“Come on, my love.” I took one of my daughter’s hands. “Let’s get ready for your soccer game.”
“Is Logan still coming?” she asked as we climbed the stairs.
“He’s going to meet us there.”
“I hope we win,” she whispered from behind me.
I smiled to myself. She never cared if they won, which meant she wanted to win with Logan there. This was progress. Like I’d told Logan, she just needed time.
Thirty minutes later, I parked my black Mazda hatchback on the street by Lark Cove School. Soccer games and all other town sports were played on the large lawn next to the children’s playground.
Charlie, wearing her shin guards and neon orange jersey, unbuckled from her seat and hurried out. She was waiting by the back hatch when I got there to collect her soccer ball. I handed it to her, then unloaded a patchwork picnic blanket Hazel had made from old jeans.
“Thea.” I spun around at Logan’s deep voice. He came right up to us and took the heavy blanket from my arms. With his free hand, he pushed his sunglasses up into his hair and bent to greet our daughter. “Hi, Charlie.”
“Hi, Logan,” she whispered, inspecting her cleats.
“Ready for the game?”
She nodded.
“Don’t forget your gloves.” I took them out of the back and handed them over.
“You play goalie?” Logan asked. “I was a goalie too when I played soccer in high school.”
Charlie’s head snapped up. “You were?”
“I wasn’t very good.” He exaggerated a grimace. “Maybe one of these days you can teach me some of your moves.”
She nodded. “Can I go, Mommy?”
“Yes. Have fun.”
Charlie spun around and raced for the soccer field to join her teammates, her ponytail whipping behind her as she ran.
“Hi.” Logan stood and leaned down to kiss my cheek. “How are you?”
Tingles broke out across my skin and my chest flushed red. “I’m good.”
Damn you, Jackson.
As much as I just wanted to enjoy the sensation of Logan’s lips on my cheek, I couldn’t. Thanks to Jackson’s speech earlier, I was doubting every one of Logan’s moves.
It didn’t make it easier that Logan looked unbelievable today. He was wearing a simple gray T-shirt, khaki cargo shorts and flip-flops. All fancy brands, I was sure. This was probably something he’d wear to a beach house in the Hamptons.
But even with the laid-back attire, he was still classy. It had nothing to do with his clothes. It was just him.
“Shall we?” Logan gestured for the grass and slid down his sunglasses.
I stepped onto the grass and we walked side by side at a leisurely pace. “Were you really bad at soccer?” I couldn’t imagine Logan being bad at anything, certainly not a sport. I knew from experience how athletic his body could be in the bedroom.
“No.” He looked over and grinned. “I was pretty good.”
“I figured.” I smiled back, leading Logan to my regular spot.
I waved at a few of the other parents who came into the bar on occasion. Behind my sunglasses, I glared at a couple of the moms who were practically drooling over Logan.
Tomorrow, I’d have an unusually large lunch crowd at the bar. People would come in who hadn’t been there in years just to pester me about the handsome stranger at the soccer game.
I didn’t care. If it bumped up my revenue, they could ask all they wanted. I would be staying quiet.
Jackson and I had always agreed that the Lark Cove Bar wouldn’t be a gossip mill. If our patrons wanted to talk about their neighbors, they sure could. But they wouldn’t get any information from us. We’d always been tight-lipped and we were staying that way.
Especially when it came to our personal lives.
“Here’s good.” I stopped Logan as we reached the sidelines at the far end of the field.
“You don’t want to sit closer to the middle?”
“No, Charlie will be on this end.” That, and I didn’t want to have to dodge questions tonight.
I took the blanket from his arm and laid it out on the grass. Then I kicked off my own shoes and took a seat, hoping that a little sunshine would fight off the lingering headache from my hangover.
“Is it normal?” Logan asked as he sank down onto the blanket at my side.
“Is what normal?”
“To feel this nervous for her.” He nodded to Charlie, who was taking her position in front of the net.
“Yes.” I smiled and leaned over to bump his shoulder with mine. “She really wants to win because you’re here.”
His jaw went slack. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Thank you.” His hand came to my knee as he looked back to the field. His thumb stroked my bare skin once before he lifted it away.
Sweat beaded at my temple. Logan’s touch had spread across my skin like fire, settling right in my center.
Damn it, Jackson.
His warning was ruining my evening.
I wanted to savor the tingles on my skin. I wanted to delight in the heat coming off Logan’s shoulder that was just an inch away from mine. But I couldn’t. Not until Logan had proved this wasn’t about me or sex. I needed to back away from Logan until he proved his loyalty to the little girl standing on the soccer field.
The little girl who was about to make her father proud.
Logan
“Yes!” I clapped as one of the kids on Charlie’s team stole the soccer ball and kicked it down the field.
A few feet behind me, Thea was lying on the blanket. My hands were on my knees and my eyes glued to Charlie as she stood stoically in front of the net.
“Will you sit down?”
I looked over my shoulder at Thea. She looked so beautiful, stretched out on the blanket. The tendrils of her hair were floating in the breeze. Her skin was glowing under the sun. It was tempting to sit down, to cozy up to her, but I was too into the game.
“I can’t sit.” We were up by one goal and the game was almost over. I was practically coming out of my skin, wanting Charlie’s team to win. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been this keyed up for a game. Any game.
Thea huffed. “Then will you move out of the way so I can see?”
I shuffled down a foot, not taking my eyes off the game. Just then, the opposing team stole the ball and kicked it down the field toward Charlie’s goal.
“No! Where’s the defense? This whole team is a bunch of ball watchers. The coaches need to start getting these kids to play their positions. The only one sticking to her zone is Charlie.”
Thea laughed behind me. “After the game, I’m sure Susan and Melinda would appreciate your input. Volunteer moms who coach peewee soccer really love getting tips from other parents on how to run the game.”
I shot her a glare. “You’re teasing me? For taking an interest in Charlie’s team?”
“Someone should. You look ridiculous pacing along the sideline and barking soccer terms.”
“You know, not many people tease me.” Except for Nolan and my assistant at the foundation.
She laughed. “Trust me. If all the people who you normally intimidate into silence were sitting in my spot, they’d tease you too.”
“I—forget it.” I swallowed my retort and focused on the game.
One of the forwards on the other team was dribbling the ball toward Charlie’s goal and it sent an uneasy feeling up my spine. For five, the kid’s footwork was impressive. He knew how to handle the ball, and if he scored on Charlie, the game was over. It would end in a tie, which was still losing in my book.
My hands extended past my sides as I mirrored Charlie’s stance. She was ready and waiting to make the save.
The kid with the ball had a cluster of others behind him, all trailing along and not trying to do anything but watch and see what happened. Parents and coaches on the other side of the field were cheering and clapping the enemy on.
; Come on, Charlie. Come on.
My heartbeat roared in my ears as everything else went silent. I blocked everything out, focusing only on the ball and my daughter.
The kid moved in range and swung back his leg, hammering his foot into the ball and sending it flying over the grass.
Charlie made the right move, leaping left for the ball. She held out her hands, stretching her small body. Her knee hit the ground first as she fell to the side, with her arms still extended. Her fingertips had just enough reach to swat the ball away from the net right before her body collided with the grass.
No score.
“Yes!” My arms shot in the air. I punched the air a couple of times before clapping and shouting, “Way to go, Charlie! Nice save!”
I was so damn proud. I hoped she could hear me yelling. Her success felt better than any I’d ever had personally, and I’d known her for just a couple days.
Parental pride was incredible.
And I wasn’t alone in my feelings. When I stopped cheering for my daughter, I looked to my side to see that Thea had gotten off the blanket and was cheering too. Her smile was beaming, brighter than any I’d seen before.
“Couldn’t stay seated?” I nudged her elbow with mine.
“Quiet, gorgeous.”
Gorgeous.
I’d been given nicknames in the past by women. My girlfriend in high school had called me Lo-Lo. Emmeline used to call me darling. Alice had annoyed the fuck out of me by whispering stud in my ear. I hadn’t really liked any of them, not even Emmeline’s.
But Thea’s gorgeous was hot as hell.
Mostly because she said it with that smile.
She could call me an asshole or a douchebag with that smile and I wouldn’t care.
I stepped a little closer so I could feel the warmth from her arm on mine. She sucked in a tiny breath, tensing a bit at the electricity between us. When she looked up, her smile was gone but her cheeks were flushed.
I wished she wasn’t wearing those mirrored sunglasses. I’d do anything to see her eyes darken with the same desire they’d shown in her workshop last night.
The whistle blew on the field, breaking us apart. Thea’s face whipped back to the game and she took a step away before sitting back down on the blanket.
As much as I hated it, I understood her reason for keeping some distance and for stopping me before I’d kissed her last night. We’d burned hot six years ago, and that fire between us was still hard to ignore. But it would be best for Charlie if she was the focus.
Kicking thoughts of sex and Thea aside, I focused on the game. The kids were all lined up to shake hands. Charlie was getting high fives from a couple of her teammates, and just like her mother, the smile on her face was blinding. It made breathing difficult to see that little girl so happy.
My little girl.
“She’s a natural between the goal posts,” I told Thea, taking the seat beside her. “She could be an Olympian. Maybe we should look at getting her a professional coach. Or at least getting her into some bigger leagues.”
Thea shook her head but smiled. “Let’s give it a few years, okay? If she still likes soccer when she’s ten, we can discuss the Olympics.”
I grinned. Thea was worried that I would disappear and forget Charlie, yet she’d just admitted we’d be talking about Charlie at age ten. On the surface, she might be hesitant. But deep down, I think she knew I’d keep my promise. I’d be here to discuss Charlie’s life when she was ten. And fifteen. And thirty-five. I wasn’t going anywhere.
I’d be around for her entire life, and if Charlie wanted the Olympics, I’d do what I could to make it happen.
The kids were huddled with their coaches on the field and after a team cheer, they were all dismissed. Charlie turned from her team and sprinted toward us.
Her hair bounced behind her as she ran. The smile on her face hit me hard again and I couldn’t stay seated.
I hopped up from the blanket and jogged a few steps forward, holding up my hand for a fist bump as she got close. “You did awesome! That last save was amazing.”
“Thanks.” She tapped her knuckles on mine, her smile still bright, but shied back a few feet. “I heard you a couple of times.”
Oh, shit. Had I embarrassed her? Was that why Thea kept teasing me? Why hadn’t she told me that Charlie wouldn’t like my cheering?
“Sorry. I was too loud, wasn’t I?” I was messing up everything. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Charlie shrugged. “It’s okay. Katie’s dad yells a lot too, and you weren’t as loud as him.”
I was taking that as a win. At the next game, I’d be sure to tone it down—if I could. I was also going to find Katie’s dad and sit closer so I could make sure I didn’t get any louder than him.
Thea stood up and ran her hand down Charlie’s ponytail. “Good job, honey.”
“Thanks, Mommy. Can we get pizza?”
“Obviously. You were the star of the game! I think it deserves a root beer float too.”
Charlie’s face lit up before she turned to me. “Are you coming?”
“If it’s okay with you.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, smiling at her feet.
A rush of warmth spread over me and I fought the urge to clap again. My second win of the night: a dinner invitation from my daughter.
“Meet us at the bar?” Thea asked as she folded up the blanket.
“Sounds good. I’ll follow you there.”
We loaded up and got into our cars, making our way across town. I chuckled to myself as I drove.
Two days ago, I would have laughed if someone had told me I’d be in a hurry to get to the Lark Cove Bar.
“Here you go.” Jackson slid a round pizza pan onto our table. “The Landry Special with extra cheese for my soccer superstar. And . . .” He set an enormous root beer float in front of her and bent to kiss her forehead. “Good job, Chuck.”
She leaned into his side. “Thanks, Uncle Jackson.”
“You guys need anything else?” he asked Thea.
“We’re good. I’ll get it if we need something. Looks like you’ve got your hands full tonight.”
“Yeah. Busy night.”
He winked at her before leaving to take care of the other patrons.
I didn’t miss the way he squeezed her shoulder as he walked behind her back. Or the glare he shot me from over her head.
The asshole had made it a point to constantly touch Thea and Charlie, like he was marking his territory. When we’d arrived, he’d made a huge show of coming around the bar and scooping Charlie up into his arms. Then he’d given Thea a hug that had lingered on too long before she’d patted his back and stepped away. When we’d ordered beers—Thea had reminded me that it was a law to get beer with pizza—Jackson had put his arms on the back of each of their chairs.
The show was getting old.
I got the message. He was here first. He had something with Thea and Charlie that I didn’t.
But I was about done with Jackson Page.
And judging by the way Thea had dismissed him to wait on others and how she’d been rolling her eyes at him all night, she was about done too.
The bar was packed full of other families from the soccer game as well as some people who didn’t seem local. With a full place, he needed to back off and concentrate on work.
Thea and Charlie were mine tonight.
I was the one who’d cheered Charlie on at her game. I was the one sitting next to Thea, occasionally brushing my knee against hers. And I was the one sharing pizza with them tonight.
“So this is the Landry Special?” The thing was huge, at least sixteen inches in diameter. Half was only cheese. Half was piled with meat and veggies.
“Mmhmm.” Charlie nodded, sucking down her root beer float.
“Okay, honey.” Thea dished up a slice of the cheese pizza for Charlie. “Enough of that until you eat.”
Charlie swallowed a gulp, then pushed her glass away to load her small han
ds up with the slice.
“Which kind would you like?” Thea asked.
Before I could answer, Charlie spoke up with her mouth full. “He can have one of mine.”
My eyes snapped to Thea. She was trying to pull in her smile, not make a big deal about Charlie’s declaration, but we both knew it was a big deal.
I was making progress.
“Thanks,” I told Charlie, taking one of her cheese-only slices. Then I took a bite, surprised at how good it was. The thin crust had a delicious char. The sauce and cheese were perfect, better than a lot of the pizzas I’d had in the city. “This is great.”
“Mommy invented pizza,” Charlie said before taking another bite.
Thea laughed. “Not all pizza, just the pizza here. We have a brick oven in the back, so it’s kind of become our specialty.”
“So you’re an artist. A mixologist. A pizza chef. I’m guessing you’re the one managing this place. Is there anything else you do?”
She nodded to our daughter. “Just try and keep this one mostly clean.”
Charlie giggled and took another bite.
“Maybe tonight I can see that fort.” I held my breath, waiting to be rejected. I knew I was pushing it. I’d done the soccer game and now dinner. Thea had warned me to take it slow, but I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t asking because I felt rushed that my week was ending.
I was asking because I really wanted to see Charlie’s fort.
“Okay.” Charlie nodded and took another bite as I nearly fell off my stool.
The smile on my face stayed through dinner, until after the pizza was demolished and Charlie was jittery from all the sugar in her float. I was still grinning as I followed Thea’s car back to their cottage and parked on the street.
The minute I opened my car door, Charlie was racing into the trees, waving for me to follow.
I waved at Thea as she walked to the front door, then jogged across the grass, trying to catch my daughter.
When I hit a clump of tall trees close to the shoreline, I followed a trail of cleats, shin guards and socks until I heard Charlie’s voice.
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