could ever say.”
“But?” There was no point trying to hide from it, since we both knew the but was coming.
“ But you and me? We’re adults. We can handle disappointment. We understand that you’re a good man trying to do something nice for my little girl, but you’re probably getting yourself in deeper than you initially intended. You probably didn’t realize all of the implications of what you were suggesting. Maybe you do now. I hope so, at least. But Sophie doesn’t always understand when people back away. She gets attached, and then they leave before they’re able to keep their promises, and then she gets hurt. And my girls and I are the ones left to pick up the pieces. We’re the ones who have to listen to her ask, over and over again, where Dad is and why he isn’t with us, or why her friends stopped coming to play, or why she isn’t able to move on to the next grade in school when all her friends are.”
“So what are you saying?” I asked cautiously. Although I probably didn’t really need to ask. I could tell where she was going with this. She was trying to kick me out before I got too close, before my leaving could hurt too much.
Maybe she was right to do that. Not because I wouldn’t follow through with helping Sophie learn to play hockey but because there wasn’t a ton of job security as a coach in the NHL, and I had responsibilities to take care of in Sweden. I had to go wherever the work took me, and that might mean stepping out of Sophie’s life at some point down the line.
Paige put her arms over her chest in a self-protective gesture. No matter how big a game she talked, I could see through it. She wasn’t just trying to protect Sophie in all this.
“I’m saying,” she said after a protracted silence, “maybe it’s for the best if you step away after tonight. She hasn’t latched on to you too much yet. You’re still just in the maybe we can find a way to make this work phase. You haven’t yet made her any official promises that you’ll have to break eventually.”
“Why would I have to break them?” I asked, even though I knew all the answers she would likely come up with, and then some that wouldn’t even cross Paige’s mind. But she didn’t know me very well yet. She didn’t know that I was the most determined son of a bitch she’d ever met. She didn’t know that once I set a goal for myself, there would be no stopping me. Now I needed to make her understand, or at the very least give her a hint.
She was looking at me like trees were sprouting from my ears.
I raised a brow. “Like you said, a deal is a deal. I told Sophie I would do whatever I could to help her out. I meant it.”
The corners of Paige’s lips quirked up, despite her efforts to fight off the smile. “I’d let you kiss me even if you didn’t hold up your end of it,” she said. Then she bit her lower lip, and I couldn’t look anywhere else.
“And why would you do that?”
She shrugged. “Because it’s been too long.”
It’d been too long for both of us, then.
“Mom!” Zoe shouted from well ahead of us, and Paige whipped her head in that direction. “You can kiss him later. We’re hungry.” We were too far away to see it, but an eye roll was overly evident in Zoe’s tone.
Paige pressed her eyes closed for a moment before glancing up to meet my eyes. She pinched her lips together in a thin line, and a gorgeous blush stole over her cheeks. “Sorry. We should— We should go.” Then she took off heading toward her daughters with a determined stride.
I turned to keep up with her. Reaching out to put a hand on the small of her back, I tried not to laugh. At least not too much. “It’s fine. Don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Once we caught up with the girls, Sophie reached for my free hand. I let her take it, my other hand settling into the curve over her mother’s hip while the older girls rolled their eyes and hurried ahead of us…giggling and snickering as they
“But?” There was no point trying to hide from it, since we both knew the but was coming.
“ But you and me? We’re adults. We can handle disappointment. We understand that you’re a good man trying to do something nice for my little girl, but you’re probably getting yourself in deeper than you initially intended. You probably didn’t realize all of the implications of what you were suggesting. Maybe you do now. I hope so, at least. But Sophie doesn’t always understand when people back away. She gets attached, and then they leave before they’re able to keep their promises, and then she gets hurt. And my girls and I are the ones left to pick up the pieces. We’re the ones who have to listen to her ask, over and over again, where Dad is and why he isn’t with us, or why her friends stopped coming to play, or why she isn’t able to move on to the next grade in school when all her friends are.”
“So what are you saying?” I asked cautiously. Although I probably didn’t really need to ask. I could tell where she was going with this. She was trying to kick me out before I got too close, before my leaving could hurt too much.
Maybe she was right to do that. Not because I wouldn’t follow through with helping Sophie learn to play hockey but because there wasn’t a ton of job security as a coach in the NHL, and I had responsibilities to take care of in Sweden. I had to go wherever the work took me, and that might mean stepping out of Sophie’s life at some point down the line.
Paige put her arms over her chest in a self-protective gesture. No matter how big a game she talked, I could see through it. She wasn’t just trying to protect Sophie in all this.
“I’m saying,” she said after a protracted silence, “maybe it’s for the best if you step away after tonight. She hasn’t latched on to you too much yet. You’re still just in the maybe we can find a way to make this work phase. You haven’t yet made her any official promises that you’ll have to break eventually.”
“Why would I have to break them?” I asked, even though I knew all the answers she would likely come up with, and then some that wouldn’t even cross Paige’s mind. But she didn’t know me very well yet. She didn’t know that I was the most determined son of a bitch she’d ever met. She didn’t know that once I set a goal for myself, there would be no stopping me. Now I needed to make her understand, or at the very least give her a hint.
She was looking at me like trees were sprouting from my ears.
I raised a brow. “Like you said, a deal is a deal. I told Sophie I would do whatever I could to help her out. I meant it.”
The corners of Paige’s lips quirked up, despite her efforts to fight off the smile. “I’d let you kiss me even if you didn’t hold up your end of it,” she said. Then she bit her lower lip, and I couldn’t look anywhere else.
“And why would you do that?”
She shrugged. “Because it’s been too long.”
It’d been too long for both of us, then.
“Mom!” Zoe shouted from well ahead of us, and Paige whipped her head in that direction. “You can kiss him later. We’re hungry.” We were too far away to see it, but an eye roll was overly evident in Zoe’s tone.
Paige pressed her eyes closed for a moment before glancing up to meet my eyes. She pinched her lips together in a thin line, and a gorgeous blush stole over her cheeks. “Sorry. We should— We should go.” Then she took off heading toward her daughters with a determined stride.
I turned to keep up with her. Reaching out to put a hand on the small of her back, I tried not to laugh. At least not too much. “It’s fine. Don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Once we caught up with the girls, Sophie reached for my free hand. I let her take it, my other hand settling into the curve over her mother’s hip while the older girls rolled their eyes and hurried ahead of us…giggling and snickering as they
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