“It sounds perfect to me.”
The rest of the dinner is light conversation about work and the events that are coming up on my schedule. Ashton listens to me complain about the Steinbergs and the stress that my work puts me under. Nonetheless, it’s good money, and at the end of the day, I do like it.
At the end of our meal, he even helps me clean up. I rinse the dishes, and he loads the dishwasher.
“That was a great meal, Lex.”
“Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit. My dad has taken up cooking, and he gave me some notes on what to do,” I tell him truthfully.
“Reed told me all about the bug guts and worm cookies.”
I laugh. “Yeah, my dad is always trying to gross Sadie out, but I think she’s immune to it.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
I shake my head. “No, just me, and Tony only had Tiffany.”
“Tiffany? She’s your sister-in-law?”
I nod. “They were twins.”
“You know, I thought Sadie looked like her.” He shuts the dishwater and turns it on.
“Sadie looks a lot like her and Tony. Thankfully, she didn’t get bright red hair, like mine.” We wash our hands and dry them off. “Do you want to watch a movie? I might have something other than SpongeBob, although I can’t swear to it. Or do you need to leave?”
“It’s nine o’clock. I think I can stay a little bit longer.” He kisses my forehead.
I take his hand, grab our glasses, and head into the living room. I turn on the TV and of course it’s Finding Nemo on the screen.
Ashton chuckles. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who has cartoons on my TV all the time.”
“Trust me. If you have kids, you have cartoons on 24/7.”
“How about we just listen to some music?” he suggests.
“That sounds perfect.” I turn on the all-music channel and turn the volume low, so that it lightly floats around us. I’m sitting here, not exactly sure what to do, even though I know that I want to kiss him again. My thoughts and plans of how I want to proceed are interrupted when my phone rings.
“Mommy, you didn’t call to say ‘goodnight’.”
Crap. “I’m sorry, Sadie. Are you having fun with Aunt Tiff?”
“Yes, she gave me a makeover.”
Oh, dear. My thoughts race, thinking my child must look more like a clown than a little girl. “Well, I’m glad you’re having fun. I love you, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“Love you.” I end the call, and Ashton’s looking at me, smiling.
“They seem to have perfect timing.”
“Sadie does. Trust me on that.” I set my glass of wine next to his and scoot closer to him, tucking one leg under the other, facing him.
Ashton reaches out and plays with a strand of my hair. “So, do you think I’ll get an official answer about the weekend trip? I don’t get many weekends off.”
“I’ll have to check my work schedule, but I think it’s doable.” My voice is soft. I feel my body leaning to him like a magnet.
“Good.”
His lips brush against mine, and my body tingles with anticipation. Yes, we kissed before, but this feels different. More is going to come. I mean, we’re alone in my house.
Do I want to do this?
I push into him, and my mouth opens. I taste the tangy wine as our tongues push against each other. He wraps his fingers in my hair and pulls me closer to him. I wind my arms around him. He guides me to lay on my back, and we adjust ourselves as he lies flush with my body.
Ashton’s hand leaves my hair, tracing down my neck to cup my breast. I moan as he squeezes me. His lips kiss my neck as the hand that was on my breast now plays with the hem of my shirt. His hands are softer than I thought they would’ve been as he snakes up to my bra. I arch my back and neck when he pinches my nipple through the material. I latch onto the small of his back, feeling his hardness against my pelvis.
“Lexie,” he moans when I lift my hips and rock against him. He pins me with his. Light touches trail down my waist until he cups my ass, and I throw my leg over his. Ashton kisses my lips harder this time, and I tug on his, wanting to feel more of him. But, all I feel is vibrating.
“Ashton,” I pull away from him. “Your phone.”
He growls and pulls it out of his pocket. He looks at the display and takes a deep breath. “Hey, little man.”
I faintly hear Reed’s voice on the other end, talking fast.
“I told you I would be there in the morning to have waffles with you.”
Reed continues.
“Son, we can talk about that in the morning. I love you. Now, go to bed.”
Reed keeps going.
“Reed, it’s late. I love you, and we can talk all about it in the morning when your mother and I are together.” He pauses. “Yes, I love you. Good night.” Ashton ends the call and looks down at me. “See, perfect timing.” He sighs.
“It’s okay.” I touch his cheek. Even though I still want him, the mood has lessened.
His hazel eyes are still drinking me in, but I know he feels the same way as I do. Ashton kisses me lightly on the lips before pulling me up to a standing position with him.
“I did have a good night,” I tell him.
“I did too.” He holds me closer. “Next time, I call Reed before anything starts.”
“It’s fine.” I shake my head. “I understand, remember?” I leave his arms and head to the front door.
“I’ll have tickets for you, Sadie, and Tiffany at the ticket office. You can pick them up there, okay?”
I nod. We kiss one more time, and I watch him go to his truck. When he drives out of the driveway, I shut the door and press my head against it.
Yep, I would have done more.
Chapter Fourteen
Ashton
Jax shoves me as we race down the ice. “Your girlfriend is going to dump you when you lose.”
Girlfriend? His words catch me off guard just enough that I slow down and have to catch back up to him. I’ve yet to say anything to Jax about a girlfriend, which means he’s been talking to Brooke. A teammate is already battling with Jax in the corner, so I help him stall Jax until he can take the puck back down the ice.
We’re only down by one in the second period, but by Jax’s mouth, you’d have thought we were down by ten.
“How the fuck are you playing in the NHL?”
“No wonder I’m Reed’s favorite.”
“You might as well sit on the bench.”
He goes on and on. After the comment about Reed, I may have almost tripped him. The only way to redeem myself is to win the game and score some goals. Once I cancel out all of Jax’s talking, I focus on my job. I manage to get a little bit away from the others to make a pass and position myself near the net. My eyes never leave the puck as it gets passed again before coming my way. Skating behind the net and coming back around, I flick it up over the shoulder of the goalie.
The adrenaline swiftly runs through me as the buzzer sounds for the end of the period. As long as we can keep the momentum going and play well, then we can win. The third starts with a lot of hope, but it’s as if Jax knows how badly I want this win, and he adds an extra incentive or something if they win. I get so frustrated at one point that I land my ass in the penalty box. A lot of good that does me too.
They score twice while I’m sitting there, watching it all play out. Jax is going to be unbearable this weekend, especially when he’s on a win-high.
We’re leaving straight from the arena to go to the cabin, so we won’t have to be up early in the morning to drive. Brooke rented a large van that will accommodate all of us. They are supposed to be waiting out in the lot for Jax and me, which is where we’re headed now.
“When will you learn, Ashton?” Jax shakes his head like he’s disappointed in me.
“Shut up. Why isn’t Avery coming this weekend? I mean, everyone else is coming.” Ave
ry is Jax’s wife, and she normally comes with him on trips like these, but he hasn’t even mentioned her.
“She’s busy,” he answers with a shrug. Something isn’t quite right with his nonchalance. He glances at me with a smirk. “And trust me, I know all about who is coming.”
Before I can question him, I see Brooke, Reed, Lexie, Sadie, and Tiffany standing in a neat little line in front of the vehicle. All of them are wearing Jax’s jersey, even Sadie.
“What the -”
“Ash,” Brooke interrupts with a smile.
Right. Language. “What happened to y’all?”
Jax slaps me hard on the shoulder. “I found out that they were all fans of mine, so I gave them a present.”
“Did you wear that to the game, Reed?”
“We all did,” he answers. “Sorry, Dad.”
“I didn’t want to wear mine,” Sadie speaks up. “Mommy said I could have ice cream if I did, though.” She shrugs like she didn’t have a choice, and I laugh, turning my eyes on Lex, who looks really happy.
“You can be my best friend this weekend, then,” I tell her. “Sadie, this is Jax. He plays on the team your mom likes.”
“I know who he is. My mommy is in love with him.”
“Sadie Tiffany Allen.” Lexie’s face is red from embarrassment.
“What? You do. You said it!”
Jax laughs, steps forward, and holds out his hand. “I’m Jax, the love of your life. Figured we should finally meet.”
Lexie reluctantly shakes his hand. “Lexie,” is all she manages to say.
“And I’m her wonderful best friend, Tiffany.” Tiff steps forward and shakes Jax’s hand for a moment too long with a big grin.
“Nice to meet you.” Jax moves on to hug Brooke and Reed.
“Okay,” I interrupt their reunion. “Let’s go. I’m starting to get sick looking at all these jerseys.”
Reed wants his Uncle Jax to sit in the back with him, which leaves Brooke and Lexie each urging the other to sit in the front seat with me as Tiffany sits in the back as well. It doesn’t end until Brooke shoves Lex towards the passenger door and quickly takes the seat next to Sadie.
Once we get on the road, the conversations in the back running on top of each other, I glance at Lexie.
“Sorry you couldn’t sit in the back with the guy you’re in love with,” I tease. “His wife might have a problem with you spending a weekend with him, though.”
She groans. “That child is going to get me in so much trouble one day.”
“She’s only repeating stuff you say,” I point out.
“I’m pretty sure I only said that I loved him, not that I was in love with him.”
I laugh. “Doesn’t matter. She’s six, she knows what she heard.”
Lex giggles, but doesn’t say anything more. The talk in the back slowly gets quieter and quieter. When I glance into the back after we park at the cabin, I look to confirm my suspicions. Reed and Sadie are sound asleep. Brooke goes ahead to unlock the door and turn on lights as I tell Jax to carry Reed as I scoop up Sadie.
Neither waken as we lay them down in their respective twin beds in the kids’ room. As we walk back out to help the girls carry in bags, Jax goes, “You didn’t tell me they were hot.”
“You’re married,” I remind him, even though I know I don’t really need to. “Plus, they are out of your league, and Lex is definitely off limits.”
“Oh, I know. Had to hear all about it from Brooke instead of you. I’m hurt, really.” He pretends to wipe away invisible tears.
“Maybe I wanted it to be a surprise.” Or to not hear what I’m hearing now.
He chuckles, but leaves me to help Tiffany with her current load of bags. After everything is inside, Brooke sneaks off to her room as I show everyone else where their room is. I may have purposely stuck Nate, who will arrive tomorrow, with Jax, who will stay in the other of two bedrooms on the first floor.
Mine is the first on the right, with Lexie across the hall. Next is Brooke’s and Tiffany’s, and then the kids are at the end. Lexie goes to check on Sadie, and then because it’s so late and we’re all tired, we head to our respective rooms.
It’s hard to sleep with Lex across the hall. I thought I would be more tired than I am, so sleep evades me for hours. When the door to my room creaks open, I sit up, hoping it’s her.
“Mommy?” a scared voice whispers.
I turn on the lamp as Sadie peeks further into the room. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Where’s my mommy? I can’t find her, Mr. Ashton.” Her face crumbles, a few tears falling.
After flinging the covers away, I stand and go to her. “Don’t cry, Sadie,” I soothe, picking her up. “She’s across the hall. One more door, and you would have found her. I’ll show you, okay?” She nods as I swipe away a few more fallen tears.
We go across the hall and I ease the door open. All we see at first is a portion of Lexie’s back from the light in the hallway. I flip the switch, walking over to her. Sadie seems to relax when I shake her mom’s shoulder to wake her up.
“Lex,” I say softly. She startles awake, eyes widening at the sight of me and then me with Sadie. “She was looking for you,” I explain before looking at Sadie. “See? She’s right here.”
“Can I sleep in here with you, Mommy? There’s not a nightlight in that room. I was scared, and Reed wouldn’t wake up.”
“Sure.” She takes her from me and thanks me. It’s then I realize what she’s wearing. Thin straps are on her shoulders, so thin that I know I could easily rip them off, and they lead to something silky with a lace overlay. “Ashton,” Lex interrupts my thoughts. She tilts her head with a small smile. “I have her. You can go now.”
“Right,” I nod one too many times. “Good night.”
When I lay back down, I realize that having her here, with the kids and everyone else, might be harder than I thought. She’s next door and wearing clothes I want to get her out of. This is going to be a fun weekend.
~
Brooke, Reed, and I are sitting in a little room off the front door that is an office no one ever uses.
“What are we doing in here? I want to go play,” Reed whines.
“We want to talk to you,” Brooke tells him. “You know that you’ve been staying with your dad a lot the past couple weeks, that’s because I’ve been spending time with a new friend. His name is Nate, and he’s very nice. He’s going to come up here and spend some time with all of us. What do you think about that?”
“Does he play hockey like Dad and Uncle Jax?”
“No, he’s a teacher that helps students become doctors,” Brooke answers.
“He is?” I question with confusion. I don’t remember her mentioning that.
Brooke glares at me. “Pay attention when I talk, Ashton, I told you that.”
“I guess I forgot.” Ignoring that for now, I face Reed. “We just wanted to let you know he was coming.”
“And be nice to him, too. I want you to remember your manners, okay?” Brooke adds.
“Yes, ma’am,” Reed nods. “Can I go play now?”
“Yes, go have fun with Sadie,” Brooke tells him.
Reed runs off in search for his best friend. Brooke finally seems a little nervous, but I don’t get a chance to question her. There’s a knock on the front door, and I rush to get it before Brooke. The infamous Nate is here. My mouth falls open when I see him. The simplest way to describe him is that he looks a little like a nerd. His glasses are on the geeky side, he’s wearing beige pants and a collared shirt with a logo of a university on the left chest. His face is framed by gray hairs that are invading his dark hair.
Brooke really needs to better inform me.
He clears his throat, and I realize I haven’t spoken yet. “You must be Nate. I’m Ashton Campbell.”
“Hey, Nate.” Brooke pushes me to the side, and he relaxes at the sight of her.
“Why is there a nerd at the door?” Jax’s voice sounds
from behind me.
Brooke elbows him hard in the stomach. “Ignore him, Nate. Reed has better manners.”
He smiles uneasily. “It’s nice to meet you,” he finally says, holding out his hand, which I shake firmly.
“C’mon in, Nate. Your room is down here next to Jax’s,” I point to Jax since he wasn’t formally introduced, “if you want to go ahead and set your things down in there.”
“I’ll show you,” Brooke quickly offers and tugs him away from us.
“How old do you think he is?” Jax questions before they are completely out of earshot. “He has gray hair, so I’m going with in his fifties.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Looks like we should have told you to behave too.” Brooke hasn’t told me much about him; I sure wasn’t expecting that. The kids are in the kitchen, apparently trying to convince Lexie and Tiffany that they need cookies already. I want to be in the room when Nate does meet Reed because I want to see how he is around him. If Brooke likes him, fine, but I have to like him enough to allow him the privilege to be around my son.
Reed and Sadie start trying to convince Jax, so I lean on the counter next to Lexie and whisper, “How old is Nate?” Thanks to Jax’s comment, I’m curious, but I know better than to ask Brooke right now.
“Forty, I think. Is he here?” Her question is answered as Brooke and Nate walk into the room.
“Reed, this is my friend, Nate. Nate, this is my son, Reed,” Brooke introduces them.
There’s a bit of a tense pause as we wait for Reed to speak. He looks at me, I smile, and then he glances back to Nate. “You kind of look like my grandpa. Doesn’t he, Dad?”
“Reed Ashton Campbell,” Brooke erupts, “that’s not nice.”
Jax chuckles and starts ushering them towards the living room. “Come on, kids. Let’s go to the other room before a war breaks out.”
Chapter Fifteen
Lexie
I tug on Sadie’s snow pants and bundle her up as we head outside. Tiff and I volunteer to take the kids, so Brooke and Nate have some alone time. Ashton and Jax drove into town to grab some more food and supplies.
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