and down, but recovers. “I’m sorry about coming early. I guess I should have texted you first.”
I force myself to ignore his ‘hungry’ comment, because if I don’t, I might say something very inappropriate. “No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have let her pack her own bag. She only had dolls and a DVD.” I walk into the kitchen and pour us each a glass of wine. I cut the tenderloin and arrange it on plates with the vegetables.
Ashton chuckles. “That’s all Reed packs when he comes stay with me, but that’s because he has clothes at my house already. Well, he doesn’t pack dolls, but you know what I mean.”
I giggle as I carry the plates to the table and sit down. “I do. So, I saw the game other night. You’re really trying to gain the points, huh?”
“Wouldn’t you? I’m not even my own kid’s favorite player. That hurts.” He rubs his chest over his heart dramatically.
“Well, I can understand that. At least you have some motivation. However, I think that’s the first time I’ve sat through a whole Bears game on TV without being forced by Tiff.”
He puts on his sexy grin, bringing back the butterflies to my insides. “Sounds like you have some motivation too. Care to share what or who that might be?”
“It may have been a certain number seventy-four that I may have been watching,” I say shyly. It’s not like he can’t figure this out.
“And what did you think about that certain someone? Impressed? Overtaken by how handsome he is? Stunned into a daze by his smile? All hot and bothered by his skills on the ice?”
“Wait, are we still talking about you, or Mr. Fifteen who actually scored the winning goal of the game?” I cover my mouth, hi
ding the smile as I tease him.
“That was a low blow, Lexie. You’re still so harsh to me.” He shakes his head, but I can hear the joking tone in his voice.
“You’re being silly, but I’ll make it up to you.” Before I lose my nerve, I rise from my chair and sit sideways in his lap. His face goes from shocked to smiling. I cup his face in my hands and bring his lips to mine. I intended for a small, sweet kiss but I feel him kiss me in more of a frenzy, and his hand travels up my thigh. “Better?”
“Not quite.” Ashton squeezes my leg. “I’ll let you know when it’s all better.”
I give him one more kiss, feeling my hormones taking over more. If I don’t slow down, I’m going to tear off his shirt in a moment. “Will that hold you over till dinner is through?”
“I think so, but you might want to be on standby, just in case it doesn’t.”
“I’ll do my best.” I wink, going back to my own seat. I catch a glance of Ashton readjusting himself. “Now,” I say, changing the subject. “I may have checked the schedule and I did see that there is a certain favorite team of mine coming to town soon. I may have to take you up on those tickets, if you still have them?”
“Hmm…I might need a little incentive.” He winks, taking a bite of his food. “Since you’ve brought it up, there’s something I want you to think about.” He looks a little uncomfortable.
“What’s that?”
“I have a cabin and we go up there a lot when the snow falls. We’re going to spend the weekend up there because I have a whole weekend off close to Thanksgiving. You and Sadie are invited to come. It’ll be Reed, Brooke, Jax, me, and Brooke wants Reed to meet her boyfriend, so he’ll be there to. Tiffany could even come, if you wanted her too. There’s plenty of room.”
“Um, I mean, this seems like a family thing.” Why would he want us there? “Do you really want us to go?”
“Really? You’re asking me that? There’s not a person coming that doesn’t want you and Sadie, even Tiffany, there. Well, maybe Nate, but that’s because he doesn’t know y’all, so he doesn’t count.”
I giggle at him, thinking that Brooke’s boyfriend doesn’t count. Could I really spend the weekend with him? It wouldn’t be like we would be alone. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing. “Yeah, I’ll see if we’re all free to go. As long as you think it’s okay.”
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