Page 111 of Daddies on Ice

But loving her doesn’t make this situation any less complicated. She’s still Trent’s sister.

I still shared her with two other men last night.

And I still have no idea what any of this means or where we go from here.

When I emerge from the bathroom, Carl is helping Tish sit up in bed while Jake stretches like a satisfied cat beside her.

She looks beautiful in the morning light, her hair tousled and her cheeks flushed, wearing nothing but the sheet wrapped around her body.

“Morning,” she says softly, her eyes meeting mine with a mixture of shyness and something that might be regret.

“Morning,” I reply, my voice rougher than I intended.

The awkwardness is palpable as we all get dressed and ready for the day.

Nobody seems to know what to say or how to address what happened between us.

Jake, surprisingly, is the most subdued I’ve ever seen him. Usually, he’d be cracking jokes or making innuendos by now, but he’s unusually quiet as he pulls on his clothes.

Carl, ever the practical one, is the first to break the silence. “We should head to the lodge for breakfast. The staff will be expecting us.”

Tish nods, wrapping her robe tighter around herself. “I need to shower first. Give me fifteen minutes?”

We all agree, and I use the time to step outside and check on the snow situation.

Carl is right. We’re completely snowed in.

The drifts are at least three feet high, and it’s still coming down steadily.

We’re not going anywhere today, which means we’re all stuck here together to figure out whatever this is between us instead of practicing for the next game.

As I stand on the porch, breathing in the crisp winter air, my mind drifts to the other problem we’re facing.

Someone is stalking Tish, sending her threatening pictures, trying to destroy her reputation and possibly hurt her.

The thought makes my blood boil and my protective instincts kick into overdrive.

I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out who could be behind this.

The obvious suspect is Mica, her ex and Becky’s father. But he’s supposed to be in prison, serving a twelve-year sentence.

Could he have gotten out early?

Could he be orchestrating this from behind bars?

Tish insists she hasn’t dated anyone seriously since Mica, so it can’t be a jealous ex-boyfriend.

She’s been focused entirely on work and raising Becky, keeping to herself and avoiding romantic entanglements. Until now, anyway.

But how do I protect her from someone I can’t identify or locate? How do I keep her safe when I don’t even know what we’re up against?

I should call Trent. He needs to get his head out of his ass and focus on Tish’s safety. But he won’t listen to me, and I don’t regret loving her.

Despite the guilt, despite the moral conflict raging in my head, I don’t regret a single moment of last night.

The way Tish felt in my arms, the sounds she made, the way she looked at me like I was everything she’d ever wanted—it was worth every moment of the guilt and confusion I’m feeling now.

When Tish emerges from the cabin, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a thick sweater, she takes my breath away.