Opening the door, I’m tackled by Gabe and Rachel, who run to me.
“Mom, is it true we are skating with the Cooper Stone and his son, Matthew?” Gabe rushes out without taking a breath.
“It is. Austin is friends with him.” I ruffle his hair and kiss him. “He’s in the kitchen. You can go say thank you.”
“Sweet!” He runs into the kitchen, yelling.
Rachel has her head on my stomach and her hand around my hips. “I need a nap,” she says.
I look up at Jake, who looks like death. He’s wearing a baseball hat, and his face is a greenish pale and unshaven. He looks ragged. “Why are you so tired?” I ask her.
“The babysitter put her to bed at one a.m.” Jake takes off his hat to scratch his head then puts it back on.
“Okay.” I look over at him standing there. “Go put your things away while I talk to Dad.”
I watch as she heads into the kitchen and then hear her greet Austin in her special way. “Hey, Asshat, you’re here.” I laugh quietly when I hear giggling coming from Rachel and then Austin telling her he’s going to tickle her till she gets his name right.
I look back at Jake, who I’m assuming has heard that Austin is here. “You okay?” I ask him, my hand on the doorknob as I lean on it.
“Camilla and I have ended our engagement.” He looks at me and then to the side.
I don’t say anything, because what can I say at this point?
“I’m so sorry, Lauren, for everything. I ruined it.” He looks back at me. “I ruined everything, and for what? For a woman who collects fathers.”
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Jake.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I was a fool. She played me.” He takes his hat off again to scratch his head.
“You wouldn’t be the first,” Austin says from behind me. “Sorry to interrupt.” He puts his hand around the back of my neck and kisses my temple. “The kids are getting ready.”
“I should go,” Jake says. “Tell the kids to call me later.” He walks away from us with his head hanging down.
I wrap my hands around Austin’s waist, while he uses his foot to close the door. “Do I have anything to worry about?” he asks while hugging me. My face rests against his chest, listening to his heart beating faster than normal.
“Not in this lifetime,” I tell him honestly. “No matter what happens between us, Jake and I are over.”
“Okay.” He squeezes me.
“Asshat, can I do snow angels again?” Rachel yells from upstairs, her voice coming closer.
I hide my face so she doesn’t see me laughing, then I turn around. “Rachel, it’s Austin.”
“I know dat, Mom.” She’s coming down the stairs, chanting, “Asstin, Asstin Asstin.”
I continue laughing and so does Austin. “Well, it’s better than Asshat.”
Half an hour later, we walk into the arena and see Cooper standing in workout clothes and chatting with a bald man, laughing at whatever they are talking about.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Austin says to Craig as he moves in to hug the old man.
“I couldn’t miss my two best boys on the ice again.” He looks at both Cooper and Austin.
“Hey,” Cooper greets Gabe, who is standing next to me, gawking shamelessly. “You must be Gabe. I heard you’re really good.” He ruffles his hair. Gabe continues to stare and has still not said anything.
I nudge him with my hip. “Um. You’re Cooper Stone,” he whispers, and everyone laughs.
Cooper laughs, too, and is about to reply when he looks over at Rachel. “Do you skate, too, or are you just a princess?”
“I’m a princess, and I only skate if I can make snow angels.” Rachel smiles.
Parker walks in with Matthew and Karrie following her.
“Hey, guys,” she greets us as she goes to Cooper’s side. “Who are these guys?” she asks me.
“These are my children,” I say, smiling at her. “This is Gabe, who, believe or not, never stops talking.” I hug him sideways. “And this is my girl, Rachel.”
“She’s a beauty.” Parker smiles at me in return. Rachel leaves my side to go tap Matthew’s leg. He stops talking to Karrie and smiles at her before squatting down in front of her. “Hey there, Princess.”
“Will you be my boyfriend?” Rachel asks, while I gasp out loud and Austin groans beside me.
“Um,” Matthew mumbles.
“Rachel, what are you doing?” I question, going to her.
“Well, Auntie Kay has Noah as her boyfriend, and you have Asshat.” Cooper bursts out laughing. She looks at Austin and smiles. “Sorry, Asstin. So, I want one, too, and I want him.” Rachel points her thumb at Matthew, who is in stitches.
“I would really, really like to be your boyfriend, but Karrie is my girlfriend, and it wouldn’t be fair to her.”
“Oh, that’s totally okay. I give him to you,” Karrie says to Rachel. “No take backs, either.” Cooper and Parker are now laughing even harder.
Matthew stands up and glares at Karrie. “I’ll show you no take backs later.” His tone is fierce, but Karrie looks at him and then down at her nails. “Can’t. I’m busy.”
“You’re busy, huh?” he mocks. “Really? With no phone, no car, no purse, no wallet?” He smiles at her.
“Matthew,” Parker whispers. “You didn’t.”
“He must have lost the handcuffs,” Cooper chimes in. “Okay, why don’t we go get ready to skate?”
“How about the girls go out for cupcakes and coffee?” I ask them.
“Is Noah coming?” Cooper asks while walking to the rooms in the back.
“I would love to go for coffee,” Karrie says. “You guys can be my getaway.”
“You can run, but know that I’ll always catch your ass and drag you back,” Matthew warns with a wink, then turns and jogs into the back.
“That man is a…” Karrie stutters. “He’s a…he’s a…”
“He’s an asshat,” Rachel helps her out, smiling at me and then Parker and Karrie, making everyone laugh.
“Okay, babe.” Austin kisses my lips. “Come back, and for the love of god, whatever you do, make sure you bring Karrie back with you.”
I look at Karrie, who looks like she is about to blow steam out of her ears, just like in the cartoons. Before she can explode, Parker goes up to her, seemingly averting that crisis. “Honey, I’m so, so sorry.” With that, we all head out to go have chocolate cupcakes and coffee.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
AUSTIN
We spend three hours doing drills and practicing stick handling. We play a two-on-two game, since Noah never showed up.
Matthew shows Gabe little tricks, and I have to give it to him; he soaks in every word, following up Matthew’s instructions to a T and getting into it right away, hungry for more. When we call it a day, he actually groans and moans.
Craig is there when we skate off the ice. “That boy, with a little bit of coaching, could be out of this world. He’s a natural.” He looks at Gabe. “I got one more left in me.” He looks from Gabe to me.
“What does that mean?” Gabe asks, taking off his helmet and spitting out his mouth guard.
“He coached Cooper and me. Now he wants to get his hands on you.” I watch his face turn from confusion to awe.
“Can I?” he asks me. “You think you can talk to Mom?”
“I think we could talk to her about it,” I say to him while I whip my jersey off, throwing it into the bag that holds all my equipment.
Gabe finishes before us and goes back to help Craig clean the ice on the Zamboni.
“Kid has the itch,” Cooper says, unwrapping the tape from his legs. “Where is the father in all this?” Cooper knows all about being a stepfather.
“He’s around.” I shrug. “He cheated on her with the kid’s teacher. Found out she’s Camilla the Cunt.” I unwrap my legs also.
“Holy shit, no way!” Cooper shouts. “You think you’re ready f
or this?” He knows I don’t have any experience with kids.
“I know that with her come them; they’re a package deal. The kids are easy. It’s the ex I’m not sure I can deal with,” I finally voice my fear. “He broke up with Camilla, so now he’s free. What’s to say he won’t try to get her back? They don’t just have a past, they have kids. Can I even compete with that?”
Cooper throws his ball of tape in the garbage. “Oh, I know what you mean. When I met Parker, her ex was always away. The minute he spotted us together, all of a sudden he had second thoughts.” He looks at Matthew to see if he is listening. Matthew is listening, and he just nods his head and agrees with him. “But I knew that the minute I found out she had kids, I didn’t give a shit. I wanted her, all of her.”
“How do you compete, though?”
“You don’t, you be you,” Matthew adds from his side. “As long as Gabe sees that you treat his mom well, you make her laugh, and she isn’t sad anymore, well, that’s all you really need to do.” He smiles at Cooper.
I nod my head and think about everything while I get undressed and check my phone, seeing Noah texted me.
Sorry I missed today! Two words, my mother and Kaleigh.
Oh, Jesus! Is everyone okay?
Let’s just say no more naked yoga in the living room.
I don’t even know what to say to that.
There’s nothing to say.
We get dressed, each of us grabbing our bags to head out. “Okay, buddy, let’s go,” I tell Gabe as he walks out in front of me.
“Shit,” Matthew says. “They took the car.”
“It’s okay. I have Lauren’s, and I can drive you guys back to the hotel.” I open the trunk. “It really is a bus.” I wink at Gabe, and he just smiles and drinks the chocolate milk he got from Craig.
The minute I turn on the ignition, the sounds of “Let it Go” fill the car, and Cooper and Matthew both groan. “I take it you guys know this song?”
“Why is it playing?” Matthew yells from the back, putting his hands over his ears.
“Because it’s jammed inside the player and Mom didn’t have it checked out yet,” Gabe explains, his head moving to the beat of the music. “Dad used to do all that.”
I look at Cooper, who raises his eyebrows at me. My eyes go from him to the road, letting everything sink in.
We drop Matthew and Cooper off at their hotel, and a couple of fans notice them and come up to ask them to take pictures. We say good-bye with a promise to see each other soon.
Once I turn onto the street and pull into the driveway, I jump out, grabbing my bag, while Gabe grabs his. I dump my bag into my truck, and then inside the house.
Music and the smells of something delicious cooking flow through the house, greeting us as we walk in. Pink’s song “So What” is playing, and whatever is cooking smells amazing. I walk into the kitchen and see that Rachel is at the table doing some sort of homework, while Lauren is at the stove cooking.
“Hey,” I greet, coming up behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Hey there. How was hockey?” she asks, stirring the tomato sauce she is making.
“Good. Great, actually. Craig wants to coach him,” I tell her while she tastes it and lowers the temperature to let it simmer.
“Really?” She turns to drape her arms around my neck. “That’s exciting,” she says as she kisses my chin.
“Mooommm, I need help with math,” Rachel groans.
“Coming,” she answers. “I have to do homework. Are you going to stay for dinner?” She smiles. I think back to the bag I packed this morning and left on my bed.
“No.” I smile. “I’m pretty beat.”
Her smile slowly falls, but she replaces it right away with a forced one. “Oh, yeah, of course.”
She lets go of me and moves to the table, my body missing her touch instantly. I watch her at the table, sitting down, explaining the math to Rachel. I watch her and think to myself, Can I do this?
“Okay, I’m going to head out,” I say to her. She nods her head, getting up to walk me to the door.
“Are you okay?” I sense that her demeanor has changed.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just busy. It’s Sunday, so we have to finish homework and stuff. Nothing you would know.” Her last comment hits me straight in the gut. I lean down, kissing her on the lips, a soft kiss, a fast one. Totally different than I wanted.
“Mom, I got it!” Rachel yells again.
“I have to get back to her.” She opens the door, and I walk out. I get in the car and pull out, looking back at the door, hoping to see her there, but instead finding it closed. I don’t know why that pisses me off so much.
I take the long way home, trying to clear my mind.
I see that Noah’s car isn’t there, so I go straight to my door, opening it and letting myself in. There is nothing there to greet me. No noise, no music, nothing but silence.
It was something I used to crave. Now, I don’t know what the fuck it is.
I throw my keys on the table by the door, taking off my shoes and walking to the fridge. It’s empty. I slam it shut and grab the take-out menus from the drawer. I go through them, wondering what I want to eat. I know what I want to eat. I want to eat pasta at the table with Lauren and her kids.
Throwing the menus back into the drawer, I open the freezer and take out a frozen pizza, throwing it into the oven.
I walk over to the couch, grabbing the remote and turning the television on for some background noise. This is my life, the empty, the quiet. This is what I wanted, right? I never had ties, because I didn’t want them. But two days with her and her kids, and it’s something I’m rethinking.
The oven beeps, letting me know my pizza is ready. Getting up, I walk into the kitchen, my breathing and the low noise of the television the only sounds in the house. I eat the pizza alone, in the kitchen, leaning against the counter by myself.
I throw half the pizza away, thoughts of Lauren and how her dinner was so totally different than mine crowding my mind.
Turning off all the lights downstairs, I walk upstairs straight for my bedroom, where the unmade bed greets me. The pillow she slept on still has her indent. I throw my shirt in the basket next to the bathroom door and head to the shower.
By the time I’ve showered and shaved, it’s almost eight-thirty. Grabbing my phone, I send her a text.
Hey
I sit in bed waiting for her to answer. Laying my head on the pillow next to hers, I hold it close to me. Her smell surrounds me, the memories of last night playing in my head.
After ten minutes of waiting, I text her again.
I miss you!
I’m giving her ten minutes, and then I’m just going to call her. I close my eyes waiting for her, resting my eyes, but I fall asleep. The next thing I know, my alarm is ringing for me to get up.
I look at my phone and see that Lauren texted me back.
Hey, sorry, I was giving Rachel a bath.
I miss you, too!
Okay, I guess you fell asleep. I’ll call you tomorrow from work. Eek! I’m working with Noah.
I blink my eyes a couple of times and then text her back.
Good morning. Fell asleep waiting for your text. Are you really going to work for Noah?
I toss my phone aside while I go into the bathroom and splash my face with water. Grabbing the phone again, I go downstairs, where I start my morning routine. It’s still as silent as it was last night, so I turn on the television. The voices of the CNN anchors fill the silence while the coffee brews.
The phone rings in my hand, and I look down to see Lauren’s number.
“Hey,” I answer, smiling.
“Hey. I thought it would be faster if I called you,” she says, and I hear her moving around in the background.
“Did you sleep well?” I ask her, thinking about how much I would have loved to wake her up with my face between her legs.
“Yeah, I was exhausted.” I hear her call out a
five-minutes warning to the kids. “Sorry, it’s hectic in the morning.”
“I can imagine. Are you really going to work with Noah?”
“Um, well, seeing as I’m due there in an hour, the answer to that would be yes.” She chuckles.
“You don’t need to do this,” I tell her while I pour myself a cup of coffee and take a sip. I can hear Gabe in the background asking where his lunch is.
“I’m doing this, so we don’t kill each other.” She moves the phone from her mouth to tell Gabe she already packed his lunch in his bag. “Sorry. I have to go. Rachel is not dressed yet. The bus is due in seven minutes, and Kaleigh didn’t come home again.”
I smile thinking of Rachel running around naked, calling me Asshat. “Okay, call me later.”
She doesn’t say good-bye, I just hear her yelling as the phone disconnects. The rest of the morning routine is uneventful.
Walking into the office, I groan thinking about training a new temp. God, I hope it’s not Carmen.
I see a man sitting at Lauren’s desk. “Good Morning, Mr. Mackenzie.” He gets up to greet me.
His hair is perfect, his suit is perfect, and he follows me into my office with a small pad and pen in hand. “I’ve taken the liberty of going through all the emails to familiarize myself with the routine you have. I also see you like your meetings alphabetically arranged, which is perfect, since it’s also how I like to file things,” he continues as I shrug off my jacket and put it on the back of my chair.
“What is your name?” I ask him.
“Bruce.” He folds his hands in front of himself. “I can’t wait to get started.”
“Can you tell Barbara I’m in, and that I would like to see her? Also, if a woman named Lauren calls, she always gets put through right away. No matter when she calls.”
“Right away.” He heads back to his desk and calls Barbara. She walks into my office five minutes later with a cup of coffee for me.
“Okay, what has your panties in a twist this morning?” She sets my coffee down and takes a seat in front of me.
I glare at her. “Nothing has me in a twist. I’m just wondering how long this has been in the works?”
Tempt The Boss Page 19