Page 15 of Love Me Like You Do

His senses sharpened in a way that made her think he was worried about her. “I can come back. We get two days off for the holiday, so I can be here for Christmas Eve and Day.”

“You can?”

“Absolutely.”

“Oh, thank God.” She stuttered out a laugh. “I’m not ready to do this alone.”

He grew even more intense. “You won’t, Hailey. I may not be here physically, but I’m still here for you. I can give you this house. And I can hire nannies. A chef. Whatever you need.”

There it is.“And there’s the Cole I’ve always known. Always throwing money at the situation.”

“What does that mean?”

She shook her head. “Why take a car to the dance when you can rent a limo? Who needs to hang out at the river when Cole can fly you to the ocean?”

He hardened. “We’re not talking about a party here. We’re talking about two little girls who lost their parents.”

“I know that. And you just told me what you’re willing to do—throw money at them. Which leaves the hard part to me.” She leaned closer so the girls wouldn’t hear. “It’s not about making them a sandwich or getting them to school on time. It’s about what happens when they start acting out because they miss their mom and dad. Cole, these kids are going to need therapy. They’re going to need comfort and love. They’ll need advice and…and discipline. Finding someone to cook our meals is the least important thing here.”

“I don’t know what you want from me. I can’t just”—he snapped his fingers—"find them a family.Isure as hell can’t be their parent. And I’m not saying you should do it. I’m not assuming you’re going to adopt them. But there are some things I can provide to make sure their physical needs are met.” He tapped his knuckles on the glass table. “Believe me, that’s every bit as important as the emotional stuff.”

The conversation was pointless. He’d made himself clear. He had nothing to offer but his credit card. Besides, she’d known from the start she was in this alone. “Look, I’ve only talked briefly to the attorney and Chase, so I don’t know much about the situation. Isanyonelooking for family? Are we really all they have?”That can’t be right.

She hadn’t given it much thought back then, but in high school, Lindsay’s parents were in their late fifties, and they’d come from Hungary. They’d shared some of their stories, and as far as she’d understood, they hadn’t kept in contact with their families. And Darren had been in foster care. On his Emancipation Day, he’d married Lindsay at the courthouse.

Reality knocked her on her ass. Up until this moment, she’d assumed she’d take care of the girlsuntilthey found their permanent home. But what if there wasn’t one?

Oh, come on.There were plenty of people who would love to take in these girls. “Maybe they have close friends who wouldn’t mind adding two little girls to their family.”

“They choseus, Hailey. People they hadn’t talked to in years. That should tell you everything you need to know about who else might be waiting in the wings.”

“But I can’t…I can’t raise two children in my studio apartment in Manhattan. I’m a fashion designer—I hardly make any money.”

He gave her a patient look.

“Right.”I just made his point for him. She was an emotional mess, and he was being practical. They needed food, clothing, shelter…God. They needed so much more than she could ever afford. “You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry for jumping on you.”

“I’ve had a little more time to wrap my head around this situation.”

“So, then…I mean, let’s be honest here. The only thing standing between them and foster care is me, right? If I don’t take the girls, they’ll become wards of the state.”

He reached out as if he wanted to grab her hands but stopped himself before touching her. “Hang on. You’re trying to solve all the problems at once, and that’s not possible in this situation. If I went into a game worrying about all three periods, I’d flame out within five minutes. I have to break it down and handle it one step at a time. First, I think about the puck hitting the ice and where I’m going to shoot it. Then, I see who’s got control of it and come up with the next strategy.”

“This isn’t hockey. These are Lindsay’sdaughters.”

“And you got here this afternoon. So, we’re not even close to making big decisions yet. Let’s take it one step at a time. Step one is Christmas.”

Tension eased in her neck and shoulders. “Okay.” She liked his approach. “That’s good. I can handle that.” A tree, some stockings, a few presents. A nice meal. “What’s step two?”

“I’ll hire a private investigator to look for extended family.”

“Okay, I’m doing a one-eighty here. Itotallyappreciate your money.”

When they both smiled, something happened…shifted. For one moment, she could believe they were in this together.

This big, muscular jock with his shocking blue eyes and dark hair acted like he didn’t have a care in the world, like he was all about hockey and living this decadent lifestyle of parties and yachts, supermodels, and pop stars. He looked like a man who could give one hot, commanding look to a woman in a bar and have her follow him out the door and right into his Maserati.

But she was starting to see a whole other side of him. A man who was good in crises.