Keeping Score

by Violet Paige

  “Judge Bristow is my dad.”

  She blinked. “Wow. That is something.”

  “Yeah, he’s in family court. What are the chances?” I hadn’t even begun to broach the topic of Kane Hawkins with Daddy. He loved the Sharks. He loved the players. But his daughter playing house with the QB was a different story. I hadn’t figured out how to break the news to him yet.

  “Then you have to talk to him.”

  I bit my lower lip. “If he could have helped me before, he would have. I could never get through the damn red tape.”

  Savannah took a sip of beer. I tried to ignore the fact that she was gorgeous, sophisticated, and could probably talk circles around me when it came to the AFA.

  “This is different. Kane has a hearing. Can’t you at least mention it to your dad?”

  I had to try. I couldn’t let Hunter slip away again.

  I nodded. “I will. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I’ll do whatever I can.”

  “Good. And we need you at the hearing.”

  “What?”

  Hawk turned his head toward me. “What’s going on?”

  Savannah grinned. “You’ve got a hearing this week and I think we just found out how all of this is going to happen. I asked Julie to be there.”

  He winked at me. “You want to do that?”

  “Of course.” I would have to tell him later about my dad. I had no way of knowing this would happen. My dad heard a hundred cases a week. How did the stars align like this? “It’s one of the rules, right?” I teased.

  “Yeah. It is.” He reached under the table and squeezed my knee, but he didn’t stop there. His hand slid between my thighs and I jumped, almost spilling my drink.

  “I’ll be right back,” Savannah announced. “I see another client.”

  Hawk leaned over. “All it would take is a hard pull and this dress would rip right off of you.”

  “Isn’t that what you wanted?” I asked, coyly.

  “That’s why I like being with a good girl.” I seized when I felt his finger breach the edge of my panties. “You follow all the rules.”

  I bit my lip and gyrated my hips, causing him to groan deep in his throat.

  “Damn woman, you better quit that or I'm gonna lose it right here.”

  I shook my head and continued to squirm. His arm tenses against my waist pulling me closer against his chest.

  “If you don’t stop making all these sweet sounds I’m going to have to take you out back.” He whispered in my ear and I shivered.

  “So if I were to say …whimper, then you would take me right here? Right now?” I asked and then whimpered just loud enough that he could hear me.

  “Yep. Let’s go.”

  I laughed as he dragged me through the sea of bodies in the bar and toward an entrance marked private.

  “This is someone’s office,” I argued.

  He locked the door behind him.

  “I don’t give a fuck,” he growled.

  He pushed me against the wall, kissing me deeply. His fingers dug into my thighs as he rolled the hem of my dress up to my hips. I heard the quick rattle of his belt buckle as he shoved his jeans out of the way and freed his cock.

  “You drive me so crazy, Jules. So fucking crazy.” He hitched my leg around his waist, tilting me toward him.

  I nodded in agreement. I was insane to be doing this. And then he pushed inside me and I knew why I did it.

  “Ohh,” I moaned.

  He pumped inside me and I clung to him.

  His lips found mine in a frenzy of fire and heat. Biting. Licking Sucking. As he thrust harder and faster.

  His body tensed and then he murmured in my ear as his release exploded inside me, “I love fucking you, baby.”

  The words soared through me. Because I loved it too.

  Hawk kissed me quickly and then pulled out. I felt hollowness where he had filled me.

  “I’ll make sure you get yours when we get home.” He winked.

  I felt his cum soaked my panties. I leaned into the wall, trying to steady myself. Hawk wriggled my dress back into place. My eyes opened and as I looked at him I knew I had never felt so whole. So loved. So possessed by such a powerful and strong man.

  “Need a minute?” he asked.

  “I’m going to run to the ladies’ room and then I’ll meet you back at the table.” I smiled.

  He slapped my ass as we walked out of the manager’s office. “Don’t be long.”

  My chest heaved with heavy breaths. That was the thing. I didn’t think I could bear to be away from him for more than a few minutes either. I had fallen harder than I knew was possible.

  “I won’t.”

  Twenty-Nine

  Kane

  “Great job guys. You’re doing really well,” I yelled at the boys playing on the field.

  It was cold today. They were bundled from head to toe in hats and scarves. They looked like mini marshmallows running around the field. Hey, it was an alternative to pads and gear.

  Today was the last day of my volunteer service. The timing couldn’t be better. I had the guardianship hearing tomorrow and with playoffs underway, I didn’t have time to be here.

  Truth was, I’d come to enjoy these little fuckers. I looked forward to coaching. To teaching. To helping them work on their game. I’d miss it.

  Maybe we could work something out when the season was over. I needed that Super Bowl ring before I could get back to these kids.

  I didn’t realize how often I was looking for her until she appeared in my line of vision. It was like seeing the sun appear from behind a blanket of clouds after a storm. That ray breaks through and even if it only lasts for a minute it brings light and on sometimes a rainbow too.

  “Hey baby,” I greeted Julie as she crossed the field in a pair of knee-high boots.

  “Hey. I thought I’d take Hunter home early and get him ready for tomorrow.”

  He was in the QB position on the blue team. I didn’t want to pull him from the team. He was having a great day.

  “Look at him out there.” I pointed to him and Julie followed the direction of my finger.

  She shook her head. “You have no idea what a different child he is now.”

  “That’s football.”

  She leaned into me. “Can’t you take some of the credit? I get the sports thing. Men can only communicate through sports—whatever that archaic thing is, but you reached him. It doesn’t matter how. It only matters that you did.”

  “That kid has been hurt.” I saw it every time I looked at him.

  “That’s his past,” she whispered. “This is going to be his future.”

  “I sure as hell hope so.”

  I hadn’t told her about the pit in my stomach every time I thought about the hearing. The last time I stood in front of a judge it was to defend myself for getting in a bar brawl. I still reeked of beer and my knuckled had been cut and bloody.

  Tomorrow was about as far from that as possible.

  Tomorrow everything was going to change.

  I didn’t know what the fuck I expected. A big courtroom with a row of juror seats and a crowd of people in the galley. But family court wasn’t anything like that.

  We were ushered into a room. Julie was on one side of me. Savannah sat outside the door with Hunter. My attorney told us the judge would want to speak to the kid separately.

  I also realized as I walked into the room I wasn’t only facing a judge, I was facing the man who raised the woman I had claimed as my own. Fuck.

  She squeezed my arm. “It’s going to be fine. My father is fair.”

  I nodded, puffing out my chest.

  The bailiff announced for us to rise and Judge Bristow walked into the small room.

  He smiled at Julie and we sat at one end of the table.

  “All right, so what do we have here today?” He pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and brought them to the tip of his nose.

  My attorney had advised me not to utter a word unt
il he gave me the signal.

  “Your honor. We would like the court to award temporary guardianship of Hunter Evans to Kane Hawkins while he applies for full custody.”

  “I see.” He read the file in front of him. “Mr. Hawkins, is that your intent?”

  I cleared my throat. “Yes, sir that is correct.”

  “And you.” He pulled the glasses all the way to the point on his angular nose, addressing Julie. “You think Mr. Hawkins should have guardianship of Hunter?”

  “Daddy—I-I, mean yes, your honor. I do. He has been able to provide a stable environment for him and nurtured his love of football.”

  “I see.”

  I looked at Julie to see if I could read her expression. Her father was a thin wiry man. Not someone I’d meet on the street and call intimidating, but in here he was one scary hell of a man.

  He looked up from the paperwork. “I admire what you are doing with this young man. I truly do. After reading your file I think I can even understand why you are doing it, but I need to hear it from you. I need to hear you tell me that this is not going to be one of those things that sounds like a good idea, but then becomes too hard so you quit. Because I can tell you now that kid is going to be a hard shell to break. It’s not all going to be easy. Julie has been working with him for over a year, and half the time he still won’t even speak to her. He needs someone to go the extra distance with him not bail halfway through.”

  Judge Bristow waited for my response.

  “I understand, your honor and I won’t fail him. I know what he needs. I get this kid. I know what it is going to take and I am more than willing to go the extra mile.”

  Julie’s father leaned back in his chair.

  He spoke slowly and deliberately. “I’m glad you said that because you won’t just get to take him home. There will be parenting classes to take and you will have a mediator that will need to be present especially at the beginning to oversee the transition for Hunter. He has been in foster care now for three years so this is going to be a big change for him.”

  I felt my pulse race. Shit. This was happening. “That is not a problem, sir. I have extra rooms at my home. I am more than happy to even open it and allow someone to stay there for a time while we all adjust if need be.” That would screw with my relationship with Julie for a while, but we’d make it worth. Right now we needed to make sure we could get Hunter out of the system.

  “Julie?”

  “Yes, your honor?” She sat tall in her seat. I noticed how conservatively she had dressed this morning.

  “Would you be willing to take on the mediator role while Hunter continues to adjust?”

  Her face broke into a smile. “Yes. Absolutely yes, sir.”

  “All right. Then I need to speak to the boy and I’ll let you know my final decision.”

  We exchanged looks. Julie squeezed my hand under the table.

  My attorney nudged me. “We have to wait in the hall,” he whispered.

  “Ah, gotcha.” We rose and waited in the hall.

  I nodded at Savannah. The rest hinged on Hunter.

  Thirty

  Julie

  The minutes in the hallway felt like hours. Hawk couldn’t sit still. He paced from one end of the corridor to the other.

  I felt the same way. As if at any moment I could crawl out of my skin, but instead I sat frozen like a damn statue. Afraid that if I moved I would somehow disrupt the balance of what was about to happen.

  I trusted my father. I did. But he knew Hawk’s reputation. He knew everything he had done. Regardless of how hard he cheered for the Sharks on Sundays, my dad wasn’t going to hand over the safety of a child to this man because he was a star. My dad was wise and fair. Deliberate and detailed.

  I squeezed my hands together, praying that Hunter told him everything he wanted to hear in there. Hawk was great with him. Amazing even.

  The door to the hearing room creaked open and Hawk and I both rushed to the entrance.

  “You may proceed,” the bailiff announced.

  I looked at Hawk, trying to reassure him when I was dangerously close to falling apart myself.

  “It’s going to be ok.” He smiled.

  We stepped inside the room and I stared at my father. I didn’t know whether he would ask Hunter to leave.

  We all waited for what seemed like an eternity.

  “This young man and I had a nice conversation.” My father grinned. “After speaking to all of the parties involved, I’ve decided it is in the best interest of the child in question to be placed in the temporary custody of Mr. Kane Hawkins.”

  I almost squealed.

  My dad wasn’t finished. “I want to remind you all that this is only a temporary custody hearing. There is another process for adoption, if that is the path you wish to pursue.”

  We nodded.

  “We will re-convene in forty-five days to assess how the situation suits everyone and how custody should be handled at that point.”

  Fort-five days? That put us on the other side of Christmas. I was beaming from the inside out. It was the biggest gift he could have given me and we didn’t have a tree yet.

  My mind raced. Was this happening? Were we an instant family? Would Hawk want all those things too? The stockings by the fireplace? Garland and a big tree? Surprises for Hunter?

  I needed to slow down and at least make it out of the hearing room.

  “Mr. Hawkins, are you up for the task?”

  “Yes, your honor. I am. A hundred percent.”

  “Then, this matter is settled.” He smiled at us both. “Dismissed.”

  The attorneys gathered their paperwork, but I rushed around the long table and on to the bench where I hugged my father harder than I ever had. His nylon robe scratched my face, but I didn’t care. I inhaled that Old Spice scent and sobbed into his shoulder.

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “You’re welcome, but you know you have a long road ahead of you.”

  “I do. But it’s worth it. Do we get to take him home now?”

  “Of course, but you the attorneys have to have final signatures from the group home. They should work that out for you.”

  I looked over my shoulder when I saw my father’s eyes shift.

  Hawk approached the bench, extending his hand.

  “I wanted to thank you, sir.”

  My father returned the handshake. “Son, you have taken on the biggest responsibility of your life.”

  Hawk nodded. “I know.”

  “And I’m not talking about the child.”

  There was a knowing look between the two men. I thought I might not be able to breathe. They were talking about me this time. When was the last time my father had met someone I was dating? I didn’t take guys home to meet him unless it was serious. It always seemed as if it wouldn’t be fair to introduce him to someone only to have the relationship disintegrate a few months later. He had been through so much when he lost my mother.

  “Got it.”

  I watched the two of them exchange looks that meant something to them. From one man to another.

  I put my hands on my hips. I wasn’t a piece of dowry property to be handed over. “Ok. Let’s go, Hawk.” I tugged on his arm. “Daddy, I’ll call you later.”

  I pecked him on the cheek. Hunter was waiting for us at the door.

  He looked up with innocent eyes. “Where do I live now? Are you taking me to the group home?”

  I wanted to tell him, but Hawk was the one who had made this happen. I couldn’t take credit for something I’d never been able to do. I had tried. I had cried. But I couldn’t give this to Hunter—Hawk did.

  He stooped down to the floor to speak to Hunter directly. His knees grazed the hardwoods. “You get to go home with me. How does that sound?”

  I knew it was shock and disbelief that kept Hunter from making a sound. He stared at Hawk. I moved to the floor.

  “Honey, it’s a lot to take in, but you get to live with Kane now. Isn’t that good
news?”

  “Really?” His voice was small, but I was relieved he had finally spoken.

  “Really. How about we head over there now and you can pick out your room?”

  “My own room?”

  I tried to keep the tears from rushing forward. This poor sweet child. I doubted he had ever had anything of his own that he could remember.

  Hawk rose from the floor, offering me his hand. “Let’s get out of here. We have a lot to talk about.”

  My fingers fit through his perfectly. I sighed.

  And that’s how we left the courthouse. Hand in hand. Taking Hunter home.

  Thirty-One

  Kane

  Forty-five minutes later we were staring at each other inside my loft apartment. Hunter didn’t have anything to bring with him except a torn backpack full of clothes that were too small for his growing frame.

  I knew that was the first thing we had to take care of. Well, that and then I needed to order some groceries. It wasn’t like I was stocked to take care of a kid. I had plenty of beer, but I was pretty sure I was supposed to have shit like juice and milk.

  Hunter walked back and forth between the downstairs guestroom and the one that was at the top of the loft.

  I didn’t push him toward one room. Neither did Julie. He was probably compiling his own reasons why each room should be his.

  He inspected the closets, the bathroom space, and looked under the beds. We stood back while he investigated each one.

  “Hey, bud. You don’t have to choose one right now. You can take some time and sleep in each one if you want,” I offered.

  He ignored me and walked back and forth, running up the stairs, counting under his breath.

  “I think he needs his own space,” Julie whispered. “He needs something that feels permanent even if he’s too young to be able to put that in words.”

  “Makes sense,” I agreed.

  Finally, he made an announcement. “I want the upstairs room.”

  “It’s yours.” I found some sort of triumph in that. I had given this kid something. I didn’t know I was capable of giving anything, but the last few weeks had changed that.