“So, she’s pretty much kicked your ass to the curb this time?”
“Seems like it.”
“Are you still in love with her?”
I frowned, opened my mouth to protest his use of still and in love, then thought better of it. I didn’t know if what I felt for her as a teenager was love or lust or a combo of both, but it’d been real and intense and all-consuming in a way that only teenagers could love. This thing I felt now was more mature and scarier in its ability to deeply hurt me. Then there was the complication of the kids.
“I don’t know if what I feel is love.” I was being brutally honest or so I thought. “Besides, I’m a Puck Brother.” I grinned at him, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, so? You need to protect your interests in those kids. You said you have some temporary papers signed?”
“Just outlining the amount of monthly support until we settled everything.”
“Have you considered adopting them?”
I ran a thumb over the stubble on my chin, considering his words. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“You want them to have your last name, don’t you? You need an undisputable claim to them as your children, don’t you?”
Possessiveness swelled within me. They were my kids, damn it, even if they didn’t know it. “Yeah, I do.”
“And when are you going to tell them you’re their father? Time’s a wasting, buddy. As long as they don’t know, she maintains the ultimate control. You need to get a handle on that. You’ve waited long enough. Waiting much longer is only going to make it worse.”
“You know, Zig, you’re right. I’m glad you were hanging out here tonight. I needed someone with a fresh perspective to help me see through this mess.”
“I’m your man.” Ziggy raised his beer glass, and we toasted, each taking a long pull before setting down our glasses.
“She’s going to hate me when I approach her with all this.”
“Maybe, but put the kids first, not her feelings. She’s collateral damage.”
I didn’t like his words. He made this sound like a battle, and I didn’t want a battle. I wanted us to be on the same page and supportive of each other’s decisions. Maybe I was dreaming and that’d never happen.
“What’s the deal with Kaden?” Ziggy swiftly changed the subject, and I was grateful for the respite. I needed more time to think this through, figure out the right approach that’d do the least amount of damage.
“No one knows. He has a secret lover. They sneak off to hotels together at the oddest times, and no one has seen them in public.”
“She’s married. I’ve had a few relationships like that. All the telltale signs are there, especially the secretive meetings and minimal information about who she is. All red flags.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”
“A hookup is one thing, but he’s gone way beyond a couple nights. Getting mixed up with a married woman leads to nothing but grief. I don’t have too many rules when it comes to dating women, but avoiding the married ones is at the top of my list.”
“Mine too,” I agreed, but my mind was elsewhere. Ziggy focused his attention on one of the bar TVs showing highlights from the night’s game, in which I’d scored a goal, and Ziggy had an assist. The coach put us on the second line together, along with veteran Scott Monet, and we’d been on fire. Usually it took several games for a line to gel, but we played as if we’d been together for years. Maybe we’d gotten lucky tonight and were in the zone, but I’d take it, whatever it was.
My professional life was on track, and I needed to fix my personal life once I figured out how I wanted to fix it. Did I want to pursue Caro, despite her resistance to being with me, her need to stay in control, and her stubborn refusal to listen to reason?
Yeah, I did.
I’d make her listen. Living in limbo wasn’t fun for any of us.
**Caroline**
The morning of New Year’s Eve, I woke to a typical gray Seattle day. I didn’t have any plans to celebrate other than hang out with my kids and maybe drink a glass of cheap champagne at midnight. Junie had plans to go out with Steele and Kaden, which was fine with me. She’d been hovering, and I’d been so despondent about the kids’ meltdown and my conversation with Fran.
Our doorbell rang. I looked up from the game I was playing with the kids and shot Junie a questioning glance. She shrugged and went to the door to answer it.
Easton walked into the condo, and the kids immediately leapt to their feet and ran to him. Mona bounded to his side, her entire butt wagging and drool flying. He hugged Heath and Hailey, patted Mona, then turned to me, one large hand on each child’s shoulder. I was struck one more time with how comfortable they were with Easton and how right they looked together.
“Can we talk?” His tone was unreadable, not giving me a clue as to the subject of this conversation.
“Uh, sure.”
“I’ll leave you two to discuss. Kids, help me walk Mona.” Junie glanced from one of us to the other. She helped Hailey and Heath put on their coats, grabbed a leash for Mona, and they were out the door, and we were alone.
He sat on the barstool, so I sat on the one next to him. After running his hands over his face, Easton met my gaze. “I don’t know how to start this conversation. I think we should see if we can make this work.”
“This? What do you mean by this?” I wrung my hands together, not sure what he was getting at.
“You, me, the kids. Being a family.” He reached for my hand again and squeezed it. “We’re in this together whether we like it or not.”
“We are?” Of course we were. What a stupid question.
“Yeah, we are. We also have this insane chemistry between us. I’m tired of denying it when you creep into my thoughts no matter how hard I try to keep you out.”
He crept into my thoughts, too, probably way more than he imagined. “I don’t know.” I wasn’t willing to concede just yet. My husband hadn’t been dead all that long, along with a thousand other reasons this wouldn’t work.
“At least say you’ll think about it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
He nodded. “Caro, there are a few other things we need to handle.”
Here it came. I should’ve known there was a catch. I held my breath while every muscle in my body tensed, preparing me for the worst.
“I want to adopt the kids, but first we have to tell them I’m their dad. If we don’t do it soon, they may find out by accident. Too many people know. It could get out publicly. Besides, I want them to have my last name, not Mills, and I have that right. And not hyphenated. I can’t do that. I wish I was a big enough man to say I could, but I can’t. They’re my blood.”
And the hits kept on coming. Easton wanted to adopt the children so they’d have his last name? But then they wouldn’t have Mark’s last name or my last name.
I was losing my babies, whether I liked it or not. The more legal control Easton had over them, the less I had.
The kids were already crazy about him. Little by little, they fell deeper under his spell. I, too, struggled to resist his charms, so I didn’t know how two small children would ever be able to resist, nor would they want to once they found out he was their father.
The other thing I grappled with was trust. I wasn’t certain I trusted him. I’d always had trust issues because of my own parents, who’d made promise after promise and never followed through. How did I know Easton wouldn’t betray me, too? What made me such a good judge of character to think Easton would have my back when it might not be to his advantage to do so?
I met his gaze with a steady one of my own. “No, I won’t let you adopt them and change their last name. I owe Mark that much.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.