Page 22 of Playboy Husband

CALLUM

The shrill, sudden blaring of Maisie’s alarm yanked me out of a restless sleep. As I opened my eyes, I blinked against the pale rays of sunlight bleeding through the curtains, groggy and feeling like I’d spent the night on a bed of nails.

Her hand shot out of the other bed, silencing the alarm before I could even push myself upright. I rolled over just as she sat up, her hair mussed and her eyelids looking heavy.

For a second, I imagined what it might be like if this was normal. The two of us waking up together, but then the memory of last night hit me like a sucker punch straight to the gut.

The kiss. That fucking kiss.

The way she’d launched herself at me like she just couldn’t help it. Like she wanted me just as badly as I wanted her.

For a few wild, carefree moments, it had been like we’d gone back in time, but then, just as quickly as her walls had disappeared, they had slammed back into place.

After, she’d locked herself in the bathroom and stayed there until she’d thought I’d fallen asleep. I hadn’t. I’d heard it when the water had stopped running and the light had finally clicked off, but I’d let her believe I’d drifted off because obviously it was what she’d needed in that moment.

I had no idea where we stood now, but it clearly wasn’t anywhere good. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, but even in the quiet of the morning, she still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Morning,” I said, trying to draw her attention my way. My voice was rough with sleep, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “You’ll be happy to know that you didn’t snore last night. Did I?”

She barely glanced at me, muttering something that could’ve been either a greeting or an answer. She rolled out of bed. “We should go meet Brody for breakfast.”

Right.

She disappeared back into the bathroom and reappeared only a couple minutes later wearing jeans and a hoodie.

Her hair was in a ponytail, her makeup light.

She sat down at the edge of her bed and pulled a pair of sneakers out of her bag, acting like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

On her way out, she finally looked at me again over her shoulder.

“I’ll meet you downstairs?”

I dropped my chin in a curt nod, hating that the tension between us today was thick enough to choke a donkey. It seemed like one minute, we could ignite like fire, and the next, we turned to ice. Are all relationships this way?

“Yeah, okay,” I agreed. “Maisie—”

Before I could say anything else, she slipped out of the room and I heard the snick of the lock falling automatically back into place after she’d closed the door behind her. I groaned and scrubbed my palms over my face before I stood, crossed to the bathroom, and grabbed a quick shower.

Every time I thought about that kiss, my body threatened to start a riot, but I didn’t have time to do anything about it.

Eventually, I realized the only way to get through the day without a permanent tent in my jeans was if I stopped thinking about it completely.

So I raced through the shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and hurried downstairs to join them for breakfast—all while doing everything in my power to try not to remember how good her body had felt pressed up against mine.

I made it to the lobby just in time to see the team spilling out of the stairwell like hyperactive ants on a mission for food. The change in Maisie when she saw Brody was instant. Her whole face lit up, her shoulders easing and her smile quick and genuine.

Pushing away from the reception desk where she was obviously waiting, she strode to him, bending over so he could throw his arms around her neck.

The hug they shared was quick, but it must have been exactly what she’d needed because, when she straightened up, she was all smiles and softness, none of the tension from before remaining.

Watching her with Brody, I realized I could live with her shutting me out for now. I could live with the awkward silence and the shut bathroom doors—hell, I could live with anything—as long as I got to see her smile like that.

At the same time, I wished she would turn that smile on me just once, but after that conversation we’d had last night, I knew I would have to earn it. I joined the stampede to the breakfast buffet with that thought in mind, deciding to keep my distance from Maisie and Brody.

Leaving them, I made my way past parents juggling coffee cups and bagels and went to stand with Gage instead. He was in the middle of trying to wrangle a headcount, looking like a general prepping for battle as he muttered to himself under his breath.

Once he was done, he glanced at me, one eyebrow arching. “You look like a man who didn’t get much sleep.”

I smirked, though I wasn’t really feeling it. “It’s the big game today. Nobody slept. Are you starving? I’m starving.”

He snorted. “Uh-huh. Sure. That’s all it is. Let’s get some food, but when we get to our table, you can tell me what really happened last night.” After a brief pause, he added, “Or if you’d prefer, we can talk about what clearly didn’t happen.”

I scoffed. “How would you know? Besides, shouldn’t we spend this time mapping out the day? I thought you were a hockey coach, not a relationship coach.”

Gage chuckled, head shaking as he followed me to the long buffet tables laden with food. “Our day is already mapped out, but okay. We’ll do that and then, after, you can tell me what was going on between you and Maisie in the lounge last night. You looked pretty darn cozy to me.”

I didn’t reply, glancing at them where they sat at a table with a few of Brody’s teammates and their parents. Maisie was talking animatedly to one of the other moms while Brody watched her with just a touch of pride on his features.

I wonder if he’ll ever look at me that way.

Dismissing the thought when I got to the front of the line, I dished up some fruit, pancakes, bacon, toast, and eggs and then dropped into the chair opposite Gage at a small table. He looked at me, then glanced at Maisie and Brody.

“Are you ready to tell me yet?”

I shrugged. “My past reputation came back to bite me, is all. Everything was fine in the lounge, but as soon as we got to our room, it went sideways.”

He grimaced, thinking it over before he responded. “You’re here now, Callum. He sees you. She sees you. That’s not nothing. Give it time.”

Exhaling heavily, I lowered my eyes to my food and dug in, trying to ignore the weight in my chest and the heat that flared through my veins every time I thought about last fucking night. I should’ve expected that to be her answer, but I really hadn’t.

By the time the puck finally hit the ice, Gage still seemed to be waiting for me to elaborate, but both of us finally shifted our attention to the game.

Everything else fell away as I stood next to him near the boards with my arms crossed, watching the kids race past in a blur of helmets, sticks, and skates.

While Gage shouted instructions and encouragement to the team as a whole, I kept finding myself staring at Brody.

The kid really was a flash of determination as he cut across the ice, somehow managing to be in the right spot at the right time every time.

He saw openings before anyone else and handled the puck like it was an extension of himself.

God, he’s good. Not just good, but natural. My almost-stepson played like he’d been born with a hockey stick in his hands. He scored once. Twice. Three times for the hat trick.

Every time he found the net, he turned, his eyes scanning until they found me, and a wide grin split his face when I threw my fists in the air and hollered his name over the roar of the crowd.

Something twisted deep inside me as I watched him beam, his chest puffing out as he got back to the game after seeing me cheer him on.

It took me a second to recognize that twist as pride. Fierce, unexpected, and almost overwhelming pride. I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

When the final buzzer sounded, I looked up to realize our boys had won. They swarmed the ice in victory, their helmets banging together and their sticks clattering. Just like that, they were in the running for the championship.

If Brody kept playing like he had today, they might even be unstoppable.

I screamed right along with everyone else, not stopping until my voice was hoarse and my throat was dry.

In the rush of cheers and applause, parents started making their way down from the stands.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Maisie weaving through the crowd.

Her hair was slipping from its tie, her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes bright and excited. When she reached me, I realized that she was a little breathless, but she didn’t hesitate to come right up to my side, close enough that I felt the brush of her shoulder against my arm.

She started cheering with the others again, but for me, just for a moment, the noise of the rink dulled. Brody stood almost right in front of us, just a few feet away, celebrating with his teammates and Maisie was right beside me.

This was what it could be like, the three of us as a family. It’d felt like such a wild, improbable thing before, but right now, it didn’t feel so impossible at all. In fact, the only thing I felt in this moment was that somehow, as strange as the situation was, this was right.

She stuck close to my side for the remainder of the congratulations, and when the boys finally came off the ice, Brody barreled over to both of us. He threw one arm around each of our shoulders, his grin looking like it was permanently etched onto his features at this point.

“Well done, baby,” Maisie gushed as she squeezed him. “You were amazing. I’m so proud of you. All that practice sure has paid off.”

Those vibrant green eyes of his were sparkling with laughter, but when they darted toward me, I realized that there was a definite tension in them, too. Apprehension, perhaps, like he was afraid of hearing what I’d thought about the game.

I bent over instantly, putting myself at his line of sight before I grinned and squeezed his shoulder. “You were incredible, kiddo. The best out there by a mile. If you keep this up, they’ll be recruiting you to the pros before you even become a teenager.”

For a second, he just kept staring at me like he wasn’t sure I was being honest, but then he started laughing, that doubt evaporating from his eyes. “That’s impossible. They’re not allowed to recruit kids into the pros.”

I widened my eyes. “Are you sure? They should make an exception for you. Absolutely. The NHL needs you, man.”

Brody laughed again, staying with us until he got swept away by the other boys once we reached the restaurant where we were going to celebrate.

The place was loud, bright, and chaotic.

Neon lights flashed from the arcade games, tickets spit out of machines, and the air smelled like fryer grease and pizza.

Brody and the rest of the team tore into it like they’d won the Stanley Cup instead of a youth league game. Parents found tables and ordered pitchers of soda and beer, the atmosphere jovial as everyone got settled in.

I kept an eye out for Maisie, finally taking my chance to speak to her—alone—when the mom she’d been sitting with got called over to the boys. Before she could find a way to escape, I slid into the seat the other mom had vacated and set my beer down on the table.

“I’m sorry about last night,” I said, loud enough that she’d be able to hear me above the noise. “I shouldn’t have kissed you and I don’t want things to be awkward between us, so I apologize.”

Her eyebrows lifted, a soft frown forming between them. “You didn’t kiss me, Callum. I kissed you.”

As she said it, the boys shrieked with laughter and the mom who’d just gone over to them called out to Maisie. Those green eyes connected with mine as she slid out of the booth, a half-smile on her lips and a flicker of heat in her eyes.

“Duty calls,” she said lightly. “I’ll see you later.”

She was gone before I could find a way to respond, letting Brody and a friend drag her over to some racing game to go up against the other mom. Just before they started, she tossed me a glance over her shoulder, her eyebrows pumping once.

I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it was enough to leave me a little unsteady. Unsteady, and wondering if maybe there was a chance that something real was brewing here. As unsettling as the thought was, it felt like we’d gone beyond the realm of simple convenience.

If my phone hadn’t started ringing, I might’ve started overthinking it, but as it was, the device vibrated in my pocket and I slid it out, groaning when I saw my mom’s name on the screen. Shit, CC is going to be livid.

“I’m sorry I missed another family dinner,” I said instead of greeting her when I answered. “I apologize truly, deeply, and profoundly, and I will make up for it.”

“This is the second week in a row, Callum,” she seethed at the other end of the line. “What possible excuse could you—”

She stopped speaking suddenly, just keeping quiet for a moment before she switched tactics. “Why does it sound like you’re at a playground?”

“Because I am,” I admitted. “Sort of, anyway. Gage asked me to help out with the hockey team he coaches. It’s the team Brody is on.”

Before she could read into it and start questioning me, I cut in again. “Hey, do you know what happened to all my old gear from when I was a kid?”

I didn’t know if whatever was between Maisie and me was real, I didn’t know if we stood any chance at making it work, and I sure as hell didn’t even know if she wanted to, but Brody was real and so was his talent.

And that?

That was all that made sense to me right then, so that was what I was going to focus on.