“Absolutely!” Mackenzie started toward the living room, then hesitated, biting her bottom lip as she looked back at her sister. “Maddy—”
“Go, I’ll be there in a minute. I just need something to drink.” Madison frowned at her sister until the other girl left, following Silver. Then she sighed and shook her head, glancing up at her father. “She’s gonna be impossible while I’m in the hospital.”
Nodding slowly, Keane rubbed his lips with his hand. “She loves kids, so this will be good for her.” Keane stroked Madison’s hair. “If you get too tired, just let me know. We won’t stay long.”
“I’m fine. Really.” Madison whispered thanks when Dean brought her a tall glass of ice water. “I’m gonna go chill with the kids. Do grownup stuff, Dad. And stop worrying.”
Picking up her glass with a shaky hand, Madison made her way to the living room slowly. Keane stared after her, everything in his expression showing how hard it was for him not to follow. Ainsley wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be all right, but how many times had he heard that already? And she didn’t know him well enough to offer that kind of comfort.
But she had to say something. Had to let him know she was here if he needed her.
“You’ve raised two very strong young women, Mr. Keane.” Ainsley met his dark, troubled eyes, her throat tight. “I’m happy I got to meet them.”
“I am as well.” Keane took the seat next to her, drawing in a rough breath before meeting her gaze, his lips curving slightly. “You’re not still on the clock, are you?”
Cheeks heating, Ainsley glanced over to where Dean had been standing, but the man had disappeared into the kitchen without a word.
Leaving her alone with Keane.
You’re a guest here. So is he. It’s not a big deal. Chill.
“No, the weekend has officially begun.” She let out a light laugh as he arched a brow and glanced at the boxes of paperwork that had been set off to the side of the dining room. “As you can tell.”
“Well, hopefully the remainder of the weekend will be more relaxed.” He folded his hands on the table, not looking much different than he did at board meetings. Aside from being dressed casually in light beige pants and a pale blue shirt rolled halfway up his forearms.
Which revealed a tattoo of two baby handprints with one of his daughters’ names under each of them. Her breath caught and she reached out to touch it. Stopped herself, heat spilling down the back of her neck as she pulled her hand back.
Keane’s brow furrowed. He glanced down at his arm, then held it out so she could get a better look. “I’d never planned to get a tattoo, but after Madison and Mackenzie were born, that changed. They were born early and there were a few weeks when it was touch and go. The doctors weren’t sure they’d both survive.” He traced the tiny palms of the tattoos with a finger, his eyes distant. “I might have gotten these anyway, but at the time I was terrified. They were so fragile and I knew in a moment I could lose them. This was my way of making sure part of them was always with me.”
“I know what you mean.” Ainsley lifted the edge of her short sleeve, mauve blouse to show him the delicate outline of a heart she’d gotten with Sawyer’s name in cursive. “I got this after Sawyer’s father died. For both of us, because he’d always wanted to get one with our son’s name, but kept putting it off. This was my first step in healing. Accepting what I’d lost while being so grateful for whatever time I had left. And never putting off what was precious to me until a day that might never come.”
The way Keane’s gaze settled on her shoulder was like a gentle touch, and her skin heated, almost as though he was tracing the tattoo the same way he had his own. For a long time, they were silent, but it wasn’t awkward. They’d shared something and were taking the time to let their own words and thoughts sink in.
“I’m gonna get you!”
“No you won’t! You’re the evil queen and I’m the dragon who protects the princess!”
“Up! Up!”
“Hold on tight, Princess!”
Ainsley grinned at the sound of the children playing. Sawyer hadn’t pretended to be a dragon for years, but he’d been obsessed with the mystical creatures from the time he was able to talk until he got ‘too old’ for the stuffed animals that had once filled every shelf in his room. He still read books with dragons, but they were serious now.
Yet…he still wouldn’t tell his friends at school what books he liked. He pretended to only read comics. Play video games. He’d gotten wrapped up in being into ‘manly’ things.
Something about Mackenzie playing along must have made him relax enough to just be a kid and have fun. She really was good with kids.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is Mackenzie interested in babysitting more often? I have a neighbor who’s wonderful with Sawyer, but she’s an older woman and they pretty much take care of one another.” Ainsley hesitated, not sure if Keane would think badly of her for leaving her son with someone who couldn’t always keep up with him, but he simply gestured for her to go on. “If Mackenzie could pick him up after school a few days a week and bring him out…maybe to the park or other places he might enjoy, I think that would be good for him. Especially when I work late.”
“I think she’d enjoy that. Madison could spend time with him as well. Maybe not right away…” He let out a slow breath. “Not for months. But Mackenzie will need to keep busy. Even once she starts school I’m afraid she might isolate herself. She’s not the type to hang out a lot, she only does it for her sister. Though lately…”
She waited, loving how they were connecting as parents, but knowing he might feel this conversation was getting too personal.
But he shook his head and continued. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but she’s been going out a lot. And is vague about where. I discussed getting her to babysit with Dean because I was afraid she’d shut herself away with her sister until Madison was fully healed. Instead…I’m not sure what’s going on with her. I trust her, but at the same time…”
Ainsley reached out and put her hand over Keane’s.
There was no mind-numbing spark, no butterflies, none of the things she’d been so afraid of. Just a warmth. A steadiness. A man she respected, who she wanted to know better, needing to hear what she had to say.
“At the same time you know it might not be your daughter making choices. It might be her pain.” Ainsley looked down at their hands as Keane turned his in hers, holding it gently. “She may make some bad choices over the next few months.”
He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.”
“But what you needed to.”
“True.” He drew away just as Dean came into the room carrying a tray of roast beef. The way he moved wasn’t like he was trying to hide anything, and Dean didn’t even seem to notice.
Mackenzie and Sawyer helped set the table as Dean finished bringing out the feast he’d put together. As the families surrounded the table, the moment she’d had with Keane faded into the background, but she couldn’t forget it, even while she prodded Sawyer to finish the vegetables she’d scooped onto his plate. Landon helped by having Amia watch her son be a ‘good example’. Which prompted Sawyer to eat every single carrot, piece of squash, and even some of the Brussels sprouts. But not all.
She couldn’t blame him for the last. She didn’t like them either.
After supper, the kids played a bit longer, but Madison stayed with the adults, holding her own pretty well in conversations, even when they turned to politics. Keane kept his eye on her the whole time, and smoothly ended the conversation as she started to look drained, claiming he was worn out and needed to head home before asking the twins to get ready to go.
Deciding to follow his lead, Ainsley went and got Sawyer, saying goodbye to Silver and her men before joining Keane and his daughters outside.
Mackenzie accepted the keys tossed to her from her father and ran ahead to start the car, Madison following s
lowly behind her.
Handing Sawyer the keys, Ainsley met his eyes. “You can unlock the car and put on the music. That’s it.”
“Oh cool!” Sawyer’s eyes lit up as he took the keys like she was handing him the One Ring. He bolted to their small sedan, fumbling with the keys all the way.
Halfway between their cars, Keane turned to her, looking exhausted, but still so strong she admired how well he held things together, despite how terrified he must be. “I enjoyed tonight. Thank you for listening. Again.”
“I’m happy you felt comfortable talking to me.”
“I always do.” He let out a light laugh. “Which is likely an inappropriate thing to say.”
“It isn’t.” She stepped closer to him, glancing over at her car, then his, because she didn’t want any of their children to be confused by their proximity, but she had one last thing to say. “The next few days are going to be rough. If you need…if you need someone there just to listen, please call me.”
Keane lowered his gaze. “Ms. Lalonde—”
“Ainsley. This isn’t about work.”
He inclined his head. “Ainsley, I… I may take you up on that.”
As he headed to his car, squaring his shoulders, then laughing as he shooed Mackenzie out of the driver’s seat, Ainsley smiled. Heading to her own car, she got in, turning down the music and glancing over at her son.
His brow furrowed. “Are you all right, Mom?”
She nodded. “Yes, I just feel sad for Mr. Keane and his daughters. What they’re going through is scary.”
Sawyer leaned over, hugging her tight. “But Madison’s going to be okay, right? That’s what doctors are there for. They know she’s sick, so they have time to make her better. Not like with Daddy?”
She stroked his hair, her heart aching for her little boy, though she liked that he asked about his father more easily now. When he’d started kindergarten and saw the children with their fathers, he’d come home crying. Asked if his father had left like the only other kid in the class who didn’t have one.
After she’d explained, in a way that a five-year-old could understand, he’d gone through a period fearing everyone he loved might get sick. Ainsley so much as catching a cold would make him nervous. They’d spent a long time working past his fears, but he was still very sensitive when anything involving illness or hospitals was brought up.
“What Madison has isn’t at all like what your father did. She’s getting very good care.” She kissed his forehead. “Would you like to put a ‘Get Well’ basket together for her? Something nice, full of treats for her to enjoy while she’s recovering from surgery.”
Giving her a solemn nod, Sawyer sat back in his seat and put his seatbelt on. “She’s going to need that. And lots of candy. Candy always cheers me up.”
“Me too.” She pulled out of Silver’s driveway, heading downtown. “Why don’t we go get some now? We should definitely sample a bit of everything so we know what will be best for her basket.”
“That could take a lot of samples.”
“Not too many.”
“And we should get her some movies.” Sawyer cocked his head, getting more excited about the basket. “And a blanket. And a stuffie to help her sleep.”
They were going to need a very big basket if he kept adding to it, but she was pleased he was focusing on what he could do to make Madison happy, rather than worrying about the surgery. Her little boy had a big heart.
His spending time with Mackenzie while Madison recovered would also be good for both of them. She hadn’t been sure if Lorenzo would welcome the idea, but as much as he tried to separate his professional life from his personal one, he seemed to need a friend.
A role she was more than happy to fill.
Chapter 18
Hospital hallways always gave Lorenzo a sick feeling, even when he came to them perfectly healthy. Prepared to be strong. To hope for the best and shove all his fear aside. He couldn’t let Madison see how scared he was. Not before she was rolled in for surgery after the doctor explained to them, yet again, both the best and worst case scenarios.
And he had to be strong for Mackenzie, who’d broken down in tears the second Madison was out of sight.
This was what he was good at. Being the voice of reason in every aspect of his family’s life, calm and controlled, finding a way to make the best outcome happen. With his daughters it was usually simple. Listen to their problems, tend to bumps and bruises, give them hugs or advice as needed. Even now, just holding Mackenzie and letting her tears soak his shirt, he’d managed to convince her that Madison would be fine. Remind her how tough her sister was.
He'd always been there for them. But he couldn’t be with Madison in that room. Couldn’t watch over his baby girl as she went through yet another risky procedure. Alone.
Yes, he was here. Only…
In a quiet family room.
Out of reach.
Powerless.
He trusted the surgeon. He would have found another one if he didn’t. Still, leaving his daughter’s life in someone else’s hands was hard. Knowing that one mistake…
Don’t think that way. Take your own damn advice, Keane.
Stroking Mackenzie’s hair, he forced himself away from thoughts tainted with fear and doubt and back to his plans for the next few weeks. Mackenzie would have to start school without her sister, but he’d give her the first week at home to assure herself Madison really was all right. He’d already spoken to the school and her old therapist in Toronto and all agreed taking things slow would be best.
He’d take at least two weeks off, then find someone to stay with Madison while he was at work. The season starting would usually have him working overtime, but he couldn’t find it in him to care that much about the team. Not now.
Maybe the passion would return once his world righted itself again. He wanted what was best for the Cobras, which was part of the reason he’d begun looking into relocation. The market had hit a low across the league, and many teams were struggling. The smaller teams, like Dartmouth, most of all. Having a team here had always been risky. At this point there was no way for the Cobras to thrive. Even if he was willing to throw all his money into giving them a fighting chance to stay, his financial advisers weren’t optimistic.
Losing the tech industries he’d built across Canada, which employed tens of thousands, over his love of hockey wasn’t an option. He might keep some stocks in the team, maybe even stay on the board because he did believe it could become an amazing franchise in the right hands, somewhere that could offer a bigger fanbase, but he hadn’t gotten a chance to think that far ahead.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about.” Mackenzie sniffed and wiped her eyes as she looked up at him. “I don’t care what it is. I don’t want to think about all the graphic videos I watched of the surgery.”
Lorenzo shook his head and drew her to the blue padded chairs to sit by his side. “Why in the world would you watch that?”
“Because all those people made it out okay and it helped.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “And I just said I don’t want to think about that.”
“All right.” He leaned back in his seat, not sure being honest about where his head was at would help, but it couldn’t hurt. Mackenzie wasn’t keen on leaving Dartmouth. He’d been considering reasons to stay. “Focusing on work has been difficult, but I have thought about how much both you and your sister love living here. My advisers suggested opening another branch of LKM Tech in Nova Scotia. One that expands more on the gaming side of the company, exploring the technology to use both our more successful apps and our new role-playing games to reach a new audience.”
“That’s…cool.” Mackenzie shot him a dry smile. “You’re such a nerd, you know that? I still think you played D&D as a kid.”
“I didn’t. When I was young I wasn’t interested in the social structure of the games. Which I think you, of all people, would understand.”
“True.” She cocked her head. �
��But you built your whole company around people who were obsessed with stuff like that. The loner who didn’t get invited to play is now making money off the mean dorks.”
Lorenzo spat out a laugh. They’d discussed his company over the years, and he’d never had a problem telling his daughters exactly what he did, but they hadn’t shown enough interest for him to really get into this kind of detail.
Mackenzie was right, he had been a loner as a child. And well into his teens. He’d been fascinated by the gaming community, but realized they could be just as toxic and cliquish as the ‘cool kids’. His few friends had been like him. Studious, with big plans for the future and little interest in popularity. Oddly enough, all but one now ran their own companies in different fields. They kept in touch, even though they hadn’t seen one another in years.
The one friend who hadn’t gone into business was a surgeon in Toronto. Not an oncologist or a cardiac surgeon, or Lorenzo would have brought Madison to her without hesitation, but she’d recommended several amazing doctors, then talked him down after the first diagnosis when he wanted a fourth opinion, hoping he’d find someone who’d tell him his daughter was healthy after all.
The people who used his apps came from different backgrounds, but Mackenzie was right. Those who’d shunned him in school were likely among them. Not that they’d remember him, but his name was well known enough that if he’d bothered with his high school reunion, several would have been—as his daughters put it—shook.
He smiled as Mackenzie looked at him expectantly. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“But you fucking love the idea, right?”
“Language.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Cap.”
He tried to frown, but it was hard to lecture her when she’d finally relaxed. Besides, he’d walked right into that one. “I got that reference.”
“But you got the quote wrong.” She snickered, then rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m happy you decided we’re staying. This is home. And the team is awesome. I really want to see a game with you this year. If we go in the private entrance, no one even needs to know we’re there.”
OverTime (The Dartmouth Cobras Book 9) Page 21