Shutout

by Jami Davenport

  I opened the door. She was facedown, her head buried in her pillow, and her arms wrapped around the teddy bear Mark had bought her last Christmas.

  I sat down on the bed and put my hand on her back. She jerked away. She was going to be a tough cookie. She’d been Daddy’s girl and had also been overly attached to her grandmother.

  “I know you miss him, honey. I know this is hard. Easton doesn’t want to replace your dad. He just wants to be part of your life. He loves you too. It’s okay to like him. You’re not being disloyal. Your dad would want you to be happy first and foremost.”

  Hailey shook her head and kicked her feet.

  I sighed, wishing I had all the clever answers, but right now I was floundering. Hailey was crying again, her body shaking once more with sobs. I placed a hand on her back, and this time she didn’t pull away. I stroked her back and sang one of her favorite songs, “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Eventually, she was quiet, and I thought she’d fallen asleep.

  She surprised me when she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She gazed up at me and blinked several times. Her expression was one of fear and sadness, but not anger.

  “Oh, honey.” I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly. She hugged me back, still sniffling. “It’s all going to be okay. You have lots of people who love you.”

  “I know.”

  I stroked her hair and held her against me. She hugged me tight.

  A few minutes later, we walked into the living room, hand in hand. Easton and Heath were completely immersed in a video game. Easton glanced up briefly and winked at me. I winked back.

  I knew right then everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter 30—Routines

  ~~Caroline~~

  By mid-February, we were settling into a routine. Easton pretty much lived in our condo, and I wasn’t about to complain.

  The twins still had their moments, but their attitudes were slowing improving, and they’d warmed up to Easton even more than before. They didn’t call him Dad, but that’d come with time.

  That Sunday, Easton proposed we take a drive to Cooper and Izzy’s house. They lived in one of the older neighborhoods in Seattle where all the timber barons and shipping magnates had once lived. The houses were huge and well maintained despite their age, and many, like Cooper’s, had incredible water views. I never tired of looking at them, even if only from the street.

  We promised the kids ice cream when we finished. Even though the day was cold and dreary, they didn’t care. They wanted their ice cream.

  The four of us piled in his SUV with Mona in the back and drove up the hill. Easton turned down a street before Coop’s.

  “Hey, isn’t this the wrong street?”

  “I want to show you something.” He was acting very suspicious, and I didn’t have any idea what he might be up to. The kids were arguing in the back seat and not paying any attention.

  He pulled down a long, winding driveway. The bushes and trees needed a good trimming. As the driveway opened up, there was an unkempt lawn and a large, craftsman-style mansion. It was in need of TLC and a good coat of paint, but the house was beautiful, with a wide front porch that wrapped around to the back.

  “Want to see it? I happen to have a key.”

  “Why would you have a key to this house?”

  “Just go along with me.” He got out of the car and opened the passenger door. The kids piled out along with Mona and ran up the cracked and uneven sidewalk, overgrown with weeds, and onto the porch, peeking in the windows.

  Easton took my hand. “A condo is no place to raise kids, and Mona needs room to run. Rusty needs mice to hunt. I know it needs work, but I thought you and I would have a good time fixing it up together. My realtor assures me it has good bones, and all the repairs are cosmetic.”

  I gaped at him in absolute shock. “What are you saying?”

  “It’s ours.” He pushed open the door as he said the words, and the kids ran shouting happily into the house.

  I walked inside the old house and stared in absolute wonder at the woodwork and the hardwood floors. We walked to the back and the view of Puget Sound was spectacular. The backyard was large, with ample space for kids and dog to run and play.

  Heath emerged from one of the rooms and stopped in front of us. “Mom, you have to see this huge fireplace.” He hesitated, his solemn dark eyes focused on me. “You need to see it, too, Dad.”

  My eyes filled with tears, and when I glanced at Easton, he was wiping his face. “We’ll be right there.” His husky voice cracked, and I smiled encouragingly at him.

  “Mommy, Daddy, hurry. Come see this room,” Hailey, not to be outdone by her brother, shouted at us.

  A lone tear slid down Easton’s face, and I kissed his cheek, tasting the saltiness.

  “I’ve looked forward to the day they’d call me Dad.”

  “So have I.” I winked at him and gazed around the house. “This place looks like a lot of work.”

  Easton frowned. “You don’t like it?”

  “I love it.” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. “And I love you.”

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  We turned, arm in arm, and walked down the hall of our new home, as my mind filled with all kinds of possibilities. Yes, life was good. And life with Easton was even better.

  This house was ours forever, and we’d restore it together with love and passion, just like we’d do everything.

  Together. Forever.

  Epilogue

  ~~Easton~~

  “You missed a spot, buddy.” Kaden pointed at his gleaming black skate. With a growl, I bent over the skate again and buffed the leather. The damn thing was so well polished it was blinding me.

  “You’re next, asshole,” I warned him. “You’re pretty much tied at the hip to your mystery woman.”

  “Hey, hurry up, I don’t have all day. You’ve spent the last half hour on his skates,” Ziggy shouted from across the locker room.

  “Get in line. I’ve been waiting longer,” argued Steele.

  “Fuck. You guys are pissing me off.” I stood, grabbed my supplies, and walked over to Kaden’s boots. I swear the asshole had soaked them in mud before I got here.

  “You gotta pay the price for losing the Puck Brothers bet.” Ziggy grinned.

  “Look at the bright side. You only have to polish our boots until the end of the hockey season,” Cave pointed out.

  “And that’s the bright side? What the fuck, Kaden, did something crawl in your boots and die in there? They fucking stink.” I was cranky, but I tried to tell myself it could be worse. They could’ve made me dance on drag queen night at the Westside Pub, which was one of their options they’d voted on.

  “Get to work. I don’t have all day.” Kaden grinned down at me and cracked an invisible whip.

  I flipped him off. “Fuck you, asshole.”

  “Someone is a sore loser,” Ziggy laughed.

  “Yeah, just wait, assholes, your day will come.”

  “Never,” they said in unison, and I knew they were dead wrong, but I couldn’t tell them that any more than someone could’ve told me all those months ago.

  Love isn’t something you can plan for. It hits you over the head when you’re least expecting it, and no matter how strong your defenses, the right woman finds a way through to your heart.

  ~ THE END ~

  Thank you for spending time in my world. I hope you enjoyed reading this book. If you did, please help other readers discover this book by leaving a review.

  For news on upcoming Jami Davenport books, sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.

  Did you find any errors? Please email me so I may correct them and upload a new version. You can reach me via the contact page on my website: https://www.jamidavenport.com/contact/

  Complete Booklist

  The following Jami Davenport titles are available in digital and many are available as trade paperbacks. These books can be read as standalones.

  Scoring
Series—Introducing the Puck Brothers

  Shutout (Early 2020)

  Blocked (Spring 2020)

  Playmaker (Summer 2020)

  Icing (Fall 2020)

  Seattle Sockeyes Hockey

  Skating on Thin Ice

  Crashing the Net

  Love at First Snow

  Melting Ice

  Hearts on Ice

  Bodychecking

  Goaltending

  Penalty Play

  Shutdown Player

  Shot on Goal

  Deflected

  Seattle Skookums Baseball

  Bottom of the Ninth

  Men of Tyee

  Sacked in Seattle

  Tackled in Seattle

  Seattle Steelheads

  Kickoff (The Originals)

  Snap Decision (The Originals)

  Offsides (The Originals)

  Draw Play (The Originals—Spring 2020)

  Hot Read (The Originals—Summer 2020)

  Comeback Route (The Originals—Fall 2020)

  Blindsided

  Game Changer

  Fumble Recovery

  Gone Missing Investigations

  Gone Missing

  Evergreen Nights Series

  Save the Last Dance

  Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?

  The Gift Horse

  Standalone Books

  Madrona Sunset

  About the Author

  Subscribe to my newsletter to receive free digital books and be notified of new releases, special sales, and contests: https://eepurl.com/LpfaL

  USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary, new adult, and sports romances, and has recently dived into Romantic Suspense with her new series, Gone Missing.

  Jami lives on a small farm in the woods near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland drool monster, and a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat.

  Jami worked in IT for years and is a former high school business teacher but recently achieved her life-long dream and is now a full-time author. A horse lover since birth, Jami showed dressage horses for over thirty years. Now she gardens and goes RVing in her green Winnebago Minnie, along with other travelling adventures. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is impatiently waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. Jami still misses her SuperSonics. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.

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