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Davi stood. “I’ll play too.”

“I’ll pass,” Payton added, and Bridget echoed her response.

“What about you, Lil Bit?”

Marlowe’s eyes widened. “Me? You want me to play football?”

“Don’t worry. It’s touch football, so I promise you won’t get hurt. Besides, you’ll be on my team. Something tells me you could give me an advantage over the others.”

She flushed again but nodded and fell into step beside Brick as they walked to where the others gathered. Bridget smiled after her, her anxiousness about being around Sydney’s friends easing.

“You don’t have to worry. Brick will make sure she has a good time.”

Bridget shifted her gaze back to Payton. “Oh, I’m not worried. Lowe loves football. When Mat played, she used to go with her dad to practices and games, and she soaked up everything about it. In fact, if Brick listens to her, he’ll likely win the game.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s not someone people typically pick for anything. She’s lived in Mathias’ shadow and sometimes gets overlooked. The thing is, she may not be athletic, but she’s better at strategy than her brother. She’s followed the sport since Mathias played his first youth league game, and their dad coached him. She would listen to the two of them discuss plays, and she’d go with Dean, her dad, to Mathias’ practices. When Dean realized her gift for strategy, he would let her stand with him on the sidelines during practices and offer suggestions. Dean always said he thought she’d make a great coach, and it would make her so happy. They were all football fanatics. Even their mom Jennifer…my sister.”

“I think that’s amazing. I know there’s an age difference between them, but I hope she and Davi can become good friends. Davi could use someone like her in her life. She’s had it rough lately.”

Bridget hated to think of how the kids might bond over their respective tough times. She thought of how nice it was to see the kids having a good time without the cloud of their parents’ death hanging over them, but she felt a familiar melancholy fall over her as she wished Jennifer and Dean could see their kids making friends among this group of strangers. Then she felt a touch on her arm and lowered her eyes to Payton’s hand.

“How long ago did they die?” Payton asked gently.

Bridget drew in a shaky breath, not prepared to answer questions about them so soon. She focused on her hands and twisted her fingers together. “Over a year. They were killed by a drunk driver.”

“I’m sorry. I’m glad you, Mathias and Marlowe have each other.”

Bridget managed a weak smile. “Thank you. I never pictured myself raising kids, and I’ll admit I’m faking it until I make it.”

She uttered the cliché in jest, hoping to lighten the mood, but there was a lot of truth in the idiom that she hoped Payton wouldn’t notice.

“I know what you mean. Going from no kids to raising a teenager is like shooting yourself in the foot. But having Davi in our lives has been like finding the one piece needed to complete the puzzle. Neither Jay nor I were ready for parenthood, but we wouldn’t trade it for the world. I hope we’re able to adopt her very soon. I want to make it official. But I can tell you have nothing to worry about. In my line of work, I’ve learned to spot a fake a mile away. You are no fake. Something tells me you are a better guardian for those two than you think.”

Bridget started at Payton curiously. “What do you do?”

“I’m a social worker for a medical clinic downtown. We have patients going through all kinds of trouble, and sometimes it helps them to have someone to talk to. I don’t mind being that to them because I have that in Jay and Davi.”

“So Jay is…” She let her sentence hang in the air between them incomplete, expecting Payton to fill in the blank.

Payton pointed out a man in the distance, his shorts and T-shirt covering a well-muscled body, his beard trim and dark, his manner speaking of authority. “Jay’s my husband. He and Brick are supervisors at KSI — Knight Security and Investigations where they all work. His sister and I were best friends and college roommates. She died, too, several years ago. Davi lost her birth mother over a year ago. So we’ve all lost someone close to us. You have friends here, Bridget, if you ever want to talk or forget for a little while.”

Bridget wasn’t sure what to say. Overcome with emotion, she just nodded. Payton rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I think I’ll check to see if Sydney and Kat need any help in the kitchen. If you need anything, hit up Tristin at the grill. He’s Kat’s husband, and he owns the company the guys work for. I know it feels confusing, but eventually you’ll figure everyone out.”

Bridget didn’t reply, but she realized Payton didn’t need one. Her new friend walked toward the house, and she stared at the group starting the touch football game. She retreated into her thoughts, so she didn’t hear the movement coming up behind her. She jumped when someone sat down beside her, and she swung her eyes up to meet a pair of bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners. Their impact sucked the breath from her lungs.

How could she not have considered the possibility Zane Wilder would be here?

“Hi.” There it was. The deep vibrato and the sexy smile she remembered. Even wounded and in the hospital, he had an appeal which drew her. When he showed up at the grocery store like a superhero coming to her rescue, he seemed to be well on the mend, and he oozed sexiness which was both intense and charming. Since then, she’d done little but think of him.

“Hi.” She suddenly felt shy and wracked her brain for something else to say.

He beat her to it. “How are you doing? Have you noticed anything strange lately?”

She shook her head. “No, not since you’ve had someone watching over us. Since you’ve told me what to look for, I always notice them. I appreciate them making sure the kids get home from school without someone bothering them, but I think they scared away whoever has been watching the house.”