Page 12

“There are three periods. They’re twenty minutes long and there are also breaks, or intermittens, those are like ten minutes long in between the periods.”

I smile softly at her and kiss her head. “The inter missions are fifteen minutes long, if I remember correctly from what I just looked up. What do you think the score will be?”

She hums and I watch as her hazel eyes fly around, watching out for her dad, watching that puck as if it’s her job, too. “I think they’ll win 3-1.”

When the commercials start I guide all of the girls to their rooms and promise to let them know the score in the morning.

“I know that you want to stay up, but it’s still a school night.

I promise that we’ll do something fun this weekend before your dad starts traveling next week.

You girls can pick your favorite restaurant. ”

Teeth are brushed, hair is braided, and pajamas are finally on.

Tilly and Nessa both fall asleep within minutes, and I let Avery do her thing.

“Just set an alarm on your tablet for 8:30, please. See you in the morning.” I wave and close her door, racing back to the living room to make sure I didn’t miss too much.

I settle down and shove some popcorn in my mouth, wincing when someone on our team gets slammed into the ice and their head bounces when they hit.

They don’t move and I bite down on my lip so hard, I can feel my skin splitting.

I have no idea who it is, but the medic rushes out onto the rink, kit in hand as she starts waving her arms around and calling out for more help.

I hold my breath as they get the player off the ice, no news on what’s happening. The game resumes and you can tell that the Mavericks are out of sorts, worried about their fallen teammate.

Shit, I would probably be freaking the hell out if it was Morgan. I probably should have been listening to the announcers, learned what their name was.

I’m glad the girls are asleep now.

I actually stayed awake for the entire game, no overtime and they won 3-2. Only one point off from what Avery guessed. I smile as I send Morgan a quick text, congratulating him on the win and hoping that his teammate is okay.

The announcers came on about twenty minutes ago to let us know that Logan Prescott is just fine, just got knocked out. No concussion but will need to miss Thursday’s game until he’s cleared to skate. I think the entire arena let out a sigh of relief when that was broadcasted. I know I sure did.

I haven’t met any of Morgan’s teammates or friends, but I know they’re like family to him. I’m sure the girls are also close to them and their kids.

I turn off the TV and head to the kitchen with the dirty dishes, hurrying to clean up so that I can crawl into bed.

I don’t know how long it takes for Morgan to get home and I don’t want to be creepy and wait up for him.

I leave the light on and head down the hall, checking on the girls before slipping into my room and getting ready to slumber.

I plug in my phone and notice a missed message from Morgan.

Morgan: You watched? Next time I’ll make sure to play better.

Me: You’re funny. I thought you were amazing! The girls watched for about half an hour before I sent them off to bed. All has been quiet, except for my heart. That was an intense game.

Morgan: You ain’t seen nothing yet. Just wait until we’re all a few weeks in… maybe you can come to a game one night. Sit right on the ice. I’ll make sure to smack someone in the glass for you to gawk at.

Me: Sounds fun. But I don’t know when that will happen any time soon… I don’t want the girls to worry about not having either of us here.

Morgan: There you go, being perfect…

I frown at the message and tilt my head. Perfect? I don’t think there’s a hidden meaning there, but it still makes my heart speed up, making my stomach feel warm.

Me: Ha. You’re a comedian. I’m going to get some sleep. See you in the morning.

I set my phone on my nightstand after making sure it’s plugged in. I end up falling asleep before he gets home and don’t wake up until Nessa is crawling into bed with me at the crack of dawn.

“Morning, honey. What’s wrong?”

She curls around me and sighs. “Nothing. I just couldn’t sleep. I wanted to cuddle.” Within moments she’s softly snoring and I feel tears welling up in my eyes. How are these girls just so damn precious? I’ve never felt this kind of bond with children before.

Sure, I loved all of the kids I taught at Peachland, but this is just magical. Nothing short of magical.

I stay awake, basking in the comfort of having someone in my arms again. This sweet girl trusts me enough to crawl into bed with me just because she wanted to cuddle.

Someone softly knocks on the door and I continue to stare down at Nessa who is passed out. Eventually the door opens up and Morgan sticks his head in, his shoulders drop and he breathes out a relieved sigh.

He tiptoes closer with a soft smile on his face. He’s wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, gray sweatpants, and his hair is a mess, as if he just woke up. He still looks like he just walked off of a damn magazine shoot. It’s rude.

“I was checking her room because she was the only one not up… I…” He shakes his head. “Did she have a nightmare last night?”

I smile and shake my head. “She woke up about an hour ago and said she wanted a cuddle.”

He nods and steps away, not wanting to wake her up.

“Well… Breakfast is ready.” He has a weird look on his face, then he turns, leaving us in here.

I frown and try to roll away, wanting to see what’s going on with him.

Should I have told Nessa to crawl into bed with her dad? Is he uncomfortable with this?

Nessa sits up and blinks her sleepy hazel eyes around the room. “I’m hungry.” She jumps out of my bed and speeds out of my room and down the hall like a shot. I chuckle and follow after her, following the sweet smell of pancakes.

I sit down at the island beside Avery and kiss her head when she leans in closer to me.

“Ness used to come into my room early in the morning… I never told her not to come to me, sorry if she woke you up.” Oh this sweet girl.

So damn much has been on her shoulders for someone so young.

I’m too afraid to ask her how much she actually did for her sisters. She needs to heal and be a kid.

I smile at her and nudge her shoulder with my elbow. “No worries. You’re all allowed in my bed at any time.”

She nods and I glance over at Tilly to clean up her messy face. “My goodness, you sure seem excited about pancakes this morning.”

Morgan chuckles and passes me over a plate. My brows shoot up when I see all of the blueberries and strawberries on top. I also smell peanut butter. “I made yours a little different… I had some almond flour and didn’t use any sugar in yours.” He winks at me and pulls his own plate out of the oven.

I continue blinking at him, that was incredibly thoughtful. “Thank you.”

He nods and he settles down on the other side of Avery. “I have to be at the rink in about an hour for some weight training. What are your plans today?”

I shrug. “Not sure. I did promise the girls we could do something fun this weekend before you start traveling next week though.”

He grunts and glances around at his daughters. “Well? What should we do after I get home this afternoon?”

Avery wiggles in her seat and flutters her lashes at him. “What about that pizza place that has an arcade? Please? They even have a playplace for Tilly!”

He glances over at me with a cocked brow, so I send one right back.

These are his kids, he knows what’s safe or not around here.

He blows out a breath and shrugs. “Fine. I should be home around three, we’ll head out of here around four.

” He stands up and collects the dirty plates.

“Go wash up, girls. Lillian looks like she wants to watch a movie.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Nonsense. Go shower, you have to get ready to leave. I can take care of the dishes.”

I try to shove him away from the sink, but, Christ, he is so damn solid that he doesn’t even budge. He glances over at me with a cocky smirk. “Not so tough now, huh?” He flicks soapy water at my face and I wince and try to protect my eyes.

“Jackhole. Seriously, get out of here. I don’t mind cleaning.” I try to shove myself in front of him, assuming he would move away. He presses his arms down on either side of me, his fingers curling around the sink, pressing his front against my back.

He’s so warm, his body so damn hard, and muscular.

He breathes me in and I shiver. Oh… Oh fuck. He needs to move away. Now.

“Fuck, you smell amazing.” I bite down on my lip and have to restrain myself from not arching or pressing back against him.

“I… I got the dishes.” I whisper and he presses his lips to the back of my neck. I bite my tongue and then he moves away. I heave out a soft sigh and close my eyes. Praying he’s leaving the room.

He hums as saunters out of the kitchen, I hear his bare feet slapping against the tiles. I turn, watching him leave, the way his clothes cling to his lean, tall… so fucking tall… muscular body. He’s turning the corner when he glances back at me and sends me a hard wink. Knowing I would be watching.

I glance away and stare down at the sink and scrub the dishes so hard I’m worried they’re going to crack.

I’m still flushed, panting for air. I hold my breath, trying to calm down my poor heart.

This is bad news bears…